H is for Helicopter, Hiking, Horse Races

One of our most exciting dates was the helicopter ride we took from Las Vegas to the edge of the Grand Canyon. It was not very expensive and well worth it. Funnily enough I almost didn’t book it for us because I was quite a bit heavier at the time and on the website it said that everyone had to get on the scale so that they could balance the weight in the helicopter. Of course in my mind I thought that it would be like some game show or boxing match where you step on a scale in front of everyone and they shout out the weight. NOW WEIGHING IN AT 205 POUNDS…JANET MILES.

I tried really hard to lose weight before we left but that was before I started Keto and only managed maybe 5 pounds. Of course it wasn’t anything like a boxing match. As you check in, there is a platform that you stand on and the weight registers on the computer in front of the customer service person. No one else sees the number. From that info they are able to pick the occupants of the helicopter and then you get called into groups.

We had a really nice pilot (he reminded me just a bit of Ben Affleck) and saw spectacular views of Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. The Grand Canyon is amazing, and we only saw one part of it! There are a couple of different helicopter companies that make this run and we saw them flying over while we were taking our break. On the way home we stopped to refuel before coming back to Vegas. It was funny to see all the helicopters lined up at the pumps just like at a gas station. Flying back in you get pretty close to the buildings.

And here’s a short video of what we saw as we came back in to Vegas. We were staying at the Excalibur Hotel, the one that looks like a castle…of course! I was glad that I didn’t know about the crash that one of the helicopters had doing this run until after we were home!

If a helicopter ride isn’t your thing how about about a trip to the racetrack? Horse Racing is another exciting outing. We went a couple of times before our local track, Bay Meadows, closed in 2008. The first time we went was for a fundraiser for our kids in high school. We had such a good time that we went back a few more times. It is exciting to watch the horses run, especially if you have a small wager on them (remember I’m fond of gambling?) We were sorry to see it close. Now there is a housing complex on the land. The next closest place to see horse racing is Golden Gate Fields and it is not that far away so maybe we’ll take a trip there.

When I was young, there was a famous racetrack right in my hometown of San Bruno. It was Tanforan Racetrack and while they stopped actual racing when I was 9, I do remember seeing the track. During World War II it was used as an internment camp for Japanese, although they called it an “assembly center.” Some famous horses raced there, including Seabiscuit. When the track closed they turned the area into a shopping mall but that has now been sold and they are going to build a biotech campus and housing. Where am I going to go when Barnes and Noble and Target close?

And one more idea, although with my husband’s heart and back issues we probably won’t do this together anytime soon, is hiking. When I was doing the A to Z of San Francisco last year I did a fair amount of hiking with the trip to Mt. Davidson and all the stairs. I was definitely glad I had lost weight by then because I probably wouldn’t have made it!

Okay, I hope I gave you some good ideas for dating through the letter H. Tomorrow is catch up on other blog day and honestly, the next few letters of the alphabet may have less pictures than these did but we’ll see what we can do.

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