Las Vegas and shooting stars

Friday through Sunday, Lindsey, Jeff, and I visited Las Vegas. It took longer than expected (because traffic and construction) and we didn't get there until about midnight on Friday. Good thing Vegas never sleeps! We stayed with a good friend of Lindsey's (Colin) who manages outdoor events at the Flamingo and only lives 10 minutes from the strip. We did the strip Friday night and Lake Las Vegas on Saturday. This resort area is modeled after towns in northern Italy and was absolutely gorgeous. I liked that the second night was more relaxing. Overall, I had a lot of fun, though I'm pretty tired from the late nights. Due to the nature of the beast that is Vegas, that's pretty much all I can tell you about our trip. I will share some photos though! Sorry about some of the buildings being a little blurry. It's hard messing with the exposure time without a tripod!

Can you tell I love the fields of windmills?

VIP view of the Flamingo.
"Sleep is for the weak." - Lindsey, Jeff, and I at 6:30am.
Colin's turtle, Dirk Diggler, eating kale. He ate the whole thing!
I tried taking pictures at Lake Las Vegas but it was too dark!
Driving through the Mojave desert. Yikes.

After a long trip back caused by the same elements as Friday, we grabbed some dinner and headed northeast about an hour to Lake Isabella. Sunday night was the annual Perseid meteor shower. I had never heard about this (or maybe it never stuck in my mind) but Jeff, who is from CO, said he and his mother used to check it out every year. We drove to the lake because there is too much light pollution in Bakersfield. We never did find the lake, but we drove up a long, winding road on a mountainside until we reached the top. There, we stepped out and leaned against the truck for a good hour. I have never seen a sky so filled with stars and to be perfectly honest, I would've been fine just looking at that for an hour! We were able to see quite a few shooting stars and it was just breathtaking. I wish I could have captured what we saw on camera, but I don't have the appropriate equipment. We decided to head back down when Lindsey and I heard something take a step close to us in the darkness. Jeff laughed at us, but hey, I am not messing with a coyote!!

- Carol