road trip to vegas

Spring break sprang itself on us and I didn't have a plan. I'm not even sure how I came up with the idea to go to Las Vegas. It was a thought, then suddenly it was a phrase whispered into the ear of one of my boys, then it was a plan to see my cousin, then it was a plan to meet up with friends and my brother. It just was. And it was swell.

It was a mellow and lovely visit with Mary Ann, Bill and Michael, and of course Daisy. They were patient and gracious hosts. It's been too long since we saw them last (close to a decade). And though the trip took nine hours it actually made me feel like I have family nearby. I like that. Michael, Mary Ann and Daisy brought us to Redrock Canyon National Conservation area. What a beautiful place to hike around. Next time we visit we'd like to spend an entire day hiking there. The boys were psyched to parkour around the rocks. We briefly hiked around before we set back for a dinner with friends and Chuck in town.

Before we hit the road to go home we went to the famous Gold & Silver Pawn. There was a line to get in. Crazy, right? It was not nearly as big as I thought it was going to be, but they had some pretty cool stuff in there. If you look carefully at the building in the distance that looks a little like the Seattle Space Needle, you are looking at the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino, and you can jump off the top of it if you want (attached to a bungee cord). Or ride up the needle part at 45mph then plummet down. Or dangle over the edge on a mechanical spinning thingy. I tried to talk the kids into a ride, but they weren't having it. Had they said yes, I'm not sure how I would have pulled it off. Maybe next time.