The signs say it’s 100 minutes from Salt Lake City, but the armpit of Las Vegas is only as far as you want to make it. Most people choose to start their gambling before they get to Wendover, Nev., so the time it takes to traverse the 121 miles to the Tooele suburb is all up to the driver.
Once you get past the Great Salt Lake and that lighthouse-looking thing you always forget is there, it takes a bit of an imagination to make the drive interesting. One idea is the “Fun Bus” where you can get “pre-drunk” and play Bingo to your heart’s content.
You can also drive past the Bonneville Salt Flats where numerous land speed records have been broken. Can I get a “Whoo!”?
Once in Wendover, there are numerous fun activities to do. You can go to McDonalds for fine cuisine or go to the local smoke shop to buy cloves and charge your friends double the price. You can also visit one of the beautiful softball fields and consequently see the only non-native vegetation that grows within 100 miles.
OK, who am I kidding. The only reason there is a Wendover is because a military base used to be there a long time ago and someone decided it would be OK to tempt the good folks of Utah with some unwholesome tomfoolery. Anyone who has lived in Salt Lake City for an extended period of time knows how superfluous a pocket of casinos is, you know, with Lagoon being only 20 miles north, but I digress.
Wendover might look a little crummy on the outside, but look inside any of its five casinos and you’ll find they are top notch. It’s so nice in Wendover, they won’t even let you touch the cards in blackjack (I think they are made partially of silk).
Aside from blackjack, one can enjoy craps, various versions of poker, one of the many slots available, and you can even gamble with your life at one of the various buffets.
Aside from gambling, the real reason everyone should go to Wendover at least once is reminders.
The first reminder is to do well in school or else one day you might find yourself working in Wendover. The second is to remind yourself of how brilliant Kenny Rogers is. As simple as it sounds, you really do have to know when to hold ’em, when to fold ’em, when to walk away and when to run.
Doing any of those four things without going $200 in the hole is the true summer adventure.