Heading to Vegas, baby, Vegas

K: Leaving Capitol Reef National Park, we headed west across southern Utah. Our final destination will be Las Vegas as we are taking a break from the road to attend my good friend Lori's (Schully, as she is known on "Regis and Kelly Live") wedding in NYC.

The dramatic change in scenery over a four-hour period was astonishing. At noon we were in the canyons with high 50 - low 60 degree temps. We ascended into the mountains of the Dixie National Forest, reaching altitudes of 9,000 feet and temps in the high 30's. The forest was full of beautiful pine trees and aspen and birch that were in full fall colors. From the forest we followed the edge of the Escalante/Grand Staircase National Monument that is a vast, nearly impenetrable, yet gorgeous area of rock canyons and temps again reached the high 60's. After lunch in Bryce Canyon National Park, we continued west through the next patch of the Dixie National Forest, climbing to altitude of nearly 10,000 feet near the Brian Head ski resort. And as we were driving through the aspen meadow, snow!!!!! We drove through snow for maybe 30 minutes and temps of below freezing. Finally as we crossed the Arizona border and back into the desert, temps returned to a much more pleasant 70 degrees.

We overnighted in Mesquite, Nevada. It is safe to say that this will be my one and only visit to Mesquite. It appears to been built up as a mini-Las Vegas in better economic times, and now is clearly a casualty of the recession. There are foreclosure offices on every block, abandoned hotels and vacant commercial properties at every turn. We did manage to visit the large, remaining casino-Casablanca-that was doing a brisk business. So far I am only down $20!

Tomorrow: Clean clothes and then a clean car. And then hiking in the Valley of Fire State Park before the red eye flight back to the East Coast.

V: Whoa... . What's going on here? Cleaning the car? Washing clothes? Me, taking a shower? Removing the Colorado River mud from my body? Eliminating the fine aromas of campfire, camp stove cooking grit, and the wild scents of the woods from my clothes? Hmmm... and to top it off I'll be wearing a tuxedo on Saturday nite. Wow.

Great to be in these nice 70 + temps. Those who do a bit of car camping know what I mean when I just have to mention that it is often amazing how the load of gear in the car seems to find its own proper spot, each time one unpacks and packs up the camping and food and cooking gear. Definitely have the load very efficiently packed right now.

I wish to extend an invitation to anyone who wishes to meet up with us, to join us for a nite, somewhere along our trail. I have an extra tent, in fact, so a sleeping bag is all one would need. Catch us in Las Vegas on the 11th - 13th, then the California parks (Death Valley, Kings Canyon, Sequioa, Yosemite, Mono Lake and Joshua Tree) from Tuesday on, or at the Grand Canyon in about a week, or in New Mexico after that. Or anywhere else as we trek back eastwards. (Anyone up for a nite and show in Branson, Missouri?!) Hey, we can even do 'civilized' lodging along the way, if camping isn't appealing.

Highlights:

Sips: A Sake wine cooler and large Sapporo beer at Samurai 21

Bites: Dinner at Samurai 21, the Japanese Steakhouse in Mesquite,Nevada

Sites: The beauty of southern Utah