With time running out, the last leg of our trip involved long days of driving and little sight-seeing. We stopped to see friends in Yerington (beautiful quietude), took a breather in Reno (grungier version of Las Vegas), sped through Northern California, visited Eugene (cute town), and shopped in Portland (check out Powell’s City of Books, a reader’s mecca). And now we’re back in Seattle.

OK, I did have one redeeming experience in Vegas. The Hilton hosts Star Trek: The Experience. It’s been a while since I found myself in the Star Trek universe, and it was good to catch up on the history of the future, battle Romulans, resist the Borg, and have a drink in Quark’s bar.

Las Vegas lived down to my expectations. Although it was surprisingly fun to drive and walk down the Strip, gawking at the over-the-top façades, I was overwhelmed by the constant sensory stimulation gilding the rampant consumerism. More depressing than the many titty bars were the endless mazes of casinos, smoky, windowless, captivating.

On our way out of the Grand Canyon, we stopped at another significant point along the Colorado River: the Hoover Dam. The design, structure, and construction of the dam are truly remarkable achievements. Comprised of a series of concrete blocks that flex to transmit the weight of the water to the canyon wall, the whole project was completed ahead of schedule, in less than five years.

The tour of the Art Deco facility, designed from the outset to be a point of pride showcasing American ingenuity, was rather disturbing, however. Loudspeakers throughout, from the exhibition hall to the lookout over the dam, ran an Orwellian continuous loop extolling the virtues of the project. Absent were any mention of the (continuing) water wars that preceded the project, or the environmental impact of the modified Colorado river since. Having seen this after going through the Imperial Valley, I am now motivated to once again attempt to read Cadillac Desert (or watch the documentary) to understand the impact that irrigation and dams have had on the settlement and environment of the West.