I once had a dream that they had built an extension of the Disneyland monorail from the Magic Kingdom to Saint George, Utah. I was pretty excited about the dream, because it meant that my ten-hour-drive would now only be a four-hour-drive and then a monorail ride the rest of the way!
(Also, I did wonder why they didn’t make the monorail continue to follow I-15 and go all the way up north, say, directly to my house? It was somehow explained logically in my dream that the weather would be too unreliable and elements to harsh to go north of St. George. Too troublesome to maintain that beam going that distance.)
Oh, sure, somehow, this all made sense to me in my dream.
So today, I was surprised to read this Associated Press story, “Future of Vegas-to-Disneyland levitating train up in air.”
The teaser headline read “Rail Line From Sin City to the Magic Kingdom” and featured a “photo illustration” of Mickey Mouse in his 50th Anniversary tuxedo standing in front of the famous “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign. I was intrigued with the idea as I read it. Unfortunately, it seems that this article is more about how the project will likely NOT get built rather than actually coming to pass.
Still, it made me think of that dream I had long ago, and smile to myself once more.
Now, the whole thing does make a lot of sense. The biggest traffic jam I have ever witnessed in my life was in the I-15 northbound lanes, and it extended at least four miles through the middle of nowhere in the southern California desert, on a Saturday morning while people were making their way to Las Vegas. Folks were making the best of it, sitting on the hoods of their cars, talking to their neighbors, sharing a drink, and waiting patiently.
At least, they looked patient. I was observing them as I drove swiftly southbound, where there was no delay at all.
So I can see and attest that something ought to be done to help transport people quickly through that stretch of land.
And if I can cut that portion of my drive into a 300-miles-per-hour, 2 hour journey, all the better! I’ll happily let those who want to gamble in Vegas help finance it.