2005-07-02 Dam Tour 2005-07-03 Cedar Breaks and Bryce Canyon 2005-07-04 Red Canyon and Grand Canyon 2005-07-05 North Kaibab Trail 2005-07-06 Virgin River Narrows 2005-07-07 Zion Canyon and Gooseberry Mesa 2005-07-08 Water Canyon 2005-07-09 Red Rock Canyon

Day 8 (Saturday, 7/9/2005)

I caught the early shuttle van back to Vegas and rented a car for the day.  There was one more canyon on the week's itinerary, and that was Red Rock Canyon in the nearby Spring Mountains west of Vegas.  It was boiling hot by 11 AM when I arrived at the park, and having just spent an entire week ascending this and descending that, I wasn't in the mood to do much serious hiking.  As with most areas of the Southwest, driving through Red Rock Canyon only gives one a sense of the place.  To truly get to know the canyon would require a more detailed expedition, preferably when I was on top of my game again.  For now, I was content to admire the views from the overlooks and give my muscles a break.

After checking into the Vegas Hilton and lunching in one of its many restaurants, I slept the sleep of the dead for about four hours that afternoon.  When evening fell, I made my way over to the Rio to catch Penn & Teller's show, which was completely hysterical, amazing, and thought-provoking.  The show began with an exceptional jazz pianist, who was kicking out some tunes (with Penn on upright bass) while encouraging everyone in the audience to come up on stage and inspect a sturdy wooden box.  As showtime approached, the wooden box was sealed and locked, then the lights dimmed for less than a second before Teller emerged from the box in a flash of light.  There were no trap doors in the box or on the stage, a fact to which everyone in the audience who inspected them could attest.  Throughout the show, the duo would completely lampoon Lance Burton, debunk John Edwards, and perform a trick in which Teller actually spoke (but was drowned out by a chipper/shredder.)  The highlight for me was Penn making the American flag appear to burst into flames in order to pose the question of whether the mere illusion of flag desecration would be illegal under a proposed new law.

In all, it was a perfect end to a perfect week.  The turbulent flight back to Austin the next day wasn't so perfect, but we'll just pretend that didn't happen ...