A Not So Laboring Labor Day

We spent a the most wonderful Labor Day weekend with our friends Cobban and his hubby Ray, whom were driving up from Southern Arizona and staying with us for a few days.

We had a great weather, lots of food, a few cocktails and a lot of fun. And we actually accomplished quite a lot of sightseeing. Red Rock Canyon, the Las Vegas Strip, old downtown Las Vegas, a free Howard Jones concert at Fremont Street Experience and Cirque du Soleil's "Love" at the Mirage.

Did I mention that it was one heck of fun weekend?

Below are some impressions.

Cobban, Ray, myself and George at the garden conservatory inside the Bellagio.

The dancing water fountains of the Bellagio on the Las Vegas Strip.

At Red Rock Canyon, just outside Las Vegas, NV.

The red sandstones of Calico Hills at Red Rock Canyon.

Red Rock Canyon, just west of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ray is educating himself about the natural history at the new visitors center of red Rock Canyon.

I think George and Cobban should stop growing any taller already.

Ray, Cobban and I at Red Rock Canyon.

Cobban is posing as the 'fifth' Beatle at the entrance of Cirque du Soleil's 'Love' at the Mirage. And he is an avid Beatles fan. He really enjoyed the show, which is a feast of amazing visuals and sounds. A must for every Beatles fan.

Jimbo

Jim, or Jimbo as he’s known to his friends and out in the blogosphere, is currently in the City of Sin to attend a conference all this week. We have heard about Jim many times before, mainly from our mutual friend Homer and other fellow bloggers, but yesterday was the first time that George and I met him in person. Jim is a genuinely nice and funny guy. We like him a lot.


Yesterday was his day off, so to speak, since the rest of his stay in Las Vegas seems to be rather busy. We picked him up at the Hard Rock Hotel and took him to Jamms, a small local restaurant, where we had a nice breakfast. Afterwards we drove westwards on Charleston Boulevard and right into the heart of our destination for the day, Red Rock Canyon.


Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t all that great. It was cloudy and a bit cool. But I was glad it didn’t rain like the forecast had predicted. That would eventually happen later that night. I was hoping for a little sun. This whole area around Red Rock Canyon looks so much more stunning when it is literally drenched in sunlight. That’s when the colors of the red and yellow sandstone will be most effective.


Jim told us that he used to be a park ranger and was quite impressed by how the newly remodeled and expanded visitors center has turned out. After looking at many of the exhibits and buying a small souvenir at the center’s gift store we were on our way to drive the 13-mile scenic loop drive.


We stopped at various outlook places to enjoy the vistas and to take some photographs before we parked the car at the head of the Pine Creek Canyon trail. It was surprisingly busy and the parking lot had already filled. We parked the car on the side of the road and made our way down towards the trail.


Jim is also an avid bird watcher and brought his book along to compare his bird sightings. There weren’t too many birds out but we could hear a few in the distance. He was happy to see at least one bird which was very indigenous to this area.


After the brisk hike we were getting hungry and we headed on over to nearby Bonnie Springs, which has a small-scale western town, complete with a motel, a cowboy stunt show, a miniature train, a petting zoo and a rustic country-style restaurant. George and I have not been to this place in over ten years and almost forgot about it. Along the way, we even saw a few of the famed wild burros that roam this area. There aren’t too many of them left anymore and the chances of seeing these animals out in the wild have become rare.


After we all had a nice and hearty dinner at the Bonnie Springs Restaurant we were getting ready to drive back into town as it had started to get dark anyway. Before dropping Jim off at his hotel we made a quick stop to have a drink at the Fun Hog Ranch, one of the local gay bars. There was suppose to be a beer bust but apparently we either had already missed it or we were too early as the bar wasn’t busy at all.


After finishing our drinks we returned Jim to his hotel. And so ended another terrific Sunday well spent. It was great to have finally met Jim and to have made another friend. Below are some photos from our day out at Red Rock Canyon.


George and Jim at Red Rock Canyon


Jimbo and Jim. I seriously think there are way too many Jims on this planet.


On our hike along the Pine Creek trail lots of photos were taken of beautiful vistas and interesting plants.



Trying to listen and identify a bird call in the distance.



Thousands of years of erosion carved interesting patterns into the rocks.



Just as the day was coming to a close the clouds were starting to break up and the last rays of the setting sun were illuminating the Red Rock mountains. This is the view from the Bonnie Springs Ranch.

A Weekend With Friends

Our friends Mark and Colin came up from Palm Springs to spent the weekend with us. We haven’t seen them in years and it was great to welcome them into our home and catching up on each other’s lives. They are so easy to be around with and it always feels like we’re just picking up from where we’ve left off the last time we’ve seen each other.


It also was perfect timing to have Mark and Colin in our lives for a brief moment. George was able to take his busy mind off his teaching studies and mine off the crazy every-day-life in general. Even though we did discuss some current affairs and some of the insanity of the political circus which is ravaging our country, it was nice to forget about the rest of the world for a little while.


There were no particular plans for that weekend. We just went with the flow, so to speak. Mark and Colin arrived Friday evening and after they got settled in their guest room we just relaxed, had some wine and got into chatter mode. George made some really delicious vegetarian style marinara sauce and pasta. They were amazed by the fact that there wasn’t any meat in it. I guess it was a success since everyone had seconds.

The next day we had breakfast at the coffee shop inside the Red Rock Resort & Casino, which was on the way to our next destination, Red Rock Canyon. We did a bit of walking, climbing and exploring some gorges and ravines, took photos and enjoyed the scenery. The weather was perfect with clear and sunny skies and not too hot.

Afterwards we came home to rest up for our big night out on the town. Just as the sun was setting we all took off and drove to the Las Vegas “Strip” and decided to have dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant simply called Pho, inside the TI Casino. Mark taught us how to pronounce Pho the right way and apparently my Bún Curry Gà was not quite how Bún is normally served. Nevertheless, the food was delicious. I couldn’t finish my huge dish as I wasn’t that hungry to begin with but the other guys could truly pack it away.


Then we walked along the famed Strip up the new City Center complex, stopping at the Bellagio on the way to take a look at the current garden display inside the resort’s conservatory. Next up was the massive and contemporary City Center. George and I are having a kind of a love-hate relationship with this place but I think Mark and Colin were appreciating it. They really wanted to check out the Mandarin Oriental, which is one of the many hotel and condominium towers of the City Center. To get to the hotel lobby one has to get up to the 23rd floor first, where they also have a bar and a very fancy restaurant. Needless to say that the view was quite spectacular. The prices for drinks at the bar not so much. We all made a discreet disappearance after we recovered from the shock of reading the prices on their menu.


Since we really couldn’t find a bar to our liking and it was getting late we decided to go back to our place and have some drinks there. From this point on we where exposed to the most fascinating crowd this town has to offer. Las Vegas is great for people watching. Especially tourists coming from all these conservative places, where they all live out their precious holier-than-thou lives and trying to live up to the traditional, wholesome all-American family values lie. Because you see, all that is quickly forgotten as soon as these good folks come here. And all their rules by which they live by and want to force upon others are thrown out of the window. All of a sudden anything goes.


However, that’s a whole other story and I’m trying to refrain from ranting about all the religious and political hypocrisy that is going on right now. Making my blood boil is not very good for my health in the long run.


After catching one of the many Bellagio water fountain shows we were heading towards our car and drove home to enjoy some Gin & Tonic in a more relaxed atmosphere. Without having to pay an arm and a leg and maybe your first-born too. All in all, it was an amazing day.


The following morning, after enjoying more good conversation over freshly brewed coffee, we had breakfast at a local dive just down the street. Having an all-American breakfast twice in a row was a big deal for us since we rarely do that. And I love hearty American breakfast. Their pancakes were yummy and Colin’s breakfast pizza looked delicious.


Like all good things if life, this too had to come to an end eventually. We said our good-byes and promised not let years go by again to see each other. So there they went on their way back home to Palm Springs. Only to having to return to pick up something which they’ve left behind in the guest room. Back so soon? Are you missing us already? Good thing they were only gone for about ten minutes when we discovered that they have in fact forgotten something.


Now we’re back to reality again. Working. Studying. The daily grind.


Subsequently, we already do miss Mark and Colin. Too bad we don’t have great friends like them living close by. Maybe there will be a roadtrip to Palm Springs on the horizon in the near future?


Are we there yet?



Red Rock Canyon, just outside Las Vegas.






Colin, the chameleon, blends perfectly with the environment.



Mark and George are taking a break...right after we got out of the car.

Mark is observing and studying the strange rituals of the natives.

Mark, George and Colin

My turn to bear hug. Hey, I am as tall as Mark.

More Red And More Rock

Here are additional photos from last Saturday at Red Rock Canyon. This place is such a little slice of heaven. Why we don’t come here more often is beyond me. It’s merely 30 minutes away from our house so there really isn’t any excuse.

In a few weeks we’ll have friends visiting from Palm Springs. And guess what place they’ve requested to see? It looks like there might be another trip in store to a place where the rocks are red.

Rock'n'Red

Yesterday they started to rip open the street behind our house. In no time it was getting rather noisy, dusty and fumy. Not a pleasant way to spend a Saturday.

So George and I drove out to Red Rock Canyon. First, because we have been wanting to do that again for a while now. Second, they just reopened the renovated and expanded visitors center, which we haven't seen yet. And third, the entrance fee was waived for the weekend.

Surprisingly, there were hardly any people and the temperatures were more comfortable with slight breezes. In other words, this was a much better way to spend a Saturday. Something we definitely recommend.

Below are two short videos from our trip out to Red Rock Canyon, which is barely 30 minutes from our house. I really have no clue why we don't do that more often.

At the outlook platform of the newly renovated and expanded Red Rock Canyon visitor's center.

The Pine Creek trail at Red Rock Canyon, one of our favorite of all the many trails.

iHike

George and I weren’t much impressed with the highly anticipated iPad. Another big hoopla about nothing. I doubt this toy will be successful but what do I know. Isn’t it just an over-sized...and over-prized!!!...iPhone anyway?

One thing you can’t do with an iPhone, iPad or iPhool is spending an amazing day at Red Rock Canyon, just outside of Las Vegas. George and I went hiking on one of the many trails that takes you through bizarre desert rock formations or semi-alpine landscapes with breathtaking vistas. Recent winter storms left enough snow on the surrounding mountain summits, looking as if they were topped with powdered sugar.

The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is only about a 30-minute drive from our house. We can even see some of the red stone walls and summits from our upstairs windows. We should visit this amazing place more often.

But sometimes life has other things planned for us. Hopefully it’ll allow us a couple more of these excursions though. Below are some impressions from our hike on Saturday.