Gym's Ramblings: Fall 2023 - October Meanderings: Las Vegas

Las Vegas

Driving south out of St. George on the I-15, the road follows the Virgin River, as it cuts a path through the northwest corner of Arizona. The portion of the I-15 that runs through the Virgin River Gorge, is one of the most expensive sections of highway on the interstate system. The road hugs the sides of the steep canyon that the river has eroded through the sandstone plateau, on its way to the Mohave Desert. The interstate is very scenic here and it's better to be a passenger on this segment of the road, so you get a better look at how the multi-coloured strata have been exposed by the unrelenting force of the river.

When the Virgin River spills out onto the Great Basin, it turns south and eventually drains into Lake Mead. The I-15 veers southwest and crosses to the north side of the river valley near the Nevada border. Here the interstate passes through Mesquite, Nevada which has more new subdivisions every time Gym drives through it. Mesquite draws in the snowbirds that have passed by St. George because there are no casinos and not enough liquor stores in Utah. But what St. George lacks in poker tables and saloons, it makes up for in physical beauty and character.

From Mesquite, it is basically a straight-shot down to Las Vegas and in no time at all our two intrepid travellers drove past Allegiant Stadium on Dean Martin Drive. It was Monday, October 9th, 2023 and they had arrived just in time to check in and go see their beloved Raiders play the Green Bay Packers in the Monday Night Football game. Accommodations were at the Fairfield Inn, just a few hundred yards south of the stadium. Gym had booked 2 nights there because it was a short walk to the stadium. This may have been convenient to the game but it was also right under the flight path of the main runway, at Harry Reid International Airport. Every few minutes, all night long, another jet full of gamblers flew low over Gym's hotel room. Lesson learned!

The Raiders won that game. It wasn't a convincing win at all. Gym however believes that his dear wife was the good luck charm, that carried the home team onward to vanquish the cheeseheads. He would be able to test that theory at the next home game, the following Sunday. They would return to attend that game as well. In between these two home games, instead of hanging out in Sin City, Gym wanted to check out that 'L.A. vibe'. So they fired up the SUV on October 11th and followed the I-15 across the desert, on their winter tires, towards California.