I've finally given up trying to get something written every day. Just not enough time in a day. This will be another general list of our travels since arriving in El Paso.
We spent our first full day in El Paso by going to Carlsbad Caverns in NMex. It's certainly a sight to see but the lighting inside the cavern was so low, you couldn't see as much as I would have liked. It's something like 750 ft underground and the biggest cavern is said to be the size of 14 big football stadiums. I would recommend it but the fun part of the trip was the scenery on the way. Beautiful mountains, absolute isolation (no cars coming/going on the road for over an hour), and you can see for scores of miles in every direction. Just beautiful.
The next day we went to White Sands Proving Ground. I've always wanted to see the Trinity Site since I grew up in Oak Ridge, TN and nuclear bombs were a part of my growing up in a Manhattan Project town. (For you young-uns, I suggest Wikipedia. : ) You can't get a a location to see the site but there was a good museum in Alamogordo (I always thought it was Almagordo) and had seen some nuclear bomb detonation sites years ago on a boondoggle to the Nevada Test Site. Anyway, the White Sands area was beautiful. The sand is actually gypsum and exquisite. Like walking through a fairy desert.
After that foray in mid-New Mexico we had to hurry toward Nevada to pick Tim up yesterday. Made it to Globe, NV for the night and arrive yesterday in Las Vegas only an hour late because of a nail-in-our-tire problem.
Arriving late and tired we walked into the Stratosphere Hotel and were hit by the boings and bells of the casino that, of course, you have to transverse to get anywhere in a Vegas hotel. With the three of us rolling bags, carrying junk, etc. we didn't notice that my computer was left next to the 1-cent slots where I was sitting (playing slots) waiting for Joe and Tim to get back to the car before the valet took it away to retrieve something we forgot. After checking in and going upstairs, through the casino noise, I realized the computer wasn't with us about 30 minutes later.
We rushed downstairs, through the casino noise again, and finally were directed to security where after I explained what I had lost, a computer in an Oracle bag, Denny, the security guard, started asking strange questions: could I identify it? was my name inside? etc. Finally he smiled and said he could help me but I had to do something. I realized he had it and almost crushed him with a big hug. He said the Oracle bag was the kicker but I had to find a picture of myself in the computer before he could give it to me...wouldn't take Face Book, which I can explain why if anyone is interested. Some kind angel is looking over my shoulder. When I asked who turned it in he said he couldn't tell me because "it was security person who he couldn't identify because..." I finished his sentence "because he is one of the security people who just walk around the casino floor." He smiled big and said yes. He didn't know I used to watch "Las Vegas" and knew all about that stuff. Ha!
Just now I realized I had gone through this before when we were in Egypt at the Valley of the Kings. I had slipped my slim passport (AND money wallet) in my purse and apparently it just slipped down the side of the purse. Someone had turned it in. That angel has worked overtime in my life.
So, after lunch at the Stratosphere revolving restaurant above Las Vegas we opted to drive to Utah ready to see Zion tomorrow and Bryce Canyon.
This whole trip makes you realize what a beautiful country we have here. I believe the translation for America in Chinese is "Beautiful Country". Those Chinese are certainly perceptive.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment