Lessons in four-wheeling

In search of different trails and such Frank came across Vegas Vegas 4 Wheelers. After a quick glimpse of the site, we knew we wanted to become members. You earn your membership by attending three runs and three meetings. There happened to be a night run scheduled for Saturday so we decided to attend.

The run took place in Apex, which is north of the Las Vegas Speedway, but not as far as the Indian Reservation. Ram and no name canyon were the planned trails. There were eight vehicles in the group; our Jimmy, a Unimog, Toyota truck, a dune buggy and the rest were Jeeps. We had no idea what to expect, but I never could’ve imagined what we were in for.

We started out on a dirt trail, but then made a sharp right into a canyon. A very rocky canyon! We didn’t know what we got ourselves into, but we knew it’d be fun so we proceeded on... Until we got stuck. The path (I guess you can call it that) narrowed and there were several boulders to pass. It was our first time tackling this sort of obstacle.

Slow and steady wins the race


A couple guys spotted Frank to get him through the rough. We made it through, alright, and it was real fun. Then, the convoy pushed on.

Until we got here...


I stopped filming because I didn’t want to bust the camera. However, in hindsight it would’ve been worth the risk. The trail was tricky. We rocked back and forth slowly making progress. The guys spotted us again, and set boulders to help us gain traction. This was the point when we learned we needed rear lockers (they keep the tires from spinning). We pressed on and there were times we were on two and possibly even one wheel, but after a few tries we got through it. Our adrenaline was racing! And I’ve gotta say the feeling of conquering something you don’t think is possible is amazing.

We’re free!

We moved a bit further ahead, and then stopped so the Unimog can climb the hard trail.




A Jeep decides to give it a try, too. Here’s footage of that and it also shows the bypass we took, aka “the easy way”.



The Jeep got stuck, the Unimog winched it out.



Next up was the dune buggy, he made it with ease



After that we moved up along the trail so everyone else could access the bypass. It took us quite a while to pass this portion of the trail. One of the Jeeps got stuck and needed another Jeep to tow him out.



Night set in before we were able to move on to the next leg of the trail. I snapped a shot of it while it was still light.



We were ready to continue on, but when Frank went to start up the Jimmy it was dead. Luckily, it started after a jump. We knew we had to keep it running from that point on. Fortunately at the top of the next pass there were dirt trails back to where we began. Our fun ended there. A few others left too, but the rest kept on to a more difficult part of the trail. If we hadn’t had battery trouble we planned to catch a ride with the Unimog for the next leg, because the Jimmy needs to be modified a bit more before we can attempt that level of difficulty.

We had an absolute blast and we learned a lot. After this adventure, I determined that we were strictly off-roading on previous trails, but on Saturday we got a taste of four-wheeling. The irony, though, is that four-wheeling doesn’t mean having four wheels on the ground. Instead, it seems like two or less (wheels) touch at any given time.

You can see other photos of the event here and additional video here.

Review: CUT

We decided to try CUT, Wolfgang Puck's newest restaurant at Palazzo for our anniversary. Our first attempt (Tuesday) failed, because Frank got stuck at work and nothing was available to change our reservation time. We made reservations for Wednesday at 6 o'clock (everything else until 9 was booked).

When we arrived, the bar was packed and noisy, but the restaurant was quiet and it had a nice modern atmosphere. We had a table in the very back, we were tucked away all by ourselves. After we were seated, we were presented with the menu and a Kobe-style and Wagyu presentation to showcase the marbling of the high-end cuts. However, we opted for the prime cuts.

After our order was taken, hot gougeres were delivered compliments of the chef. They were delicious, and only had a hint of saltiness (from the cheese) unlike the salt laced puffs at Carnevino (last week). A gentleman came by with a selection of breads: pretzel, pumpernickel, wheat and onion foccacia. We sampled each, all were great, but the pumpernickel and foccacia were our favorites. We also had cheese breadsticks to snack on while we waited on our appetizer. Those were tasty, too.

We started the meal by sharing warm asparagus piled on toast, topped with a poached egg and a champagne vinaigrette. Frank would've like the dish better without egg, but I liked it. For the main course, Frank chose the Nebraska Rib Eye (dry aged 35 days) and I selected the Illinois (aged 21 days) Filet Mignon. Sides are served family style; we had potato tarte tatin and broccolini with garlic and sun dried tomatoes. A selection of mustards were delivered to complement the steak: violet, dijon and brown mustard. All were good, especially the violet, but we felt the steaks were better on their own.

The rib eye had superb flavor, had it been bone-in it could have been the best of those we've tried. However, Nobhill continues to hold that title. The filet was great, too. Both steaks had a nice sear to hold in the juices and were hinted with Fleur de sel. The potatoes and broccolini were delicious, as well.

We skipped dessert, although, a sampling of a lemon bar and toffee were brought along with the check ($181). Those were scrumptious bites. All in all, we felt the meal was a cut above the rest (har). Service was excellent. Additionally, the nice atmosphere remained after dining room filled. It was enjoyable meal, we felt it rounded out the top five restaurants of those we've dined thus far.

Exploring Henderson

Sunday we had lunch at Grimaldi's Pizza. They sent me a coupon for a free large pizza for my birthday. I think it's the best NY style pizza I've tried, but Frank thought Metro Pizza was better. In any case, you can't beat lunch for 2 for less than $5 (drinks).

From there we to Lake Mead Rec. Area to see if they allowed off-roading, they don't, you must stay on paved roads within the state park. I thought that might be the case. Plan B was to check out trails at Mission Hills (blue) near Black Mountain in Henderson. We ended up taking a detour near there.




There are many trails in that area. Some are well traveled (especially compared to the trail to Sloan) others are better accessed by quads and bikes. The weather was cool and windy. At the start of our adventure, the sky was cloudy and visibilty was low because of the debris in the air.

Looking across Henderson to Black Mountain with the strip in the distance


A trail in the opposite direction


Mountains that we drove through


Video: Climbing a mountain pass



It started to clear up when we got closer to civilization


Frank asked if I wanted to drive. I was a little hestitant, but I decided to give it try. After cruising along the pipeline for a while we came up houses fairly quick. From there we found another way into more trails near Sloan Canyon Conservation Area. Access is supposed to be restricted, but it doesn't seem like anyone abides since we came across several others playing in the same area.

In order to gain access I had to drive down this hill. It's doesn't look too tricky from this perspective, but at the top, I had no clue what was below... so it got my heart racing a bit.

I drove a little further, but then the trail got more challenging so I let Frank drive. Not only for our safety, but also because I'd enjoy it more from the passenger seat.




We cruised along the trails and I snapped pictures on the way

Another view of Black Mountain


Pretty natural landscape


We came upon an area that looked to be a good place to shoot.


We pulled out the Glock. Frank used an old barrel as a target. We weren't sure if there'd be any ricochets so we used the truck for cover.

I'm too short to shoot from behind the truck so I just shot into the mountain until I had a ricochet, then I found a dirt mound so I could finish off the clip.

Afterwards, we packed up and headed back on the trails.



We back tracked some and went a different direction from the retention basin. We followed a couple trails until they ended. One we'd like to return to when we have another vehicle with us. The other offered nice views of the valley.


After we made our way back we decided to call it a day. We went to Green Valley Ranch to catch a movie and planned to have dinner at Lucille's BBQ afterwards. But our timing didn't coincide with showtimes. Needless to say, we ended up at Lucille's first. We shared the spinach artichoke dip, a pulled pork sandwich and a slice of chocolate cake. Super tasty, except the cake was too rich for my taste.

Making good use of Google Earth

We've really taken to our off-road adventures, we've checked out a handful of trails recently. I've started marking them off using Google Earth (green marks places to shoot). Here's the trails we visited near my mom's on Easter:




Since then we've found a great spot near our house off Sunset and Grand Canyon Dr. There's a few trails and the canyon offers a great location to shoot. The echo from each shot is intense because of the curve of the canyon. It's very cool. Nearby is a path that people in the neighborhood walk up, it was wide enough for us to drive so we went up it. The view of the strip was spectacular from there. Too bad I was a schmuck and left my camera at home. The mountain is pretty steep so I got nervous coming down, but Frank and the Jimmy handled it well. Having these trails five minutes from the house is great, it so convenient.




We've also scoped out a retention basin off Buffalo (south of Blue Diamond), that will be fun after a little rainfall. From there continued on to see where Rainbow led. We came across a group on quads they told us there were good trails out that way and one led to Sloan (a small town outside the LV Valley right off I-15). Which sounded good to us... off we went. It was an awesome ride. Before heading up the mountain pass there was a hill or mound that hundreds of people have shot at, there was busted glass, 8 tracks, tvs, all kinds of garbage. We decided to use some of it as targets. However, there was so much debris on the dirt mound, it would erupt into the air with every shot. It didn't seem too safe so we each fired a clip and felt it was best to move on. Although, I did blow out one of pokemon's eyes before we packed it up.

We continued up the mountain. I got nervous at the peak, it's a bit scary when you can't see and when you don't know what's ahead. But all was good. We saw Sloan and we were very proud that we made it. We made our way down the mountain, we came upon train tracks. We had to cross them to get over to I-15. Fortunately, we made it across with ease. It was a lot of fun. You can see the path we took below.

Nothing Else Matters

It's hard to believe, but today is Frank and my eleventh anniversary. It's extraordinary to think of all the things we've experienced, overcome, and learned in the past eleven years. Who knew confessing our love on April Fool's Day as juniors in highschool would one day lead us here? But, boy, am I glad it did. It's been a fabulous journey, I look forward to what our future holds. As long as we have each other by our side... Nothing Else Matters. Yeah, that's been our song since our early days back in '97.

So close no matter how far
Couldnt be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
And nothing else matters

Never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words I dont just say
And nothing else matters

Trust I seek and I find in you
Every day for us something new
Open mind for a different view
And nothing else matters...

We plan to celebrate tonight by having dinner at CUT Wolfgang Puck's newest restaurant at Palazzo. It'll be our first experience at one of his establishments; I hope it's a good one.

Gram's Pizzelle Recipe

Gram’s Pizzelles

6 eggs
3 ½ cups of flour
1 ½ cups of sugar
2 tbsp vanilla or anise
1 cup of margarine, melted
4 tsp baking powder

Beat eggs, add sugar gradually. Beat until smooth. Add cooled margarine and vanilla or anise. Sift flour and baking powder. Blend into egg mixture until smooth. Dough will be sticky enough to be dropped by spoon. Bake in Pizzelle Baker (about 30 seconds). Makes 60-80 pizzelles depending on size.

Another year older - Review: Carnevino

Yesterday was my 28th birthday. I slaved away at work all day, but I afterwards I was able to relax at home until Frank got off work. When he arrived, he gave me a big kiss and handed me his suit jacket. Inside was my gift, a pizzelle maker. We got ready for dinner and headed over to the Palazzo. We had a 7 o'clock reservation at Carnevino. They took a minute to prepare the table and then they seated us. The dining area isn't very large, but tables are spaced apart nicely. I really liked that we had personal space, especially since so many restaurants, now, seem to pack in as many tables as possible.

We each ordered an iced tea, and then rosemary focaccia drizzled in olive oil was brought to the table along side butter and lardo. Our waiter forewarned us that the lardo might be a bit salty, but he encouraged us to try it. Next, an amuse bouche of parmesan and gorgonzola cheese puffs were delivered and our waiter answered our questions and shared the specials.

We decided to sample a few dishes and share everything. First, we tried the puffs. Those were better suited for the saltiness warning than the lardo. Then, we snacked on the delicious bread and lardo while we waited for our Caesar salad. Our Caesar was a mix of endive, radicchio, and romaine. It was topped with anchovies and crouton toast. Most restaurants will split a salad for us, but here we were only brought an extra plate. The dressing wasn't too notable, the romaine was wilted and the addition of the endive and radicchio wasn't well received. Neither of us liked the salad much, we hoped it would be the only weak link of the meal.

After a short wait, our entrees and sides were delivered. We had orecchiette with sweet sausage and broccoli rabe. The pasta was delicious, but the sausage was more salty than sweet. The ricotta and egg raviolo in brown butter was singular, the yolk ran out when it was cut into. It reminded me of a sunny side egg wrapped in a crepe. It was alright, but $19 seemed a bit extreme for this dish. We teased that the egg had better be free range and organic. The filet was cooked to perfection, it was very tender and flavorful. Although, the crust was too salty for our taste. We've had better steaks, but the filet was the highlight of this meal.

This was my first encounter with zeppole. It wasn't what I expected. After the first one, I referred to these as carnival potatoes. My thought is that each zeppole has three layers: the salt, much like what you'd find on a soft pretzel; fried dough, like an elephant ear; and the inside is reminiscent of mashed potatoes. I felt the saltiness and fried taste overpowered any hint of parmesan or potato.

The artichokes were grilled and drizzled with olive oil and topped with lime. The lime was much too strong on the pieces at the top. The artichoke at toward the bottom of the dish had only a hint of lime and it was more to our liking.

Dessert was offered, but we passed. A complimentary bite of an Italian energy bar was delivered along with the check. It was nutty with carmel and a strong taste of what I believed to be anise.

Our bill came to $126. Service throughout the meal was good and well timed. Howbeit, when the reservation was made, it was noted that this was a birthday celebration, but it was not recognized during our meal. While that's not pivotal, other restaurants we've dined have gone out of their way to make the experience special. Overall, we weren't too pleased by the food. As you might of guessed, it was just too salty for our liking.

After dinner, we walked over to illy Cafe for an espresso and mint chocolate chip gelato. Then, we drove over to Bellagio. We checked out the new spring exhibit in the conservatory. It's very pretty and it's different than previous years (I'll go back and snap some photos to share). We watched a few fountain shows; we saw all of our favorites, so that really made my night.

All in all, it was a great birthday.

An untraditional Easter

We headed out to my mom's house on Sunday. We decided to see how the Jimmy would do over the hump (to Pahrump). She didn't like the mountain pass much, but she made it. We were very relieved. Shortly, after we got to my mom's we went off-roading. First, we drove over the foothills into the mountains that divide NV and CA. We found a great spot for shooting, too. We wished we brought the gun (we bought a Glock 17 on Saturday). After messing around in the foothills, we drove south, where there's a wash. It's rougher ride, the earth is more compact because it's real popular with atv's, quads and dirt bikes. It was a ton of fun and the Jimmy handled it all like a trooper. Regrettably, I left my camera at mom's house by mistake so I don't have any photos of our off-road adventure.

When we got back, I rode my mom's horse, Fancy. I've only rode a pony, so that was interesting. I was real nervous at first, but I got more comfortable with her as I rode. My mom took a short ride. Then, we had dinner. Frank grilled up lamb chops (whole foods), and Omaha steaks (which I got from work). The lamb was real good, but the steaks were a real disappointment. They were no better than what you'd find in a regular grocery store. It certainly wasn't an ordinary Easter, but it sure was fun.

Yep, that's me, ridin' Fancy





And here's the beast



She's 23 years old and there's not a spot of rust to be found. You'd NEVER see that in Chicago.

Sedona continued

We drove to route 179 to check out Bell Rock and Chapel of the Holy Cross. First stop was Bell Rock, I didn’t much care to stop there, I have no interest in the vortex (if there is such a thing), but we figured we were there, why not? Well, I don’t know if was the road construction or what, but we didn’t find where to go. There was one parking lot that looked like it offered trails, but the entrance was not Trans Am friendly. We gave up and headed toward the Chapel of the Holy Cross.



The Chapel of the Holy Cross was designed by a Frank Lloyd Wright student, Marguerite Brunswig Staude, it was built in 1956 and rises 200 feet from the ground between two large red rock formations.



No services are held here, but it’s intended to provide an ideal setting for spiritual reflection and prayer.




The surrounding views and formations are spectacular!






These flowers had a sign, “Please don’t pick us we’re smiling at God”.




After the chapel, it was around 3 o’clock, we figured it was best to started heading to Flagstaff so we could be home at a decent hour.

The drive from Sedona to Flagstaff is slow-going, but beautiful. The whole way you wind up the mountainside climbing in elevation. We were going about our business enjoying the views, weather and sunshine... then we saw...



Yeah, that’s snow! We couldn’t believe it. We were cruising with the T-tops off and a few feet away there was snow. We pulled over to take pictures and touch the snow.






As we climbed higher and higher it got to be very snowy. We stopped at a rest stop and took more photos. There was a Native American craft fair going on, we picked up a present for Frank’s mom since her birthday was the day before.



As far as we could tell Oak Creek originates here



Shortly after leaving the rest area we saw a sign to watch for Elk. Sure enough we saw a herd. After that, though, there were no more interesting sightings. We took I-40 to Vegas, it’s one boring drive and the roads are in terrible condition. Here’s the sunset about 20 miles from the Hoover Dam


We made it home a little after 7:30. It was a long, but fun-filled day. All in all, it was a great trip, too!

Spring Training and on to Sedona

Sunday:

We got a late start so we didn’t do anything prior to the game. Shane’s friend, Wes, was attending the game with us, we left when he arrived. The game was at Peoria Sports Complex about 15 minutes away. It wasn’t too crowded, we were hungry we all decided on the Italian sausage and brat booth. They said the brats weren’t too tasty, but my sausage was good. We took our seats, which were along the third base line in the second row.

Spring Training is a really neat experience it’s much more intimate than a regular game. The players are right there in front of you. We had conversations with Jeff Cox the new third base coach – he’s quite the character; a real good guy.

Here’s Ozzie (the coach) waving as he went by



Stretching and practice before the game



Ozuna signing autographs



Dye signing autographs


Contreas pitching



We lost the game, they were real sloppy… hence spring training… but we saw Contreas get a base hit. It was fun watching for foul balls, and just enjoying baseball.

After the game, we packed up all our stuff, offered our thanks to Shane, and headed to Sedona. I think it was around 4:30 when we got on the road. The drive was nice, we were in awe when we got into Oak Creek at sunset. The rock formations are spectacular; they got us psyched for the next day. We checked in our room at Kokopelli Suites. It was decent, the Jacuzzi was too small for two, the bed is two twin craftmatic adjustable beds. We had fun toying around with those, at least until Frank’s got stuck. Then we only played with my side.



Once we got situated we set out for dinner, we ended up at an Italian restaurant down the street, I think it was named Troja. Frank had veal parmesan and I had chicken cannelloni, both were good. We had tiramisu for dessert. That was yummy, as well.

We crashed not long after we got back to the hotel.

Monday:

We loaded up the car and decided to have breakfast at L'Auberge Restaurant on Oak Creek supposedly, one of the best places to dine in town. We were seated on the sun porch overlooking Oak Creek. Frank had an omelet, with sausage and toast. I had banana nut pancakes with walnut butter. Both were very good, but not worth $38.

From L’Auberge we went to Red Rock State Park.



When we paid admission into the park they failed to mention that many trails were closed because all but one bridge was washed out from floods that Oak Creek had experience this winter (lots of snow in the mountains).

While there, we were able to hike a portion of Kisva trail and Eagle’s Nest Trail (3 orange and 4 blue) if you click here

Along the Kisva trail...



Oak Creek



Washed out bridge



Eagle’s Nest trail meanders around the top of this mountain



Along the Eagle’s Nest trail



That’s Oak Creek and Kisva trail at the bottom left (dead looking trees)



Whew! We made it to the top.



I handled the trail really well, all my treadmill workouts are good for something. Frank was a bit winded when we made it to the top. He sat while I captured the beautiful view.





We were up there...


We made our way back to the visitor’s center and decided to see other sights since so many trails were closed.

more to come...