Being Entertained in Las Vegas

I’d been on the road for nearly 2 weeks, bumming my way around US national parks. I’d hiked up mountains, biked across slickrock, ran across desert trails. I had wilderness overload. I needed some city life. I needed some entertainment.

So when the Interstate 15 sign shouted out “Las Vegas”, I followed the signs straight there. What followed was 48 hours of over-the-top amusement and total sensory overload.

The strip was the first stop on the tour. Within a few miles, I had passed Egyptian pyramids, the Eiffel Tower, Greek Goddess statues, and New York’s Statue of Liberty. I saw a lady vomiting out of a cab at 5pm in the afternoon. Someone offered me a business card for a local escort’s services. Lads wandered down the street with tanks of margarita. It was more than I could cope with.

I logged on to alltrails.com as soon as I got back to the safety of my hotel. There I found an 11 mile trail to run around, and away from Las Vegas’ craziness. It was less than a 30 minute drive from Las Vegas’ city centre. But it was a world away from the gambling, drinking, and prostitution that was legally allowed there.

Cool red rock canyons lined the start of the trail. Climbers clung to the rocks as they scaled their silly heights. From there I ran through the desert, looking out for snakes and geckos. Though I lost the trail a few times, I was never far from the safety of the tarmacked scenic drive that parallels the trail. (Have a look at the garmin trail here).

I felt safer in the wilderness than I did in Las Vegas’ streets. So I made a mental plan to get out of town the next day. However I decided to make the most of my last night in the midst of this desert debauchery. So I headed to the Cirque de Soleil Ka show, where the most incredible acrobatic stage show ever seen was put on for our entertainment.

Las Vegas was a good reminder that I’m not a city girl. However at least it was still able to cough up a cool trail run on its city perimeter.