Leaving Las Vegas

We've been waiting all summer for a fun family vacation.  So, like good parents, we took the kids to Vegas.  And, as better parents, we beat a path out of there within 36 hours.  What can we say?  The Southwest tickets were cheap.

We did see a couple shows (Phantom of the Opera on the way in; O on the way out).  In fact, there were a lot of sights that we don't ususally find at home.  Billboards for babes, guns and bail bonds, for example.  Sophie saw a billboard for "The Thunder Down Under" with a lot of bare-chested men in tight jeans.  "What's that advertisement for, Mommy?" she asked.  "If they're trying to sell clothes, they're not wearing very much of it."  What is there to say?  "Good point," I told her.

It was 108 degrees in Vegas and we hit the pool at 8 am -- a pool that is only 3 1/2 feet at its deepest and lined with beach chairs at the shallow ends.  Which is to say, these are pools in which to be seen, not to swim.  That, of course, explains the boys with the rhinestone-studded D&G sunglasses and the girls in sequined bikinis.  "Why do the girls wear so much make up?" asked our observant daughters.  "It will just come off in the pool." Yet another good point.

By mid-day, even the pool was too hot, and the girls were tired of the craps tables, so we headed out to Hoover Dam.  Other than being 115 degrees outside (but a water-cooled 75 degrees inside), the dam is very impressive.  Although it generates enough hydroelectric power to serve 1.3 million people in Nevada, Arizona and California, the electricity is just a by-product.  The primary purpose of the dam is to manage ebb and flow of the Colorado River, ensuring that desert inhabitants in those three states keep their golf courses healthy.

After a day and a half, Ed made the excellent decision to leave quickly and get on the road to Zion National Park.  Phew.  Grungy hippies in Keenes, carrying their eco-friendly Sigg water bottles.  Not a rhinestone or sequined bikini in sight.  We felt so much more at home.