Las Vegas 2008

I'm calling this the "Las Vegas 2008" page because that was where we landed, and where we stayed, and where Jo attended the 2008 Glass Craft and Bead Expo. But you won't find any pictures of Vegas here - other than a couple pictures of the view out our hotel window, we didn't take any pictures of Vegas.

There were things we enjoyed in Vegas. Our primary reason for going was so that Jo could attend four days' worth of classes at the Expo, and she really got a lot out of the classes. We also got to see Elton John do his Red Piano show at Caesars Palace, and it was a great show! But for the most part, Las Vegas just isn't our kind of town.

But the Expo was more than reason enough to go to Vegas, and the trip came just two days after Jo and I retired, so the whole thing also served as a way to celebrate our starting a new chapter in our lives.

We rented a car, and that turned out to be a really good decision, since I was able to escape the hotel & Las Vegas to explore the countryside while Jo was in her various workshops. But prior to the workshops beginning, we had two full days to spend in seeing the sights together.

We arrived in Vegas on Sunday, March 30th. Monday we started our explorations with a bus tour of the city and Red Rock Canyon. The Canyon is very close to Vegas and therefore very convenient for visitors to the city. And it was a great introduction to the type of landscape we could expect to see during our stay. There's a 13-mile scenic drive through the Canyon with multiple places to stop and take pictures, and we did just that.

We chose to do the city tour and Red Rock Canyon on Monday since we knew the tour would be over by late afternoon ... plenty of time to have something to eat, and then make our way to Caesars Palace on the Strip to see Elton John. And the show was very, very good. They had a bunch of pictures and videos on a huge screen at the back of the stage, and huge balloons (and I mean huge balloons) played a big part (pun intended) in the show. But more than anything, it was the long list of songs that Elton John performed that made the show.

Early the next morning, before dawn, we hopped on another tour bus. This time, the destination was the Grand Canyon! The trip took us over the Hoover Dam, and there was a brief stop to take pictures. Then back on the bus for a long bus ride. And the long bus ride was worth it. We visited the South Rim ... well, part of the South Rim.

Trying to take a picture that even begins to come close to showing the magnitude of the Grand Canyon is an exercise in futility. But we tried anyway.

The first impression of the Canyon is simply the the sheer size of it. It is simply unbelievable. And to try and capture it in a picture? Well, I tried to show something of the scale of the Canyon by taking a picture that included a few people for reference. But the Canyon is just too massive.

The colors, the rock formations, the vegetation, even the snow ... it all added up to a very spectacular natural wonder, and I'm so very glad we had a chance to visit.

Jo's classes started Wednesday morning, so while she was in class, having fun and learning new things, I did some exploring on my own. I went back to Hoover Dam to take a tour of the inside - really interesting. Some of the numbers that I heard: during construction, a one-ton bucket of concrete was poured every 78 seconds, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for two years! And the dam has a total of 4.4 million cubic yards of concrete. Amazing.

I also saw a bit of Lake Mead. The white "ring around the tub" is made up of mineral deposits left there during a very high water period in 1983.

The next day I headed out to Death Valley. I figured that we might not get back this way again, and I should try to see as much of the countryside as possible. And although it was a long drive, I'm glad I went. Death Valley is huge, and - like the Grand Canyon - I could see only a small part. My first stop was Zabriskie Point, and it looked like no place I had ever seen. It was a very striking landscape.

I proceeded further into Death Valley, and made my second - and last - Death Valley stop at Dante's View. I never knew the desert could be so beautiful. The view was just stunning.

On Friday I set out to visit Lake Mead again, and took a short cruise on a paddleboat. This gave me a chance to take some closer pictures of the lake, the shoreline and rock formations, and Hoover Dam.

Saturday I once again headed for Lake Mead, but this time I continued through the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, heading northeast along the lake to the Valley of Fire State Park. There were many interesting rock formations, and the rocks were very, very red.

At the entrance to the park, there were two trails that visitors could walk. And I should have read the sign more carefully. Instead of a pleasant stroll of less than a quarter mile, I ended up walking a mile and a half, through the desert, with no water, no signal on my cell phone, and without another person in sight. This was definitely not one of my smarter moves ... but it sure was pretty! I even got to see some wildlife. {grin}

Sunday was our last day in Vegas. We checked out the exhibits at the Glass Expo in the morning, and after that I took Jo to see the Valley of Fire. And it was just as pretty the second time around. The next morning we got up early and started the journey back home.

I doubt we'll ever go back to Las Vegas, but I certainly wouldn't mind having another opportunity and more time to explore the Grand Canyon and Death Valley - they are very special places.

The Related Links below include our favorites from this trip.