Sam and I went on a road trip to the Grand Canyon in 1995, with our mother, Jenny. It was an interesting drive, the three of us talking politics, and childhood, and exploring the vast geography of the U.S.A, together as adults. 

We agreed to spend a night in Las Vegas, because everyone should see it once, but after a visit to the Strip and some casinos, we went out to eat and then retired for a quiet evening at the hotel.

When Jenny retired to bed, Sam and I stayed up talking, and got a sudden urge to get up and out into the Las Vegas night. So, like the adolescent co-conspirators we had been years earlier, we snuck out without telling Jenny we were leaving. Everything was lit up and busy and we wandered around a little and then made our way to one of the casinos. We had about $20 between us and agreed to stay out as long as the money lasted. And to our astonishment we could not lose it! We ended up in fits of giggles because every time we got down to the last dollar we would win more. We moved through the acres of slot machines with Sam pronouncing , loudly and often, to all the other people playing slot machines around us, that it was ridiculous way to pass the time! We were still laughing when we got back to our rooms and had to shush each other so that Jenny would not wake up.

I flew back to Nebraska the next day, and Jenny and Sam drove back through the Rockies in Colorado and then the high plains of West Nebraska. After a brief stay with us, Sam took off again to drive to Hibbing, Minnesota, Bob Dylan's home town, to pay homage to his hero. That, he said, was a valuable way to pass the time!