FIFTY STATES AWAYToday waking in Cedar City, Utah was something else! It was a rather brisk and chilly morning, and we had snow! We were both a bit surprised when we headed out of the truck to find a good few inches on top of the roof and in the bed of the truck, however most of the snow on the road had melted. We packed the car and got going, treated to another set of spectacular mountain views as we left the state. The snow started to come down at a reasonable rate and it was a rather chilly drive to say the least.
At this point we never imagined how the day would turn out, we were heading to Nevada, it was an experience of its own going from snow to sunny desert! The states really have it all when it comes to weather and scenery, at this point we understand why most Americans have never travelled outside the states; they simply don’t need to. They have such a variety of climates, activities and scenery, sometimes just a state away.
As we passed through several towns in Utah the clouds lifted and the skies brightened, allowing us to see more of that gorgeous red rock, another notable moment on our journey was where the road sweeped through huge white block of rock, the rocks were so massive that they completely dwarf the lorry in this picture.
It wasn’t long before we reached the state line, always an exciting event for us as we count up the states visited. I had always looked forward to visiting Nevada, I was intrigued to see the desert surrounding and visit Vegas. I’d heard so many descriptions of this place and seen it featured in so many TV shows but what was it really like? Well… It’s pale, sandy and rocky, I suppose you could say desert like, but it does actually have trees and plants, it looks more rocky than sand duney.
Continuing the drive through Nevada we headed towards the Vegas strip! It was going to be a long but awesome day! I was super excited to be able to check off a place on my list of things I wanted to see in my lifetime and it didn’t disappoint! We arrived at the strip in the middle of the afternoon, so although you don’t get the effects of the lights at night, it is still heaving with visitors. It was a fun drive and we cruised up and down the strip a few times. Ben has been here before and walked quite a long way down the strip on one of his geeky missions to buy a PS3 game back in the days.
Treating ourselves after our long drive and our one night in Vegas, we booked a room at the Venetian, a grand Italian styled casino hotel with its own gondola ride. We checked in and explored our gloriously spacious room. It’s the first time since arriving in the US that we’ve had our own hallway and seperate living room and the bathroom isn’t directly off the bedroom. Eager to scrub up for a night of gambling we used our exceptionally spaced bathroom, with its own double doors and TV. We ordered room service and grabbed ourselves a feast! It was no joke it’s the biggest piece of steak I’ve ever seen! Basically ordering room service whilst in the bath watching TV is awesome!
Looking ready for the evening off we went! Stopping by the cash point to top up, and the naughty thing gave us a $100 bill, we sure were feeling flush now! Boy was it fun! All the lights and sounds, we had a few drinks and a good go on a variety of slot machines, each one with a different theme. It’s crazy, the casino floors are huge and run 24 hours a day. We particularly favoured the blackjack, it was hosted at a table with an avatar dealing. At one point I was a whopping $60 up on the initial 20 dollars I had put in, this is enough for a nights stay somewhere, it was fantastic. We had a fabulous evening gambling and living the life style, before crashing out in our soft bed after such a long day!
