Mormons and gambling

The ride through the mountains of Colorado, on the way to Utah, was spectacular. We stayed for lunch in Vail, and it was not hard to see why this is a popular destination for American ski tourists. All you had to do was to imagine lots of snow. Once we crossed the border to Utah, all the beauty disappeared. What we were left with was flat and boring semi-desert for miles and miles and miles. It took us two hours of driving before we saw anything man-made (except for the road). It was a shed. Following our new tradition of going to Sunday church, we found our way to a Mormon service, which was just as boring as the rest of Utah. Although it must be said that the Mormons were friendly to us.

One might think that we would be tired of desert, and just flee the Mormons and go straight for the west coast. We didn’t. Instead we went south to Arizona. Our waitress in Vail had recommended the little town of Sedona, Arizona, where, supposedly, some energy lines cross which soothes your soul. We saw nothing of the energy lines, but we did, again, see some spectacular nature. The mountain/canyon/desert combination, some say, even beats the Grand Canyon. For the first time, we couchsurfed with a family: two parents and two kids. We never really figured out which kid had which parent, if they had any kids together, or if any of them had any other kids. But we had a great time with them in their kind of big Sedona house with a backyard well suited for hamburger grilling.

The Grand Canyon was cool. But not as cool as going in a helicopter. I might have to buy one of those when I get really, really rich.

Las Vegas is probably the first destination on our trip that met, or ever exceeded, my expectations. It was everything it sets out to be. I think I spent some thirty hours by black jack tables in a bunch of different casinos, and it is the most pleasant experience. Free drinks are served, so what you’re actually doing is to sit around a table, play a game and talk with total strangers from all over the US (and the world) over a drink or two or three. I guess that it’s less fun if you lose money, though.