Sometimes you need to try something to know it does not suit you. And sometimes vastly different experiences create strong preferences. Our family learned we prefer what God made over what man made In just one day, when we awoke beside the South gate of Zion National Park, drove to Las Vegas for an afternoon and evening, and continued our travels the following day through Yosemite National Park and on to Lake Tahoe. 

Las Vegas was a necessary stop for a few reasons: it was on the way to Northern California from Zion, it has a world-famous dolphin training center, a pool with waterfalls and reasonable rates for a family looking for an overnight in the middle of the desert. 

I know the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor’s Bureau is legitimately trying to make Las Vegas more kid-friendly, but they have a real uphill battle. Gambling, wide-open day drinking, indoor smoking and legal prostitution make the casinos a place for adults, where parents need to concentrate their efforts on sheilding innocent eyes. 

In spite of these exposure risks, we had a great time. We stayed at the Mirage and enjoyed a healthy lunch at a restaurant called The Pantry. We loved seeing the dolphins above and below water, enjoyed dad-n-daughters time at the pool waterfalls and a mom-n-son gondola ride at the Venetian, then a family walk down the strip to the Bellagio – a fountain there does a choreographed “dance” set to music every half hour. 

We escaped a few close calls on the street from schleppers of Girls! Girls! Girls! offers.  Although, our most perceptive child asked why so many ladies in Las Vegas were wearing shirts too small for them. She doesn’t miss much. 

We got out early for what we considered our most dangerous drive; an eight hour journey, four hours of which cut through the vast and empty Nevada desert. When we reached the Eastern gate of Yosemite, through the Tioga Pass, we’d never been so refreshed by a view of pines and rushing water. 

We all loved being back in nature’s majesty again. As the snowmelt created waterfalls beside the road, we reached 10,000 feet for a snow break and entered the park, passing clear blue lakes and a walk from Olmstead’s Point to a view of Halfdome and Yosemite Valley. 

There, we knew for certain that what God created over Millinea surpasses all that man made in the 20th century, even the neon oasis in the Nevada desert.