Hittin' the Slots

Hawaii residents have a fascination with Las Vegas, so much so that Vegas is often referred to as the "Ninth Island" because so many Hawaii natives vacation there.

Chris and I flew to Vegas recently, and boy did we hit it big! We didn't put one coin into a slot machine, but we spent plenty of time in the slots. The main goal of our trip was to hike slot canyons, and we found a few doozies. Our favorite was Round Valley, which we came across by accident in a remote area of the Grand Staircase. We could often touch both sides of the canyon at once, and the rock walls towered at least 200 feet overhead. There was just enough climbing, crawling and chimneying to keep it exciting, and we had no idea what was ahead, so there was a feeling of discovery and a constant element of surprise. We also attempted Bull Gorge, but we didn't get far without repelling equipment. Willis Creek and a slot leading to Paria Canyon (near the famous Wave) also proved to be a lot of fun.

Photos above: Chris enjoys Willis Creek, Andrea stands grinning above the start of Round Valley- our favorite slot of the week, Andrea peers into Bull Valley Gorge which proved to be too challenging for us.