As today was our last full day in Las Vegas, we decided to take a helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon including a descent and landing on the Canyon floor where we would have lunch.

We rode to the airport in an incredible A-Team style vehicle, provided by the tour company, Serenity. They were fantastic hosts and even introduced us to their teacup poodle named Maddy. The girls instantly fell in love with her because she had a manicure and was, I have to admit, incredibly cute. The Serenity offices are also very beautiful and they provided us with drinks and everything we needed to feel comfortable.

I was glad to discover that safety procedures for the flight were really comprehensive. We had to be weighed to ensure a good centre of gravity (strangely, Dale and I were positioned in the middle of the helicopter), then, once we were wearing life vests, we lined up in sequence and had to approach the aircraft in the correct manner, responding with hand signals.

I knew we were in for some fun when our pilot Steve Egger, the owner of Serenity Helicopters, turned to us and said: "You know I'm not the regular pilot, right?" With our headsets on, we were soon airborne and taking in spectacular views of Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon. The views were simply breathtaking and the sheer scale of the spectacle is just jaw dropping and humbling.

Steve was an awesome host, very funny and informative. I enjoyed his trippy, Steven Wright-esque one liners. I can imagine Kevin Costner would want to play this guy. At one point, he pointed out a bald eagle soaring past and said "some people dance with wolves.. I fly with eagles." Only someone awesome can pull that off.

About 30 minutes into the flight, we landed in the Grand Canyon for a picnic lunch provided by the tour operator. Loll was feeling pretty sick after the wind knocked us about a bit, but we all enjoyed snacks, beer and champagne for the newly weds. During lunch, we were visited by George, a raven that apparently comes to greet every party that lands on his rock. We hooked George up with some grapes and a croissant. He left happy.

Soon we were in the air again and heading back to Vegas. The Grand Canyon was a truly memorable experience. If you are ever in Vegas, don't hesitate to book a trip with Serenity, they were first class all the way.

This evening we went to Planet Hollywood for steaks and ribs, then onto the Cheesecake Factory for dessert. Tomorrow we burst our Vegas bubble and hit the road to resume the trail out west. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go call 1-800-Gastric-Band.

Sooze and I got married on April 17th of this year. As the road trip was already planned before the wedding, we agreed that our honeymoon would officially start when we hit Las Vegas.

We arrived in Vegas on the 9th May and booked into the newly built (for the Strip anyway) Aria hotel. The hotel just oozes class, but when you come from a place like Tipton, trust me when I say that this is truly luxury at its finest.

The room is reminiscent of the one that David Aames inhabits in Vanilla Sky; clap your hands and the lights come on; press a button on the remote control and the TV sinks into the floor. Okay, not quite, but it's still pretty impressive. It even has a sliding door to the bathroom that would make Leatherface purr with envy.

Apart from the impressive looking hotels and of course the weather, Vegas has just been the most perfect setting and has come at the right time in our trip across the States. We've witnessed the magical fountain show outside the Bellagio hotel, had lunch and drank champagne inside the Grand Canyon and tonight we're off out to enjoy a steak at Planet Hollywood to celebrate even further. I'm going to pick the biggest one they can cook, along the same lines as the 'Ole 96er' from The Great Outdoors.

Las Vegas has just been unforgettable and I feel very privileged to have shared this amazing experience with my new wife Suzanne.

There's only one thing that makes it even more special and that's the fact that we're only halfway across the States. We still have LA, San Francisco, Seattle etc… left to see.

Today, we took a bus along the Strip to Stratosphere Las Vegas - a tower, hotel, and casino that holds the title of tallest tower in Las Vegas. Unexpectedly, we've found the atmosphere of Vegas much more enjoyable in the day time than at night, so we put in a very long day today, shopping, visiting the famous themed hotels and seeing sights. Vegas has pretty much everything. At one point, Sooze pointed out the slogan of one store, which was: 'If it's in stock, we have it'.

The Stratosphere Tower stands 1,149 feet and is the tallest free standing observation tower in the United States. The observation deck is home to a number of thrill rides: Big Shot - the highest thrill ride in the world, which projects visitors up a vertical mast on the top of the tower. Insanity - an attraction that dangles riders over the edge of the tower and then spins in a circular pattern at about 40 mph. SkyJump Las Vegas - a bungee jump that allows brave punters to plummet 855 feet from the top of the tower, and X-Scream - which shoots riders in a car out over the rim of the tower and suspends them there before reeling them back in and out again.

We saw a woman take a SkyJump from the top of the tower:

Then, Loll and Dale volunteered to try out the Big Shot, giving me the much easier job of taking pictures: 

However, the wind was too high, making the ride unsafe to run. Loll and Dale opted for X-Scream instead. They coped well with their near death experience, although Dale is now reporting seeing a little boy in a red hood at every turn. Afterwards, we spent some time enjoying the stunning views from the top of the tower. Highly recommended if you're heading out this way.

In early afternoon, we stopped for lunch. Dale and I have been piling on the pounds. It's probably possible out here to have breakfast at Fatburger, lunch at Whataburger, dinner at In N' Out burger and perhaps a light supper at Burger King. I've had more milkshakes this week than Richie Cunningham.

Hope you enjoy the pictures. Tomorrow is our last full day in Vegas and we'll be aiming to make it extra special.

We cruised onto the Las Vegas Strip last night and pulled into the Aria hotel where we are staying. They have valet parking, so we removed our bags and some guy jumped into the car and vanished with it. After living out of a suitcase since we left the UK, it's lovely to unpack in a plush room. There's a large flat screen TV; fully automated curtains and lighting that you can control from a handheld LCD panel; stunning views of the MGM Grand and other hotels and casinos, and most importantly, iPhone charging sockets.

Vegas is pretty wild. It's like Salvador Dali's brain exploded and the contents landed in the Nevada desert. Every whim you ever had has been made into a neon sign and offered to you for $9.99. We relaxed in our rooms for a while and then headed out to explore. We had a spectacularly large Chinese meal and Dale was carded when buying some booze. It's funny, you can buy fireworks and a handgun on every corner in America, but you need your passport and a blood test to get a Budweiser.

The only down side so far is that we got totally ripped off with wi-fi access. We have no option but to pay $42 for 72 hours access at the hotel. Having had free wi-fi at Best Western Inns, Days Inn motels, and pretty much all other budget lodgings for the past few thousand miles, it's astonishing that they're not making wi-fi cloud hotels with statues holding laptops and routers. We're off out now to see what all the fuss is with playing slots.

More missives soon from Sin City.

This morning, we drove a couple of hours to reach Flagstaff, Arizona. Despite having all of the trappings of most American cities, such as drive-through pharmacies, and drive-through ATMs (seriously, is it too much effort?), Flagstaff turned out to be a really memorable, funky city with a youthful vibe and loads of interesting people and shopping areas. Given the frequency of the major chain stores and fast food joints, I never imagined that each city could have a distinct character, but they really can and Flagstaff is a great example of this sort of energy.

We've been averaging 450-500 miles per day these past few days. It seems natural that we are gaining some ground out here in the vast, scenic states, and this will give us more time in the other major cities we want to visit on the west coast. 

The temperature has been steadily rising all afternoon as we cross Arizona and head towards Nevada. It's currently mid 80s and getting warmer. Dale and Sooze will be taking some time out to celebrate their honeymoon in Las Vegas, so they are naturally excited and have moved up front to make the drive into the entertainment capital of the world.

A nice surprise en route was passing through the Hoover Dam on the border between Arizona and Nevada. No sign of Superman, but the spectacular vistas made this piece of human engineering into a welcome break from the road.

So it's Vegas next. Dale and I are looking money and planning to see all the beautiful babies while in town. We're hoping for prime rib and all you can eat wi-fi. We'll be making a separate trip to the awe inspiring Grand Canyon (when the dancing girls take a coffee break).