Although Las Vegas was near Flagstaff, it was not within the state of Arizona. Instead, it was in the state of Nevada —the desert and gambling state.
From Flagstaff, they headed west toward Kingman, and then northwest from Kingman across the Colorado River, and then they reached the state of Nevada.
On maps, the state of Nevada appeared to be a vast, but virtually unpopulated desert, with mining towns scattered sparsely throughout the state.
These mines had since become yesterday's wilted flowers; the hoes and shovels had since been sold—slot machines had taken their places.
The Colorado River had become a watershed, and the southeast belonged to the state of Arizona where everything was normal. After entering Nevada, everything became crazier.
Even when they filled up gas at the gas stations, went shopping in the supermarkets and ate in the restaurants, they could see slot machines everywhere.