Taking advantage of what might be my last day off until Aug. 15, I returned to scale Black Mountain near Lake Mead for the second time. Not to be confused with Brokeback Mountain, Black Mountain gains elevation from 2415 to 3600 feet. It's a challenge all the way to the top and when you add the searing heat of summer it's downright suicidal. But today the "keep it cool" spirits were with me as cloud cover and a slight drizzle kept it cool all the way to the top. As I hit the summit about 10 a.m., normally a time of day when the mercury has already passed 100 near Lake Mead, I was almost cold. It was thankfully cool and cloudy all the way to the top. One reason I was testing this trail was to see if my friend Don, who is visiting from Batavia, N.Y., in less than two weeks, would be able to make it to the top. But when I met up with a grandmother near the top, the one who took this photo, I knew Don and maybe later Dad, Susan and Mom, would be able to make it.
The reason I won't have any days off for a while is my new CBS job starts Tuesday and to accommodate Don's visit I think I'll be working my weekends to free up the five days he's here. It'll be the usual visitor vacation with lots of Red Rock and Lake Mead trails mixed in with other Vegas attractions.
If the Black Mountain summit wasn't enough I also checked out the biking commute to and from my new job. It's 11 minutes there (uphill and delayed by RR crossing) and only 9 minutes home (mostly downhill). Now that's my kind of commute! At least 2 days a week I'll ride my bike. What a great job and the beard is already underway.
"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."--Mark Twain
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