Winter Doldrums in Las Vegas

Snow-covered Mount Charleston viewed from the Wetlands Loop Trail

I haven’t been writing much lately. No books… no blogs. Winter does that to me. I just can’t seem to get motivated. Do you feel the same way in the winter?

It’s been quite cold in Las Vegas. In fact, our morning walks in the past few weeks have required lots of extra layers to keep warm as we round the golf course on our 3.5 mile morning route. Oh, it’s not Minnesota/Wisconsin cold. It’s been hovering in the low 30s (0ºC) during the night and warms up to the mid-50s (12º) during the day, but for us, now accustomed to more warmth, it’s cold. Mount Charleston is white with snow and the local ski slopes there have been busy. Heck, we’ve even had to turn the heat on in the house and cover up the outside faucets to protect them from frost!

Actually, we really should have no complaints. Las Vegas is considered the third sunniest city in the USA… 85% of all days each year are sunny. Really… you can’t beat that (unless you’re #1 Yuma, AZ or #2 Redding, CA). We don’t have tornadoes, not many wildfires, only a few earthquakes, not much rain, certainly no hurricanes, no snow to speak of except for the mountains and yes, the summers are sweltering, but we also have A/C. It’s just that the days are so short in winter and the nights are so long and … you know how it is.

We’ve taken advantage of the cooler weather for some longer hikes… 12+ milers at Red Rocks, Lake Mead and the Wetlands Park. We’re still working out at the local gym three mornings a week. We’ve seen a few movies at the local cinema… Midway and Jumanji ...both of which we enjoyed… not to mention the huge tub of popcorn we always share. We’ve been catching up on our reading and David has his usual dozens of projects in the works. We’re making the rounds of all the doctors/dentists that we’ve been putting off the rest of the year. Basically though, it’s boring. I don’t like spending too much time sitting at the computer or surfing the internet. I’m not an FB fanatic. I’m not a gamer. Sure there are probably some house projects that need doing, but I really don’t feel like doing them. I refer to this time of year and my current state of mind as the doldrums. I need to be on the road… traveling… that’s what motivates me.

The best part of winter is making plans for the springtime when we’ll be heading off for another long walk. Those plans, too, have changed. With the recent action in the Middle East, we’ve decided to delay our walk in Israel and instead, we’re investigating some other options in Europe. The plan for a long walk hasn’t changed, it’s just which long walk to take and there are several from which to choose. As soon as we know… you’ll know. Stay tuned. We’re anxious to move out of the doldrums and into an adventure.