Main purpose of trip was to take in a college/pro football weekend at the sportsbook, eat buffets, do some hiking and enjoy ideal Vegas October weather. All expectations were meant, and them some. It was the type of trip that everything worked out great with unexpected surprises along the way. The first such surprise was discovering Henderson was having a country/pop rock music festival that weekend that included one of my faves, Glen Campbell. Originally, I had planned to watch nationally-ranked Bishop Gorman play a high school football game Friday night, but decided to take in the festival. It was held outdoors at a several thousand seat venue near the Green Valley Ranch. Unbeknownst to me, besides Glen Campbell and Kenny Rogers, 70s singer John Ford Coley was also on the Friday nite bill. Compared to the two bigger names, John Ford Coley kicked ass - lot's of energy, cool play list and a voice that hasn't lost much. Of course, as a 52-year old, I rememerbed the songs him and Dan Seals used to play. Campbell did all the old faves and had a strong stage presence, but the man has aged and he lacked the umpth of Ford Coley. Kenny Rogers, nice enough guy, but it was a canned act. I had heard of problem with plastic surgery and it was certainly evident in his facial features. I didn't recognize him at first. His show, the last of the night, I left halfway through. Ironically, the opening act was the best, the second act (Campbell) okay and the finale the worst. Tickets were $25 and up, which I thought were a bargain compared to what a comparable show would cost on the Strip. They even had lawn seating. Saturday had more acts such as Lonestar and Montgomery Gentry, but there was college football to watch and bet on, including on my alma mater, Northern Illinois University. The week previous, I saw NIU beat Temple in person and came away impressed with their play. So much so, that a very substantial bet was placed on them to cover 14 points against Central Michigan. They easily covered and a good portion of my trip was basically paid for, but that's how confident I was. Never got the feeling on any pro games, so backed off of those. We stayed at the Hilton and took in pro games at both sportsbook and theatre. The theatre is by invite only, but tons of extra seats and security usually lets anyone in. Thumbs up to the Hilton for a sports-betting venue and also a place to lodge. We (my son and I) usually do some kind of physical activity on a Vegas trip and this was no exception. This time, it was interval trailing running on Mt. Charleston. Basically, you run up trails until you peter out. After you catch your breath, you keep on repeating the process until you summit. We did Griffith Peak (about 10,500 ft) and got up and down in 3 hrs. It's usually cool at that elevation this time of year, but the conditions at the top were absolutely perfect - 60s and sunny. Besides Vegas, we could see out to Lake Mead and to the west, California was in clear view. The highlight of buffet eating was getting an unexpected comp to the Wynn. I popped over the Wynn Sunday with the purpose of saying hi to an outdoor table game pit boss I'm friends with. I did not intend to gamble. Before I left, he asked for my players card and put two free buffets on it. I didn't ask for it and he didn't need to do, as my recent play had been spotty at best. He said he wanted to do it as a gesture of goodwill. Wow, you don't hear stuff like that is today's corporate world. And, another surprise I didn't expect. My son left a day before I did and I spent the final day just screwing around the Strip, something I hadn't done in awhile. It was kinda fun, going from casino to casino, throwing a few bets around and general sightseeing. I actually felt like a tourist for the first time all week.
Funny how many times the band you go intending to see is outshined by the one you didn't. Expectations and all that I guess.
I always looked out at the mountains around Las Vegas and thought how cool it would be hike up them or mountain bike.
I would pass out running up trails at that high elevation. The last time I drove up there, I felt a little light headed and got a headache. The scenery is worth the trip.
Thanks for the post Chef! You always do fun stuff that I would never do in a million years and that's why I love hearing about your trips.
