Weddingbee

By far, the highlight of our honeymoon was our Grand Canyon adventure. Based on a recommendation from The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas 2008, we purchased our package online through Best Tours LV and opted for the big momma of all their tours, one that combined airplane, helicopter, boat and bus transportation (and will run you about $300 a person, every single dollar worth it).

The whole shebang began with transportation from the hotel to the Boulder City airport via private van. The ride takes about 30 minutes, and after that, you climb into one of these babies for another 30 minute ride (admittingly not the most comfortable of your life):

All passengers have window seats, as evidenced here by Mr. Petunia…

…which allow you spectacular views like this one, of the Hoover Dam (I still can’t believe I took that picture with my little camera!):

Once by the canyon, you get to climb into one of the babies behind me in the background here:

Hands down, the helicopter part is the most awesome part of the entire tour. Mr. P and I were lucky enough to have front row seats, next to the pilot (there’s also room in the back for 4 other passengers). The helicopter feels a little bit out of control when it first takes off, but after that, it’s the smoothest ride I’ve ever been on — much smoother than a plane’s, at any rate.

The helicopter’s mostly glass bubble also lets you see the canyon in all its glory:

Then having safely landed by the Colorado River, you get to coast up and down it (I wish the boat part of the tour lasted longer!):

The helicopter takes you back up after that and returns you to the Canyon’s airport, but you’re still not done. Buses running on a constant schedule then take you to two viewing areas — Eagle Point and Guano Point. Here’s Mr. Petunia, standing much closer to the edge than I ever would!

At Eagle Point, you also have the option (for an additional cost) to experience the Skywalk, a glass walkway that allows you to look directly down into the canyon (no personal cameras or shoes allowed, apparently — we skipped this part ourselves, but here’s a stock photo):

And then finally at Guano Point you get to enjoy a small buffet lunch, sit for a while, climb a bit, and take in your last view:

You can expect the whole thing to take between 7 to 8 hours, with some of that time unfortunately just taken up by waiting around for one of the forms of transportation to be ready. We were so exhausted afterward, we spent that night all cozied up in our hotel suite, ordered room service, and didn’t come back out until the next day, but I tell you, every ounce of exhaustion was worth it for that experience!

• The Sweetest Factory
• Ceremony Issues