26. Las Vegas/NV - Utah N.P. with Max

We kicked off our adventure with some delicious Filipino food before picking up Max at the Las Vegas airport. We spent the night at a Travelodge (Baymont) and started our next leg of fun with Max on board.

First, we got to work on our mountain bikes. Max helped us install tubeless tires—an essential upgrade around here, where cactus thorns are waiting to puncture everything! Afterward, we treated ourselves to avocado bacon burgers at "Ihop". Yum!

In Boulder City, we explored the Nevada State Railroad Museum. Turns out, the Hautzendorfers are quite the railway enthusiasts! It was cool to see an old United States Mail Post Office inside one of the train cars. Lunch break at "Shake Shack" for burgers again. Later, we made our way to Hoover Dam. It's mind-blowing to think that this marvel of engineering has provided water and electricity to the Southwest since the 1930s. At that time it was the largest dam in the world, now it is still the highest concrete dam in the US (height of a 60 story building). Hoover Dam and Lake Mead are world-renowned tourist attractions (>7mil/yr). Without Hoover Dam, cities like Los Angeles wouldn't have thrived, and the irrigated farmlands of the region—producing 80% of America’s winter fruits and veggies—wouldn’t be nearly as productive. The dam can produce some of the largest quantities of electricity in the US (~4 billion kWh/yr). So funny, just saw Hoover Dam in the series 'WestWord' that we are watching...finally being there live, feels so surreal.

We had a little hiccup when our steering bar bent, causing some tire wear issues, so we spent half a day at a repair shop in St. George. Poor Max, yet another sightseeing delay! But we made it up to him with burgers and flowless fries at "Red Robin". At least he’s getting the full American burger tour! We wrapped up the day with a short mountain bike ride, spotting a black-and-white snake (see pic!) and some mule deer...which seem like suicidal running once they see the lights of the cars...🫣🦌

The next two weeks are going to be a whirlwind marathon of national parks—Zion, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, Staircase, Capital Reef, Arches, and Canyonlands. Can’t wait for the magic ahead!Read more