After a few days of eating and drinking in Central Cali, and an overnight on a Greyhound back to L.A., I was immediately back in a car heading to Las Vegas to celebrate the New Year.
Aside from the moment in which I thought I had fallen asleep at the wheel and we were going off the road and about to die because Jaime decided to pull over to take a picture and that horrifying sound on the shoulder woke me up with a start, grabbing for a steering wheel I wasn't controlling, it was a rather uneventful and traffic-free ride.
We hit Trader Joe's, grabbed some champagne and stuff for dinner, then headed to our friends' place in North Vegas where we were staying our first few nights.
After contemplating whether to head into the melee downtown or watch the fireworks display from our friends' balcony, we threw on our pajamas, watched Sister Street Fighter, then headed to the patio to see the Strip's spectacular light show from a distance while listening to the claps of gunfire all around.
It was an early night, what with the severe lack of sleep (courtesy of Greyhound), but since we conked out early, the next day was perfect to get a reasonably early start and go to Red Rock Canyon.
Less than half an hour from Vegas, straight up Charleston (going west), the solidified sand dunes are an awesome thing of beauty to behold. The colorful rock formations offer vast recreational or meditative possibilities, and are a geologist's dream come true.
If you were up all night gambling or are completely hungover, you can simply do the drive, which is 13 miles of a winding, one-way road with expansive views and plenty of places to pull over and take in the sights.
If you have the energy and inclination, there are many hikes of varying difficulty that you can embark upon. Depending upon the season, you may visit a waterfall or springs. There are cave drawings, and plenty of opportunities for rock scrambling…or climbing, if that's your thing.
I've yet to complete a trail, though I have started along several of them. The further in you go, the more expansive it seems, and every turn takes you to a new vista. Once you get right out of the main pull-offs, it's easy to get away from people and simply enjoy the quiet.
The High Point Overlook is, well, the high point, and if you can time your hikes or drive to be at that point right around sunset, you won't be disappointed. From there you can not only see the astonishing rocks, but also the glittering city below.
After enjoying all that nature, we went back into what may be the most unnatural city in the world to enjoy some giant slushy drinks and cover bands on Fremont Street.
We grabbed our refillable football cup and headed to La Bayou for the alcoholic slush (refills are cheaper, and they seem to be the strongest around...I recommend sticking to the creamy versions as the fruity ones are really acidic), then met my friend, Rhonda, who was on Fremont Street to see the U2 cover band, L.A.vation.
After a few songs, Jaime and I meandered to see what else was going on, and came across Led Zepagain tearing it up at the center stage. The next stage had some Kenny G. guy that we couldn't get by fast enough. The note he was playing as we walked past made my head want to explode and ears beg to bleed.
Back at the first stage, U2 was replaced by a super-energetic Red Hot Chili Peppers band that did quite a few numbers from the Blood Sugar Sex Magic album, which was my jam.
We slowly depleted our football and whittled away the hours on penny slots and nickel poker until, in that kind of daze that only Vegas can produce, we lost $5 and headed back to bed at some ridiculous hour. It was only the beginning...
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