Go to http://www.landsailingtours.com.
Pete Lyons runs this tour company out of Las Vegas. Pete is as nice a guy as you will meet. He picks you up at the Excaliber Hotel on the strip in his van. Its about a half hour drive out to Ivanpah dry lake.
He assembles several land sailing carts, gives you simple sailing instructions and then you are on your way. You won't get blown away, never to return. You can sail against the wind.
It's good fun. Costs $155 for Lake Ivanpah and $200 for Area 51, the "top secret" aircraft testing center NE of LV. How else you gonna see some of Area 51 and not get arrested or beat up by Federal cops?
Fully recommended by "grandpathegrump.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Bunga goes to Las Vegas for Spring Break
28 March
I was in Las Vegas for Spring break. When it was time to return to Oregon, it was hard to leave my old mother. She looked so sad, small and worn as I packed. She is 91 years old. She spends a lot to time alone. Old people get fewer and fewer visitors. While there I took her out to eat and to run errands. I hope she does not end up in some kind of a care facility. She takes pretty good care of herself with help from Pam.
On Monday I went land sailing out on Ivanpah dry lake on the Nevada/California border. The wind was strong and steady. It's fun speeding across the desert on wind power. I love being out in the desert. Pete, the guide, says that next year is free to me since this is the third year I've been with him. I love being out in the desert. Some time I'd like to spend a week just driving back roads and enjoying the emptyness. Its a good way to heal the mind from city living.
On Tuesday mom and I went to the temple and out to lunch at a Thai restaurant Jim likes. A pretty young girl Thai there remembered her and gave her a long hug. The food was good. On Wednesday I drove back out to Ivanpah Lake. I needed the peace of the desert. A regatta for serious land sailors was going on with some beautiful machines, most of them hand made. A guy from England was trying to set a speed record. He had done 109 mph the day before but needed to break 117 mph. His sail was made of metal and shaped like an airplane wing. It even had a trim tab. Overall it was a beautiful craft.
On the way back to town I drove to Good springs, Nevada, a ghost town. The old saloon is still there and in business. Thank goodness some things don’t change, even if it is a tavern. Still has the metal panels in the ceiling with bullet holes in them. The bartender and her friends were pretty rough looking people. I heard that the saloon is a biker hangout at times.
One evening, niece Marie took me out to the strip. We visited the Bellagio Hotel. It’s very lavish with a colorful Dale Chiluly display of large glass flowers on a ceiling. There is a beautiful indoor garden and a massive pool area. It speaks of money and riches; and loss. There are a lot of very expensive shops. We watched a “21” game where the minimum was $100 and the maximum $1,000, Marie said. I find no attraction in that kind of life.
A lot of construction has stopped in Las Vegas because visitors are down. Unusual. A lawsuit has threatened a huge building project on the strip which may lose 9,000 construction jobs. Mark, my nephew, who is an electrician, says he is safe until November. They are saving money and buying food in preparation for a layoff.
Housing prices have plummeted. Mark, says that they owe $200,000 more on their house than its worth. But homes are selling at the reduced prices. His wife, Tonya, is a realtor and is doing well. An article in the paper wondered if it was ethical to walk away from your devalued house even if you can make the payments. The conclusion was that it would make good business sense to do so, but that it is not ethical.
G'pa the grump
I was in Las Vegas for Spring break. When it was time to return to Oregon, it was hard to leave my old mother. She looked so sad, small and worn as I packed. She is 91 years old. She spends a lot to time alone. Old people get fewer and fewer visitors. While there I took her out to eat and to run errands. I hope she does not end up in some kind of a care facility. She takes pretty good care of herself with help from Pam.
On Monday I went land sailing out on Ivanpah dry lake on the Nevada/California border. The wind was strong and steady. It's fun speeding across the desert on wind power. I love being out in the desert. Pete, the guide, says that next year is free to me since this is the third year I've been with him. I love being out in the desert. Some time I'd like to spend a week just driving back roads and enjoying the emptyness. Its a good way to heal the mind from city living.
On Tuesday mom and I went to the temple and out to lunch at a Thai restaurant Jim likes. A pretty young girl Thai there remembered her and gave her a long hug. The food was good. On Wednesday I drove back out to Ivanpah Lake. I needed the peace of the desert. A regatta for serious land sailors was going on with some beautiful machines, most of them hand made. A guy from England was trying to set a speed record. He had done 109 mph the day before but needed to break 117 mph. His sail was made of metal and shaped like an airplane wing. It even had a trim tab. Overall it was a beautiful craft.
On the way back to town I drove to Good springs, Nevada, a ghost town. The old saloon is still there and in business. Thank goodness some things don’t change, even if it is a tavern. Still has the metal panels in the ceiling with bullet holes in them. The bartender and her friends were pretty rough looking people. I heard that the saloon is a biker hangout at times.
One evening, niece Marie took me out to the strip. We visited the Bellagio Hotel. It’s very lavish with a colorful Dale Chiluly display of large glass flowers on a ceiling. There is a beautiful indoor garden and a massive pool area. It speaks of money and riches; and loss. There are a lot of very expensive shops. We watched a “21” game where the minimum was $100 and the maximum $1,000, Marie said. I find no attraction in that kind of life.
A lot of construction has stopped in Las Vegas because visitors are down. Unusual. A lawsuit has threatened a huge building project on the strip which may lose 9,000 construction jobs. Mark, my nephew, who is an electrician, says he is safe until November. They are saving money and buying food in preparation for a layoff.
Housing prices have plummeted. Mark, says that they owe $200,000 more on their house than its worth. But homes are selling at the reduced prices. His wife, Tonya, is a realtor and is doing well. An article in the paper wondered if it was ethical to walk away from your devalued house even if you can make the payments. The conclusion was that it would make good business sense to do so, but that it is not ethical.
G'pa the grump
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