It Must be Why I’m Thinking of Las Vegas
I love when my guests let me know they’ll be arriving via Las Vegas. You can take a cheap flight to Las Vegas with nothing more than a spare set of cloths and a toothbrush, no baggage fees and it will almost always beat flying followed by immediately leaving LA. If you’re lucky enough you can sometimes find a rental for nearly $7 a day. Just quickly replace your toiletries with a quick Target detour.
I don’t gamble conventionally. I have a tendency to bet everything on roulette walking away with enough chips to cover the rest of my trip. I have a wild winning streak having covered all of my expenses of a few trips over the past few years.
Following one fire seasons we were returning to Los Angeles where I flew into Las Vegas before searching for a new apartment in Los Feliz. Before picking up my rental I stopped at the roulette table with $100. Honoring my own superstitions I waited a few spins and bet it all on red. I have a rule after my first win where I will pocket my original hundred, think of it like a safety measure to assure I don’t go to an ATM more than the one time. Passing on that second spin because superstition didn’t say black, but said red wasn’t it. After a beat, I bet it all on red again and doubled my hundred. I left the $200 on red, doubled for $400, tipped the dealer and was done in 5 minutes. Ready for my economy rental, hopeful for a free upgrade, playlist picked out.
Could you imagine if Stevie Nicks also sang on “Holiday Road?”
Las Vegas for me is watching big horn sheep in the Valley of Fire. It’s coffee and skipping stones at Lake Mead before a scenic drive through Mojave National Preserve. The trip from Las Vegas to Joshua Tree is almost a secret. In my opinion you’ll see more Joshua Trees in the Preserve than you will in the National Park. Unfortunately the area was devastated by extreme wildfires that razed so much landscape. For anybody visiting Joshua Tree let me suggest you look into these travel arrangements. It’s nearly 3 and a half hours from Las Vegas to Thérapie and it will dramatically upgrade your vacation experience.
<3
Matt
