The awe inspiring beauty and ruggedness .....

of the desert is hard to describe with mere words. It must be experienced to be truly appreciated. Imagine the harsh forces of wind and water, at work for a few thousand years, transforming the landscape into a sculpture.
And then, from the briefness of a sudden rain storm a delicate work of art is created. In a few days the puddle will dry up and the wind will erase this temporary masterpiece.
I spent yesterday hiking the East Bowl of Fire with Linda G. The sensory overload of Neon Madness that is Las Vegas is perhaps 25 miles away. Is it possible that somewhere between North Las Vegas and Lake Mead we have driven through a jagged hole in the time-space curtain? This cannot be the same planet, much less the same county in the same state.
This was my third adventure with Linda. Previously we hiked the Anniversary Narrows and Calico Basin. I would have never become a hiker on my own initiative and I was more than a little skeptical when we first discussed the possibility of hiking together. I am indebted to Linda for introducing me to this form of escape and I look forward to many more of these adventures.

Back to the real world....
On Friday afternoon I played a few hours of NL at Aladdin. Cashed out a small winner. I then drove over to Bellagio. Yes, I do know that Bellagio is directly across the street from Aladdin and actually WALKING over did briefly cross my mind. In any case the 4-8 list at Bellagio was two columns long so I decided against waiting several hours to play there. Back to the car for a short ride to the Rio. No list there. Actually, there are 5 empty tables. Instead of immediately joining a game I head to the dreaded PIT. As usual I was misguided as I proceeded to contribute a few bills to the Harrah*s war chest. Question: When will I learn? Answer: Never!
Back to the poker room as a $3-6 game is just getting started. I take a seat. It soon becomes apparent that this game is like so many other hold'em games these days. Get your money in with the best of it and watch as the wheels of the slot machine stop on, you guessed it, runner runner flush.....runner runner gut shot straights. Cold calling three bets with long shots only to be rewarded with my money. Reminding myself that this is what I WANT them to do is little consolation. I clawed back to within shouting distance of my buy in and at 3:30 am called it a morning.
Saturday night was spent playing in the weekly Pan game. I think I ended up $1.85 winners.
Weekend results: Poker-net winner. Pan-winner. PIT-Loser! Mental note: Stay OUT of the pit.
7 hours until I'm back in the box.