NAB Show April 2008 – More sights from Las Vegas

Now that the NAB show is over, you wouldn’t expect me just go all the way to Las Vegas without taking a trip the the Grand Canyon, now would you?

So we hired a car and took the 4 hour trip, via the Hoover Dam to the West Grand Canyon resort staying overnight in a Wild West cowboy town on the Hualapia Indian reservation.

When we arrived were entertained and informed by Cowboy singer Mark Brookes, and the next day we went out to Eagle point where I had my photo taken with Chief Brett on the Skywalk and then had lunch at Guano point before being dropped off at the Helicopter checkpoint.

So, there I am, walking along in the middle of an Indian Reservation in the heart of Arizona ….. and who should I bump into but my old friend Professor James Powell Vice Chancellor of Salford University. In all the bars in all the world…..

James and I first met when we went on UK government sponsored Internet trade mission to Malaysia in 1998. Since then we have worked together on a number of projects including enterprisenw.net. James said he was in Las Vegas to watch the world title boxing match between Joe Calzaghe and Bernard Hopkins which I also had the chance to go to … and describe below. Small world eh ?

The Grand Canyon West included sights and sounds of the old west including a traditional Indian dance troupe (although I think they were from Canada) and well you’ve got to see it if you are there haven’t you?

Traditional Indian dancing on the Hualapia Reservation

Our stay at the Hualapai cowboy ranch delivered the recreation and relaxation it promised, along with songs and stories of the old west mixed with a little up to date political commentary (not part of the tour) from Mark Brookes. The town was made up in the old style with a saloon, livery stable and even a jail. In the evening we had a chat around the campfire with some s’mores – biscuits, toasted marshmallows and chocolate!

Home on the range at Destination West Grand Canyon

I got some good tickets at a very reasonable price from a nice man outside the Thomas and Mack Center and we were in!

Just before the main event all the celebs turned up – including Tom Jones (he sag the welsh national anthem before the fight), Michael J Fox, Simon Cowell, Andrew Loyd Webber, Catherine Zeta Jones (the Queen of Wales), Arnie, and many many more…….

And of course by now you will know that Calzaghe won the fight on on a split decision.

Calzaghe vs Hopkins….. and the winner is Joe Calzaghe!