Among the most remarcable things we've done: Andreea lost a shoe, I got a picture with Seven of Nine, we lost about $70 on slot machines, we were close to be stranded in the middle of nowhere without gas, we were nearly killed by inner gassing of the almighty Navajo Taco, we roadkilled a tarantula but spared a few squirels and a coyote.

The first stop was Death Valley, a place some 85m under the sea levels (sorry, metric system only in scientific missions) and surrounded by mountains as high as 3000m. The place was torrid, despite the mid fall season. Radiator water tanks were placed every 10km or so on the roads. We had a cooler filled with water, and we would drink maybe half a liter each hour. Talking was restricted to wondrous 'oh's and 'ah's, due to severe mouth draught and crackled lips. It's impossible to survive in the desert without a stillsuit, as fremens taught us. To reach interesting sites you had to drive off-roads, on gravel and dirt paths, where you couldn't go faster than 15kph, unless you're a minivan driver who goes 55 on a 65 road and 35 on a 15 road.

Next stop: Las Vegas, Nevada. A place of kitch pushed to such extremes that it becomes a unique realization in itself: a combination of science and engineering that overwhelms and shows what man is capable of given the incentive (read 'money'). It's quite hard to tell some pictures were taken _inside_.

Next stop: Hoover Dam (he said 'dam', huh-huh). A bit of a dissapointment, after seeing Shasta Dam, which is probably double in height and many times bigger in length. But its image was restored as I found out it was build between 1931 and 1935: back then Americans hadn't yet found out that bigger is better.

Last stop: Grand Canyon. A giants' place. Made by dinosaurs, on their own measures. Abandoned since their extinction. Man had found no use for it, so it remained deserted to the present. It extends some 450km from east to west. The height of the plateau varies from 1800m to some 3200m if I recall well. The only point reachable by car on the south rim is this village, where you can't buy a decent bottle of wine after 8pm, but you can see IMAX movies about ancient Egypt until 9:30. As you can see, there is a strong bond between Egypt and Grand Canyon, probably due to dinosaurs.