Day 180 - Brian Head, Utah to Las Vegas - February 1st, 2005

We got up early again and went back up to Brian Head. The weather had turned again but we now had the bug and we were not to be put off.

It was again a bitter wind and visibility for the top part of the runs was practically nothing. You could see the outline of the runs but it was snowing again and it was creating a "white out" situation. This is where your whole outlook is just white and you can't distinguish anything with clarity. The worst part for a skier is that even though you may be able to see the outline of the hill, you can't see the terrain under your feet. You just have to trust that your knees and legs can take any bump or differences in snow depth and texture.

We managed 3 good runs before lunch, took an hour over lunch to thaw out and then got in 2 more before we called it quits. It was a $10 ski day special (most daily ski passes are between $40 and $80 per day plus ski rental) so we thought we had at least got our money's worth.

So we left the ski resort and started the 3 hour journey back to Las Vegas. It seemed like it was all downhill and it was very welcoming going back to a place that had sunshine and warm air. It was perhaps only 70 deg F but it felt like we were back in Cancun after the biting cold of the ski slopes.

When we arrived I took the boys to see a couple of the really over the top hotels. They had a great show outside the Treasure Island with a pirate battle using 2 full size battle ships. Only problem was it was not so swash buckling. It had lots of half naked ladies trying to seduce the pirates. The boys thought there should have been more fighting. But Vegas has changed again and is resorting to it's old vices to try to bring back the bucks. It did have a time when it was trying to be child friendly but it obviously didn't pay.