Much of Nevada is desert, and the desert can induce strange visions. Even stranger, Nevada's curiosities are real: A huge blue lake appears in the midst of a parched landscape; a brothel materializes at a remote crossroads; a marginally talented performer named Wayne Newton becomes a millionaire.
It's tempting to attribute them to alien life-forms (UFOs seem to frequent Nevada's mysterious Area 51), but most bear the hand of humans. The Hoover Dam turned a great river into the electricity that powers Southern California and provides the water to quench the burgeoning area's thirst. Add the mortal temptations of gambling, big-name entertainment and all-you-can-eat buffets, and you've built yourself a tourist attraction.
Of course, people did not create Nevada's beautiful desert landscapes, which can be even more wondrous than a city of flashing neon. Nor did they manufacture the pyramid at Pyramid Lake or the hundreds of remote mountains that pepper the state. With both isolated wilderness and bustling casino towns, Nevada is a place where you can get back to basics and also relish some of the guiltiest pleasures mankind can dream up. And you can do them both on the same vacation.
