The plan for this Vegas trip was for me to fly out and then travel back with Jon in his vehicle. We planned on leaving Vegas tomorrow morning, instead we departed about twelve hours early because Jon has had a death in his family.
Today was interesting for a few reasons. I hiked Red Rock Canyon West of Vegas. It was some of the most beautiful earth I've ever laid eyes on. Jon has hiked here before. I've never hiked anywhere, ever. Note to aspiring hikers: If you've never hiked, you might not want to start with Red Rock Canyon! It was very challenging for me, even though we were on one of the easiest trails out there.
We were surrounded by a rock climber's paradise. Everywhere you looked, people were attached to the sides of rocks and mountains, repelling down or climbing up. When our trail included some rock climbing, that's when I had to call it a day and turn around. My exercise hasn't been this adventurous since I almost got hit in the head by a disc golfer's approach shot while walking around my trail.
I don't do well in nature. It's beautiful and I appreciate the majestic views and how it inspires awe, but for me, I'd rather admire it without getting all up in it! It's interesting, I was raised in Oklahoma but I'm a city boy through and through, it seems.
We had a fairly late lunch at another casino buffet. Jon loves these buffets, I'm not a big fan. I didn't have trouble constructing a plate of food from the choices, but it takes some work. It's much easier for me to sit down and order from a menu. But--we had a 2 for 1 coupon, so yay for saving money! With my cottage cheese and crackers appetizer and my meal plate (609 cal), my total calories at this place was much higher than the previous days trip to "The Buffet" at the Golden Nugget. If you had the appetizer and meal, it was a nearly 800 calorie lunch. Yeah, too much at one time. It's truly not a big deal. My selections were good.
The casino gave me a whopping three dollars in free play! Awesome! I had lost a grand total of $50 before walking into this one and now I get to play for free! I like free. I turned that $3 free play into $120 dollars. This rare stroke of luck with free play put me $70 ahead for the trip.
The trip was short but very good. Jon had said he was looking forward to the ride back for the road conversations. And these have been really good conversations about the dynamics along this road.
I'm writing this post from my iPhone. I've never written a blog post from my phone! This is a first for me. I can't embed the Tweets since I'm writing via phone while riding down I-40 East at 75mph. But you can visit my twitter page and see them all! Visit www.twitter.com/seanaanderson
I hope to visit Vegas again someday soon. It was a very quick Vegas experience, but we did have an enjoyable visit.
I plan on adding the tweets to each post where I couldn't and replying to comments made in the last couple of days. I'll likely get some more rest first!
I'm about to post this blog from the road in the middle of the New Mexico desert.
I'm going to sleep while Jon drives, then I'll relieve him and drive later this morning.
I had dinner at Del Taco!! I hadn't enjoyed Del Taco since I lived in Los Angeles in 2003. And back then, I wasn't interested in eating better. I asked for a nutrition guide and by golly, they had one ready quick! It was a small dinner for me, just under 300 cal.
*Tweets added on Monday 10/20/2014
My Tweets today:
Coffee with a view. Regular unflavored non-dairy creamer, four packets-10 cal per= 40 cal. pic.twitter.com/H1RXSg5ztI
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) October 18, 2014
Three whole egg omelet with 2oz Wisconsin buffalo jack--prepared with 1/2 tblspn butter. Large gala apple. 540 cal. pic.twitter.com/Z7RX1UaCeJ
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) October 18, 2014
Appetizer. Cottage cheese and crackers. 176 cal. pic.twitter.com/69ZycVSHYF
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) October 18, 2014
Another buffet. Not a fan. I can manage fairly well. But I'd rather not. Turkey, fish, fruit, guac & chips. 609 cal. pic.twitter.com/KLx8QvA8I7
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) October 18, 2014
Indulgence: Tarter sauce!! It was good. Pretty good. Only consumed about half.
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) October 18, 2014
Iced coffee. 1/3 cup 2% milk. 40 cal. pic.twitter.com/W58pycW5op
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) October 18, 2014
Headed home early. On road with my apple slices. #snacktime 110 cal. pic.twitter.com/bcyR7wlJIP
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) October 19, 2014
TY Flagstaff, AZ Del Taco. They were ready w/a nutrition guide! Regular crunchy beef & crunchy chicken. 295 cal. pic.twitter.com/x1aLy7LaDu
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) October 19, 2014
Coffee while I write via phone, traveling 70 mph along I-40 East headed toward ABQ. I'm a passenger, btw. 30 cal. pic.twitter.com/E2ciotPWvx
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) October 19, 2014
Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean
Wow, kudos for posting from your iPhone, that's quite an accomplishment, especially from New Mexico, where there are probably still quite a few areas with no service! Sorry you guys have to drive through the night, and very sorry to hear about the loss in Jon's family.
ReplyDeleteBut CONGRATS on eating so well, and hiking (I am like you when it comes to loving nature more from a distance!). Also congrats on turning $3 into $120, that's amazing!!
You guys drive safely and take care.
Becky, thank you!! I suppose I always knew that posting from my iPhone was possible--but not preferable unless absolutely necessary. The need to continue driving was an important one--so this was the perfect circumstance to try it out. And I'm totally happy with the results.
DeleteYeah--Turning the 3 dollars in free play into 120 was a pretty neat deal. Very rare, from what they tell me. It was good--because I didn't allow too much in the budget for playing.
The food selections were fairly easy--I based them on my set boundaries and had at it... Without the compulsions to binge--it went better than expected!!
Had a great dinner with you and Jon. Hope the trip back was good. Look forward to your next trip.
ReplyDeleteMichael-- Thank you for taking the time to visit with us!! It was one of the highlights of our trip, for sure. I'm amazed at how similar our experiences and epiphanies have been along this road. It was a tremendous pleasure! Looking forward to seeing you again someday! Wishing you every success!
DeleteOh, wow! I'm so glad you got to hike Red Rock! It is a bit taxing, but the Hubs and I hiked it a couple of years ago and found it to be spectacular. So different from our usual hikes in the Tennessee and NC Smokies.
ReplyDelete.
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Well, okay, we didn't really hike Red Rock...I just wanted to imagine your mouth drop open when you read that. :D (We do hike the Smokies, tho.)
Later, Gator. :D
Deb
Deb-- You had me there, hook-line-and sinker!
DeleteI'm not much of the "hiking type," that's for sure!
Sounds like a great trip and you stayed on track which is not an easy thing to do! So congrats to you! I LOVE casino's. Here, we have Mohegan Sun. I just won a mini jackpot a few weeks ago... so much fun! Three bucks of free play?? That is an odd amount. But turning it around is awesome! Congrats on the hike , too!
ReplyDeleteRosie
Yeah--it was an odd amount of free play. I signed up for their players card and had the chance to "win" anywhere from 3 dollars to a thousand in free play. I "won" the lowest amount, of course--but then got lucky on it--which is very rare I presume!
DeleteThe hike was one of the easiest hikes they feature out there--and still, for me--it was tough. I don't know how they do it out there--I guess if you're there all the time and in much better shape than me, it works better!! :)
Thank you, Rosie!
Funny--on the way out, I tossed the players club card in the trash! LOL I'm sure people do that all the time.
DeleteSounds like yall had a good time. You did good turning that free play into profit! Get some rest , hope you got home safely!
ReplyDeleteThank you Alati! It was fun. Arrived home safely and proceeded to get 11 hours sleep last night! I feel like a million bucks!
DeleteConquering food in Vegas is quite an accomplishment! I applaud you Sean! You deserve a song of praise also for walking the line with keeping your routine intact.... right down to finding a place to not only send your blogs but sending the twitters!!!!!!! In your behavior I can sure see how often I make excuses for not following "the plan" I create. Am uncovering the many ways that knock me down and start the "undoing" of all I had accomplished to that point. THANK YOU SEAN!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteNancy--thank you!!! And you're very welcome. It goes back to the whole "running in the background" thing. A good plan we can live with should fit easily "back there." If it is something we can't manage without it being in the foreground, front and center in everything we do--it's bound to get sacrificed or violated as we go about living with changing plans and schedules.
DeleteI must say-- if I didn't have a smart phone, my pics and tweets would be much harder to maintain! With a computer in my hand 24/7, it makes what I do possible.
Nancy--you're experiencing some amazing epiphanies, my friend. Keep up the amazing work!!!
I have hiked in Red Rock Canyon! You are right - it is daunting, even the very beginner's trails. I did well in my fast weekend in Albuquerque, choosing restaurants where my needs were easily met. I'm back home, tired but happy with my choices.
ReplyDeleteGerri--it's so beautiful! Yes--the beginner trails are not "Sean friendly!" LOL
DeleteGreat work in ABQ! I should have found out where you were at 4am as we drove through--we could have enjoyed coffee together! Glad you're home after another successful trip!