April 2007

Well it was finally time to leave So Cal. I do miss the friends, the pickelball, the climate, the pickelball and the Hot Springs. A chlorinated hot tub just doesn't have the same effect or smell for that matter!

I visited Las Vegas and the surrounds for a while and still marvel over how much that town has grown thru the years. Wish I had bought land there 20 years ago! The building boom is still going on there. California had more signs of a distressed housing market. Any signs that we need to get more worried about water out here, is seen in the "soap scum" ring around the rapidly emptying Lake Mead. The Government is building a bridge over the dam so truck traffic does not have to divert around it any more. Homeland (lack of) Security concerns. The bridge has taken more time to build than the dam itself. The dam came in on time and under budget, and still has no leaks. I bet the folks at the "Big Dig" in Boston wish they could still hire some of these people!

Pahrump NV is a little town up in the hills to the north west of Vegas. Its sole attraction is an apparent unending supply of water. Out here in the desert, that counts for a lot. It is also in a country that allows just about every thing, open carry except in casinos and bars, gambling and oh yes, every massage here is complete with a happy ending and that too is legal. Try to find a normal therapeutic massage though, and that was another story :-0 After my trail riding spill and my rattle snake adventure, I tried to find a local LMT. There was not one in town.

It is also home to the Museum of Brothel Art, which house the world largest collection dedicated to the subject. In the boom years out here, when the silver was running like the water and the gold was wrestled from the hills, there were brothels here that catered to the upscale patrons. Works of art by the masters of the day decorated the walls, Tiffany Glass chandeliers, not the imitations we see these days but the real hand cut and soldered works of art hung from the ceilings. The very best in French wines and Champagnes were served. In these days, the American wine scene did not exist, yet.

The only draw back I have found is the Verizon cell coverage here stinks. It is so bad the resort even mentions it in their welcome flyer package. I did find a space in town where I could get a signal. There was a nice little valley in a freshly paved road that kept the wind down so people were not too bothered by the sound of the wind in the headset as I rode my bike. I had the interesting experience of meeting a local sheriff while talking on the phone, and even though the person on the phone with me at the time kept reminding me not to use my favorite expression for law enforcement officials, I just could not stop myself from uttering it after he told me why he was stopping me. Apparently someone had called in about a crazy man riding their bicycle in circles and talking to themselves. Fortunately, he also could not believe it either, and was aware of the Verizon signal issue in town.

The sheriffs election in town is under investigation by the FBI for fraud I am told. The theme for that election had been cleaning up the corruption in town. Fascinating as Mr. Spock would say.

From sunny and warm Nevada!