Our latest trip was one of contrasts. We spent four days in Las Vegas, Disneyland for
Adults, and two days in national parks in southern Utah, one of the most beautiful regions on earth.
People warned us that too much togetherness in retirement would be a problem. Well, that
has not proved to be. Perhaps because we have perfected the art of compromise. And this last trip certainly illustrates
how this works. Bill wants to visit all the national parks he can. I want to stay in every new hotel on
the Las Vegas strip. The fact that he only got in two national parks while I got into three hotels might indicate who
is better at the strategy, but, nevertheless, it works for us. We have even learned to work together in the kitchen
which we had never been able to do before. So retirement has more than the obvious benefits.
We met friends at Hotel Paris. We had a room deal that gave us free entry into a slot
tournament with our room rent. I actually placed 7th out of 600 entrants but, alas, only got $100. However, to
win anything in Vegas is a victory. And I actually got home with the $.
We also stayed in Luxor and Venetian. The rooms at the Venetian are probably the nicest
we have ever stayed in. Even nicer than Bellagio or the Ritz Carlton in Lisbon. Disappointingly, though, the casino
there doesn't have the latest machines and still uses coins. The Luxor is a nice middle grade hotel. The Egyptian
motif and elevators going up the side of the pyramids are different. The casino is very nice. But Paris was nicer,
better located, and about the same price. We ate at the Hard Rock and were the oldest people in the place by about 30
years but had a good time. We were disappointed that the new monorail wasn't open yet (it opened 7/16) and think it
will help getting around town and up and down the Strip. It is $10 for a day pass--well worth it.
We also visited Green Valley Ranch, the subject of a series on Discovery Channel, and the Golden Nugget,
featured in a series on Fox. The Green
Valley series took a blow when one of the featured managers died suddenly. The series
is the better of the two. An employee at Golden Nugget said they brought in actors for that series and featured scenarios
she had never observed in the 23 years she's worked there.
We ate at Commander's Palace where the summer special was 25-cent vodka martinis for lunch.
More dangerous than gambling. And ate at the House of Blues where it was nice to get some southern food!
The national parks are just the opposite of each other. In Zion, tourists explore the
floor of the canyon and hike up. In Bryce, one is atop the canyon and hikes down. The lodges in each are rustic
but a necessary part of the experience. And dining in each park's restaurant is a delight. Caution: reservations
are difficult to get at each park, though a little easier at Zion. Call ahead for both lodging and dinner reservations.
And, as a comparison, our rustic rooms at the lodges were the same price as our super luxurious suite at the Venetian.
Leaving Bryce, we headed east to Cedar Breaks National Monument which is at an elevation of about 12,000 feet. We figured
that was the highest we had ever been on ground. Acres of multi-colored wildflowers covered the alpine meadows.
A cedar bark beetle has killed much of the forest as the drought has left the trees vulnerable to all kinds of blight.
One cannot visit southern Utah without realizing the influence of the Mormons on this area.
Their presence is stamped on all aspects of the region. They explored and settled almost inaccessible sites. Every
town has at least one church and many have historical sites important to the history of the Mormon church that are staffed
by Mormon missionaries. We visited one site, the home of Jacob Hamlin, in St. George, Utah. He lived from 1819-1886,
explored the whole Utah, Arizona, New Mexico area, including accompanying Gen. Powell on his survey of the Grand Canyon.
He was a polygamist with 4 wives and over 20 children. With all his travels, one wonders when he was home enough to
father all these offspring. He is buried in Arizona.
(Bill and Kay Wehunt reside in Tucson but you are
likely to run into them anywhere in the world. They are consummate travelers. We shared a two week tour with them of Eastern
Europe.)
