From One Extreme To Another

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Leaving behind all the wonders of the national parks, I'd organised with a friend that I had met in the hostel in Vancouver to meet up with her in Las Vegas... the only problem was that I was two days ahead of schedule. Not the end of the world... just didn't want to spend all my money hanging around the city of sin.

Solution...

I'd been told that just south of Flagstaff was a beautiful drive to a very picturesque town. What I failed to realise was that it meant coming down from the Colorado Plateau. Entering into Oak Creek Canyon, the road winds down over 5000 feet in just under 20 miles, but in doing so takes you through lovely gorges and serene groves of lush vegetation. The houses dotted along the sides seem to balance precariously, often with their driveways having to twist and turn as much as the road just to be navigable. As with all these roads though, the two biggest problems I've encountered in the US are a constant frustration...

1. When the scenery is that amazing that you don't know where to look... even when driving a winding road and should probably try and concentrate on that...
2. There is simply nowhere to pull off the side of the road to enjoy the vistas before you.


The only places I found to be able to stop along the way were state park car parks... and that meant a fee. No worries... got my trusty annual parks pass!! But wait... it doesn't apply to state parks, only national parks. I think that sometimes governments were made just to infuriate people.

When the road finally opens out into the basin, you arrive at Sedona, a town that personifies the desert town in the US... but with an artsy flair. It's a little touristy, a bit more than a little kitsch, and very busy due to the (seemingly) never ending spring break, but it is still a lovely place to have a wander around just for the buildings. It also turns out to be a lovely place to settle down for an afternoon of local wine, olive oil and spices. Not a bad way to spend a day.

To make it back to Vegas, I needed to do a bit of a roundabout circuit. Didn't faze me... I was on a hunt anyway.

The Arizona licence plate has two many aspects to it... the slogan "The Grand Canyon State" and the picture of the quintessential cactus... you know the one I'm talking about.... If you put a sombrero on it you'd think you were in a cartoon. Well, after seeing the first it was time to go on the hunt for the second... and I didn't have to look too hard.

Driving through the desert, it's hard to understand why people put themselves through living out here... no shade, no water, only dry, brittle shrubs for greenery, and endless flat sand. It sounds like I'm being dramatic (and to some extent i am a little... there was actually a few times I went over a rise to see more flat, barren sand) but the truth is, the pictures, movies and documentaries you see of this place don't even come close to showing its brutal nature. The residents must be the most stubborn people on Earth.

Before long, the cacti appeared in this vast wasteland and provided me some variety. I began imagining them as the cartoon personalities of my youth, complete with sombreros and gun holsters, the occasional ammunition chain criss crossed over their "shoulders", an army of cacti cowboys. Maybe the heat was starting to get to me.

Jumping back onto the highway towards Vegas, the wind picked up across the flat expanse and began blowing the sand across the road, often obscuring the lanes. Until this point, I'd never understood how a situation can change so drastically, so quickly. Suddenly before me was a wall of brown. For the next hour, my visibility was reduced down to about 10 metres in front of the car... so much so that when I crossed the Colorado River, I couldn't even see the mammoth construction of the Hoover Dam, and before I knew it, I was in Nevada.

Las Vegas, the ultimate monument to capitalism, is a sight not to be missed!! Set in a valley surrounded by mountains, the city sprawls out into the desert, and like all big cities the centre rises from the urban sprawl in a glittering display of high rise buildings... the only difference?... Those high rise buildings are mega money makers!!

Now it's easy to get caught up in the pageantry Of Sin City... the amazing hotels and all their trimmings, the bright neon lights swirling around you, the constant noise from the casinos and people... but the truth is, it doesn't have to be a money pit. Pulling up to the hostel I thought I was going to stay at, one look told me there was better options to be had out there. One of the great things about being out of season and mid week is that all the hotels try and fill their rooms so that people will spend money in their casinos. What this means is you can pick up amazing deals in some great hotels for cheaper than a hostel bed... not to mention being closer to all the action.

The Stratosphere was my first port of call, and for $22 a night I lived the life of luxury!! With discounts on buffet breakfasts and free entrance to the top of the over 800 foot tower, it created even better value for money. Those that know my affinity for theme parks know that I can't pass up on thrill rides, and with three hanging from the top of the tower it was a little slice of heaven. The Big Shot shoots you up the spire before bringing you back to the observation deck in a series of bounces, the X-scream is a small roller coaster that literally hangs you over the edge giving the impression you are sliding to you're doom, and Insanity is a tornado that holds you horizontally over the edge while spinning you around... fun just got real!!

Only in Vegas can you go from a circus to a pirate ship to a volcano in mere steps... only in Vegas can you travel from Paris to Venice to New York to Giza in only a moments notice... and only in Vegas can you catch a monorail in front of the sphinx or ride a roller coaster above the Statue of Liberty... Viva Las Vegas Baby!!

With the arrival of Julia, we shared a room and headed to The Strip for the light show. Just seeing the expression on the faces around you is priceless... especially knowing that your face looks exactly the same. The first time you see it is unbelievable!! People pulse around you as fountains surge in choreographed dances, all while the constant hum of excitement is in the air and the neon shines down.

Las Vegas is actually split into two distinct areas... The Strip with all it's modern resorts and casinos... and Downtown which is more Vintage Vegas with thousands of globes instead of the neon. Where opulence is the staple of the strip, downtown is more like a carnival with performers, showgirls and general mayhem on the streets.

Not having seen the Hoover Dam on the way in to Vegas, Julia and I headed out there for the day to marvel in what has become one of the Industrial Wonders of the World. Built between 1928 and 1935 from the Colorado River, it is truly a feat of engineering. it began to be planned as far back as 1905 as a way to reduce the effect of flooding on the down river area when the spring melt from the mountains further upstream found the desert plain that retains no moisture. Carving four huge tunnels into the cliff faces to divert the flow of the river around the work site, the base of the dam is over 460 feet wide before it slims down at the top to just 45 feet. The idea to create a hydro electric plant in it was a way to pay for the construction and is now an integral part of the power network in the country as it feeds into 6 states. The water from the dam is used in 4 of those states as well and is a constant balance between the need to keep the levels up for drinking and irrigation from the dam and the need to generate power and supply irrigation for the downstream area too. Standing and looking over the dam wall is a surreal experience... and to think.... it was built before it's dead line and within budget... if only governments could do that today. During the depression, it provided much needed jobs to over 5000 people and created its own town, Boulder City, to house the workers and their families, eventually becoming a full community with schools, churches and stores.

With Julia leaving for New Orleans and the fact that I was still ahead of schedule for where I needed to be, I spent an extra couple of days in Vegas. I mentioned that it doesn't have to be that expensive... well with Discount Premium Outlets I managed to update my clothing ready for New York for next to nothing, then relaxed by the pool to the beats of live DJ's... time well spent recharging the batteries.

All I can say is that it was definitely a week of going from one extreme to another.

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