ROAD TRIP IN WINTER
I have traveled Nevada's famed "Loneliest Highway" many times. It crosses the state east and west and is indeed a lonely ride. But I have always loved Nevada's wide open expanses, so when JaneAnn suggested a "spontaneous trip to Las Vegas to see Beth" I jumped at the chance This trip would take us straight south along Highway 95, a 400 mile plus swath, and approach Las Vegas from the north. These would be new vistas for me.
We left Carson City on the heels of a cold front that had brought the seasons first snow, but the roads were clear as we set out. The mountains!! The Mountains!! There are multiple mountain ranges encircling Nevada's Great Basin, and on this crisp morning they presented a new perspective of light and color. Snow on the far ranges brought every hill and valley into view, and with the ever changing light from the moving clouds a glorious new Nevada was revealed. The sky was spectacular with remnants of the storm, and the clouds were a continuing entertainment. We drove beneath the canopy of cloud—white puffs changing to gray that darkened into purple. The hills and the plains of the desert were dappled with moving shadows and brilliant splashes of sunlight. At times we were enveloped in miniature blizzards with looming clouds and misty fog that hung low over cliffs and crags. The terrain of Nevada is anything but boring if you have eyes to see: rock formations that appear as dark clumps of oily rags; hills that resemble piles of chamois skin; majestic peaks and distant sweeps of mountains. The ‘Great Basin’ is an apt description--a big bowl of desert terrain ringed around by mountain ranges-- like a pie-crust. On this day, with new snow on the hills, the sky adding the splendor of light and shadow, the colors and shapes of the Nevada desert came alive! I took pictures madly, but they cannot do justice to the panorama that appeared before our eyes that day. Vistas unending! This day was a ‘diamond of many facets’.
Beth lives in a new apartment complex on the north end of Las Vegas. We did not have to get into the city traffic to find her place. She has a lovely little apartment on the 3rd floor of the complex, and from her balcony we could look down upon a landscaped courtyard with a steaming spa and a gazebo with barbeque and picnic facilities. We had brought our bathing suits, but Las Vegas was bitter cold, with a cutting wind that froze the nose, and watered the eye, so we chose not to brave the elements. Beth’s tastes and personality revealed themselves in her bright colorful décor, and I was impressed! Within walking distance of her apartment she has access to a Wal-Mart, and Bed, Bath and Beyond, plus many other little shops. She drives to Nellis AFB every morning to her work. Not a long commute, I understand.
Our time was very short but Beth managed to secure reservations to a Vegas show (Mama Mia) at the Mandalay Bay Theater for Sunday night. She also knew how to negotiate the wild and wooly freeway and traffic on the Strip to get us there. It takes a special kind of talent and nervous system to do this. Janie and I were grateful that she was driving. Beth parked our car in valet parking at the new exotic "Paris" Hotel/casino, and from then on we were on our own--using shuttles, busses and cabs, and of course our own feet to get us where we needed to go. The distances are appalling--and my feet soon blossomed with blisters and we had to find a shop where I could buy some fleece-lined slippers. (I made a promise to myself to never go to Las Vegas again without wearing blue jeans and my most comfortable walking shoes.)
Beth wanted us to see the beautiful floral displays at the new Bellagio Hotel which was across the boulevard from the Paris. Sounds easy, right? Not! Crossing the thoroughfare entailed negotiating a lengthy sky bridge (awesome, though the wind was paralyzing) which at last allowed us to reach the vicinity of this fantastic hotel. A fabulous water garden was doing its ballet out in the front, while inside the lobby it seemed we were in King Solomon's Grand Palace, so beautiful was the architecture, the marble floors, the arches and columns, the beautiful lighting, and the floral displays. Flowerbeds filled with Poinsettias, Cyclamen (I never saw so many in one place), Amaryllis, Christmas trees with decorations that defied the imagination. There was an art-glass ceiling -- magnificent in wonder and technique. I could hardly take it all in. It was altogether breathtaking!
The Mandalay Bay was a few blocks farther along, and we luckily caught a shuttle to get us there. We ate a bit of supper in a Blues Cafe, which was interesting in decor to say the least, and the food was straight Louisiana Cajun, and very good. Negotiating the vast expanses of these huge hotel lobbies is daunting, and it was here that I had to admit to my crippling blisters. We did find a shop and I paraded myself the rest of the evening in a tacky-looking pair of house slippers. At that point the relief was so great that I did not care how they looked. Neither did anyone else.
The play was based on the music of ABBA and was a surprising story of a wedding on a Greek island. They had written the story around the music and I heard my favorite Abba songs with a brand new twist. It was delightful!
Janie and I were concerned about Beth who was sounding hoarse and starting to feel the croup coming on. She yawned quite a lot during the play, and we were praying she could navigate us back home again. She did. She came alive and returned us safe and sound to the little homestead in the complex.
It was a most memorable weekend. I can now visualize Beth in her habitat - I have witnessed the new and improved Las Vegas Strip, and my eyes have seen Nevada anew. These images will forever remain imprinted behind my eyes and in my heart.
Betty’s Journals
December 2007
This page was last revised on January 06, 2008
