Zion to Las Vegas

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Why should women marry men with a pierced ear? Answer at the end.

Mukuntuweap

We visited Zion National Park after driving past the Vermillion cliffs up the ‘staircase of strata’ from the land level with the top of the Grand Canyon.
We also saw a Walt Disney style restoration of a western town including boot hill.






Just when we thing we have seen enough red sandstone we found something different.

Originally named Mukuntuweap Park because the local Piute Indians called it that It means the place where the land go straight up. The Mormons found it and were so impressed by what they saw that they called it Zion, the promised land. The names of the features are a mix of Piute and Mormon names, eg. The Temple of Sinawava.

The most visited area is a cull de sac with limited parking. Matters came to a head some years ago when they had 5000+ vehicles chasing the 400 parking spaces. Now you park and ride the shuttle which is free.

We rode to the end and walked up the canyon until the walls closed in and we were walking on the bed of the Virgin river. Everywhere there are warnings about flash floods and stories of people trapped in the canyons when they happen. We were glad to know that there had been no rain for some time and none was forecast. But the river still flowed and water still ran down the walls of the canyon from high seeps. Fossil water, from long ago rains, seeps out high on the cliffs creating hanging gardens and micro climes with ferns, frogs and green grass in the desert.

Even though this was the end of October and many other camp grounds were empty or closed the two large campgrounds in the Park were full and we just got in. Unlike some other parks we had visited climbing is allowed here and the vertical walls were dotted with fluorescent lycra and festooned with multi coloured ropes spinning webs up the canyon sides. The many climbers were telling “There I was stories”[ waiting to die] the mountain bikers were in their granny gears pedals whirling round with minimal forward process but the serious cyclists whistled past us all in their replica Lance Armstrong outfits. It was as well they did. The shuttles are not allowed to pass moving cyclists but the message had not gotten to the ones we had to follow. This family toiled up the slope with mum, the tailgunner, frantically waving us pass and calling to her brood to hug the kerb as they wobbled on. Eventually an Armstrong clone shouted the reason to them, they finally stopped and we went past waving thankfully.

Because the river in the canyon flows all year round, a rarity in this region, it has a long history of habitation from the Clovis point makers through the pueblo people, the piutes then the usurpers came in, first the Spaniards and then the Mormons all reliant the river to sustain life.

Las Vegas

We parked the RV in the car park of our hotel and booked in. It made a nice change to have the bed on the floor instead of coming down from the ceiling, and a power shower with as much hot water as we wanted. The first evening we strolled up the strip. Things have changed a bit since I was here last, no one was walking around with little buckets of coins for the fruit machines, and all of the shops are now designer . The locals go to the local outlet mall to get their cut price clothes, so that is where we headed.

The following day we went to the enchanted gardens at the Mirage casino, to see the white lions and tiger cubs.
Neither of us is keen on captive animals,
but these were kept in very comfortable surroundings and the four 6 month old cubs had constant human companionship to keep them stimulated. There were plenty of toys to play with, including a plastic bath in the pond. The boldest of the cubs was quite happy to sit in it and sail around.She also seemed to prefer to swing on her keepers leg ,in preference to playing with her ball .

BROADBAND NEEDED




I suspect these cubs will be used in the show when they are older, if one of the handlers ever recovers enough to resume. Some time ago one of the partners of Seigfriede and Roy met with an accident. One of the white tigers got a bit over enthusiastic apparently and put him in intensive care. He is still recovering. The tiger wasn’t blamed and is still living on the ranch with the rest of them. These white tigers and lions are probably safer in captivity than in the wild. White animals ( not albino ) have a hard time from other animals and man. The colour is a recessive gene called leucism ( as was Charro) and seem to be a target.

We could have watched these babies all day, they were happy and well cared for, as were the adults. All looked as if they had just been brushed.

The next day we split up and John went off to play poker whilst I hit the shops. In the evening we went to see a show, the star being an Elvis
lookalike, along with Ann Magaret , Donna Summer, Justin Timberlake,and Jay Leno it was a very entertaining show and a good evening.

John’s bit on Vegas

It was good to get away from the Trek for a couple of days and endless hot water to shower in without worrying about running out of water was wonderful. Las Vegas is still tacky but the shops have definitely moved up market and the décor is better in some casinos. The Belagio where I played some cash Hold Em is an example of better taste and it has a great dancing waters set up out front. Also Paris .
with its balloon
was impressive but I wonder how many Americans know about the Montgolfier brothers taking to the air many years before the Wright brothers.







I also had the chance to fly at the Tournament of Champions field in Las Vegas.

Bill Bennett created the North Las Vegas model airport for the TOC with a heavy asphalt base runway of 200-feet by 600-feet, most always in the prevailing wind and at no time have the sun in the eyes of the pilots. He did all this, fenced the field, built a rameda and then turned it all over to the city of North Las Vegas with the stipulation that the field must always be available to any modelers who wished to use it. I wish I could say I had a good day but my usually reliable OS 120 AX cut on me early on every flight. RATS! However I did win at Hold Em and We enjoyed a meal out at Ceasers Palace on some of my winnings.

The answer. They have experienced pain and then bought jewellery!