Two days of our stay in St. George Utah we drove west instead of east, exploring attractions constructed people, not nature: the Hoover Dam with Lake Mead, and the Las Vegas Strip. These days stood out in contrast to our National Park day trips to the east. The drive to the Hoover Dam was over two hours. We came over a rise in the road, and before us spread a beautiful view of Lake Mead. It was very strange to see so much water in such an incredibly dry landscape. 
Although the view was certainly lovely, and the scale immense, there is an inherant conflict with the desert, which made it just a little less enjoyable. The impact is subtle but can’t be ignored, subconsciously the impossibility of that lake registers in me as tension. As we continued on to the dam, we were stopped by security and were questioned about the contents of our roof luggage carrier, and ended up having to open it for them. There was so much security, federal agents were everywhere, and tall electrical towers dominated the landscape, it was a little scary. My thoughts of the epic disaster that might result from a terrorist attack here also brought unease.
We used the parking garage right near the dam, which cost $10. We decided against doing the tour, it was pricey and without Tati I was afraid we would spend the money and then have cranky little ones and miss the information anyway. If we hadn’t been on such a tight budget we would have taken the chance. We stopped at the memorial for all the workers who had died during the construction, it was very sad that so many had lost their lives for this project. We talked a bit about the history, and how the kid’s Great Aunt June had been alive when it was built in the 1930’s. As we walked out to the dam, my fear of heights took hold.
The big kids couldn’t see over the barricades on the edge and kept jumping up to lean over and I was a nervous wreck. The rock layers on the outcrops were gorgeous and very memorable however. I found some irony in the geology, it almost looks as if it were designed by people too, blending in with the industrial theme.
Looking over the river side, I very nearly threw up. I was dizzy, sweaty and miserable. Although I’m certainly scared of natural heights too, something about the human built structure and all those straight lines and vanishing points made it much, much worse. 
My palm are sweating just writing about it. As I was taking deep breaths and trying not to faint, the kids were enjoying investigating the Arizona/Nevada state line mid-dam (the strip below the plaque in the picture), and the time zone shift which was highlighted by the big clocks on each side. 
Here I am completely faking a smile.
We stopped in the gift shop, which was very crowded, it was President’s Day and the place was packed. We did not walk on the higher bridge up above the dam, I couldn’t handle it. 
We left Hoover Dam and headed for the Lake Mead National Monument Visitor’s center. Briggs and Phoebe worked on their Junior Ranger booklets, and we enjoyed the displays. We learned that when the lake filled that several communities were evacuated, and they now lie underwater. Although the dam and lake bring such clear advantages to people in the desert, there were certainly sacrifices that came along with the construction. After getting their badges and walking around outside a bit, we started the drive back to St. George.
Our next day trip west we headed to the Las Vegas Strip. Although we travel extensively with our kids, we are decidedly NOT big city people. It was three years ago when we did a weekend in Boston, and otherwise, my kids haven’t walked around an urban setting. Our au pair, Tati, had been on vacation with her friend, and we were picking her up at a Circus Circus, a hotel on one end of the Strip. We decided to park there, take the stroller and walk as much of the strip as we could. The kids were wide-eyed from the get-go.
We first walked though the Circus Circus Casino. I’ve never really been in a casino before, and it was jaw dropping for me. I have young childhood memories from the early 1980’s, of occasionally being in hotels or restaurants with thick cigarette smoke, low ceilings and thick carpet, but I had no idea this kind of environment still existed in the public sphere. To top it off, it was also like an arcade, with so many bright lights and noises, and no windows. Although it was a cold day for Las Vegas outside, gray in an in the 50’s, there was very little heat. It was truly sensory assault: I don’t like cigarette smell, don’t like flashy bright lights, don’t like electronic noise, hate low ceilings, don’t like cold rooms, and don’t see the appeal in gambling. Briggs, who loves video games, was entranced, and all the kids just stared. The day before we had spent in Zion National Park, and I think there was a certain amount of pure shell shock in the stark contrast from the natural beauty.
As we continued along the strip, we had to maneuver the many pedestrian bridges and walkways with a stroller, which meant many elevator trips. To our country bumpkin kids, even waiting at crosswalks for the lights to turn was entertaining. The day before we had seen such extraordinary waterfalls at Zion, that we had to take a picture of the constructed waterfall in front of one of the casinos. 
We really enjoyed the fountain show, the glass flowers and the botanical gardens at Bellagio. 
I don’t have an aversion to man made beauty: I love Disney. But there was such a strange vibe here, with these seemingly innocent and appealing attractions outside and then the sketchiness inside the casinos. At Disney, the contrived is all about imagination and fun, and although there are still corporate profits being generated, at least the experience being sold is one of family togetherness. Here the glossy exterior is the gateway into the hazy, smoke-filled, unseemly den. There were many characters dressed up on the street, the kids were excited, but unlike Disney, these characters expect cash, and they are decidedly sketchier. 
We also ventured into the four story M&M store, which was completely overstimulating, but did smell really good. 
By eleven o’clock there were many people drinking on the street, and the smell of weed wafting, and the streets took on a distinct party atmosphere. Even when I used to drink a fair amount of wine, I couldn’t see myself enjoying this crowd. I no longer drink any alcohol, and I struggled to see the good in a place that promotes intoxication for the sake of customers spending more in the casinos. I’m really not as much of a party poop as I sound, but there just didn’t seem to be much worth celebrating in Las Vegas. The party just seems to be a lure to take advantage of people.
Although some might be bothered by their kids seeing nearly naked people in Las Vegas, I’m in no way a puritan. Briggs is still at the age where he thinks naked girls are gross, but Tati caught this rather comical moment:
Although the sexual nature of their costumes was largely lost on him, the show of it all was not.
The kids, having never seen homeless people, asked lots of questions and were very concerned, as we saw many along our walk. This was a valuable experience, poverty isn’t something they come into regular contact with. The length of the strip is about four miles, and we walked almost to the end. There was not one complaint about being tired or having sore feet, there was so much to look at an so much stimulation. The kids did however, with all the walking, eat all the food I’d packed, so we ended up stopping for some more lunch at a food court. We were able to find some fairly clean Chinese food, (paleo in a food court isn’t the easiest) but Aaron caved to the boys requests for fast food. Quinn ordered a hamburger, but when we got back to the table decided maybe he didn’t want it after all, since the last time he had one he had been sick. We wrapped it up, and when a little way down the street we saw a homeless person asking for food, the kids were pleased to be able to give him the burger.
Mid afternoon we headed for Caesar’s Palace, where Mike Tyson was going to be signing autographs. My husband has always been a huge fan of Mike Tyson. I know it is a little strange, but it began in boyhood and he just didn’t give up on him when he made some poor choices later in life. Aaron had just happened to see an add on Facebook for the event, which just happened to be the day we were coming to Las Vegas to pick up Tati, so it was rather fortuitous. The wait in line was about forty-five minutes. Quinn had passed out, face down in the stroller, he was so overstimulated he just completely shut down, my sweet little introvert. The mall part of Caesar’s palace was enjoyable to walk through, fun sculpted fountains and a ceiling that looked somehow magically like the night sky. The kids were very well behaved, and when our turn came we were quickly ushered in for a few fast photos. Mike Tyson seemed, umm,..well…a little slow… but he did ask where we were from, especially Tati. We woke poor Quinn up from a dead sleep to take the picture and he is hiding. 
We made it back to the car, after walking a little over seven miles. It was a long day, but the kids were well behaved, and the experience was such a jumble of entertaining, offensive, overstimulating, and sketchy. I didn’t quite know what to make of it. On the drive home we all decided that Las Vegas isn’t a place we would choose to return to, unless we had a very specific reason, like seeing a musician or a show that we really wanted to experience.
St George was a great home-base for many diverse day trips. Traveling east to the stunning national parks cleared the cobwebs from my heart and soul. In my last blog post I described how Zion National Park exemplified the classical idea of what was true, good and beautiful, and my gratefulness at experiencing it with my family. The man-made attractions to the east: the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and the Las Vegas Strip all left my heart feeling slightly less polished. I’m certainly glad I’ve been to these places, and we all learned a lot. The sacrifices people have made to attain the engineering feat of the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead were great. The manufactured splendor of Las Vegas strip, although entertaining, is marred by the undercurrent of corporate greed. Seeing the line between the good and the bad, the costs and the benefits, is harder when people are involved. The shadows at Zion were so much easier to define. I think my children’s reactions to the Las Vegas strip were affirming too: curious and wide-eyed, but at the end of the day they wouldn’t go back. It is hard, but essential, to keep a hold of what is true, good, and beautiful in yourself where the waters are murky. The kid’s joy in giving Quinn’s lunch to the homeless man was their way of bringing a little light to Sin city. Sharing that goodness in places that are less savory, without judgement, is a valid and an important lesson.
Raising Veggies and Humans 