Frankfurt to Las Vegas: A Humble Beginning:

The unplanned trip to Las Vegas
by Randolph A Lewis:

I lived in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. I completed 18 months of Bundesfreiwilliger Dienst, which gave me tuition benefits in Germany. I still had to pay for my books, school supplies, rent, and groceries myself.

In May 2015, I flew from Frankfurt to Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota. My cousin picked me up, and we drove to Madison, South Dakota. Many of my relatives are truck drivers.

My plan was simple: attend truck-driving school in Salt Lake City, drive for two years, save money, then drive seasonally to pay rent and groceries while I studied in Germany. Life was good.

For an American, I found the European lifestyle adventurous, thrilling, and delicious. Since I was 19, I’ve lived on a global stage — military service, deployments, responsibility.
It’s our duty to protect our homes. Some of us make a career of it. That’s everywhere. There’s good and bad everywhere. Life is life.

I took a bus from Madison, South Dakota to Salt Lake City. I passed the written exams for a Utah temporary CDL. I did not pass the drug test. THC was found. I thought I had waited long enough to be clean. Yes, I enjoy smoking marijuana. I have arthritis. I use it medically and recreationally.

Getting kicked out of truck-driving school turned out to be luck. I took a Greyhound bus to Las Vegas. On my first day here, I slept on the sidewalk. I had $500 in my pocket.

From that point forward, between poker tables, sales, pool service, and washing dishes, I never had less than $500 on me at any given time. I took a dishwasher job out at Bonnie Springs Ranch just for the scenic ride to work. I walked from one opportunity into another. I drove billboard trucks on the South Strip. I drove taxi and rideshare.

Las Vegas has been good to me.

Since that first night sleeping on a sidewalk, I’ve owned businesses. I’ve filed two provisional patents. I’ve seen many surprises in this 600-square-mile oasis.

A major international company is interested in one of my patents. I hope to produce hydrogen on a commercial scale at reduced cost.

I’m applying for grants. My growth here has been steady. Hoover Dam inspired me. Back in the day when I slept in my car. I rented a car for rideshare and used it as my home. I might have been homeless, but I lived like the King of the Road.

I’m now a casino card dealer. I deal blackjack and poker at the World Series of Poker. I’ve received military benefits since my first night in Las Vegas.

I’m not a degenerate. I’m not greedy. I’m loyal and faithful to my friends. Las Vegas rewarded the quality of my character.

People call it Sin City. That’s how the degenerates see it. The rest of us — 2.5 million residents — see it as California’s back door. We love living in this oasis in the middle of the desert. Las Vegas is a tight-knit community. Here, all businesses are intertwined.

Las Vegas is a logistical bottleneck. Truckers built this city, not criminals. Hoover Dam inspired my two patents. I didn’t know that my first night here. I thought I was drifting through. It turned out to be my Wild West chapter in the life and times of Randolph A. Lewis.

My first day in Las Vegas was a humble beginning to a new life. I am richer for it. It was lucky the day I fell. Anyone can fall, but only winners get back up. That’s everywhere. Life is life. Be happy and enjoy the journey. May the force be with you.