Day 7

After a brief stop at the grocery store this morning, we headed out to Zion National Park. At the gate we found out that the least expensive entrance fee was $20 for a seven day pass. Our initial reaction was to forego the tour of the park. But, on a lark, we decided to ask if there was a cheaper rate for a shorter stay.

We were greeted by an attractive young park ranger who made us a deal: If we would fill out two comment forms complaining about the lack of a one day rate, she would let us in for free. Many thanks to her, she made our day.

After seeing Yellowstone, the Tetons, and many other natural wonders, we were thoroughly whelmed. But even after all that, we were still amazed at the beauty we found at Zion. The rock formations were different still than those we had seen before. Besides, we got to drive through a 1.1 mile tunnel (twice).

After Zion, we left for Las Vegas, but not before refueling in Hurricane, UT. Here we found a wonderous sight, as you can see in the picture at the left. While filling your gas tank, you can watch ESPN right on the pump. It's too bad we couldn't stay longer.

When we got to Las Vegas, the blistering sun kept us in our hotel room (yes, we are in a hotel!) for several hours. Once properly shaded, however, we ventured onto the Las Vegas strip to see what we could see. We were stunned walking onto the floor of one of the largest casinos, the Bellagio. It felt surreal, as if we were in a movie.

After touring several casinos, we decided to eat supper at the Monte Carlo's buffet. We were confronted with an amazing array of fine foods with ingestion as the only escape. We ate way too much food. Any buffet with mussels on it is a force to be reckoned with.

We returned to our hotel and bedded down for the night.

Content copyright 2002, Two Lonely Geeks