My Heart Aches for the Southwest

We recently returned from a quick trip to Las Vegas.  Let me tell you, Las Vegas has never looked so beautiful!  Maybe my heart is just aching for the Valley of the Sun, aka Phoenix, but gosh dang, those mountains surrounding Vegas looked spectacularly different (in a good way) than they did to me 20 months ago!  I wonder how I would react now if we visited SLC, where the city truly is butted up against rugged mountains? I guess things just look different when you haven't seen them in a long while... 

We had a blast with Clark's family, got to visit with his 90 year old grandma, and finally met our sweet little niece who is now 14 months.  Somehow, I neglected to get any group shots, and we specifically brought our camera in order to get photos with his grandma.  Ohhhh well.  I'm pretty sure she's still got another 10 years in her :)

We did make sure to capture our hike on the Calico Tanks trail at the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.  No Vegas vacation is ever complete without a hike to Red Rock or Mount Charleston. Additionally, we made sure to take pictures of food.  I swear we ate nonstop and my stomach was bloated THE ENTIRE TRIP, starting with our first stop at In-N-Out. Which was right after we were picked up from the airport.  We wasted no time, that's for sure. 

Pass on the crawfish, just go straight for the shrimp, my friends. This meal was too messy, so no photos of boiled shrimps with their heads and tentacles, sorry. 

On the Calico Tanks trail.  

I just couldn't get enough of the red rock.

It was a little hazy but the Vegas strip could be viewed from the turn-around point.  

Clark got to hold Jake's newest gun, which he was very excited about.  I'm honestly not sure what type this is.  I told Clark to stand out in the yard for a quick photo, but he was all: Rachel, there are police all over the place!  It's true that the police and the SWAT team were just around the corner taking care of some business, but they were far enough away that Clark wasn't likely to look suspicious hanging out in a yard with a big gun.

We finally got to eat at Hash House a Go Go, which is a Man v Food establishment we've been wanting to try for years.  The portions were just right for the Tobler appetite.

Clark got the biscuits with sausage gravy.

Karl got a platter that included a bacon waffle, eggs and potatoes.

I opted for the fried chicken breast with bacon waffles.  

These were truly portions meant for the Clark Tobler family.

Thanks for letting us come visit, Mom and Dad Tobler!  Time just passes too quickly when you're having a great time!