Business or Pleasure?

On the last leg of my trip to Vegas I sat next to a couple who were on a weekend vacation away from their teenaged children that were having their own vacation with grandma. On the way back I sat between 2 men who had attended a convention in town. The discussions initiated by my seatmates were interesting to me, however I fear that my answers to their questions tended to bore them.

The lady on the going-to-Vegas trip was somewhat stunned that I wouldn't be staying on The Strip. No, I would be staying with my daughter. She wondered why I didn't stay on The Strip and go visit my daughter each day. I tried to explain that Lulu's birthday occurred a few days after her husband's scheduled departure for the other side of the world and she didn't want to be alone: I was coming for her. For me, the opportunity of providing my daughter some small pleasure was the business at hand. This was also pleasure for me, but not the kind that the lady understood. How could she? Her kids were still living with her and she was traveling to get away from them. I, on the other hand, was going to see my child who just happened to live in Las Vegas. The sights and sounds of the destination held no particular enchantment while the daughter and son-in-law who live there did. Well, would I at least be taking in some of the shows? I explained that would depend upon what my daughter wanted to do. I was sure we'd have lots of fun, but how do you explain to someone that not all travelers to Vegas are there for the casinos and shows?

On the way home, the man to my left was sorry to leave. He said his company's convention meant business during the day and pleasure all night. I didn't ask him to elaborate because I could tell by his wistful backward glances toward Sodom Vegas that he was not happy to be on the plane home. My other seat companion was retired military and was more sympathetic to my own plight. He was returning to his wife and family after a camping trip.

So what did we do on this trip? We did a bit of sight-seeing:


Lisa ("Lulu") at Hoover Dam



The new bridge in the background that connects Nevada and Arizona, bypassing the road over the dam itself.

And we went hiking at Red Rock Canyon. The calico hills were gorgeous and the temperature was a bit warmer than it was at Hoover Dam which was surprisingly c-o-l-d.

 



Lisa taking a break in a rock cavern



At one point on the hike I realized that even if I wasn't a casino-goer I was a bit of a gambler as we had descended down rock walls which would then require scaling rocks on the return trip to the surface. Just what did I think I was doing risking my neck like that? After we'd made it back to the trail heading to the car my body decided I needed a quick sit down session. Have you ever surpassed your target heart rate to the point that you're gasping for breath and feel that you're on the verge of either passing out or vomiting? I was there. And neither of those options sounded particularly appealing so I took an emergency breather untiil I could breathe normally again. Lisa kindly mentioned that the elevation is higher than what I'm used to and that the thinner air was making me light-headed. I don't know if that's true or not (I haven't checked the almanac) but it was kind of her to say so. Actually, I think the fact is that I'm 51 years old and have no business acting like I'm the same age as one of my own children! After that day of exertion we both slept late the next morning so I think we got quite the work out.

 

We drove most of the rest of the 12 mile trail, stopping occasionally to take pictures and enjoy the beauty of God's creation.

 



The beautiful colors of the calico hills



The desert is a beautiful place