Sin City... Without the Sin

Several weeks ago Brian had a business meeting in Las Vegas (of all places) and I decided to go with him. We drove up one day and back the next so we didn't have a lot of tourist-y time, but we did make a few stops. I'm okay that it was just a few. I haven't been to Vegas since I was a kid and I say the name "Sin City" is well earned. We didn't even so much as drive down the Strip, but there were plenty of things I saw I wished I hadn't.

So it was a bit of a relief when we passed through the gates on the grounds of the Las Vegas Temple. It truly felt like a refuge.













The grounds were absolutely gorgeous.

And kudos to Anna for correctly guessing the location of my most recent foot shot. How could you not walk on grass this green?


I told Brian this was the only ground in Las Vegas I was willing to touch with my bare feet.



One of these days I'll come up with a more interesting angle for these shots. In the meantime, I get to add one more state to my foot list.

We also paid a visit to an attraction I wouldn't have expected in Vegas:




The first permanent settlement in the Vegas valley was by 30 Latter-Day Saints who were sent to establish a fort on the route between California and Utah, and preach the gospel to the local natives. In fact, it was earlier Spanish explorers who called the area Las Vegas, which meant The Meadows.

At that time, the area was lush and green, fed by a natural spring that's long since been diverted to supply water to the area's growing population.

The grounds of this historical site include what's left of the adobe residence hall, a recreation of part of the fort's walls, a modest visitor's center, and an artificial stream that barely suggests Las Vegas's greener days.

The residence hall is filled with displays outlying the areas history, and plenty of interesting artifacts.

My favorite was this contraption used to separate corn from the cob.

On the grounds is an old freight wagon, which was restored by an Eagle Scout.

This handcart inside the residence hall was restored by an Eagle Scout too.

We learned in the visitor's center that scouts can earn one of their merit badges here, doing activities such as making bricks the old fashioned way. We saw the area where they do this, but I didn't take any pictures.

Even though this is called the Mormon Fort, the venture was abandoned by the Mormons for various reasons after just two years. Others took over the building, however, and the foundation for a growing city was laid. Am I the only one who thinks it's ironic that Sin City got it's start with the Mormons? LOL.

And that, my friends, is how you do Sin City... without the sin.