Las Vegas 2: Red Rock Canyon

Hubby was sent out to Vegas for another week this month, so I tagged along to keep him company. Not sure quite what I was thinking since I didn't really like Vegas much the first time around, and you know, it's JULY... and Vegas is in the DESERT... but I do like actually seeing my husband occasionally, so off I went.

This time I at least had the advantage of choosing our hotel (last time the office put us WAAAAAY at the north end of the strip in Circus Circus, which was awful) so I picked Paris because it has the advantage of being right in the middle of everything. Which was good for the time I did spend tromping up and down the Strip sightseeing:

To the MGM Grand to see the Lion Habitat (there were two lions and about 200 people trying to see them!)
The other was asleep...
NY NY just across the street:

And down to Luxor via mercifully shaded skybridges and shuttles:


Frankly though, I spent most of my time here:

By the pool, in the shade, slogging through Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra (my mother loved it, I wouldn't recommend it myself.)

The absolute, unquestionable highlight of the trip was Red Rock Canyon.

The landscape was gorgeous! And I realize it's just a tiny taste of what is there to see if you have a few days in that area, but I'll take this for starters!

There I am in my little safari outfit (my hat is trying to blow away.)
I got to see a Joshua Tree!
Otherwise known as a Yucca... which I have eaten fried and found quite tasty. (I'm sure it was the salt and oil!)

Before seeing this I never had much of an urge to do a proper vacation touring the canyons and national parks.

But after seeing all this in person,

(Purple mountains' majesty...)
I want to see more!!

This area was fed by an underground spring:

So there were flowers, and grass, and butterflies:

And even a jackrabbit!

Can you see him hopping away there in between those three bushes? He was FAST!

We also went to see the Jubilee at Bally's (that's the topless review), which was actually a little depressing because while there certainly were some very talented people in the show, 98% of the people on stage just looked bored! But those headdresses were pretty spectacular...

So this trip was a great improvement over the last, and hopefully if you hear I'm headed out that way again it will be for a vacation to the Grand Canyon!