Before Christmas, we took a trip to Las Vegas and the Zion National Park. Why Vegas? Mostly because it was the airport close to Zion, but also because I had never seen it. We stayed in Vegas one night up front and then two nights on the way out.
What was good about Las Vegas? Hotel rooms are very nice, nicer than what you experience in most of the rest of the U.S. and for less money. Tremendous food. I had some amazing Italian food and some Japanese ramen and beef curry that delighted me. If you want lights, spectacle, and buzz, Vegas is the place.
But Las Vegas also struck me as a deeply decadent city. I did not see a single church. (Las Vegas needs ministry. I don't know how many missionaries and pastors have been broken on the wheel of hedonism, but Vegas needs a much stronger presence of the church, or so it appears to me.). There is also more smoke in Las Vegas than anywhere I've seen in the U.S. It is everywhere. In fact, I noticed that my required COVID face masks did nothing to prevent the overwhelming scent of smoke.
When I was younger, I was somewhat charmed at least by the mechanical operation of the casinos. Now, they have been almost entirely video game-ified. Lots of flat screens and credit card style interaction. Basically, gambling has turned into Chuck. E. Cheese and Dave & Busters with higher stakes. The gamblers aren't dressed stylishly, either. You see plenty of flip flops and hoodies even in the casinos of fine hotels. Smoking, drinking, and slovenliness are everywhere.
I also noted the power of Instagram everywhere I went in Las Vegas. Virtually any interesting site in the hotels had young women posing in front with boyfriends or husbands taking pictures. I've observed that elsewhere, but in Vegas it dominates. I was constantly worried about walking in front of someone's photo or short video.
On the other hand, we spent most of our time in Zion National Park. As we drove there, I experienced a 75 mph speed limit for the first time in the U.S. That was nice and needed given the vast distances of the west. When we arrived, we were in awe of the multi-colored rocky valleys and sheer cliffs of Zion. It was deeply impressive.
We stayed in the lodge inside the park. Each day, the vast scale of the mountains dominated everything. It was probably 10-20 degrees colder than Las Vegas. Whenever we left our room, we had to seriously bundle up to avoid being very cold. Our first morning hike was on an icy trail. I fell and now have the most spectacular set of bruises on my backside you can imagine. On another hike, I heard a powerful growl ahead of us and beat a hasty retreat. Hazards aside, it was wonderful to explore the park, to hike, and to simply view the amazing panorama of God's creation. I can't overstate the degree to which our national parks continue to offer an edifying vacation opportunity for everyone who wants to explore them (and certainly for families).
There is a sad thing to report, though. Inside the park, our phones basically did not work. There was no wi-fi worth talking about. What was sad about that? The sad thing is what it reveals about us. We were all generally distressed not to be able to check social media, email, or even to look things up on wikipedia to settle arguments. This part of the trip showed me how dependent I have become on constant connection.
The bottom line of my travelogue? I hadn't been to Vegas prior to this trip. I think I would have been okay not to see the city in my lifetime. On the other hand, I think it will only grow and become more of an adult-oriented Disneyworld kind of place. The seedy elements continue to exist. Not only is gambling there like some weird underground engine powering the city, but you also constantly fend off men trying to hand you cards with photos of topless women. My assumption is that the cards promoted some kind of club or show. Zion National Park, by contrast, is a must see or at least maybe I should say that you should try (especially if you are a person of the American south and east, like me) to make sure you see some of the great mountainous glories of the American west. Zion is a terrific choice for seeing and experiencing them.