Desert Living

Humans aren't really supposed to live in the desert. It's not an environment in which we evolved to exist. Long-term human survival in the desert requires significant modifications to our natural way of being. It requires more water than naturally occurs. It requires bringing in almost all one's food from somewhere else. It requires building shelter that will provide at least some ability to be cool on terrifically hot days.

Yet millions of us live in the desert anyway. We have two very good friends, both born and raised in Pittsburgh, who now live in the desert and absolutely love it. We visited them both, and enjoyed it very much.

Las Vegas

We've been to Vegas many times, both separately and together for work and play. We gamble modestly, and sometimes actually leave town with the house's money. We've been going long enough to have seen Vegas become more glitzy on the surface while also more decayed underneath.

The entire economy of Las Vegas is built around the casinos. The vast properties on the Strip require thousands of direct employees in each establishment and tens of thousands more supporting them -- providing goods and services that keep the whole thing running.

Our friend Devin went to music school at West Virginia University with Phil in the 1970s. He actually graduated from WVU (more than Phil can say) and moved to Vegas right away to see if he could make it as a professional musician. An incredible keyboardist and arranger, Devin worked in casino bars and clubs all over town, playing solo, with two or three others and sometimes in big bands. He worked for a while with David Cassidy (of Partridge Family fame) in a casino and touring show, and then finally got a long-term gig in the orchestra of the Cirque Du Soliel Mystere show in the Treasure Island.

He married Sandy in the mid 1980s, and together they raised a son. They moved to Boulder City in the 1990s and have been there ever since. They have a boat on Lake Mead and are living their best retired lives in a wonderful home with a recording studio in the basement.

We saw them every one of the three days we were in Las Vegas. They let us know about the remake of the Wizard of Oz that is playing in the Sphere, which is a huge and amazing venue. The movie was still awesome and watching it fill up that entire space was something to see.

The Sphere before the movie started. The red rings are supposed to make it look like Radio City Music Hall in New York. They are all a projection.

We had a great lunch at The Dillinger in Boulder City. Went to MGM Grand (Ann's first time there) the first evening for gaming and food at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant. Had some adventures on Devin and Sandy's boat which we overcame. Enjoyed a fantastic dinner at Panevino Italian Grill, which locals know about and don't want to tell the rest of us. And went to old downtown Vegas to spend a little time and see stuff you can't see anywhere else on earth.

On Lake Mead with Hoover Dam in the background. The lake is down more than 100 feet from its former level.

Fremont Street.

Dinner at Panevino Italian Grill with Devin and Sandy.

The city made Fremont Street downtown pedestrian-only many years ago, and built a cover over part of it with a light show. It's lined with the old, original casino hotels from years gone by in Vegas. Most have been updated to some degree, and some completely new ones have been built, including Circa, which is very modern with a loooooonnnnnnnggg bar and a really big sports book.

We enjoyed our trip to Las Vegas, mainly because we were able to spend so much time with our friends. We walked down part of the Strip on our way to the Sphere, and it has become dingier than it ever was. Many of the big casinos that have anchored the Strip for decades are getting old now, and they look it.

After several conventions at the Mirage, it was hard to see the building stripped as it becomes the new Hard Rock and the construction of a massive tower shaped like a guitar where the volcano used to be in front.

The Hard Rock guitar rising in front of the old Mirage, which is gutted.

Vegas remains a transitory, gambling-based metropolis. But some things are different that appear to be changing the nature of old Sin City, perhaps for the better. There are now two major-league sports teams in town and a third will soon join them. It is a better foodie destination than it used to be. There are some businesses there that aren't casino related.

However, it's reasonable to assume there won't be enough water to sustain its current level of growth 20-30 years from now, so people should enjoy it while they can.

La Quinta, CA

We headed south into the Mojave Desert, toward an alien landscape in the Joshua Tree National Park. The park sits at the convergence of the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts and is home to the strangest "tree" you will ever see.

A Joshua Tree. So named because the Mormons who came to this area thought it resembled the Prophet Joshua greeting the Lord. Think of that what you may.

One of the thousands of eroding granite caps in the Park. This one kind of looks like the head of a sleeping giant on its side. Maybe.

The Joshua Tree isn't a woody tree at all, it's actually related to the agave plant. Probably can't make tequila from it, however. There are millions of them in the northern part of the park, among the weathered granite rock formations. It's an amazing site, and we will be going back for a couple of days next time.

Our route took us along the old Route 66 for a little bit and we passed by the Amboy Salt Flats. We headed further south toward the Coachella Valley, home to Palm Springs in the north and the Salton Sea in the south. In between the two is La Quinta, home to our Point Park College friend Terry and her husband Bennett.

They moved there from San Francisco after they both retired. Bennett is a tennis player and is on the way to becoming a professional tennis racket stringer, which isn't that easy. They live along a hole of one of the PGA West courses where a PGA tournament is played every February.

#11 green at the Nicklaus Course at PGA West. It is immaculate.

We rode the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway to the top of the San Jacinto Mountains where the air was thin and quite cool. We enjoyed a truly exceptional dinner at Lavender Bistro, which is completely outdoor dining amid trees and wonderful landscaping. Not surprisingly, it's closed in the summer.

Heading down the Tramway.

With Terry and Bennett at Lavender Bistro. A magical place.

We did not play golf there, as we were only in for one full day and wanted to spend it with our friends, but we will play when we come back. The area is home to dozens of great courses and, as long as you time it right, the desert is a comfortable place.

We can understand the draw desert living has for some. It's great 8 months out of the year. It hardly ever rains, meaning one can enjoy the outdoors almost nonstop. But those four hot months....they are unbearable. Yes, it's a dry heat. But nothing can be outside from 10 am to 10 pm. If the power goes out and the air conditioning stops, its deadly.

So we will keep visiting our friends in the deep desert at the comfortable times. But living there? Not so much. Well, maybe Santa Fe, which isn't completely desert and at a higher elevation.