Happy New Year from Sin City!

Wow. Nevada is something else. So we're driving through the Mojave Desert for hours. You come across a town on the map and there is literally one building or an intersection leading to another building 20 miles away. The views go on forever and there's mountains off in the distance in many directions. Then, lo and behold, we cross the state line to Nevada and it's like Times Square. There are hotels/casinos on both sides of the highway lit up like the sun will never shine again. One boasts an outlet mall and the other has $7.99 prime rib dinner. We drive through in a matter of minutes and we're back in the desert. 15 miles later, it's the same thing. Then, we drive up over a hill and before us spreads an entire valley of lights. Las Vegas is huge and sits in a bowl in the desert (the next morning we also got a glimpse of the smog that sits over the valley as well).

We finally stopped in Henderson (just south of the city) and got a room in a hotel/casino. After showering and resting a bit, we headed downstairs for slots, live music, dinner, and a pitcher of margaritas. It was a fun night people watching.

The next morning we headed to the Hoover Dam (most impressive) and then sat in traffic on the strip (an adult Disney World?). That was enough for us so we got back on the road and headed north through a corner of Arizona and then all of Utah. We stopped in Salina for dinner at Mom's Dinner and had a chocolate marshmallow pie (yum). We ended the night in Fruita, Colorado!