A Nature Fix

So, I’m betting that the first thing most people think of when they think of a trip to Las Vegas is not necessarily a scenic river raft ride on the Colorado River.  But seriously, maybe it should be.  Today, we went on our once delayed river raft trip from the good folks at Hoover Dam Rafting Adventures.  We initially booked an hour-and-a-half trip for Thursday that would all but ensure we’d be at the airport in time on Friday.  There was no real way of knowing if the time shown on the website included transportation to and from the river, and the folks I called on the phone from Dallas, while helpful, were not directly connected to the tour company, so they couldn’t guarantee we’d make it to our flight today.  So we booked yesterday.  

On Tuesday, we got a call that our Thursday tour was cancelled.  Not enough interest, I suspect.  And we were either due a refund in full or an upgrade to a three hour tour with pick up, drop off and a turkey sandwich for lunch.  Once the woman on the phone promised we’d be back to our hotel by 3:30, we were in.  Our flight leaves around seven, so no worries.  And oh my gosh, what a good call that was.  We were taken in a very comfortable van to a restricted road that wound down to the base of the Hoover Dam.  We stood there, taking it all in, before we boarded our raft.  There were some cancellations, so the raft was pretty unpopulated.  We were there with six other people- seven, if you include the tour guide/boat operator.  We cruised around, got out a few times and took some amazing photos.  The Hoover Dam is a spectacle of engineering.  When was the last time a government project came in early and under budget?  Probably back in the ‘30s, when this dam went up.  

It was really a good nature fix after the smoky casinos, flashing lights and constant thrum of the city.  One reasonably quick van ride, and you’re floating past it all.  

We really enjoyed it.  I mean really.  The whole trip down the river was beautiful.  There were different kinds of birds flitting about, lots of folks paddling canoes and plenty to see as we made our way from the Hoover Dam to a spot farther down the line.  There’s not much I can say to describe it all at this point.  It was beautiful.  We were happy to be there.  That’s it.  

But if you ever go to Las Vegas, book that trip.   Don’t worry about a river raft in the winter.  They make efforts to keep all their patrons dry when it’s cold outside.  We got some great photos, fed our need to do something outdoorsy, and really wrapped up our Las Vegas days in unlikely fashion.  Just how we like it.  

We’re at the airport, now, relaxing with nothing on our agenda but a flight home.  We’ve kicked back with two plastic cups of slightly overpriced wine and done a crossword puzzle together,  It’s a good day today.  We’ll head back to Dallas, soon.  My younger brother is all ready to stay up late for the airport retrieval that looks increasingly like it may fall just after midnight, and after that, we have to get ready for a return to work.  Apparently, a polar vortex is headed to Dallas mid-day on Sunday, and we will need our heavy winter coats pretty soon.  So we move on. 

Until the next time we’re off for a bit, take care of yourselves.  We’re on until March, and we somehow have different spring breaks this year.  I am a week before him, and we have one weekend in common.  We’ll do something, but until then, this Monday-to-Friday was pretty great.  

One last link for all the photos you can stand: tinyurl.com/Dunlapvegas 

Have a great 2025!