It is very evident how Vegas is a 'glitter oasis' in the middle of a desert; as soon as we got within 5 miles outside the city limits, we were in the middle of hot, dry, desert country. We turned onto Boulder Hwy, and shortly after passed Lake Mead and descended into the Hoover Dam canyon.

The Hoover Dam was impressive; it is one of the most expensive engineering projects ever undertaken in the United States, in an attempt to harness the Colorado River for both electic power and a source of water. Lake Mead was created by the damning of the Colorado, it provides water for the five Southwestern States as does the Hoover Dam provide electricity for them as well.

The Dam was created by digging out the silt and sand at the bottom of the Colorado, then pouring shitloads of concrete blocks between the narrowest portion of the canyon. Then the concrete was left to expand and wedge against the canyon walls, creating a force that would hold it in place against the billions of tons of water pressing against it. Cool. On the top of the dam, the highway goes across, doubling as a bridge across the river. Midway across the dam is also the State Line between Nevada and Arizona. Since Arizona is on mountain time, normally one adjusts the clock an hour ahead while crossing eastward. However Arizona doesn't do Daylight Savings Time, unlike Nevada, so in effect it was the same time on both sides of the Hoover Dam. Confusing, eh?

We went on a tour of the dam which was very interesting. The group took an elevator descent to the bottom of the dam, which in itself took over a minute. Then we walked around as the tour guide explained the various aspects of the dam. Quite an achievement, to say the least.

After the tour, we were presented with a one hour film on the Southwestern States (California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah) and their unique climate and lifestyle. Apparently, the Hoover Dam is the lifeblood of all five of those states.

After our tour, we went back the car and it was SO HOT!!! Only the middle of May and it was well over 80 degrees! So I went for nice, cold soda and it was so refreshing!! After that, it was back on the road to hit the youth hostel in Flagstaff Arizona. While driving south on Hwy US 93, otherwise known as "Lonely 93" (for good reason, this is the least travelled highway in the entire country) I checked my gas guage, and realized it was nearly empty. To my dismay, there were no gas stations in sight, and no towns until 40 miles. Uh-oh. After about 5 miles, I came across what looked like a gas station but after taking a closer look, it was abandoned with boards across the windows, just like in the movies. Fortunately though, there was another gas station open, even though it was in the middle of nowhere, and I gladly filled up.

We then took Interstate #40 East and eventually took the exit to Route 66, a very famous American road. There was a sign posting an historic ghost town, so we though we'd check it out. It turns out there was a ticket booth at the entrance to the ghost town, apparently one had to actually pay to get in, which really sucked. Upon explaining our situation to the woman at the window, who was all dressed up in a ghost-town costume, she said "You can make a U-turn up ahead" We did.

We went back on Route 66 and headed east. The road used to go across California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Illinois making it a true East-West US Route. It was nicknamed "America's Main Street" and I have a bumper sticker with that nickname on my car. When they built the Interstates though, much of Route 66 was replaced by I-40, and consequently, many motorists now take the Interstate instead of driving on Route 66. This explained why it was so deserted when we drove on it. It felt really neat though, crusing along on an historic highway in the middle of the desert with nobody around. I stopped to check my oil on Route 66, hoping that I wouldn't have another breakdown.

We then got back onto the Interstate and drove to Flagstaff Arizona. We phoned ahead to the hostel we were supposed to stay at from several gas stations, making sure we knew where it was. When we finally arrived at Flagstaff, we drove around in circles trying to find this hostel. It was already dark at 7:30 since Arizona isn't on Daylight Savings Time, and being 8000 feet up high, it was freezing cold! We still couldn't find the hostel, so instead we took a break and ate a nice huge dinner at a Denny's. It turns out that the staff there were really cool and friendly, and provided us with kick-ass service. We were the only customers there, because it was the final episode of Seinfeld that night and everybody was at home watching it.

We did eventually find the hostel, after a LOT of driving around, and my first impression of the place was not very positive. The hostel was located with 100 feet of a busy railroad crossing with trains blasting their horns through all night long. As well, the hostel had a run-down look and the people staying there looked like drug dealers upon first impression. However, we holed up for the night, and then took off for the Grand Canyon the next morning.

It is a one and a half hour drive to the Grand Canyon, and then a $20 entrance fee is required upon entrance. We paid the money, and then stopped at all the viewpoints along the park road overlooking the Grand Canyon. The views were breathtaking, and there was an awe-inspiring sense of openness, as the Canyon was over a mile deep and twelve miles across. We saw license plates from cars all over the country, proving that this was a very popular destination spot. After drinking gallons of water to get rid of dehydration, we finally left the park and headed back to Flagstaff. The next night we didn't stay at the hostel again, but rather we booked a night at the Inn Suites Hotel. It turns out this was a wise decision, because it was much quieter and the trains didn't keep me up all night again. Even better was the free breakfast served the next morning and all the great food served. Stuffed, we left Flagstaff and drove north to Utah where we would resume camping after enjoying a week long spiel of comfortable hotels.
--by Steve Ruelle

Some links...

• USA Vacations - Order FREE Brochure!
• Grand Canyon International Hostel
• Grand Canyon Official Tourism Page
• Flagstaff Arizona Inn Suites Hotel
• More sites...