In the 80's my ex husband, young daughter and I went on a National Lampoon level road trip which included a stop in Las Vegas. We drove to Arizona on the back roads to visit my aunt and uncle in a Phoenix suburb. I had no idea the desert could house so many beautiful vividly colored plants because I was used to the scrubby barren California desert. The scenery was breathtaking. Did you experience that by any chance?
My late '80's Atlantic City experiences dissolved any desire to ever visit Vegas and I've not seen Grand Canyon as yet. But I do understand the tears and that "looking directly at the face of God" feeling came from experiencing Yellowstone for a summer in the early '80s which has stayed with me always. I live in the country for that very reason and am grateful for the tranquility the gods/goddesses deliver every day. 🌈
Cosmopolitan Nevada, both the Reno end and the Las Vegas end, have no value to people of substance. I say that as a commercial truck driver who has been to both many times. In my entire life, outside of truck driving, I have met no one from Reno or Las Vegas.
Until now. In our new neighborhood on the Olympic Peninsula, we have met three couples who escaped from Las Vegas. That’s how they view it. They don’t have good things to say.
Back in about 2003, my then-girlfriend-now-wife and I did our own tour of the Southwest national parks. Over 2 weeks, we visited one gorgeous site after another in Utah and AZ. We had to make a stopover in Las Vegas and, curiously, our stop was also at Mandalay Bay.
If you are looking for a breathtaking destination and a potential chance at an awe-inspiring or even life-changing stop, in addition to Grand Canyon, may I suggest:
• Zion NP
• Moab (Canyonlands-Arches-Dead Horse Point).
• Yosemite
• Sequoia and Kings Canyon
Preferably not during tourist season. We visited Zion and Moab (and the other NPs in that region) in February.
On the coast:
• Olympic NP
• Redwood NP
• on the California coast north of Pismo Beach and Cambria, and absolutely anywhere on the Oregon and Washington coast, again preferably not in summer, say, before June and after Labor Day.
Yosemite is magical no matter when you visit, even at the height of tourist season. Yosemite has a way of getting into your soul despite overcrowded conditions, it’s majestic.
That’s my personal list of the Best of the West. Of course if you want to enjoy a large city getaway guaranteed to be enjoyable and refreshing, for us it’s San Francisco and San Diego. We’ve never been in either of those two cities and not been happy. Don’t ask me why. They’re just special.
Disneyland is a very special place, especially when you visit as a child, as I did in the 1970s. It absolutely changed my life and my view of the world.
A while back, I wanted to visit Disneyland as an adult. What ruins Disneyland is the crowds. I got on the phone with them and asked, insistently and repeatedly, when the best time to visit was. During the holidays? Before the holidays? After the holidays? On Christmas Day? On New Year’s Day? On any other major holiday? Any particular day of the week? Any particular time of the year? Any particular month or season?
The consistent answer: Disneyland is always crowded. None of those times were better than any other time.
So we picked a time in February, since February seems to be a month that is generically low on tourist traffic.
The day that we arrived at Disneyland, it was raining. This is Los Angeles, mind you. “Rain“ means a light drizzle which occasionally rises to a mild to moderate drizzle. There is rarely any such thing as a heavy rain. I can say that after seven straight years of driving down there every week. It’s hard to get your clothes really wet.
Disneyland was deserted. We got onto our favorite ride, Pirates of the Caribbean (the original rogue pirates / burning village / damsel in distress version), and then we got off at the end, and we got right back on again, etc. We did that to our hearts’ content. Then we did it at several other rides.
It was FABULOUS.
So don’t ever let anyone convince you magic doesn’t happen. It does. Disneyland is deserted whenever the tiniest bit of water falls from the sky. That’s the time to visit.
On another occasion, I visited San Francisco the weekend after the World Series earthquake of 1989. Deserted. If you ever want a totally amazing, surreal, and unforgettable experience, visit LA or San Francisco after a major quake.
A stranger to Las Vegas, reading just the billboards, would conclude that Sin City was a place where Christian gentlemen, unable to make it rise again, hurt themselves trying.
This essay only confirms my commitment made in 1990 to seldom go farther than walking or biking distance from home again. I'm already where I want to be so why go somewhere else.
Traveling broadens one's view. Staying in place deepens it.
How beautiful and how accurate. Las Vegas is a soul-suck; the best thing about it is the reviews of the city jail. Comedy gold! And now, with all the respect in the world, can you go away some more so they can arrest the orange mofo?
To really experience the majesty of the Canyon, I suggest a commercial raft trip through the upper part (Lee's Ferry to Phantom Ranch/Bright Angel trail). You do need to hike back out, which is a day-long and tough chore. It's about a week with oar or paddle boats. There are also motorized trips, but that seems wrong to me. Nothing but the river, the canyon, and stillness. Probably not even a cell signal. It's a scenery trip rather than a whitewater adventure, although there are a few good rapids.
It's amazing how moments of awe can break us open, but we are usually too busy entertaining ourselves to notice what is all around us. Now you got me crying.
My family and I planned and paid for a trip to Disney World in 2019. We were scheduled to go in June 2020. The Pandemic put an end to that. We had to use the credit and ended up going this year in June 2022. We looked at this as our last family trip before our oldest starts her own life. We were really looking forward to it as we have been there several times while the kids were growing up. Well...let me tell you...it was nothing like the Disney we had visited in the past. There were some good experiences but overall it felt like nothing more than an amusement park. It used to be filled with "experiences" not just "rides". It was so crowded and they just kept letting people flow in. When we were standing in line (which was a lot since they got rid of "fast passes") they kept telling everyone to fill in the empty spaces which meant they wanted us right on top of each other during a Pandemic! I just looked at them like "Yeah, that's not happening". And the staff kept calling us "Friend" which I assume was to give the illusion that they were treating us like a "friend", which they most certainly were not. I detected an underlying current of anger and confusion from the staff which was disconcerting. We have decided this will be our last trip to Disney World.
Lived awhile in Arizona in the 70's, when a trip to THE Grand Canyon meant a stay in Flagstaff, 2 for $8, 4 for $12, magic fingers (mattress, we discovered) for an extra 25 cents. We shared a room with another couple and laughed (and jiggled) all night (because, of course, when one couple fell asleep, the other dug out a quarter...). As I recall the Grand Canyon was pretty cool, too.
Thanks, Greg. This was a beautiful piece of writing and insight into the horribly big and spiritual challenges we find ourselves facing. All the best, Roger.
In the 80's my ex husband, young daughter and I went on a National Lampoon level road trip which included a stop in Las Vegas. We drove to Arizona on the back roads to visit my aunt and uncle in a Phoenix suburb. I had no idea the desert could house so many beautiful vividly colored plants because I was used to the scrubby barren California desert. The scenery was breathtaking. Did you experience that by any chance?
You have a beautiful soul Greg Olear. I wish there were more of you 💟🦄
So beautifully written Greg. I teared up reading this ~ tears of joy and tears of sadness for what was, is and will never be again.
My late '80's Atlantic City experiences dissolved any desire to ever visit Vegas and I've not seen Grand Canyon as yet. But I do understand the tears and that "looking directly at the face of God" feeling came from experiencing Yellowstone for a summer in the early '80s which has stayed with me always. I live in the country for that very reason and am grateful for the tranquility the gods/goddesses deliver every day. 🌈
Cosmopolitan Nevada, both the Reno end and the Las Vegas end, have no value to people of substance. I say that as a commercial truck driver who has been to both many times. In my entire life, outside of truck driving, I have met no one from Reno or Las Vegas.
Until now. In our new neighborhood on the Olympic Peninsula, we have met three couples who escaped from Las Vegas. That’s how they view it. They don’t have good things to say.
Back in about 2003, my then-girlfriend-now-wife and I did our own tour of the Southwest national parks. Over 2 weeks, we visited one gorgeous site after another in Utah and AZ. We had to make a stopover in Las Vegas and, curiously, our stop was also at Mandalay Bay.
If you are looking for a breathtaking destination and a potential chance at an awe-inspiring or even life-changing stop, in addition to Grand Canyon, may I suggest:
• Zion NP
• Moab (Canyonlands-Arches-Dead Horse Point).
• Yosemite
• Sequoia and Kings Canyon
Preferably not during tourist season. We visited Zion and Moab (and the other NPs in that region) in February.
On the coast:
• Olympic NP
• Redwood NP
• on the California coast north of Pismo Beach and Cambria, and absolutely anywhere on the Oregon and Washington coast, again preferably not in summer, say, before June and after Labor Day.
Yosemite is magical no matter when you visit, even at the height of tourist season. Yosemite has a way of getting into your soul despite overcrowded conditions, it’s majestic.
That’s my personal list of the Best of the West. Of course if you want to enjoy a large city getaway guaranteed to be enjoyable and refreshing, for us it’s San Francisco and San Diego. We’ve never been in either of those two cities and not been happy. Don’t ask me why. They’re just special.
Re: Disneyland
Disneyland is a very special place, especially when you visit as a child, as I did in the 1970s. It absolutely changed my life and my view of the world.
A while back, I wanted to visit Disneyland as an adult. What ruins Disneyland is the crowds. I got on the phone with them and asked, insistently and repeatedly, when the best time to visit was. During the holidays? Before the holidays? After the holidays? On Christmas Day? On New Year’s Day? On any other major holiday? Any particular day of the week? Any particular time of the year? Any particular month or season?
The consistent answer: Disneyland is always crowded. None of those times were better than any other time.
So we picked a time in February, since February seems to be a month that is generically low on tourist traffic.
The day that we arrived at Disneyland, it was raining. This is Los Angeles, mind you. “Rain“ means a light drizzle which occasionally rises to a mild to moderate drizzle. There is rarely any such thing as a heavy rain. I can say that after seven straight years of driving down there every week. It’s hard to get your clothes really wet.
Disneyland was deserted. We got onto our favorite ride, Pirates of the Caribbean (the original rogue pirates / burning village / damsel in distress version), and then we got off at the end, and we got right back on again, etc. We did that to our hearts’ content. Then we did it at several other rides.
It was FABULOUS.
So don’t ever let anyone convince you magic doesn’t happen. It does. Disneyland is deserted whenever the tiniest bit of water falls from the sky. That’s the time to visit.
On another occasion, I visited San Francisco the weekend after the World Series earthquake of 1989. Deserted. If you ever want a totally amazing, surreal, and unforgettable experience, visit LA or San Francisco after a major quake.
A stranger to Las Vegas, reading just the billboards, would conclude that Sin City was a place where Christian gentlemen, unable to make it rise again, hurt themselves trying.
Sounds like the US Supreme Court to me.
This essay only confirms my commitment made in 1990 to seldom go farther than walking or biking distance from home again. I'm already where I want to be so why go somewhere else.
Traveling broadens one's view. Staying in place deepens it.
How beautiful and how accurate. Las Vegas is a soul-suck; the best thing about it is the reviews of the city jail. Comedy gold! And now, with all the respect in the world, can you go away some more so they can arrest the orange mofo?
I've lived in AZ for 37 years and have always used "the" Grand Canyon. I hole you made it to Sedona as well.
To really experience the majesty of the Canyon, I suggest a commercial raft trip through the upper part (Lee's Ferry to Phantom Ranch/Bright Angel trail). You do need to hike back out, which is a day-long and tough chore. It's about a week with oar or paddle boats. There are also motorized trips, but that seems wrong to me. Nothing but the river, the canyon, and stillness. Probably not even a cell signal. It's a scenery trip rather than a whitewater adventure, although there are a few good rapids.
It's amazing how moments of awe can break us open, but we are usually too busy entertaining ourselves to notice what is all around us. Now you got me crying.
My family and I planned and paid for a trip to Disney World in 2019. We were scheduled to go in June 2020. The Pandemic put an end to that. We had to use the credit and ended up going this year in June 2022. We looked at this as our last family trip before our oldest starts her own life. We were really looking forward to it as we have been there several times while the kids were growing up. Well...let me tell you...it was nothing like the Disney we had visited in the past. There were some good experiences but overall it felt like nothing more than an amusement park. It used to be filled with "experiences" not just "rides". It was so crowded and they just kept letting people flow in. When we were standing in line (which was a lot since they got rid of "fast passes") they kept telling everyone to fill in the empty spaces which meant they wanted us right on top of each other during a Pandemic! I just looked at them like "Yeah, that's not happening". And the staff kept calling us "Friend" which I assume was to give the illusion that they were treating us like a "friend", which they most certainly were not. I detected an underlying current of anger and confusion from the staff which was disconcerting. We have decided this will be our last trip to Disney World.
Lived awhile in Arizona in the 70's, when a trip to THE Grand Canyon meant a stay in Flagstaff, 2 for $8, 4 for $12, magic fingers (mattress, we discovered) for an extra 25 cents. We shared a room with another couple and laughed (and jiggled) all night (because, of course, when one couple fell asleep, the other dug out a quarter...). As I recall the Grand Canyon was pretty cool, too.
Great scribbling Greg.
Thanks for Crying,
The Colorado needs the water
I'll return later with how Brown is Beautiful.
Thanks, Greg. This was a beautiful piece of writing and insight into the horribly big and spiritual challenges we find ourselves facing. All the best, Roger.