Las Vegas– The Perfect Place To Wind Down From the Holidays

I have always liked Las Vegas.  Dorothy and I took one of our first trips as young marrieds to Sin City.  It was a simpler place and a simpler time, but the neon lights of the old hotels on the Strip took our breath away, as did the Hoover Dam and a plane ride into the Grand Canyon.  Perhaps the good memories of that first trip to Vegas still color my thoughts of that most unlikely town in the Nevada desert.  My love of boxing took me back to Vegas many times during the 1980s and 1990s, when Las Vegas was beginning to morph into what it is today.  I have such fond memories of the old boxing venue in the parking lot at Ceasar’s Palace.   I have  even fonder memories of the old Desert Inn, from our 1996 trip to take our Lizzy to meet Michele McGann and her mother Bernadette at the LPGA Tour Championship.  So, when our good friends Patti and Brady Miller said “Lets get together during the holidays”, my focus was drawn once again to that mirage in the desert.

Once we decided on the dates, the skill and tenacity of my friend Brady Miller secured lodging at the Embassy Suites near the Convention Center on Paradise Road.  It turned out to be a wonderful home base for our time in Vegas.  We spent considerable time doing what people of our age tend to do — talking about our families and just generally catching each other up on our respective lives.  I have long since given up hope that Brady and Patti will ever return to Texas from Atlanta, but it is always so good to see them, and spend time together.  The days that we spent with them on this trip contained just the right balance of Las Vegas glitz and desert solitude.  Thank you Brady and Patti for the memories we created on this little trip….

As we flew in on the morning of January 2, 2019, I was sitting at the right spot on the the plane to enjoy stunning views of the Grand Canyon, Lake Mead, and the area around Las Vegas.  The sky was perfectly clear and provided spectacular views.

We landed, picked up our rent car, and headed to the Embassy Suites.  After settling in, we enjoyed a nice visit with Brady and Patti in their suite.  We headed over to Bahama Breeze for supper.  The next morning, the four of us headed out to the Valley of Fire State Park, which is about an hour and a half northeast of Las Vegas.  The weather was perfect as we enjoyed exploring the park.  The first area we stopped at was Atlatl Rock.

Next, we drove over to the Mouse’s Tank Trailhead and hiked this small, interesting canyon. “Mouse’s Tank”  was named after an outlaw who used the area as a hideout in the 1890s.  The canyon is also known as Petroglyph Canyon, and numerous petroglyphs adorn the canyon walls.

After exploring Valley of Fire, we stopped in Overton for a light lunch at the “Inside Scoop”.  We originally planned to visit the Lost City State Museum while in Overton, but we spent a little too much time in the canyons, so, after lunch, we drove back to Vegas, and took a short rest before heading over to the V Theatre in the Miracle Mile Mall, for the “Ultimate Variety Show” — we enjoyed juggling, comedy, acrobatics, and a variety of performers in a small theatre in the Miracle Mile Mall, just off the strip.  On Friday morning, Brady and I got up and went over to Top Golf Las Vegas, where we spent some time banging balls and marveling at the upscale facility (two swimming pools!).  We picked up the girls for a lunch at Panera, then spent part of the afternoon people-watching in downtown Vegas and the Freemont experience.  That night we had a lovely dinner at Mon Ami Gabi (in the Paris Hotel, on the strip), celebrating Brady’s 67th birthday.  A little video of the classic Brady Miller golf swing, and a gallery of photos from this enjoyable day with great friends….

Saturday, January 5, 2019 was our last full day together.  Brady and I got up early and drove about an hour and a half south of Las Vegas to hike Grapevine Canyon.  The bright, sunny skies we had enjoyed gave way to overcast skies.  The day was a little cooler, and more humid, but perfect for photographing the rock art in the canyon.  Brady and I had a great time boulder-hopping and exploring.  On the way back to Vegas, we had planned a brief stop at Keyhole Canyon (between Searchlight and Las Vegas), but we were not able to reach the canyon — our rent car didn’t have the necessary clearance on a road that was much worse than we anticipated.  That evening, we attended a more traditional Vegas show, “Vegas! the Show”, featuring lots of singing, dancing, neon lights, and elaborate costumes that spoke of the glitz of the grand old Vegas shows of the past.  A leisurely dinner at P. F. Chang’s rounded out the day.

Dorothy and I enjoyed these few days in the desert with our good friends.  Thank you Brady and Patti, for your friendship, and for the pleasant Vegas memories we enjoyed with you on this trip!  One final photo….Brady was obsessed with wanting to see this Robot fix a drink…..I think he may have a new business venture planned for Atlanta!