Las Vegas seems harmless in the day time.

The gardens across Ceasars Palace

The Strip's own version of Hollywood

Little Paris in Vegas

Compared to the drama and flair the strip exhibits at night.

Ceasars Palace

The Bellagio

The Venetian

The Venetian's version of the gondolas in Italy

Whether day or night, walking down the strip transported me to another time and place -

where people walk around drunk as early as three in the afternoon, and strangers hand you

calling cards offering female companionship at every corner of the street; a place where it's

OK to lose yourself and forget who you are because whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

All images taken on spring break at the Las Vegas Strip, NV.

All images (c) thecopyrightofbrandmarie.blogspot.com.

HOOVER DAM

The first thing that caught my eye in Hoover Dam was actually the row of bent

electrical wires located on the mountainside. I remember thinking if there was 

some sort of magnetic energy that allowed them to keep bent and sturdy in 

that manner, but I guess they are just evidence of excellent construction. 

The dam, which was built in 1933, houses or impounds the beautiful Lake Mead and 

provides hydroelectric power to the vicinities that surround it. There is also a certain

part of the dam that allows you to be in two states at once - Arizona and Nevada.

Lake Mead

All images taken at Hoover Dam in Lake Mead National Recreation Center, NV

All images (c) thecopyrightofbrandmarie.blogspot.com

The first time I laid eyes on The Grand Canyon my jaw literally dropped. 

It is to this day the most beautiful, most serene place I have ever seen. 

No picture will ever do it justice.

For me, standing there and taking everything in only proved to me that there really is a God.

Who else could have molded mounds of earth and rock into a combination so magnificent;

a place so serene and untouched you could close your eyes and hear nothing but a steady breeze;

a location with such a direct line to the sky that when you reach out you'd feel like you 

could already touch a tiny piece of heaven; a sight that makes you feel lucky to be alive. 

All images taken at The Grand Canyon in Arizona

All images (c) thecopyrightofbrandmarie.blogspot.com

Who knows what else is out there?

Much of the world is still left untouched. 

All images taken from the top of Hermit's Rest, Grand Canyon

All images (c) thecopyrightofbrandmarie.blogspot.com

Arizona - one beautiful cactus after another

As we were driving through Arizona I had this conversation with a friend of mine:

Him: Now do you see why it's depressing to go on long drives like this? 

Me: No.

Him: Look at the road up ahead. Do you see anything? 

Me: No. 

Him: Exactly. It's like the drive never ends.

But the neverending drive through beds of cacti was gorgeous.

All images taken on the road in Arizona on the way to the Grand Canyon. 

All images (c) thecopyrightofbrandmarie.blogspot.com

Grand Mountains in Arizona

My friends and I took a trip through Arizona during our last spring break. The view was
absolutely breathtaking and we all forgot that these roadtrips to the middle of nowhere
were the usual settings for horror-movie-type-slasher films.

It was amazing for me to see the slowly melting snow that lay on the peaks of
mountains surrounded by all that desert, sand and cacti.

 These photos just go to show that it truly is a wonderful world.

All images taken on the road in Arizona on the way to the Grand Canyon

All images (c) thecopyrightofbrandmarie.blogspot.com