Benjamin’s Trip to Nevada

  Well, it’s been great having Benjamin back home!  Directly after the CHEF Conference he took a flight by himself to Las Vegas to take care of my Aunt and Uncle’s house/Golden Retriever while they were on a cruise.

  He would be in Nevada for almost two weeks and would be alone at the suburban house for 9 days – with the only mode of transportation being by foot!  It was a difficult choice for my Mom to make, but she knew that Ben’s shown capable of taking care of himself.

  So a few hours after we dropped Benjamin off at the airport he was flying above the bright town of Las Vegas:

 

And, surprise, surprise, this was the first thing to greet his eyes:

  My Aunt and Uncle actually live a little bit away from Las Vegas and are in a growing suburban area.  During the next couple of days before they left town they showed Benjamin a few of the sights and helped him get groceries.

  They drove him to Hoover Dam, but unfortunately the photos were accidentally deleted.  However, here are the pictures of the lake formed by the dam:

Lake Las Vegas

 

A bridge

Slot machines were everywhere-even in the gas stations:

2 cents (x2), 5 cents and 25 cents (x4), respectively.

  After my Aunt and Uncle left for their cruise, Benjamin was alone and had to walk a couple of miles to get to the nearest drug store.

   The heat was overpowering.  The temperature was often 105-120 degrees, but because the climate is so dry there’s no humidity and is less uncomfortable than the muggy 85 degrees we have at home.

  However, walking 6 miles in the desert for a gallon of milk wouldn’t be called convenient.

 

 

 

 

  The terrain and environment were so different Benjamin said he felt like he was on a different planet!

Legend – the Golden Retriever Benjamin had to take care of.  It was too hot to leave him alone outside, so Benjamin was able to fly out and take him for walks and let him inside the A/C throughout the day.

 

   Interestingly enough the house on the top is one of Celine Dion’s houses and the one below is Madonna’s.

 

 

 

 

   An oasis?

 

  A nearby river

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunset

  The casinos shot off fireworks that could be seen from the house

  Can you spot the jackrabbit?

  However, after 9 long days of being alone Benjamin was happy to interact with humans again when my Aunt and Uncle arrived home.  He flew out last Tuesday morning and had a layover in Kansas City before he arrived home.

  The flaps are up and the plane is on the ground!