Las Vegas, 2008
A Perfect Daydream
Did you ever have one of those days where even the most lenient, casual, possibly might have a good time, schedule was absolutely too much to bear? As if being committed to a time you really didn't have to make because nobody would know any different was STILL too rigid and cramping your style? Well, I had that day today.
This started Sunday night. After dinner, I put the top down on the Mustang and took an evening cruise out to Red Rock Canyon. It was a beautiful night, and this got me to thinking about another place on my "to visit" list, Valley of Fire.
The way the normal person goes, Valley of Fire is but an hour's drive from Las Vegas. During a Mike Bonte Travel-O-Rama, it can (and does) turn into 8 hours of back country, desert crossing, Lake Mead circling freedom. And so having compressed my day's schedule from 8 hours down to 4 evard almost immediately puts you into high desert. And that's about the way it stays. Winding around the north shore of Lake Mead, we pass Callville Bay and Echo Bay, both thriving marinas. I stop at Overton Beach, a once beautiful marina that now is derelict and forgotten with the low levels of the Lake. Indeed it is sad to witness the overgrown restaurant and boat ramp to nowhere. The Lake is but a small stream and a patch of grass this far north.
Swinging west, we come upon Valley of Fire. Wow! I immediately wonder why I ever wasted my time on Red Rock Canyon. The place is almost devoid of tourists and much more impressive. Perched high upon a pile of rocks, there is not a sound to be heard, a person to see, or a car on the road. How is it possible I'm only 50 miles from the bustle of Vegas? I don't know, nor do I care.
As I'm leaving, my planning comes to fruition. The old crazy moon is rising through the purple murk of twilight right over some beautiful red rocks. Wow, this is the stuff daydreams are made of. The crazy man lights my way back down to the interstate, where civilization returns in the form of the Moapa Indian Reservation gas station. Back on the slab as the lights of Vegas grow bright, and Gerry Rafferty sings "Right Down the Line" on the radio. A perfect daydream, indeed.
Updated: Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Lake Mead And Valley Of Fire, 2008
Photos of the Perfect Daydream.
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Las Vegas, 2008
A few shots from The Stratosphere Hotel, and driving down The Strip. Nikon D200
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