Before we left town, we wanted to stop by Saltair. We'd been there 13 years ago, and we wanted Madison to see the Great Salt Lake again, this time so that she could remember it. The current Saltair pavilion (#3 actually -- the first two burned down) is actually about a mile from the original, and hosts local music acts. It was kind if sad-looking 13 years ago, and not much has changed on that front.
The gift shop has photos and s scale model of the original, built in 1893, which was quite enormous. The train took people right up to the front door, practically. In addition to a large theater, there was a hotel, Ferris wheel, and more. The biggest attraction of all, of course, was the lake itself, which advertised that it was impossible to sink due to the high salt content.
The lake had really receded when we got there (apparently quite a problem for the original resort), so we had to walk out a good ways in the sandy lakebed to fill the tiny plastic bottle we'd gotten at the gift shop.
Then it was back in the car for the six-hour (or so) drive to Vegas. The farms (llama and lavender were distinct stand-outs today) finally gave way to red, arid rocks as we headed into the desert. I also noticed yesterday that Utah (at least in the West) seems the be the dividing line between states that roll hay up in giant rolls (as seen on The Amazing Race), and states that go with the more traditional, block-shaped bale.
Gleefully, I saw our first of a few 80 mph zones today, but I was hard-pressed to actually drive that fast due to the massive amount of traffic leaving Salt Lake and on the way to Nevada. Who knew there would be that many people heading from Salt Lake towards Vegas? Made me long to be back on that desolate highway in Montana just a few days earlier.
I realized yesterday that the best business to be in is the manufacture of orange and white traffic barrels. We've now driven from one side of the country to the other, and I've seen them in every state. Sometimes in work zones for as long as 60 miles (no exaggeration). I learned on our last cross-country trip that no matter how far away from civilization you are, you can always find road construction. Today was a perfect example. As we left Utah, we dipped through the top corner of Arizona for about 40 miles or so. Scorching hot, 120 degree mountainous desert. And that's where we hit road construction.
We were stuck for nearly an hour trying to merge two lanes into one. When we finally got to the actual construction site, there was no sign of anything being done. At the next town, the poor McDonalds, gas station, and other fast food places were overrun by a bunch of ticked off people who really needed to go to the bathroom.
We got into Vegas pressed for time and a bit behind schedule, but luckily our son, John, had flown in yesterday and had already checked us into the Bellagio. Which is beautiful and freakin' HUGE, by the way. Marsha just loves the buttons that open the curtains in our room. John quite likes the extra reading lights over each bed.
The temp when we got here had dropped to a cool 107. A big switch from the 60s and lower we'd just experienced in Yellowstone. But it's a dry heat, you know.
We got ready lickety-split and then went straight to Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill (another first for us, though we love Bar Americain in NYC) next door at Caesar's while I ran to pick up our Beatles Love (Cirque du Soleil) tickets next door again at the Mirage. Managed to get lost a couple of times, but made it back (mostly) in time for dinner. I asked several people for directions as I tried to cut through the hotels. Some of the people gave me great directions, others not so much.
The meal was fantastic, but the service a bit slow. Seems they need fewer wait staff who just stand around and more people in the kitchen. We had to eat quickly, but luckily we still had time for dessert, which was Marsha's and Madison's favorite part of the menu (churros and sticky pudding).
Our next-to-final treat was the show itself. We got there just in the nick of time, especially since I now know the route. I had originally thought that Cirque du Soleil and The Beatles were an odd combination, but it really was a perfect fit. This show had a lot more dancing and fewer circus acts than the other two shows we'd seen, but it was less weird. There were several parts that were just totally unique, like the amount of sets that came up from the floor, an "exploding" life-size VW Bug, and a giant parachute that they used to cover the entire audience. That was the craziest thing I've ever seen. All-in-all the show was amazing and our favorite Cirque show!
Our final treat was the fountain show at Bellagio, which was more awesome than any of us remembered. The song choice we heard couldn't have been better: "Luck Be a Lady" by Frank Sinatra. Had no idea the water could shoot as high as it does. It sounded like cannons firing. Probably with good reason.
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