Vegas, June 2017
What can I say? We decided to go to Vegas for our long stay in June because it is usually cooler than in September, right? According to the locals, they have had more extreme heat warning days in June than they did all last year!
It never dropped below 100 degrees f for our entire trip there. We ran both our roof a/c and the room a/c we call R2 and inside Piper rarely got below 85 degrees. The only respite in the valley from the heat was to go to the pool or inside a casino where it was still warmer than usual. we spent more time in the pool this trip than ever before.
106 degrees at 106 pm
E and I did our usual routine of checking out what has changed in the town. One notable change is the addition of the Lucky Dragon Casino on Sahara just west of the Boulevard. This cute boutique hotel is very clean and airy looking with a niche target audience of the person looking for the “Asian” gaming experience.
The Lucky Dragon
E decided to hit the strip on Thursday and I decided to get some relief and get some flight time in. Mount Charleston is in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area. This gem of an area is 50 minutes drive out of Vegas. Just head north on US 95 and watch for the signs for Mt. Charleston. The desert floor is at about 3000 feet above sea level and you climb to over 8500 feet. The visitor center is a nice cool respite (the temperature was 72 degrees) with a well done interpretive center. The easy in and out round-a-bout makes this center one of the most accessible ones I have ever been to. I got my requisite walking stick pin and chatted up the Ranger on duty. She was very knowledgeable and understood the laws and regulations regarding model aircraft and “drones”. I explained to her my reason for flying (practice filming and flying in diverse terrain) and she called up the recent e-mail from the district commander giving very specific guidelines for operation of aircraft. I head on up to the mountain and stop off at the 8500 foot level at the Desert overlook. This is an area overlooking the desert floor below. This vista covers many square miles of Nevada with a great explanation of the history of the area. I launch the bird and get a solid signal and head out for practice, flying at 8500 feet, the bird performed flawlessly. As always, I answered many questions from other sightseers about my drone.
Flynn flies the inspire
desert overlook vista
After a great day of sightseeing I headed back down into the furnace of the Vegas valley, picked up E and we headed out for dinner in the air conditioned comfort of a restaurant before heading back to Piper for a nights rest.
BFD
