My 200th Post!

Considering it's taken me about two years to complete 200 posts, I think it's still reason to celebrate. Here then, reflections on my recent trip to Vegas for Thanksgiving. And pictures too!

Thanksgiving has come and gone and although our family's Center was not with us, we still had an enjoyable time, thank the Lord!

My sister and I drove over at night. If you've never been to the western States (AZ, NV, UT, NM, TX, OK, CO), you're really missing some of God's prettiest scenery! The night we left there was no moon and highway traffic was pretty light. Aside from the occasional carcass of a poor animal who had lost its battle with oncoming traffic, there was little activity until we entered the stretch of highway between Kingman and the Hoover Dam when we encountered a smattering of rain.

The drive through this section is both humbling and breathtaking, especially at night because the closer you get to the Dam and, the brighter the city's aura of light becomes. Imagine driving toward a sunrise that's manmade! That's what this piece of highway reminds you of. And because it was cloudy, the strength of the lights was even more pronounced.

My family and I have traveled this way for almost forty years, on our way to Boise and it's never looked as pretty as it did this trip.

We made it through the swirly, winding path of the Dame with only three or four vehicles on the road making the trip through only about ten minutes. There have been many times when it's taken almost two hours to go two miles due to the slow traffic caused by nervous drivers and indifferent sightseers or the occasional traffic accident. When I was younger I hated going through the Dam because it's pretty scary to me. You're on a two lane highway going up and around these short curves and corners facing on-coming traffic. And there are no railings to help keep the car from going over the sides.

Once you've climbed the last hill of the Dam, you roll atop and there below, looking like the biggest illuminated garden is Vegas! Lights everywhere gleam gold and white, twinkling at you. I've seen the garden grow over the years and it's still breathtaking.

After you've crested the surrounding hills, it takes a while to actually discern the Strip but as you keep winding down closer and closer, the outline of the different hotels/casinos begin to take shape. The first hotel I usually notice for its unique spiral top is the Stratosphere, then the Wynn twins Wynn and Encore. My favourite hotel is the Wynn and I recommend it over all the rest. Coming in second is the Bellagio, then the mighty Mirage.

As mentioned earlier, the trip was fantastic! I didn't overdo it with the food but I was no stranger either (wink). We made it in last night, just in time to see the Vikings annihilate da Bears. It's an awesome way to wind down and get in the mood for work.

In a few weeks we'll be heading back to Vegas en route to Boise for Christmas, again by car. With any luck we'll have great traveling weather-little to no snow-although the land between Ely, NV and Twin Falls, ID usually has the most weather activity during the winter months.

As promised, here are some pictures of the desert floor between Kingman and home. They're not very detailed. They were taken from my handheld in a car traveling at up to 80 mph. For some reason when I packed I forgot to pack my camera. Enjoy!!