Vegas Nights

Arriving in Las Vegas early Thursday afternoon, I took an exit to find my bearings and ran straight into a Toyota dealership - convenient because I need an oil change badly. Being mostly without cell service, mum posted some Couch Surfing requests for me. Only one replied by the time it got dark and he thought I wasn't arriving for a week or so. I eventually got hold of him on the phone only to find out he'd just had a house full of Australians and didn't really want somebody again so soon. I spent that first night on a bluff in Kyle Canyon, eating cold tuna burritos and listening to a local radio show about how dismal the LV economy is right now, actually quite interesting.

Friday morning, having not had a shower in some days, my goal was to find one, plus a tire for my bike and a place to stay. None of those things worked out terribly quickly and by 2pm I was in a library using their wi-fi and thought I'd make a call to Jennifer's Hawaii sister Sheree, who we'd stayed with when here for a Suzuki conference a few years back.

Having discovered no tires available until Monday I ordered one through our own dealership supplier and asked for it to be drop-shipped to Sheree's place - having still not actually talked to her to confirm if I could stay. Always the optimist, I figured I could always just hang outside her place until UPS turned up if I couldn't stay with her.

As funny things go, I later found out she no longer lived there, but she was happy for me to stay with her. Luckily, she still owned the house and called her tenant and filled them in. Also good timing, Sheree had a 20th High School Reunion that night and invited me along. It was Homecoming and we went to a HS Football game followed by drinks at a local pub - all with about 50 complete strangers. They didn't stay strangers long. It was a great first night.

The plan was to stay with Sheree until Monday morning when my tire would arrive. As usual, plans change. After a great weekend of Sushi (yes, Monika, I went to Yama sushi again) and dog parks Monday arrived and the tire didn't. No problem - Sheree has a large new house and was fine with me hanging around. The tire eventually arrived Tuesday afternoon and then as luck would have it she had to go out of town to LA for business. Drew to the rescue - impromptu dog sitting added a few more days. I enjoyed my time with them - two fun and boisterous Weimaraners. We played fetch all day long and wrestled occasionally too. They were great but I still miss my cats. Did some needed maintenance on the bike, got ready for the next desert stint and all of a sudden I've been here a week. It's been a great fun time. Some good hiking and good exploring. Didn't visit a casino or the strip even once.

Friday morning and I'm heading out of town toward the Southern Utah National Parks.