Vegas: Lake Mead National recreation area

Growing up, I spent countless weekends out at Lake Mead national recreation area, often overnighting at some random corner of the park. Most of the time we'd be out, parked or camped near the water, with an ice chest full of drinks (beer for the adults, sodas for me) and a wind-powered vessel of some kind anchored on the beach, but sometimes we'd venture off to an island or cove. Regulations around camping were a lot looser back then, and you could freely park on the beach, but these days you're limited to the marked camping grounds. Times change! Around my ninth birthday I was "gifted" a small sailboat, which I've always suspected was more a gift for my adopted father that coincidentally happened to be obtained around the time of my birthday, since I had long expressed my near-zero interest in boats, being more of an artsy fartsy kid who spent their free-time deeply immersed in drawing, reading or writing at any and all given opportunities, but it afforded us even more excuses to get out to the water. As an adult, in many ways I really am quite grateful...the opportunity to meet and mingle with many different individuals, learning that there were different approaches to this thing called life than what I could see from my limited perspective as a child, expanded my worldview and openness to new and unusual people in ways that have profoundly shaped my life.  I also got to spend a lot of time in nature, discovering frogs, owls, crustaceans and spontaneous weather events that I wouldn't have otherwise been exposed to. For the record, though, had I actually been asked what I wanted at my ninth birthday, I probably wouldn't have said to get taken out camping with a bunch of drunk adults, one of whom sat on my birthday cake... That time spent around the water and among nature, though, has left in me a deep need to be near water bodies and untouched natural areas. It feels all the more ironic, and perhaps sadistic, that I spent as much time in the desert as I did throughout my life. 😂

Lake Mead, however, is a man-made reservoir about 40 minutes to an hour's drive outside of Las Vegas, so it's a bit of a respite from the desert climate, if only temporarily. Due to a severe drought over the past couple of decades, the water levels have dropped measurably, leaving a sad ring around the lake, like soap scum on an under-cleaned bathtub. While opportunistic animals, like coyotes, rabbits, and vultures, have managed to thrive, the dwindling water levels could bode badly for Las Vegas residents, along with those from some of the other nearby cities that depend on the Colorado River and Lake Mead reservoir for hydration and electricity. Things aren't exactly looking to improve in the coming years, either. Maybe it's the desert's way of saying we weren't supposed to settle here? It's dry, and maybe global warming is making it dryer... this isn't going to prohibit Las Vegas from growing, of course, with the acquisition of the Raiders, new stadium, and all that. I'm curious to see what the future holds for Vegas, but I'm glad I've settled somewhere a little less devoid of one of the most necessary components of life.

Vegas: Dive-in movie at the Boulevard Pool

Visiting Las Vegas in the summer season seems like the right thing to do for most visitors, as with the kids out of school it's easier to send them off to grandma's or drag them along for a family vacation, and after a hard slog of work the previous half of the year it's certainly about time for a well-deserved rest. Whether you can escape for only a couple of days or weeks at a time, Vegas in the summer is one happening place to be. It's definitely the busy time for the city, outside of major party holidays like Halloween and New Year's Eve... oh, New Year's Eve in Vegas is epic, believe me... but the peak of summer, when the sun hangs high in the sky cascading it's brilliant beams down to bake and sizzle all that summer skin on display is the main peak time to visit Vegas. Naturally, when it's well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (or around 40-ish Celsius) you're going to need ways to cool off. While out walking the strip you'll find a lot of streetside bars and venues blast cooling mists and fans, and there's a lot of air conditioned shops and areas inside the casinos and walkways connecting them to help, but nothing compares (to you) to swimming, dunking yourself heartily and bodily into a crisp, cool pool of glistening water. Never fear, my dears, because Vegas most definitely has you covered in that regard. Whether you're into dancing in the water, to EDM, reggae, R&B, whatever- or would prefer to lean back and relax while watching a movie, options abound. 

On this particular instance, my friend Blaze joined me to dunk our toes in the Boulevard pool at the Cosmopolitan for the Dive-in Movie showing of Ferris Bueller. Having already sipped on some seriously strong drinks from Fat Tuesdays, we were happy to kick back and put our feet up for the movie. We learned the hard way that it pays to get there early, as the Dive-in movie event is very affordable (and free to hotel guests, I believe) so it was very popular. The ideal seating, with waves gently licking your toes, was full-up when we arrived and we found ourselves some of the very laST remaining seating upon a top balcony with an awkward view of the movie screen. These things. We still had a lot of fun and enjoyed the night out and excuse to go swimming in a pool we might not otherwise have ever gone to. The Cosmopolitan itself is one of the newer casinos here in Vegas and one I hadn't been to prior to this evening, so it was a lot of fun for me to explore and I enjoyed spending time with Blaze, who I've known for ages. We went to high school together back in the day, and Ferris Bueller was a fittingly nostalgic film to watch with him. Good times! There's going to be several more movies showing throughout the remaining summer months, so it's definitely worth scoping out if you find yourself overheating and in need of a refreshing but relaxing form of entertainment.