The Trafalgar Tour
My wife and I recently returned from a fourteen-day tour of the West; it was my wife’s first trip to the region. For me it had been almost fifty years for some of the sights, but for many it was also my first. We chose a Trafalgar bus tour, and it was a good decision. We left the driving to a professional, and our tour guide made everyday relaxing and enjoyable; he went above and beyond what we expected. To keep some fifty-two people reasonably content and agreeable was quite an accomplishment.
In keeping with my personally, I did a lot of listening. As I tell my wife, “By the time I try to interject my comments into a conversation the topic has changed and any comment I would have made would be out of place.” My wife tells me my voice is not loud enough for people to hear. She says I should speak up, but for me it would sound like I was shouting. At any rate, listening has served me well over the years.
Individuals are like onions. To get to know them you have to peel off protective layers to get to the real person. Some are more difficult to peel than others, but once you take off enough layers you can find that “little jewel” in most that wants only to be needed and loved. Traveling with other people is a great way to get to know the real person hiding behind their outer shell.
Las Vegas was our tour origination and ending point. It is truly a remarkable place for people watching. I was nearly blinded several times by scantily dressed young ladies, as their attire left nothing to the imagination. “Don’t look” replayed through my mind often as my eyes were exposed to an occasional beauty, but more often to the sight of exposed flesh and gosh awful tattoo work. An appropriate tattoo can be a work of art, but for many their choice must have been made in a drunken stupor. See my Blog on the “Trip Tattoo” for an in-depth look into the body tattoo expose effect.
Our days spent in Las Vegas were not part of the Trafalgar Tour. My wife’s younger brother (Buddy) and his youngest daughter along with my wife’s mother met us in Las Vegas for two and one-half days of sightseeing. It was thoroughly enjoyable as Buddy acted as our tour guide. He should guide professionally with his knowledge and enthusiasm of the area. While traffic was backed up for miles waiting to cross the Hoover Dam, we were there early and caught the first tour of the dam and were on our way back to Las Vegas before traffic began to back up.
Unlike Atlanta and perhaps many other large cities or small towns for that matter, you could walk the strip of Las Vegas without being bothered or intimidated by beggars who were in your face asking for a handout. Yes, I saw the homeless on the strip but they maintained their spots with just signs asking for a handout; some even had cell phones so I “did not feel their pain” as I passed them by. Gambling, some consider it a sin, was available almost everywhere. While I do not gamble myself, a friend gave me three dollars to play for him. I promptly lost his three dollars and therein lies the reason I do not gamble—I’m not lucky.
On the strip of Las Vegas, it was permissible for solicitors to hand out playing card size pictures of what appeared to be nude women with a phone number printed for you to call if you so desired the services they were promoting. They were on every corner, but they did not force you to take a card. Many did out of curiosity but once taken were quickly dropped to the street. My wife seemed to constantly remind me to not look down. I would only reply, “But I only need a ‘Three of Diamonds’ to complete my collection.” She would give me that wifely/teacher look, and I would quickly grovel back in line with my head held high. It was quite a mess on most corners, but with the start of each new day cleaning crews cleaned up most of the discarded cards. Those visiting with their young children should be aware of this as they walk the strip for the first time.
The hotels in Las Vegas are massive, the food is plentiful and the entertainment is top notch. My only advice would be to stay in a relatively inexpensive hotel near the strip and take advantage of the rail transportation. You will be walking and sightseeing most of the time so why pay for an expensive room. We very seldom returned to our hotel during the day and mostly used it for a place to sleep. Incase you do not know, parking is free so stay off the strip if you like, and just drive to a destination (hotel) site. Also, do not forget your credit card. You will be spending money. Water is not cheap unless you buy it at a Wal-Mart and keep it in the trunk of your car.
Salt Lake City, Utah, home of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon church), offered crowds of visiting tourist a chance to register for future home visits from their missionaries. I was quite impressed with the knowledge (of Mormonism) and the enthusiasm their missionary tour guides and witnesses for the church possessed. I was told that young women typically serve a missionary period in a more formal and structured environment, and young men typically serve their missionary obligation on the mission fields. You are probably familiar with the sight of young men riding bicycles with their white shirts and ties.
I was not surprised to see that Brigham Young lived in luxury by yesterdays and even to some extent, today’s standards. An afternoon tour of the Temple Square area followed by a more in-depth evening tour of the Gardens on the Plaza, dinner at the Garden House and a wall through the Bee House, Brigham Young’s personal residency, and concluding the evening’s festivities with an opportunity to listen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir rehearse was enjoyable. The Choir’s sound was excellent even in rehearsal.
As a follower and believer in the Gospel message of Jesus Christ I was led to offer my testimony to two young lady missionaries from another country who were doing their required missionary work at the Mormon complex. In our discussion one readily replied to my questioning that she believed in the Trinity, that the only pathway to heaven was via Jesus Christ and that you could not work your way into heaven. However, she dodged any attempt of mine to engage her in a discussion of what was meant by the Trinity, the only pathway and works. Neither did she attempt to elaborate on the “doctrinal beliefs of the Mormon Church.” They primarily wanted me to fill out a card so that someone could contact me with additional information. I graciously declined for reasons (future home visits) expressed earlier.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in my opinion, is not a Christian church and could even be considered a “cult” based upon its teachings and beliefs. While the followers of Mormonism that I have met appeared to be people of integrity, morality and sincerity their doctrinal beliefs are not in keeping with the Gospel message of Jesus Christ—His death, burial, resurrection and diety—as taught in the Christian Biblical scriptures. Your salvation is a gift of God’s grace and no “works” are required for that salvation: not true for Mormonism. If you disagree I would be interested in hearing your reasoning.
While I did not try to convert the young ladies to becoming followers of Jesus Christ—only the Holy Spirit has that power—they did accept a card with my blog address and said they would look at my blog site. Whether they do or not is yet to be determined. I do hope both or at least one will visit my Blog site and write me with her thoughts. My ministry is only to plant a seed. The Holy Spirit will do the rest.
The Mount Rushmore National Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota was quite impressive. We attended an evening light show with patriotic music and a flag lowering ceremony. Men or women who had served in the military were invited down to participate. After the flag had been lowered and folded by a Boy Scout Troup (BST) from Indiana, each person who had come down for the ceremony then passed the flag “hand to hand” to the next in line until it was returned to the BST Leader. Although I am a veteran and served my country proudly, I was not able to participate in the ceremony and missed out on not only being honored during the ceremony, but I also missed out on being recognized with those who did go down when enthusiastic hand clapping greeted them as they boarded the bus for the trip back to our hotel. Oh well, that is just me.
(Side Note: I just read that President Obama was refusing to sign Eagle Scout Merit Badge certificates for Boy Scouts who had achieved this honor through their hard work and discipline. I suppose, if perhaps the Boy Scouts added a “gay pride” merit badge, he would then be willing to sign certificates.)
The Crazy Horse Memorial, also located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, was also impressive. When it is finally completed, it will be spectacular. No government money is being used for construction and maintenance of this memorial. I find that refreshing in an era when so many choose to rely on government money for their support and welfare.
As I think about the Crazy Horse Memorial and the Navajo Indian Reservation that we visited some time later, I am struck by the inhumanity the military, government and many people of that time and even today show to their fellow brethren. Many American Indians live on reservations without running water and indoor toilets; talk about having a third world country right here in “River City.” Have we forgotten the Biblical teaching found in Galatians 3:26-28 (NIV): “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Or, do we no longer care for our fellow man?
Yellowstone National Park encompasses portions of the States of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming and is a vacation spot you do not want to miss. Its natural beauty along with its animal life will forever be in the minds of most who have enjoyed it enormity and beauty. Who could forget Old Faithful, Tower Falls, Mammoth Springs, and the Fountain Paint Pot Area where you can view geysers, hot springs, mud pots and fumaroles? There is still danger, however, for those who choose to feed the wild animals. Bear cubs are cute, but do you really want a picture of mama bear tearing the arms and legs off your little child or a buffalo gorging a loved one or even yourself as you seek that photo of a lifetime?
Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado made me long for my youth as I recalled exploring long forgotten Indian villages that once spanned the landscape of my hometown. As a young boy I walked the plowed fields of neighboring farms in search of flints of various sizes and shapes. Fragments of pottery were routinely discarded as another arrowheads suddenly appeared. The land that I formerly combed has mostly been developed, and the history of the time has been lost. The site of the lost village behind my parent’s old home place still lies vacant, and I watch for any plowing activity longing for another chance to walk the fields once again.
The Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona is all that it is advertised to be. We entered the park by way of the South Rim entrance. To have my younger years to explore its ancient trails and canyon walls would be wonderful, but alas, only its beauty and ever-changing slide show with each change of the setting sun is all that remains for me to enjoy. One day it will no longer be, as the earth shifts its axis and continues with its creative designer at the helm.
I could go on and on about the stops we made on our tour: Zion National Park (Utah), Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah), the Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming), Jackson Hole (Wyoming), the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody (Wyoming), the Little Big Horn Battle Field National Monument and Custer’s last stand (Wyoming), Deadwood (South Dakota), the Bad Lands National Park of South Dakota and Wall Drug (tourist stop for free coffee), Vail (Colorado), Arches National Park (Utah), the Four Corners (This site, boundaries of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah, was closed for construction, but could be seen from our bus window. Don’t make a special trip to see), Monument Valley (Utah) where many John Wayne and other films were made and too many other stops to mention just for rest breaks. Our Trafalgar tour was well worth the monetary expenditure, but it is not for the faint of heart—you need to be in good physical shape to enjoy all its fourteen days of adventure.
The earth is truly a magnificent place. Think of the freedom and serenity lost because of man’s inhumanity to his fellow men. We are only here for a short span of time. At death we return to dust, and the gold and silver of the world we sought is lost only for another generation to seek. God gave us the answer at creation, but we refused to accept his knowledge and chose to go it alone. Where has it gotten us? A Gulf basin of oil and a world filled with greed, immorality and corruption. We must all share the blame.
My wife and I cherish the friendships we make as we travel, and we always look forward to hearing from those we meet. If you would like to be on our annual Christmas Letter distribution list, let us know. Please visit my blog, www.blog.northloopcottage.com, if you have time. I am always interested in receiving comments from people no matter what their religious or political views.
I would be remiss to not ask you to consider the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ. If interested you can find out more by visiting my blog site or better still, open a Bible and let the Holy Spirit speak to you through the words written. The Bible is a living document for those who have accepted the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ. If you want to chat, I would be happy to hear from you.
As Roy and Dale use to sing, “Happy trails to you until we meet again.”
This has been a rather lengthy “trip summary” but bear with me for two more short paragraphs. One is related to a Government Passport document program for planning and educational use, and the other to phone service and Internet access capability availability while traveling in the various park locations and surrounding areas we visited.
No matter where you travel in the United States, you might consider obtaining a Passport To Your National Parks®. You can use it as a planning guide to all the national parks and you can obtain Passport stamps and cancellations for each park you visit. Check it out at www.eParks.com. It is a fun and useful document for the family and even for individuals.
The only negative factor that had some impact on my ability to stay connected (email/internet) while on tour was my AT&T cell phone and broadband service reception. It was poor to non-existent in most of the locations visited. People with other service providers did not seem to have a problem. Check it out before you venture out.
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