I was ready to go back home. I would have like to seen downtown Las Vegas to see if it was any different, but (e:paul) and his boss were at the conference and my flight left at 3.

I decided to walk to the airport because I didn't feel like being in a car anymore and thought I might run across something interesting. From the Cosmopolitan to the airport terminal was about an hour walk, including the pedestrian bridges.

I was actually suprised you could walk there at all but I got the idea here michaeldorausch.com/walking-from-the-las-vegas-airport-to-the-las-vegas-strip/

There was not much to see and I had to change my shirt when I checked in, I was so sweaty.

The plane ride back had a ridiuclous view. I never looked out a plane with a cloudless view. On the way to the stop over in Phoenix, you could see Humphrey's peak in Flagstaff from forever a way. The desert is really almost empty between besides mysterious groupings of trailers. I wonder why they're there.

You also could spot forest fires on the hills and the smoke choking the valleys next to them.

As you go back east so much light appears again. Almost an hour from Buffalo Chicago is completely visible. It's cool that you can see the gridlines via streetlights, just like a map.

When I got back (e:terry) brought me some vegetarian poutine. I think I realized I barely ate on this trip.

Definitely my favorite part of Las Vegas so far. We drove out to the far west side, right up to the edge of the sprawl the park begins. The traffic was really heavy in the park loop, and there were a ton of cyclists riding around.

(e:paul) wasn't sure where he and (e:terry) had gone before. Well it wasn't in the new visitor's center area, it was at the first right turn coming in the park, in the Calico I basin. You can get right up to the red rocks with a short hike.

It really is an easy hike. Going up and down to the peaks, the climb is basically stairs - really wide and long. At the very top you keep thinking you're at the highest part, then there's another peak, and another, and another.

(e:paul) and I got up to the second highest red rock peak. It was about two peaks higher than (e:terry,55633) and him got the last time. You can see all across the mountains into the smog of Vegas from here, and there's plenty of shade to hide in on the way down.

Las Vegas Boulevard is an assault on all senses.

12 lanes of speeding traffic honking and barreling through pedestrians.
2 story screens screaming advertisements at you
A bigger, brighter 3 story screen, commanding you to DRINK. EAT. PLAY.
Homeless people with festering wounds begging on the sidewalk.
All while people walking by with a bag full of $9 miller lites.
Malls pumped full of perfume.
Stores with $10k fur coats and watches that cost more than my student loans.
Literally lighting water on fire in the desert.
People fighting with their prostitutes.
Strip club promoters throwing their cards at you.
Bars on the sidewalk herding you into the casino.
Desperate retirees pouring coins in the machine at 6am.

(e:paul) told me he referred to Caesar's Palace as satan's lair when he got there. I can't say I disagree.

The most impressive thing about this city is that they manage to convince so many people to move here.

Let's not ever come back here again.

Sorry if I killed your fun time (e:paul). I really tried to appreciate it lol. But you had a few more days without me, so I know you'd be fine.

The highlights I would say we found were a delicious ramen stand that was sanely priced along with a cheep beer store, right next to our hotel.

I'll update this as I think of more reasons why the Vegas Strip is the worst place in the country.

The drive between Flagstaff and Las Vegas was about three and a half hours. The landscape changes from cool, mountainous pine forest to a hellish 90F+ gravel desert, with no vegetation. At one point we stopped for (e:paul)'s coffee in one of the touristy route 66 towns called Williams. It was the most western looking town I've ever seen. It had cow hide stores and shops full of Navajo trinkets.

On the drive over you cross the Hoover dam. (e:paul) and I pulled over and walked across. It's really impressive, especially for something engineered before computers, CAD and finite element analysis programs. Constructed in the span of only four years!

On top of it in the 2000s they constructed one of the largest concrete arch bridges I've ever seen. Wikipedia says it's also the highest. It crossed probably double the height of the dam itself.

The water in Lake Mead was many meters under the usual level. You could tell by the bath ring up the canyon walls.

Anyway the dam overlook was pretty crowded with a million tourists, so we skipped the tour of it, and drove down to Boulder Beach on Lake Mead. I'm glad we did.

The water was clear and felt icy cold in the sun. It got deep so quickly. I wonder how many people have swam across from that beach.

On the way back we drove up the Lakeshore Road to Las Vegas. You could see a dry marina that used to be in the water, probably a mile from the actual water now. There were houses perched on a hill, probably sold for a previous water view that now just had the view of a dry gravel pit.