With the closing of our condo escrow on Feb 6, we naturally had to celebrate somehow. Our way of doing that was to get out of town. Las Vegas was our chosen destination because of its good winter weather and its annual Southwest Polka Festival which always draws a bunch of our longtime friends.

After arriving in Glitter City on Feb 9, what do you suppose our first priority would be? If you guessed “getting out of town”, you were right! Well, since the festival was still two days off, and the weather WAS beautiful, a drive into the local hills was opportune. The Red Rock area, fairly close to Las Vegas on the west side, is a place neither Patty nor I had ever seen.

Happily, this remarkable area has been spared from development and is unlike anything a visitor to Las Vegas is likely to experience near the Strip. It is RUGGED country, as is obvious in this first close-up view:

Our chauffeur for the day was Patty’s dear Uncle Bill, a cheerful soul if ever there was one. A bout with polio years ago permanently slowed his gait, but did nothing to dim his bright outlook on life or his sense of humor. Posing here near the start of the Red Spring boardwalk, our hiking trio is snapped by a friendly passerby.

It was a bit surreal to see such a bright sun and feel such gentle warmth, having been in the clutches of winter just the day before.

The boardwalk is wonderfully crafted, making for a delightful walk around a large grassy area. The inhospitable terrain that surrounds the boardwalk adds to the feeling that this is truly an oasis:

And, yes, there really is a spring here. However, on our visit, Red Spring had more the appearance of a water seep than a gusher. Here, you see a well-sited bush being nourished by the “floodwaters”.

From our picnic table at the Visitor Center, the road ahead to the most spectacular of the colored rocks was easily visible:

Following that road eventually led to the hills in the foreground. We were a bit flummoxed seeing them close up as they had every appearance of being individually hand-painted:

Before heading back to Vegas, Patty couldn’t resist climbing a rock to get one last view of these multihued giants:

Next, it was time to take in the wonders of Las Vegas. Since the Wynn Casino Hotel is about the newest extravaganza on the Strip, we simply had to take a look.

One of the prettiest sights we spotted inside was called the “Parasol Room”, for obvious reasons:

Nearby, a bright and cheery, marble walkway: (Hey, I could get used to this!)

Having some free time during the polka festival, we revisited a few of our favorite haunts. If you guessed the surroundings in the following photo look like Greenwich Village in the New York, New York Casino, you’ve obviously been there, too.

Walking up the Strip to check out what might have changed in the Bellagio since our last visit, we paused for photos. In this one, the Bellagio is on the left behind Patty and overlooks its famous lake; Caesar’s Palace is in the background:

Across the Strip could be seen Bally’s Casino and the eye-catching Paris Las Vegas:

We also had a clear view of Aladdin’s Casino. Here, you see the stunning appearance I think it was meant to have:

Unfortunately, its REAL appearance is rather unremarkable these days due to the high rises that surround it, most notably its own hotel.

Finally entering the Bellagio, we headed straight for the Conservatory to gape at the latest spectacle on display. We learned some time ago that the Conservatory’s display changes every season and holiday! This February, we were greeted by an imposing gent poised to celebrate Chinese New Year. We understand he is a folk hero symbolic of good fortune and health.

Very impressive, indeed. Moreover, behind this figure is a banyan tree estimated at more than 105 years old. Cut down because it was diagnosed with a fatal disease, it was transported in pieces from Palm Beach and reassembled here! The Bellagio spares no expense to impress.

You could make a lot of fancy clothes with the material draped on this guy:

Off to one side of the Conservatory, finishing touches were still underway on this amazing canine. As you may have heard, it’s the Year of the Dog.

Nothing like really getting into your work, huh?

Just to prove we really did go for the dancing, here we are with our favorite polka band from southern Cal: