2am: second tremor larger than the first, maybe the last.

2:35am: In room heater develops vibration noise.. maybe related to tremor 2.

3:40 The big one: Tremor three.. 10 seconds of terror, the floor shakes, the heater vibrates in sympathy and continues to make noises for 15 minutes afterwards.

5am aftershock one: smaller than average tremor.

7am: aftershock two: 
 

Life in a WigWam is hard.. no wonder the native Americans were over-run by the whiteman if they were living like this, the concrete construction of the Teepee does not react well to passing goods trains, leading the occupants to think that the very ground beneath their feet is about to open up & swallow them.. add that to the heaters annoying rattle and I would imagine that a warrior trying to get a full nights sleep before an important battlle.. with Custer say, would be very tired and not able to give of his best.
 
 

Luckily the charm of the WigWam village far outweighed any discomfort.
 
 

Upon leaving the village we discovered that the office was deserted & the people who had given us our key were nowhere to be found, so we left the payment with a thank you note under their door took a few pictures & hit the road.. 

On the way into the Grand Canyon proper we stopped at a picturesque Canyon containing a tributary of the Colorado river.. "Thats baby poop compared to the Grand Canyon.." muttered my travel pal..and by gum she was right..  we arrived at the south rim of the crater and like thousands before us marvelled at the size of the thing.. we stopped at 4 or 5 more observation points along the canyons edge each as impressive as the last. Travelling out of season is great, having the Grand Canyon basically to yourself is very cool.

Stopping for gas at Kingman we spotted a "Sonic" drive in diner.. so we popped in parked under the neon awning & had burgers & soda.. I realise some people go to art galleries & others enjoy climbing mountains but I love a wallow in pure Americana... the limeade & cherry soda was good too.

Now we had to decide what to do with the rest of the day, my friend had decided to extend her trip by a day so the time pressure was off, it didn't take much persuasion to make Las Vegas our next port of call.. so 3 hours later we were pulling onto Las Vegas Blvd. in search of fun.. first of all we stopped at the Stratosfear, an 800 foot high tower with a rollercoaster on top (outside)... naturally we had a go.. you are taken on a circular ride around the top of the building dipping & rising as you go... the height alone is scarey.. couple that to the ride & your attention is focused. Fabulous.

All in all a great day.. natural wonders, man made wonders, lots of miles & a hotel with a modem socket. super.

Later.
-S.