Las Vegas
Because I had never been to Vegas before, I decided to book a hotel on the Strip, board Ella with a Rover sitter, and experience the City of Sin with reckless moral abandon. Many will tell you there is no right way to do Vegas, as long as you let your Id out of the box, cast your Superego into the abyss, and let your freak flag fly. Hedonism, for the win!
After dropping Ella off at the Rover sitter, I settled comfortably into my hotel. I had booked several days to really get the most out of my experience. The first day I spent pampering myself and sleeping in a clean, comfortable, fresh bed. Heaven! The next day I ventured out for a walk of the town in the daylight. Most of the people milling around were sightseers like me getting a load of the iconic images – the Welcome to Las Vegas sign, the Strat tower, the fountains of the Venetian, the Chapel of the Bells.
Back at the hotel, I met a man, an actor/performer/musician who looked like Johnny Depp, who lived in Vegas and was well-connected in showbiz. He was lovely. He looked younger than I – smooth face, long, straight, black hair, close-cropped black, circle beard – but he was several well-preserved years older. He was a wealth of information about the area, and I felt a kinship immediately. There was no romantic spark, but he was an instant friend. We had drinks and talked about deeply personal things – the kind of connection you make when you let your guard down and don’t worry about how people see you. The kind born of the Vegas ethos – I can make a fool of myself, and no one will care, remember, or tell.
We had easy conversation until he had to leave, and I turned my attention to the people on the other side of me at the hotel bar, two men vacationing with their families. Conversation flowed. So far, so good. I had made safe, comfortable, connections with several people who were sane and fun to talk to. My plan was to hang out there until the sun set, then walk the Strip to see the night lights and people watch. Maybe I’d venture into a casino.
The two men’s wives came in after a day of shopping with their young children. Introductions all around, a little small talk, and the wives and children were off to their rooms. In the corner of my eye, as I was exchanging pleasantries and saying goodbye to the wife of one, I saw the other gentleman point to me and whisper something to his wife. She smiled to him, nodded, and was gone. Left again to ourselves, the three of us ordered another round. Then the whispering man told me he and his wife were into threesomes. They were awesome. Saved their marriage. Did I want to join them?
Huh.
I wasn’t really sure if I should be insulted or flattered. I can’t remember my actual response, but I think it was something like, “Wow, Cheers!” while raising my glass. Flustered, I said it was time for me to venture out into the night. The fella gave me his number on a napkin and invited me to give him and his wife a call when I got back. I thanked him, lol.
Outside, the night was starkly different from my daytime walk. The smell of urine and weed was overpowering. I walked for a good way in one direction, people-watching and gauging the city’s energy. People of all ages, sizes, and colors were bustling everywhere. Showgirls in leotards, heels, and giant head- and tail-feathers ran from one side of the street to the other. Bright video displays on the streets and on the sides of buildings advertised upcoming show schedules and drink specials. Every hotel casino was built around an extravagant, luxurious theme, and music blared. Lights flashed double-time, blindingly, trying to lure passersby in. The prolific and flagrant flaunting of wealth was overwhelming. Without exaggeration, on every corner there was a homeless person, sleeping in their filth, hair matted to the sidewalk, smelling of vomit and feces. The jarring juxtaposition of opulence and destitution was utterly heart breaking.
I had to get out. I didn’t belong here.
I definitely have my own freak flag, but it’s in the wilderness, wild and free.
I am here to present to you the right way to do Vegas.
Calico Basin Trail and the Desert Wildlife Preserve
In the bright sunny daylight, Ella and I went to Red Rocks Canyon and hit the Calico Basin Trail. The mountains were dotted and speckled with black, red, pink, and orange, looking every bit like they were draped in colorful gingham. That night we setup camp at a National Wildlife Preserve, an open range for wild horses and oxen, and I felt once again like I could relax. We stayed there a few days, exploring the wilderness and marveling at the range of mountains that surrounded us on all sides. The desert basin was flat, rocky, and thorny, and we were the only ones for miles.
From our campsite, I had a view of a classic, gray, snowcapped mountain range to our west, a colorful, rocky range to our north and east, and the lights of Vegas reflecting on the horizon to the south, with miles and miles of empty space in between. The ground was beige and gray dirt and rock, covered with low, dusty, thorny plants. Ella could not venture off leash because of the thorns and cactus, so she and I walked miles of dusty trails. The wind was strong with nothing to break the blow, and the March air was cold even though the sun was very warm on my skin. This is the best way to camp – nobody else around, no creature comforts, total nature. Heaven!
I was determined to visit that snowy peak to the west, but first there were a few nearby spots I wanted to check out. After breakfast, Ella and I took off in the Subaru to explore.
Hoover Dam and Valley of Fire State Park
Lake Mead, formed by the Hoover Dam, is a sprawling reservoir that reaches in several directions, providing the Las Vegas area with recreation opportunities and gorgeous views. Ella and I camped there several days prior on the way into Vegas, and I wanted to go back to see some of the surrounding areas we had missed.
We stopped at the Hoover Dam and took in that engineering marvel. At an overlook, Mead Lake was brilliant-blue and beautiful, and the mountains – so different from others in the area – looked like giant piles of garden soil, like a gigantic 5-year-old was playing with Tonka trucks and left the dirt to play with later. The dam is enormous, and crowds of people were lined up to see the inner workings. Ella and I walked around a bit, then headed to Valley of Fire State Park for the day.
The Valley of Fire is amazing! It is a spectacle of differently sized rocks, boulders, mountains, and hills formed of red sandstone that have been uniquely weathered and eroded over eons. Black and gray mountains in the distance form a beautiful contrast to the almost playful looking formations. Some are rounded and seemingly tenuously stacked while others are solidly anchored in the ground. Small holes that look like they have been scooped out by a great melon-baller cover them and make homes for small mammals and birds. Where the rocks were not jutting out of the earth, the valleys were flat and covered with dusty, gray-green and yellow shrubs.
The formations have fun, descriptive monikers like Seven Sisters, Elephant Rock, Mouse’s Tank, and White Domes. Ella was allowed on some of the trails, so we walked through the soft sand in the hot sun, marveling at the variety of shapes and textures. Petroglyphs were etched on boulders lining the trails, evoking a sense of wonder at the prehistoric peoples who had been here before us. The air was super dry, and we couldn’t drink enough water, try as we might. We stayed parched.
After a scenic drive from one end of the park to the other, our eyes stuffed to the gills by the visual feast, we headed back to camp. On the way out of the park we saw a bighorn sheep on the side of the mountain, climbing the rocks, foraging. Then we saw another, and another. It was a whole family – in fact, a herd. A few began to cross the road and stopped traffic. Ambling around without a care, they were oblivious to the cars. They are big animals that look like mountain goats but have massive, curved horns on the sides of their heads that wrap around each ear. They are peaceful looking, but I sure wouldn’t want to get too close! Once the bighorns made their way down the road, we picked up the pace again. Then, up ahead, another herd was grazing along the roadside. Enthralled from the back seat, Ella liked that part of our day the most!
Mount Charleston
The following morning, after breaking our wilderness camp, Ella and I set off in the Subaru for the snowy mountain we could see in the distance, Mount Charleston. With every bit of elevation change, the vegetation and landscape changed. It went from stark desert with very few shrubs, to shrubberies and cactus, to cholla, to Joshua trees, to junipers, to pine trees. At each thousand-foot elevation change, the vegetation changed and rarely mixed. You can tell how high you are by the plant life.
As we continued to climb, the temperature continued to drop. It was a lovely mostly sunny 50F when we set out, and clouds were visible on top of the mountain, partially shrouding the peak. When we reached our destination, snow flurries swirled around us, and our campsite in the distance was lost in the fog.
We enjoyed exquisite views from the overlooks – layers and layers of mountains and valleys peeking out of the sunshine and shadows. After a day of enjoying those high views, it was time to head on. We traveled from close to sea level to over 7,000 feet in elevation, then turned around and went down again, through the twists and turns, past the changes in vegetation and temperature.
At one point, as we were rounding a turn, there was a horse trotting toward us on the road. There was no human; there were no fences; it had no riding hardware at all. Just a wild horse, enjoying the scenery, just as we were.
That, ladies and gents, is how you do Vegas!