On The Fly

In this episode, The Sign . . . Raise your hand if you’ve heard of or remember the futuristic design of the 1950s dubbed Googie architecture? Googie architecture was optimistic, experimental, and exciting. And you might already be familiar with it. Animators for The Jetsons used Googie buildings for inspiration. Entering Las Vegas, Nevada, from California on Arrowhead Highway/Highway 91, now called “the Strip,” you can still find cherished remnants of roadside America from its motoring past. While visiting Las Vegas in 2014, staying at Mandalay Bay, I was delighted to discover   the “The Sign.” It’s worth a look just to glimpse Las Vegas’ history. That is provided you have the pluck to make your way from your room through the maze of the modern monolith hotel/casino and can get outside for an early morning walk; you, too, can discover this quaint roadside attraction. Admittedly, I’m an early bird, out the door by 5:15 a.m., enjoying a light breeze and a pleasant 78 degrees. Keep in...

Raise your hand if you’ve heard of or remember the futuristic design of the 1950s dubbed the Googie architecture movement? Stay with me; you may be surprised. Entering Las Vegas, Nevada, from California on Arrowhead Highway/Highway 91, now called “the Strip,” you can still find remnants of roadside America from its motoring past. One of the not-so-ubiquitous treasures is the Diamond Inn Motel ,  built in 1940. While visiting Las Vegas at  Mandalay  Bay, I was delighted to discover two historic landmarks, “The Sign” and the Diamond Inn Motel. Well, to be honest, only the sign is designated as a historic landmark. But they are both worth a look just to get a glimpse of Las Vegas’s history. You can discover this quaint roadside business if you have the pluck to make your way from your room through the modern monolith hotel/casino maze and can actually get outside for an early morning walk.  Admittedly, I’m an early bird; I was out the door by 5:15 ...

If you’ve ever seen Blazing Saddles by Mel Brooks, you may recall one of the first scenes in the movie; railroad workers in the scorching desert being driven by a stern taskmaster, a blistering, parched, scene. One worker drops from exhaustion and dehydration. Taggart barks out, “Dock that Chink a days pay for nappin’ on the job, can’t be more than 115!” I could never really relate to that scene until last years trip to Las Vegas, teaching Diamond Grading class at AGS. We endured 115-degree days for weeks on end. This year, thank goodness the weather is more temperate. Returning to the same hotel it’s apparent that things change from year-to-year. New buildings sprout up, employees move on, businesses change and empty lots are filled - but what remains untouched is nature’s beauty - the glowing landscape of the Mojave Desert in Nevada! Without fail, my early morning walk treats me to panoramic views of the mountains in Summerland bathed in the golden sunlight of Red Roc...

“The climb gets harder - its a steady 10 mile climb before we reach the top, then its downhill all the way back to the car,” said Margaret De Young.  “Don’t tell me that right now!” - as I struggled to maintain a steady six-mile an hour pace climbing out of the Lake Meade basin in Las Vegas Nevada. If you think you’re in shape let Margaret and J.T. set you straight! It had been over a year since seeing Margaret and her partner J.T. My first free weekend in Las Vegas would be touring the mountainous landscape on J.T.’s Trek road bike that he had so carefully outfitted for me that Saturday morning of our first ride. Sixty-four miles over two days, “a casual weekends ride”, not so fast . . . The story begins on Saturday March, 3, 2012, we agreed to meet at 10:00 a.m. to just take a bicycle ride around their neighborhood in Vegas. That first ride turned into a 25.8-mile undertaking with an elevation gain of about 958 feet. Five miles out we started our ascent - that cl...