Leaving Vegas, is as hard as they say, especially when the interstate is closed. But efficiency’s loss was a scenic tour through the Valley of Fire’s gain. No we hadn’t heard of it either, but it started a romance for side roads marked with green circles on the map. Red, red earth and all manner of buttes, and then through desert and hills and into the typical western landscape.

Interesting thing: approaching the Grand Canyon north rim, it’s all forest and meadows and green. And yes it is huge, deep, and utterly lacking in proper superlatives.