Nevada

The last state visited is Nevada. Let's start by saying that Nevada is not only about Las Vegas. Our first stop was at Hoover Dam. It was not even refreshing to be close to a lake... 

 

It was impressive to do the guided tour and to get inside the dam wall. It is actually quite wide. The technology is not super modern - but then the dam was built in the 1930's. While there were up to 5000 people building it, there are now not a single employee dealing with the dam itself - a few people are tour guides, and a few others check the electrical station.

Still the main place in Nevada is Las Vegas. Compared to my first visit in the 90's, I must admit that I was positively surprised. I used to say that my opinion of Las Vegas was exactly portrayed in the movie "leaving Las Vegas". This time around, I thought the city was decent and clean. 

Of course, there are still many people addicted to gambling and casinos have surprisingly remained smoke zones. However, Las Vegas retains its fake character. The worst was probably the Venetian. Fake Venice, fake gondolas, fake square, even a fake sky - fortunately I did not try the food.

Finally, for those interested, I played 6 dollars. And of course, I lost all of them.