Back in the USA

David Gourley's account of his return trip to the USA, 50 years on, continues...

Elkhorn Arch, Downtown Jackson

After our overnight stay in Sheridan, Wyoming, we drove north across the border into Montana. Here we visited the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, the scene of Custer’s Last Stand. The Native Americans won that particular battle but of course lost the overall war.  The site was formerly known as the Custer Battlefield National Monument. In 1991 President George H W Bush signed a law that changed this to its present name. We had a drive round this extensive area, conducted by a guide from the Crow Tribe. We stopped at various sites, all against a splendid “Big Sky Country” backdrop. Then there was time to look round the Visitors Centre and nearby memorials. We were particularly moved by the words of Chief Two Moons of the Northern Cheyenne tribe who in 1916 wrote: “forty years ago, I fought Custer until all were dead. I was then the enemy of the white man. Now I am his friend and brother, living under the flag of our country”. After lunch in Billings, we re-crossed the border with Wyoming, continuing to Cody for an overnight stop. This town is named from William Cody, aka Buffalo Bill.

We now had a full day, and part of the next day, in Yellowstone, which was established in 1872, the first national park in the USA, and generally believed to be the first such park in the world. The weather on these two days was to be very different: bright sunshine on the first, snow on the second albeit this was still September. Nilani, our tour guide, thoughtfully rejigged our itinerary to ensure that we saw the park’s premier attraction, Old Faithful, on the first rather than the second day, in case the snow prevented us from reaching it.

Yellowstone has to be one of the highlights of any tour of this part of the USA. The scenic drive from Cody provided a taster. Its vast acreage is above all known for its geothermal features with many hot springs and mud pools, as well as its own version of the Grand Canyon. There are still, in the northern part of the park, reminders of the devastating fire in 1988, since the policy is to let nature takes its course rather than chop down the stricken trees. Usually wildfires do no great damage, and indeed can be good for the ecosystem, but this one got seriously out of control. The Old Faithful geyser is so named because it can be relied on to erupt at regular intervals. It is commonly supposed that these are hourly but generally the interval is a bit longer. This is in contrast to the geyser we have twice visited in Rotorua, New Zealand, where there is no predictability at all: first time we were lucky, second time not. We were fortunate with our timing at Old Faithful as we were there long enough to see it erupt twice. Nearby, the historic Old Faithful Inn, the largest log structure in the world, is worth a visit even if one is not staying or dining there.

Our overnight stop was in West Yellowstone, just over the border in Montana. Cody and West Yellowstone are both “gateway towns “to the National Park. Cody lies to its east and is charming. West Yellowstone – bit of a clue in the name - lies to its west and is not charming.

The weather forecast was right and there was thick snow as we re-entered Yellowstone. We were nevertheless able to fit in the stops that had been scheduled for the previous day. But we were glad that Nilani had rejigged the itinerary for, as we drove through the park towards Old Faithful we were turned back: the road ahead was closed for a coach apparently had come off the road. Nilani had to think on her feet. We were to have continued through Teton National Park to the mountain resort of Jackson for our overnight stop. It was now decided that we would retrace our journey to West Yellowstone then divert into Idaho before returning to Wyoming. It was disappointing that we would as a result miss out one of our national parks: we had to content ourselves with seeing the Teton Mountains from the distance. But, swings and roundabouts, this disappointment was outweighed by our delight at seeing Yellowstone in the snow. Later we met a know-all from another coach who boasted that his party had driven through Teton National Park before the road closed. But another chap in the same party confided that they had seen nothing of it due to poor visibility.

Lunch in West Yellowstone was at McDonald’s. Normally we don’t touch this chain with a bargepole; this reminded us why. Approaching Jackson we drove along the scenic valley of the Snake River. Some in our party had booked an optional river float. I think that they were relieved rather than disappointed that this was cancelled due to weather conditions!

Our hotel in Jackson was a little way out of town but we were able to use its free buses to get into the centre. It is an elegant resort with a spruce central square that is guarded by four gates made of elkhorn. Dinner was back near our hotel, in the Gun Barrel Steak and Game House, a characterful place with a real Wild West atmosphere. The staff were friendly and food good. For my main I had an elk dish. The next morning we had, unusually, to pay for breakfast as we were instead having an included picnic lunch, to be eaten overlooking Bear Lake, en route to Salt Lake City. We were actually pleased as our included breakfasts had tended to be fairly basic. Here I could at last indulge in that signature American dish, corned beef hash.

We had a two-night stay in Salt Lake City, the capital of Utah. We were thus returning to a city that we had first stayed in nearly fifty years previously, when making our way by Greyhound Coach across America. Utah is known as the Mormon State with around two thirds of its inhabitants adhering to that religion. Mormonism, or more formally the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), has its origins in a vision which came to Joseph Smith in 1820. Its adherents migrated from the east coast, ultimately reaching what became the Territory, later the State, of Utah. Following a further vision, polygamy was banned. The church is hierarchical but there is no clerical garb: for male priests it’s a white shirt worn with a tie. Coffee and alcohol are prohibited so I don’t think I’ll be signing up any time soon. But Utah, contrary to what some assume, is not a dry state.  Rather as in Norway, alcohol can only be bought from approved outlets so it won’t be found in the local supermarket. And, one cannot have a pre-dinner drink in a restaurant: one must first be seated and place one’s order for food.

Salt Lake City is the world HQ of the LDS. Before transferring to our hotel we had an included visit to Temple Square. The Temple itself is out of bounds to non-Mormons but the visitor is otherwise welcome to look around. We were ushered into the Tabernacle where two sister missionaries, the one from El Salvador and the other from Thailand, gave us a talk about their religion. Such talks are not at all “in your face”, though any show of interest will be eagerly followed up. Nilani recalled a previous client, who was an atheist, giving the sisters a hard time. She had felt it necessary to apologize but was assured that they had come across worse! All our party listened politely.

We had an optional tour of the city the next day. This first took us out to the Great Salt Lake. As might be inferred from the name, it has very high salinity so one floats rather than swims in the lake. In this respect, though not really in any other, it resembles the Dead Sea, on whose shore we had stayed when touring Jordan. Back in the city we visited the This is the Place Heritage Park, so called because it is the place where, in 1847, Brigham Young saw the valley that would become the Mormon Pioneers’ new home. Here are the striking monument of the same name and the heritage village which recreates buildings from the pioneering era. We got talking to a lady in period dress who was working at a spinning wheel.

This must in its time have been very monotonous work. Why, one didn’t even have the diversion of a radio to keep one's spirits up! But this clearly deep-thinking lady suggested that maybe people in those simpler times were happier than their present day counterparts, with none of the stresses of the modern world to worry about. We rounded off our tour with a visit to the Utah State Capitol, which we had visited in 1968. Here we enjoyed a self-guided tour of this beautiful building. Images of the honeybee, a state symbol (yes, every state has its official insect), are much in evidence.

We had the afternoon free in Salt Lake City. First priority was lunch. We settled on the LDS-owned Joseph Smith Memorial Building (JSMB), which is adjacent to Temple Square. We had a good meal in its Roof Restaurant, from which fine views over the city are to be enjoyed. I made the mistake of having a starter as well as a main. It was dawning on me that American portion sizes are huge. By no means do I have a dainty appetite but I was not able to finish my main course of pasta. I assured our friendly waiter, Jason, that it was good; I’d have managed to finish a British-size portion!

The ten-storey JSMB is a handsome building which in former times was the prestigious Utah Hotel, the “Grande Dame of Salt Lake City”. In 1968 we had been lodged in a rather less prestigious establishment. Coinciding with our visit was one from a somewhat more noteworthy figure, Hubert Humphrey, the Vice-president and Democratic contender in the forthcoming presidential election. He stayed at the Utah Hotel and used his visit to make an important speech in which he distanced himself from Lyndon Johnson’s policy on Vietnam. He was defeated in the election by Richard Nixon.

The late sixties were a time of turmoil in America, though we saw none of it ourselves. There was much unrest over Vietnam and over civil rights: earlier in 1968 Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King had both been gunned down. On our journey across America we had stayed in Chicago where, weeks earlier, the Democratic Convention had been accompanied by riots, and we passed through Detroit, where there had been devastating riots a year previously. These are generally held to mark the start of the seemingly inexorable decline of the once-proud “Motor City”.

This was also the period of youth rebellion and of the hippies. In San Francisco we took a trolleybus out to Haight-Ashbury, the centre of hippiedom. This was out of curiosity for we were not at all hippyish ourselves: no room for any flowers in my unfashionably short hair! But there was a kind of dotty idealism that was not altogether unappealing. After all who does not want love and peace? Unhappily there was also the drug culture and the terrible “Manson Family” killings in 1969 put an end once and for all to any illusions of innocence. In Salt Lake City, by contrast, we had seen a sign in a barber shop urging customers to come in for their short back and sides since “the clean American look is still alive”. And so it was, at least in Utah. We then spent some more time in Temple Square, this time visiting, in fact revisiting, the North Visitors’ Center. We remembered from 1968 the striking statue, white against a starry background, of Jesus Christ. Then, as we sometimes do, we went our separate ways for an hour or so, as Cathy wanted to look round the large department store, Nordstrom, whereas I didn’t. We entered the store together before I went off for a walk and straight away we came across another instance of American friendliness. In a five-minute conversation we learnt from the lady who greeted us that she had a son in Denver (where we’d started our journey), a daughter who had married an Englishman and was living in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, where she was studying for a doctorate at Oxford, that she could not afford the fare to visit her, and that she had not long been widowed. This was not told in any self-pitying way, nor was she trying to sell us anything.

Our hotel was about a mile out from the centre. Again we were able to avail ourselves of free public transport since the city’s trams – not there in ’68 – are free in the central (though not the suburban) area.•

First Published in VISA 140 (August 2018)

The Black Hills of Dakota

By David Gourley

Ranger in Laramie / Wall Drug

This trip overlapped two previous visits to the States. Fifty years ago we travelled by Greyhound Coach right across America, from New York to San Francisco, passing through the States of Wyoming and Utah. Thirty years ago we did a tour of the Southwest USA which coincided with the final part of this trip.

We tacked on to the start of the trip an extra night in Denver. We were glad that we did, for we arrived quite late in the evening and there was an early morning departure the next day. Furthermore we got to see downtown Denver. No-one else on our tour did for we were lodged in Cherry Creek, a mile or so away. This is a somewhat soulless area though it's no doubt a great place if, unlike me, one loves shopping, since it boasts of being the premier shopping destination in Denver.

We made our way into the downtown using a local bus. We were to find during our trip that the people we encountered were on the whole very friendly, more so in fact than is the norm back home. Our British accents - of course we think it is the Americans, not us, who have accents! - might  attract attention with people interested to know where else in the States we had been. We got a taste of this friendliness on this our first excursion. The charming young lady driving the bus insisted, on reaching the terminus, on walking us to the nearby stop where one boards another bus for the mall ride, through the heart of the downtown to Union Station. She then talked us through our return journey, where to get on and where to get off.

The mall ride is free. We were also to benefit from free public transport in Jackson, Wyoming and in Salt Lake City. I don't think one is going to find that anywhere back home. Actually, being of a certain age, we do get free bus travel but that's not what I am talking about.   Historic Union Station is still used by a few trains, but its prime purpose these days is as a centre for restaurants and small shops. We walked back along the route of the mall ride, finishing at the Colorado State Capitol. This became the second such capitol that we have visited; we had looked round its Utah counterpart, in Salt Lake City, back in 1968 and did so again this time.

The people in the Capitol were friendly and welcoming. We got a free guided tour conducted by John, something of a character who, following his retirement from his job with the State, had rebelled against past conformity by growing a ponytail and wearing earrings. Hmm.... At least the ponytail had gone. The tour involved a lot of stair climbing, rewarded by fine views from the top. Denver is the “mile high city” and there is a marker in the Capitol showing where this height is actually reached. The timing was good for, on finishing our tour, we were able to watch the annual display of square dancing that takes place in the Capitol. The dancers were all elderly folk (around our age!) dressed in colourful costume. Square dancing is Colorado's state dance. I knew that there are state birds, mottos and so on, but it was news to me that there are state dances. Following the guidance we had been given, we found our way back to our hotel without trouble.

Our drive the next day was to Rapid City in South Dakota, where we were to stay two nights. En route we passed through Wyoming and its capital Cheyenne. This had been one of our stops during our Greyhound journey, a charming small town which still had something of a Wild West feel. I recalled seeing “Big Boy”, the world's largest steam locomotive, and a statue of Esther Hobart Morris, a pioneer in women's suffrage. In 2018 Britain is celebrating 100 years of (some) women getting the vote but Wyoming got there a lot sooner, in 1869 becoming the first place anywhere to enfranchise women. I wondered if I'd see either of these attractions this time, for our tour brochure had promised a stop in Cheyenne. I was to be disappointed, for we by-passed the downtown.

There was a stop of sorts in Cheyenne, at the local Wallmart so we could purchase a picnic lunch. These huge supermarkets seemed to me to be rather soulless places. Our guide Nilani conceded that many in the States don't love this chain, as they think it has driven many smaller shops out of business. We were to experience another Wallmart later on in our tour. That one had an unsmiling security guard who stopped anyone with a rucksack going in to the store; not a concern about security, but a fear that people would use rucksacks for stolen goods. Viewing one’s customers as potential thieves doesn't strike me as a good attitude towards them.

Our lunchtime stop was at Fort Laramie, a one-time military post and now a National Historic Site. I am interested in US history and can rattle off the names of presidents in the twentieth century, but know little about the expansion of the country from the original 13 states right across the North American continent. Fort Laramie was a vital stopping point for pioneers working their way westwards along the Oregon Trail, especially before  the first Transcontinental Railroad opened in 1869. It is also  where  a treaty was signed with Native American tribes, acknowledging their territorial rights. Unhappily it was not long before the treaty broke down as a result of gold being discovered in the Black Hills. When Nilani contacted us by phone in Denver, prior to the start of the tour, I had wondered, given her unusual name, whether she was a Native American. She is a Canadian who has lived most of her life in the States, having married an American from whom she is now divorced. But she clearly had great interest in, and empathy with, Native Americans.  She told us that, whilst they are invariably welcoming to tourists, most inwardly still resent the way their tribes have been treated over the years. In Monument Valley we had, as is customary, a Navajo guide. They like to be known as Native Americans, not Indians: “Indians live in India.”

It did not escape notice that the chemistry between Nilani and our driver was not good. He took a wrong turning on the way to Fort Laramie. No- one minded as it was a more scenic route and we were not seriously delayed. Nevertheless it was clear that he did not know his way. He was relying on his sat-nav, but there are times when old-fashioned map reading skills are to be preferred. I was able to help, as I invariably take maps on holiday and had two covering the area of our tour which were more detailed than the map that Nilani had.  I was amazed when, after our fairly long break at Fort Laramie, our driver again didn't know which way to go. I would have expected him to have spent his free time making sure that he did know. Again my map was needed. My guess is that Nilani was getting pretty fed up with having to do some of the navigating, a task that the driver could reasonably be expected to do for himself.

We crossed the border into South Dakota so I got to see the Black Hills at last. The next day we headed to the Mount Rushmore National Monument, the famous sculpture depicting the heads of four presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt (Teddy, not Franklin). Here another disappointment - in a tour that overall was very far from disappointing - awaited. We had been complacent about the weather, which in Denver had been well over 80°F. Here, much further north, it was considerably lower. Worse, it was raining and there was poor  visibility, so much so that we couldn't actually see the sculpture. I just about managed to discern, through the mist, the mountain itself.

I was wondering whether we were jinxed when it comes to seeing heads carved out of mountainsides: a number of years previously, cloud had suddenly descended in New Hampshire, preventing us from seeing the Old Man of the Mountain. However, just a few miles away, in weather that was now bright and sunny, we saw the Crazy Horse Monument, also carved out of a mountain and depicting the Native American chief of that name. This is still work in progress, with a large educational/cultural centre also planned. It reflects the view that Native Americans also deserve a mountainside monument.

We made our way to Wall Drug. That doesn't sound good in British English, but in American English the meaning is wholly innocent. It is located in the small town of Wall, gateway to the Badlands.  It  is something of a South Dakota institution. Numerous billboards along the approaching highway advertise it. The story is that, after its foundation in 1931, the store didn't do well at first, located as the owners saw it “in the middle of nowhere”. Then they had the bright idea of erecting billboards along the nearby highway offering free iced water to people on their way to and from Mount Rushmore. It has thrived ever since.  The  store includes a characterful, if a little chaotic, restaurant. I had a buffalo burger.

We then visited the first of our national parks, the South Dakota Badlands. All such visits were very thoughtfully organized with plenty of stops. Bafflingly Nilani also put on a video of the Badlands. We ignored this: no doubt she meant well, but why look at a video when one can see the real thing? The Badlands are magnificent, a stunning area of buttes (isolated hills with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top), pinnacles, and spires blended with the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United States. This was a wonderful finish to the day.

We headed the next day out of South Dakota, first stopping in Deadwood. This picturesque town retains something of a Wild West atmosphere. The visitor might be surprised that there are several casinos. I have something of an aversion to casinos, but consoled myself with the knowledge that they are owned by Native Americans, bringing valuable revenue to their tribes. We had lunch in a charming old-fashioned inn, complete with sawdust on the floor, though our meal, Mexican tacos, might not have been on offer in Calamity's day.

While in Deadwood, we took an optional tour in a vintage bus driven by our entertaining local guide, Dave. This took us up a nearby hill from which there was a fine view over the town. The real point though was to visit Mount Moriah Cemetery. Here Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok are buried alongside each other. The visitor is told to forget about Doris Day as the life of the real Calamity was somewhat different to that depicted in the film. For starters she didn't marry Bill. They were friends but she ended up marrying someone else, the name on her grave being “Calamity Jane [aka] Mrs M E Burke”.

We criss-crossed the border into or out of Wyoming several times during our trip. We now headed back into that state where we stopped at Devil's Tower, a huge and isolated butte and a striking sight. When we went to reboard our bus a surprise awaited: a new bus and a new driver. No explanation was given, but we surmised that Nilani had complained to the tour company. Sympathy for the underdog kicked in as our departing driver looked forlorn. Our new driver never had any trouble finding his way and he and Nilani got on like a house on fire. We stayed overnight in Sheridan, a few miles further on.•

To be continued
First published in VISA 138 (April 2018)

National Parks, Canyons and Mensans

by Maxine Bates

In June 2004 I took an Archers coach tour of national parks and canyons of the USA before attending the American Mensa Annual Gathering in Las Vegas over 4th July weekend.

My outbound journey took 27 hours due to freak electrical storms over the whole of north east USA. I flew from Birmingham to Denver via Newark (New Jersey). I had five hours to clear immigration and change planes and unfortunately an additional four hours sitting on the runway at Newark. We had to board in order for the plane to push away from the air bridge as all flights were being brought down but none allowed to take off. I eventually arrived at my Denver hotel around 1.00 am and I'm sure the tour rep was rather miffed at having to wait up to greet just me at the airport. Everyone else joining the tour had flown in from Heathrow, Gatwick or Manchester without too much delay.

The optional city sightseeing tour of Denver departed at 8.00 am so there was no way I was going to make that having arrived so late. As the ‘mile high city’ is a safe place and easily navigable, instead I strolled the streets on my own taking a free tour of the State Capitol building with its gold dome roof, toured Molly Brown's house (the Titanic survivor portrayed in the James Cameron film by Kathy Bates), saw historic Larimer Square and visited the Colorado History Museum. A free shuttle bus operates the length of the 16th Street Mall through the centre of Denver which makes it very easy to get around. Look out on the west steps of the State Capitol for the marker indicating one mile above sea level. Oh, and I went shopping for a coat as the weather was much colder/wetter than expected due to the storms. In the evening I went to a baseball game at Coors Field. Colorado Rockies v. Baltimore Orioles. I’d no idea of the rules but it was a fun experience for only a $4 seat in the ‘rock pile’. I got the impression that the game was only secondary to the other entertainment and food!

Next day I met the rest of the tour group. There were 39 of us on a 55 seater coach so plenty of room to spread out. There was a ‘seat rotation’ system each day and to start with I was placed on the front row. Ages ranged from late 40s to 80s making me youngest by far but everyone was very friendly. We had a brief tour of Cheyenne before arriving in Custer to visit the Crazy Horse Memorial. This is the largest stone sculpture in the world in honour of the American Indians and is nowhere near finished yet! Amazing stuff! The sculptor has now died and his wife and seven children are continuing the work.

As became the norm, next day suitcases had to be ready by 7.00 am and we departed at 8.00 am. Luckily our group was punctual and we left early most days allowing us extra time at the tourist attractions. Today (also Father’s Day) we saw the carved faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln at Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Another amazing sight! There was an interesting film show and not-so-interesting museum about the sculptor Gutzon Borglum. We learnt that Jefferson should have been carved to Washington’s right, but the rock was found to be unsuitable. So Jefferson’s half carved face was blasted away and he was moved to the left instead! I enquired whether another face would ever be carved into the mountain and was told no because a) there is not enough suitable rock available, b) the process takes too long and is too expensive and c) a consensus would never be agreed about the 5th face!

We stayed overnight in the wild west town of Lead (pronounced Leed rather than Led) and in the evening took a tour of Deadwood. This was in an old school bus rather than the infamous Deadwood stage! The town is where Wild Bill Hicock and Calamity Jane are buried. The main street was closed for a shoot out. Apparently the residents of Deadwood will have a shoot out, lots of drinking and partying for any excuse and tonight was one of them.

Day five was mostly a scenic drive through Wyoming and its Bighorn National Forest, pretty Shell Falls and a view of Devil’s Tower (where the UFOs landed in the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind) in the distance. Arriving in the town of Cody I remarked that our accommodation at the Holiday Inn looked like the set of the film Chicken Run and everyone laughed. We were staying in wooden cabins lined up just like in the film. Inside they were quite cosy with a cuddly ‘Billy Buffalo’ in each room as a bed mate. There was a welcome reception with free samples of wine and nibbles. By the time I’d had my glass topped up several times I didn't really care when I discovered I’d lost my suitcase keys and it had to be prised open with a screwdriver by the receptionist! This wasn't really a problem as currently US customs demand that all hold luggage is unlocked so that they can randomly check any item. If your case is chosen and it’s locked, then they have the power to break into it. Bizarre! Apart from this strange new rule, I had no problem with US immigration. In fact, they seemed much more security aware in the UK.

The next two days were spent in Yellowstone National Park. An awesome place with four types of natural feature – geysers, hot springs, fumaroles and mud pots – as well as crystal clear lakes, snow capped mountains, elk, bison and much more. Words just cannot describe the beauty. We saw the devastation caused by the fires in 1988 which nearly destroyed this National Park and, of course, we saw the famous Old Faithful geyser. The park rangers are able to predict the time of the next eruption to within a few minutes and they occur approx. every 80 minutes. We stayed overnight in the park at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. Again we had wooden cabins, this time with tiny prairie dogs on our terraces. Had we had time to drive an extra six miles north of the park we could have visited Montana and claimed eight instead of seven states on the tour! (The others being Colorado, South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Arizona and Nevada.)

After Yellowstone we spent two nights at Jackson Hole and, whilst there, I took two optional excursions. One evening we rode in a covered wagon to a ‘cook out’ with delicious BBQ chicken, ribs, salads, corn, etc, followed by a cowboy show. The following morning I went on a raft trip down the Snake River looking at the Grand Teton mountains and wildlife such as bald eagles, bison, herons and Canada geese. Jackson Hole itself is fairly small with a town square surrounded by many shops, yet I struggled to find anywhere serving food. The town is popular as a ski resort in the winter.

Next stop was Salt Lake City where we learned about the Mormon religion on a free guided tour of Temple Square. The guides were young girls from around the world and very enthusiastic about their religion. This is where Brigham Young declared “This is the place” to his pioneers and where they began to build their famous Tabernacle (which is only open to devout Mormons though we did hear the Tabernacle choir practising from outside). I had last visited Salt Lake City in 1996 and much had changed due to the winter Olympics taking place there in the interim. In the evening I joined our tour guide and driver for dinner and drinks in the penthouse bar of our hotel overlooking the city. And also got some insider info on leading such tours i.e. the hassle involved!

Then it was on to Bryce Canyon which some say is better than Grand Canyon and I agree. The tall pointy ‘hoodoo’ rock formations are an amazing sight and the canyon is quite small with well thought out viewing platforms. We stayed at Ruby’s Inn on the outskirts of the canyon and there was a rodeo nearby in the evening. Five of us decided to go and what fun for only $5! After the cowboys had done their stuff on the bucking horses we were treated to the sight of their 3-4 year old children doing the same on sheep. Yes, really! We weren’t sure if this was cruel to the kids or animals! There were also teenagers riding bulls, cowgirls barrel racing, and father and son teams roping the bulls. It seems rodeo is a real family sport. A clown acted as MC holding the whole event together.

Zion National Park (pronounced to rhyme with lion rather than zee-on) was lovely with colourful rock cliffs, trickling streams, colourful flora and walking trails. It would have been nice to have much longer there to take full advantage of the free shuttle that operates along the canyon floor from the visitor centre to the Temple of Sinawava viewing point via Zion Museum showing a 20 minute film about the park and Zion Lodge for food and drink. However, time was fleeting though as we crossed into Arizona the clocks moved back one hour. En route to our hotel in Page we saw Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. The water level has been lowering for four years and with not much rain may be completely dry in another two years. This could mean disaster as Lake Powell supplies Las Vegas with its water. That evening I’d opted to treat myself to a flight over Monument Valley. Not cheap at $160 for 90 minutes but worthwhile. We flew in a six-seater Cessna plane and saw sunset over Rainbow Bridge (the largest natural arched rock in the world), Lake Powell and Monument Valley made famous in many films. Yet another stunning sight! The evening was rounded off with a meal at a steakhouse which appeared to be the American equivalent of a Harvester!

On day 12, we arrived at Grand Canyon and viewed it through a thunder and lightning storm which is most unusual. Our guide was quite excited about the weather; our group was just disappointed to be seeing the canyon in heavy rain! The outside observation deck up the tower at Desert View on the south rim was closed due to the threat of lightning. However, we stayed in cabins in the park so once the rain had stopped had the opportunity to walk five minutes to the canyon rim to watch the sunset. Dinner was a choice of the cafeteria at the visitors centre - or the cafeteria at the visitors centre. Oh dear. I spent the rest of the evening trying to find something decent to watch on TV but could only find three reality TV programmes back to back or 50 channels of endless commercials!

On our last day we drove along Route 66 towards Las Vegas. Seat rotation meant I'd gone full circle so was once again on the front row for the drive along Las Vegas Boulevard (better known as The Strip) to the Stratosphere Hotel. Even as my 4th visit I still found it exciting and ended up almost giving the narration instead of the guide (who hated Las Vegas)! At this point my tour was almost over as I was about to attend the American Mensa Annual Gathering starting the next day. This meant I spent two nights at the Stratosphere Hotel at the north end of the Strip as part of the tour before moving to the Paris Hotel centrally located on the Strip for the AG. During my days in Las Vegas I went in nearly all the themed hotel casinos. Not to gamble but just to watch the free shows and wonder at the over-the-top decor. Where else can you visit Venice, Paris, Egypt and New York in just one street!? Las Vegas is an amazing place. One day I persuaded a fellow Mensan to ride all the roller coasters with me, which was fun! But the new one overhanging the 107th floor of the Stratosphere Tower was even too scary for me (a member of the Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain)! One evening 12 of us dined in the revolving restaurant up the Stratosphere Tower timing our meal so that we saw The Strip by day and after a revolution we saw the bright lights at night. The meal cost over $70 each but the food, service and views were excellent. Just had to eat McDonald’s the next day to compensate!

As part of the Annual Gathering events programme, I attended a talk by Lois Duncan (author of I Know What You Did Last Summer, now made into a movie), a talk called Flying Without Dying given by a Mensan air stewardess who told of her experience of being hijacked and air safety today, and a talk by the female manager of Sheri’s Ranch which is a high class brothel in Nevada. All were most informative and interesting. There were also lessons in tai chi and belly dancing, formal dinners, lessons in poker and other casino games, a blood donor session, a 24/7 craft room, a reaffirmation of wedding vows ceremony for Mensa couples and much, much more. In addition the hospitality suite served nibbles, sodas, beer, wine and champagne from midday on Wednesday to midnight on Sunday - all complimentary too! But with temperatures reaching 100 F it seemed a shame to stay in the hotel all the time.

Saturday lunch, I opted out of the Mensa programme to meet my penpal who flew down to stay with me from Reno (north Nevada). We had met before but not since 1996. We also met her younger sister who lives in Vegas and went for lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe where we were seated next to a wedding party. Well, at least one guest looked like a big white meringue and you can get married virtually anywhere in Las Vegas - even at a drive-thru window! Saturday evening Jill (my penpal) and I met a few Mensa friends and went downtown to dine at the Golden Nugget Hotel before watching the revamped Fremont Street Experience which is a huge light show on a canopy over the pedestrianised street. Being 4th July weekend there was a special patriotic show. The bus ride back down The Strip took forever as it was a solid eight lanes of traffic. So Jill and I hopped off the bus, were picked up by her sister off-Strip and went clubbing at Mandalay Bay which was an excellent 70s disco followed by a drink at the Crown and Anchor which I was told was a British pub but looked nothing like one to me! After another bar we arrived back at the Paris Hotel gone 3.00 am. Needless to say 4th July started with a nice lie-in! It ended with a lovely meal overlooking the famous fountain show at the Bellagio Hotel (the poshest place to stay in town) and we had booked tickets to see the “O” show by Cirque du Soleil which is set on water and just spectacular. I was expecting nothing less for $99 per ticket - and that’s the cheap seats! A final tour of some of the casinos brought my stay in Las Vegas and my whole trip to an end. Unfortunately I didn’t hit the jackpot and had to come home! You can get rid of your cents in the slot machines in the airport departure lounge though!

First published in VISA issue 58 (December 2004)