We returned from Las Vegas on Tuesday, having taken the red-eye to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). Thus ended the non-medical period of my vacation. This morning I had a nuclear stress test at the cardiologists' office. I have to admit that I was pretty worn out after it was over.
Now I have to await the results to see when thoracic surgery to move my stomach back into my abdomen might be be scheduled. The hope is for soon, since the fall semester starts in 6 weeks and recovery will require a substantial amount of time.
During our trip, I took plenty of photos...well over 500. My plan is to arrange them into several photo-essays. I hope to have several of them published before next weekend...in hopes that people attending Netroots Nation might consider visiting some of the sights.
Many of the photos are in the California portion of the Mojave Desert. I'll save those for a future time.
The following is a list of the venues I have pictures from...with a few descriptive phrases.
Hesperia/Victorville/Apple Valley: this was our base of operations from June 28 to July 6.
Wrightwood/Angeles National Forest: including an idyll with the avian creatures of Jackson Lake.
Lake Arrowhead/San Bernadino National Forest/Silverwood Lake: including a boat tour of the lake, with historical information and celebrity dwellings.
Barstow/Harvey House/Mother Road Museum/Mojave River Valley Museum: the mother road being, of course, Route 66, which passes through Barstow and Victorville.
Las Vegas Strip/Bellagio: where we stayed for 5 nights surrounding my daughter's wedding.
Chihuly Exhibit: a must see if you are in Vegas, in my honest opinion...but then I like glass art.
Daughter's Wedding: which will be delayed until official photos arrive, along with the internet video provided.
Boulder Dam/Boulder City/Las Vegas: yeah, some people call it the Hoover Dam, but I was raised to be a Democrat, and that didn't sit right with us.
Red Rock Canyon: where one can see, contradicting Hunter Thompson, that the desert around Las Vegas is not dead. There is evidence of Anasazi presence in this Canyon, which was also used as the setting for some Star Trek episodes, as was Vasquez Rocks, CA, which I also have photos of.
McCarran International Airport: which has some interesting sights to see all on its own. I've included some of them in this piece, so that we could get the show on the road. All the photos included here were of the D Gates area, where you will be if arriving from Newark, JFK, or Houston.
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As you arrive, you will be greeted by slot machines. If you raise you eyes, you may view the mural of Red Rock Canyon and the surrounding environs of Las Vegas Valley. And if you look out the windows, you can see the mountains in the photos I have provided. Las Vegas Valley is surrounded by four mountain ranges: the
Spring Mountains, the
Frenchman Mountains (aka the
Sunrise Mountains), the
Sheep Range, and the
McCullough Range.
As always, clicking on an image ought to produce a larger version in a separate tab.
Closer to the entrance of the D Gates area is a sculpture of a desert tortoise seen above the fold.