It was somewhere in the neighborhood of 2:30 A.M. when I finally made my way to my room. A long night of conversation mixed in with a little dancing and a bit of gambling. The Mandalay Bay resort offers all you can handle when it comes to nightlife, I had intended on getting all at once. My wife was wise when she decided to call it a night earlier in the evening as we had an appointment with a rock-climbing guide at eight A.M. at Red Rock canyon.
Somehow I didn’t consider my early wake up call when I was sipping martinis at the trendy Red Square bar. The ice bar at this location makes you want to set your drink down and indulge in the complete visual stimulation that affords itself in this monolith of the strip hotels. I guess that explains my late arrival to my bed upstairs.
My wife has the tendency to make me pay for my misfortunes or shall I say for my bad decision-making. She opened the large curtains in our room that looked down onto the Mandalay beach and allowed the piercing sun to penetrate my cemented eyelids. The morning had come faster than I had anticipated. Along with the morning I could feel the effects of a bit too many adult beverages the night before.
Vacation, it often allows you the latitude to perform those things that you would not consider while sitting in your living room. Las Vegas draws you to another level. So, I made my way into my large restroom that clearly reminded me that I need a larger home. The accommodations at the Mandalay bay truly offer you the comforts one would expect from a high-end property. They please you in everyway.
My wife and I made our way out through the desert into the canyons that border Las Vegas. The rising sun and the sandstone cliffs are what postcards are made of. This time of year the temperature is a comfortable 85 degrees. The idea of rock climbing with a guide was initially my wife’s, I normally will act as if I can find my way around using a topographic map but this day I was happy to have left my internal compass at home. As we approached the rendezvous point with our guide I felt the sudden elation of being in a beautiful place. The outdoors does it to me and the glowing colors of this State park rivaled the bright lights of the city less than an hour away.
As we had our briefing on the days climb I found myself distracted by the beauty of the place. In my mind I already decided I would make my way back here to hike and explore. While I enjoyed the challenge of rock climbing I also looked forward to perching myself high on a cliff overlooking the canyons admiring the strata. We found our way over to a set of moderately difficult climbs and I watched as my wife’s eyes glistened from the reflection of the desert sun off the colorful mudstone. Do I get too excited about rocks? Perhaps.
As the day wound down we made our way back to the comforts of our hotel room. I could not wait for the jets to come on in our whirlpool bathtub. My wife suggested we go out for drinks and crab legs.
I opted for a nap.
