Miles: 1286.4
Gallons Burned: 29.7
Elvis Sightings: 8
Total Miles: 15922.6
Total Gallons Burned: 530.4
Total Caffeinated Drinks: 90
Total Gigabytes of Pictures: 33.7 - Apologies I can't upload my pics from my Camera phone without my card reader back in Seattle, so you'll have to wait.
On Saturday, Par, Derek, Rolando (sorry for calling you Alehandro), and I woke up late and drove out to the "M" Casino, a luxury Resort/Spa/Casino about 10 miles off the Strip. It is one of the newest casinos in Las Vegas and is well known for its amazing buffet. We waited in line for about 25 minutes only to be told that instead of the $15 advertised cost, the Saturday brunch featuring seafood, was $30. So we decided to get some In and Out Burgers instead.
As an aside, the M Casino (short for iMagine) is a externally beautiful casino, but upon entering it disappoints madly. The casino's foyer and casino floor is decorated in faux tiger stripe and black with accents of mahogany. It left me with an overall feel of being locked in bad 1970s funhouse.
At the burger joint, we enjoyed the Delux Meals and lemonade as the wind gusted madly outside. If you look on the bottom of the soft drink cups at In and Out Burger, you will find an Easter Egg. The verse John 3:16 is printed covertly. It turns out that the family who owns the chain is Christian and wanted to make a subtle homage to their God.
In the fall, Vegas enjoys brutal winds that have been known to exceed 90 miles-an-hour and we experienced the full force of those winds on our way back to Circus Circus.
That evening Derek and I went to the outdoor pools at C&C. Due to the high winds, one of the pools was closed, so we enjoyed the other pool.
Later that night, we all went to Fremont Street. The part of Las Vegas is far from the upscale casino hotels and it features cheaper games and lower minimum bets. Needless to say my eye saw no difference in the average patron's attire. You see the whole city is casual. In the high end casinos you will find folks from Missouri walking around in tank tops and torn jeans, and down on Fremont Street you will find folks from Iowa walking around in pain splattered t-shirts and flip-flops.
We found the cheapest buffet and enjoyed all you can eat NY Strip Steak for $12.99. I especially enjoyed the all-you-can-eat complementary deserts.
Later, Par taught Rolando how to play Craps (I learned how to play back in 9th grade when my frustrated math teacher, at my inner-city high school, taught us the game in a desperate attempt to get anyone to pay attention in class).
I wandered about alone for a little while enjoying "the world's largest TV". The screen is suspended 120 feet above a three block stretch of Fremont Street. It is an LED grid very similar to the jumbo-trons at all (american) football stadiums. Every 35 minutes the lights on the street would go off and a music video (complete with advertising) would play on the huge screen featuring music from The Beatles, The Who, and Aerosmith.
I counted no less than 8 Elvis impersonators on my little walk.
We got back to C&C late and slept into double digits.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Vegas Blog - Day 2
Miles: 1286.4
Gallons Burned: 29.7
Elvis Sightings: 0.0 !!
Total Miles: 15922.6
Total Gallons Burned: 530.4
Total Caffeinated Drinks: 89
Total Gigabytes of Pictures: 33.615 - Apologies I can't upload my pics from my Camera phone without my card reader back in Seattle, so you'll have to wait.
Par and I made it to Las Vegas' Circus Circus Hotel/Casino with little trouble (there was that one little 60 mile 'detour' through the Nevada wilderness). We met up with Derek and Alejandro, Par's friends from LA, and got to know each other during the $12.99 all-you-can-eat Prime Rib eating contest. Alejandro was triumphant by finishing 4.25 12oz cuts of Prime Rib, Par finished about 4, but he only ate the interior of the fillet, and I finished 3. Following our great meal, we walked the Vegas Strip from C&C to Aria stopping at the Treasure Island Hotel/Casino. Playing the penny slot machines, Alejandro won $5, Derek won $5.67, Par won $7.25, and I won $10.37 (including a $7.50 semi-jackpot on my last pull). We didn't even have to put any of our own money at risk because the casino gives any first-time player a free $10 game credit to play with, each of us used that credit and nothing else to win with. Each of us used Par's Rule #2 - "casinos provide free alcoholic beverages to all active gamblers". We each scored free alcohol, I enjoyed my rum and coke.
We enjoyed the architecture of the Casinos, discussing various missiological approaches, that could work in a city like Vegas and what the Reformed view of biblical participation in the Lord's Table is.
I got to walk through Caesar's Palace, the Bellagio (Where i saw some guy win $7,000 playing Roulette), and Treasure Island. It is amazing how intentionally convoluted the designers have made these places; even a person like me who can almost always find the fastest route anywhere, had to pause and think before finding the exit.
Vegas is an amazing place, some what similar to my experiences in New Orleans last March, but on a MUCH grander scale. The biggest downside of Vegas is how much pornography is given away; the hucksters will hand out there "business cards" featuring working girls to anyone and by 2am the sidewalks are covered.
Tomorrow is karaoke, hopefully Par will pick a song or two I know.
Gallons Burned: 29.7
Elvis Sightings: 0.0 !!
Total Miles: 15922.6
Total Gallons Burned: 530.4
Total Caffeinated Drinks: 89
Total Gigabytes of Pictures: 33.615 - Apologies I can't upload my pics from my Camera phone without my card reader back in Seattle, so you'll have to wait.
Par and I made it to Las Vegas' Circus Circus Hotel/Casino with little trouble (there was that one little 60 mile 'detour' through the Nevada wilderness). We met up with Derek and Alejandro, Par's friends from LA, and got to know each other during the $12.99 all-you-can-eat Prime Rib eating contest. Alejandro was triumphant by finishing 4.25 12oz cuts of Prime Rib, Par finished about 4, but he only ate the interior of the fillet, and I finished 3. Following our great meal, we walked the Vegas Strip from C&C to Aria stopping at the Treasure Island Hotel/Casino. Playing the penny slot machines, Alejandro won $5, Derek won $5.67, Par won $7.25, and I won $10.37 (including a $7.50 semi-jackpot on my last pull). We didn't even have to put any of our own money at risk because the casino gives any first-time player a free $10 game credit to play with, each of us used that credit and nothing else to win with. Each of us used Par's Rule #2 - "casinos provide free alcoholic beverages to all active gamblers". We each scored free alcohol, I enjoyed my rum and coke.
We enjoyed the architecture of the Casinos, discussing various missiological approaches, that could work in a city like Vegas and what the Reformed view of biblical participation in the Lord's Table is.
I got to walk through Caesar's Palace, the Bellagio (Where i saw some guy win $7,000 playing Roulette), and Treasure Island. It is amazing how intentionally convoluted the designers have made these places; even a person like me who can almost always find the fastest route anywhere, had to pause and think before finding the exit.
Vegas is an amazing place, some what similar to my experiences in New Orleans last March, but on a MUCH grander scale. The biggest downside of Vegas is how much pornography is given away; the hucksters will hand out there "business cards" featuring working girls to anyone and by 2am the sidewalks are covered.
Tomorrow is karaoke, hopefully Par will pick a song or two I know.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Vegas Blog - Day 1
Miles: 776.2
Gallons Burned: 29.7
Elvis Sightings: 0.0
Total Miles: 15412.4
Total Gallons Burned: 511.1
Total Caffeinated Drinks: 86
Total Gigabytes of Pictures: 33.6
I'm in Wells Nevada in the northwestern portion of this great state. So far I have seen exactly 0 Elvis impersonators, disappointing.
My kind traveling companion Par has been a great co-pilot despite his lack of sleep. Using my latest piece of road trip tech, Par has managed to predict the exact location of a series of thunderstorms and flawlessly modify our lodging plans all without the need to halt our relentless forward progress toward that oasis in the desert. How did Par know the weather's location and exact arrival time in advance you ask? He used my new netbook computer featuring an Ericsson cellular modem. This enabled my co-pilot extraodinare to connect to any cell tower in our path and utilize the 3G network. Using Google Earth he verified local forcasts, checking often to ensure our safety.
How terrible of me, I almost forgot to thank Nick for his patient and excellent dirrection that allowed me to activate and integrate the GPS cabability of my netbook. Nick walked me through the proper hyperterminal commands to render the NMEA protocols active. This rapidly updating system provided Google Earth with our precise global location allowing us to acurately judge our pace and the best places to resupply.
As the driver for this road trip, I have enjoyed being at the wheel of Par's fine 1997 Mitsubishi Galant. The first leg from Seattle to Boise Idaho was uneventful yet beautiful.
The second leg of our trip was slightly more eventful as Par regaled me with stories and wisdom of the ins and outs of Las Vegas while the weather predictably darkened. We saw this as we approached our stopping point for the night:
Just as we entered Wells the rain began in ernest and lightening shown in the Sierra Nevadas.
Allow me to share Par's imPARted wisdom ;)
1 - In Las Vegas they try to attract people to gamble away their childrens', grandchildrens', and great grandchildrens' inheritances by offering very cheap food - so be prepared for $12.99 all you can eat Prime Rib!!
2 - In an attempt to destroy your judgement to facilitate the rapid transfer of said offsprings' future wealth from your pocket to theirs, the casinos provide free alcoholic beverages to all active gamblers - so even if you are playing the penny slots very slowly you can score a free drink (Par's personal record is a 19 cent Long Island Iced Tea)!!
3 - Smoking is allowed in all Casinos, to better promote all manner of vice - so if you have asthma and a gambling compulsion, you could very well die at the roulette table, hmm maybe they should call it 'Merican Roulette so we don't fall behind the Russians!!
Tomorrow we will arrive in Vegas, and maybe explode from our planned Prime Rib eating contest, tune in tomorrow to find out!
Gallons Burned: 29.7
Elvis Sightings: 0.0
Total Miles: 15412.4
Total Gallons Burned: 511.1
Total Caffeinated Drinks: 86
Total Gigabytes of Pictures: 33.6
I'm in Wells Nevada in the northwestern portion of this great state. So far I have seen exactly 0 Elvis impersonators, disappointing.
My kind traveling companion Par has been a great co-pilot despite his lack of sleep. Using my latest piece of road trip tech, Par has managed to predict the exact location of a series of thunderstorms and flawlessly modify our lodging plans all without the need to halt our relentless forward progress toward that oasis in the desert. How did Par know the weather's location and exact arrival time in advance you ask? He used my new netbook computer featuring an Ericsson cellular modem. This enabled my co-pilot extraodinare to connect to any cell tower in our path and utilize the 3G network. Using Google Earth he verified local forcasts, checking often to ensure our safety.
How terrible of me, I almost forgot to thank Nick for his patient and excellent dirrection that allowed me to activate and integrate the GPS cabability of my netbook. Nick walked me through the proper hyperterminal commands to render the NMEA protocols active. This rapidly updating system provided Google Earth with our precise global location allowing us to acurately judge our pace and the best places to resupply.
As the driver for this road trip, I have enjoyed being at the wheel of Par's fine 1997 Mitsubishi Galant. The first leg from Seattle to Boise Idaho was uneventful yet beautiful.
The second leg of our trip was slightly more eventful as Par regaled me with stories and wisdom of the ins and outs of Las Vegas while the weather predictably darkened. We saw this as we approached our stopping point for the night:
Just as we entered Wells the rain began in ernest and lightening shown in the Sierra Nevadas.
Allow me to share Par's imPARted wisdom ;)
1 - In Las Vegas they try to attract people to gamble away their childrens', grandchildrens', and great grandchildrens' inheritances by offering very cheap food - so be prepared for $12.99 all you can eat Prime Rib!!
2 - In an attempt to destroy your judgement to facilitate the rapid transfer of said offsprings' future wealth from your pocket to theirs, the casinos provide free alcoholic beverages to all active gamblers - so even if you are playing the penny slots very slowly you can score a free drink (Par's personal record is a 19 cent Long Island Iced Tea)!!
3 - Smoking is allowed in all Casinos, to better promote all manner of vice - so if you have asthma and a gambling compulsion, you could very well die at the roulette table, hmm maybe they should call it 'Merican Roulette so we don't fall behind the Russians!!
Tomorrow we will arrive in Vegas, and maybe explode from our planned Prime Rib eating contest, tune in tomorrow to find out!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Goin' to Vegas
Miles: 0.0
Gallons Burned: 0.0
Elvis Sightings: 0.0
Total Miles: 14636.2
Total Gallons Burned: 481.4
Total Caffeinated Drinks: 86
Total Gigabytes of Pictures: 33.5
I'm going on another road trip! this time from Seattle to Las Vegas, then onto LA. I'll be flying back.
So last time I embarked on a long road trip I spent almost 3 whole weeks planning it, 2 days of silence and solitude to acquire a proper vision and purpose for it, 2 days just to optimize the cockpit's configuration, and over $1,000 just to prep it.
Well boy howdy!! I think I got this all figured out!
Sooo, for this admittedly shorter road trip I spent almost a whole night planning it, 30 minutes of silence and solitude to acquire a proper vision and purpose for it, 0.0002 days to optimize my duffel bag, and $2.50 just to prep it.
Now my favorite part, the statistics:
Epic Road Trip: 14,636.2 miles
Vegas Road Trip (or as my roommate calls it "Harold and Kumar go to Whitecastle"): 1,474.3 miles
Estimated unique Elvis sightings: 37.3
Details:
My friend Par Singh generously invited me to accompany him to Vegas and following a 3 day jaunt in the desert "oasis", we will finish up in LA.
Stay tuned for real time updates from my upgraded communications system allowing me to blog from ANYWHERE.
Gallons Burned: 0.0
Elvis Sightings: 0.0
Total Miles: 14636.2
Total Gallons Burned: 481.4
Total Caffeinated Drinks: 86
Total Gigabytes of Pictures: 33.5
I'm going on another road trip! this time from Seattle to Las Vegas, then onto LA. I'll be flying back.
So last time I embarked on a long road trip I spent almost 3 whole weeks planning it, 2 days of silence and solitude to acquire a proper vision and purpose for it, 2 days just to optimize the cockpit's configuration, and over $1,000 just to prep it.
Well boy howdy!! I think I got this all figured out!
Sooo, for this admittedly shorter road trip I spent almost a whole night planning it, 30 minutes of silence and solitude to acquire a proper vision and purpose for it, 0.0002 days to optimize my duffel bag, and $2.50 just to prep it.
Now my favorite part, the statistics:
Epic Road Trip: 14,636.2 miles
Vegas Road Trip (or as my roommate calls it "Harold and Kumar go to Whitecastle"): 1,474.3 miles
Estimated unique Elvis sightings: 37.3
Details:
My friend Par Singh generously invited me to accompany him to Vegas and following a 3 day jaunt in the desert "oasis", we will finish up in LA.
Stay tuned for real time updates from my upgraded communications system allowing me to blog from ANYWHERE.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Mount Adams in Review, well maybe not
As I sit in my living room looking out over the Puget Sound, I wonder why I get all theses chances to do amazing things. In the last 7 months I have driven 15,000 miles, seen 34 states, met 150 new and beautiful people, been run off a beach by alligators, spun out twice in snow almost falling off cliffs to my death, toured America's two most beautiful houses, trespassed on Stephen King's property, driven 21 hours straight from South Dakota to Seattle, tasted Scotch from every part of Scotland, volunteered 180 hours with faithful and dedicated folks, eaten Alligator, Caribou, and Camel, Shared my favorite place on earth with 7 people, crashed a tiny birthday party with 50 other people (in a good way, Happy B day Kristeen), ridden 350 miles on my cheap mountain bike, built a deck, painted a house, moved, read 12 new books (sad I know, I need to read more), led 5 hiking adventures, led 125 volunteers without one fatality, summited a stratovolcano twice in five days, canceled my car insurance to go bike-only, gained 10 pounds (the good kind), seen the worlds most beautiful sunset, eaten 4 MREs, held my first M4 rifle, fired my first 45cal, set off my first fireworks, and of course started blogging.
Ok sentence two, so what have I learned while doing all this cool stuff? The world's first philosopher (no not Anaximander or Thales of Miletus)was Solomon son of David born about 1000 BC. He concluded in his three books, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon that all the fun stuff we do here on earth is nothing more than warm breath on a cold morning, gone without a trace as soon as it is seen. I really don't want to agree with him, I drove, saw, tasted, touched, rode, and hiked. These things really happened. But did I change the world? Did my chasing after experiences really bring me deep and abiding joy? Am I a man who has beaten the odds and defeated the unquenchable forces of entropy? Is my kingdom really going to last from this millennium to the next?
You see why I don't want to agree with Solomon. If all my work counts for nothing in the grand scheme, if I am just one of my generation who has hopped on the stationary bicycle of history and ridden really really hard only to be replaced by the next generation, if you and I are stuck riding around the small cul-de-sac of existence waiting to live out our days, than I really am not all that I'm cracked up to be.
For those of you who have met me, have spent any amount of time with me, and are actually honest, then you know I am not all that awesome. I am vaguely interesting, but I am just like you, pursuing interesting experience, but all the while trying to deny that Solomon was right, "A vapor, a vapor, everything is a vapor."
I know that if I am really lucky, I'll have about 50 more years on this planet so while I still will run around chasing all the shiny things in life I rest in the fact that it's all a vapor and I don't need to worry about things too much, God's got it all under control and when the bad times in life hit I know He is good.
So today is a good day and the last 7 months have been really really good, but I know as Solomon said (not those stupid hippies who totally tried to ruin it):
To be clear I have had times of mourning, times of hatred, times of breaking down, times of losing, times of all sorts and kinds, but right now is a time of seeking, a time to learn, a time to grow, and a time to reflect on all that has happened.
So thank you all who have been part of my life and involved in these various seasons. I believe the next season is starting for me, I hope your next season will be challenging in a good way, because I know mine will be.
Peace
Ok sentence two, so what have I learned while doing all this cool stuff? The world's first philosopher (no not Anaximander or Thales of Miletus)was Solomon son of David born about 1000 BC. He concluded in his three books, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon that all the fun stuff we do here on earth is nothing more than warm breath on a cold morning, gone without a trace as soon as it is seen. I really don't want to agree with him, I drove, saw, tasted, touched, rode, and hiked. These things really happened. But did I change the world? Did my chasing after experiences really bring me deep and abiding joy? Am I a man who has beaten the odds and defeated the unquenchable forces of entropy? Is my kingdom really going to last from this millennium to the next?
You see why I don't want to agree with Solomon. If all my work counts for nothing in the grand scheme, if I am just one of my generation who has hopped on the stationary bicycle of history and ridden really really hard only to be replaced by the next generation, if you and I are stuck riding around the small cul-de-sac of existence waiting to live out our days, than I really am not all that I'm cracked up to be.
For those of you who have met me, have spent any amount of time with me, and are actually honest, then you know I am not all that awesome. I am vaguely interesting, but I am just like you, pursuing interesting experience, but all the while trying to deny that Solomon was right, "A vapor, a vapor, everything is a vapor."
I know that if I am really lucky, I'll have about 50 more years on this planet so while I still will run around chasing all the shiny things in life I rest in the fact that it's all a vapor and I don't need to worry about things too much, God's got it all under control and when the bad times in life hit I know He is good.
So today is a good day and the last 7 months have been really really good, but I know as Solomon said (not those stupid hippies who totally tried to ruin it):
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
To be clear I have had times of mourning, times of hatred, times of breaking down, times of losing, times of all sorts and kinds, but right now is a time of seeking, a time to learn, a time to grow, and a time to reflect on all that has happened.
So thank you all who have been part of my life and involved in these various seasons. I believe the next season is starting for me, I hope your next season will be challenging in a good way, because I know mine will be.
Peace
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