Contact Heli USA and Grand Canyon Ranch when you reach Vegas!
Why? Because an unforgettable Vegas vacation doesn't begin and end at a generous craps table, a world-class spa, or Broadway's top show on the Strip. The complete Vegas get-away includes a visit to a giant cattle ranch, where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid hid out (for real!) -- plus a flight beforehand through the awesome Grand Canyon. Call Heli USA, Vegas's elite helicopter company to those who travel extensively, and prepare to see what most folks won't see in their lifetime.
Heli USA is owned by Nigel Turner, an ex-Captain in the British Army's helicopter wing. At age 24, he was the pilot of choice to fly British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl to wherever their itineraries took them. Nigel's sense of discipline, caefully honed in the military, extends to the pilots he hires at Heli USA --hence its reputation as the most buttoned-up helicopter tour company in Vegas, following FAA rules to the letter.
It pays off in an exhilarating flight below the rim of the Grand Canyon, with safety the first concern, as you soar by mile-high, vertical canyon walls and stone buttresses, Natures most awesome outdoor cathedral. Below you, the mighty Colorado River flows to the Gulf of Mexico in an ongoing, white water journey that began some 80 million years ago. Bring your video camera for a moving remembrance of one of the most unforgettable sights on Earth.
Turner also owns the nearby Grand Canyon Ranch, one of the Old West's authentic ranches, consisting of 195,000 acres under the shadow of Spirit Mountain, revered by the Hualapai Indians for generations. His guests receive old-fashioned western hospitality on his working cattle ranch, where you can spend an afternoon, or overnight in an authentic pine cabin, before your return to Vegas.
Squeeze in as much time as you can at this historic ranch, where the western way of life is carefully observed, like calf roping in a special arena, branding, guest horseback rides, and Nigel's pride and joy -- a Buffalo Safari for ranch guests to see his herd of buffalo (three recently born calves are a new addition to the herd!). The most famous American icon, the buffalo, or American bison, is slowly making a comeback in this protected environment, as Nigel is committed to restoring the animal to its former glory.
At night, after a hearty western meal in the ranch house, park yourself around a campfire, under a canopy of stars, and listen to the ranch balladeer, Casey Adams, sing songs of cattle drives and western outlaws, plus his own compositions.
You've come this far. Why not get a taste of the Old West, where faro dealers in Nevada Territory towns packed Derringers, and cattle barons hired gunslingers to "discourage" settlers from running sheep at the original Grand Canyon Ranch? You'll carry the memories for life.
For reservatons, visit heliusa.com, or call Toll Free 1-800-359-8727. In Las Vegas, 702-736-8787. For more information on the historic Grand Canyon Ranch Resort, we're at grandcanyonranch.com.