November 16 – December 31

The drive the next day would not be particularly long, but we wanted to get to Henderson early in the afternoon in order to stand in line to pick up a Honey Baked Ham, a lengthy process given the popularity of that product at Thanksgiving.  We timed our departure to coincide with the opening of the well-known Schat’s Bakery, home to the Original Sheepherder’s Bread that they have reportedly been produced continuously since 1907, although no trademarks exist until 1938.

We procured a loaf to take with us along with a large coffee and a tasty pastry to get us on the road.  Just south of Bishop in Big Pine we turned left onto Highway 168/266 which took us into Nevada where we hooked up with Highway 95 and turned south for the rest of the drive.  Less than an hour later we hit the town of Beatty, which we had visited several years back while camping at Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley, enjoying a soak at Bailey’s Hot Springs.

A group of us had driven to the hot springs, found the large indoor tub very relaxing and then on the return drive, events got exciting.  The year before while camping at Stovepipe a ferocious dust storm had descended on camp, blowing in from the north.  As first we thought it was just rainstorm, the dark clouds coming our way seemed unthreatening.  It was only when it hit camp that we realized it was sand being blown at us by high-speed winds necessitating a mad scramble to either secure the tents or take them down completely while also trying to safely store loose items around the campsite. 

We weren’t entirely successful at this as a lantern, bike helmets and other miscellaneous gear broke when hitting the ground and as a result of having the car’s tailgate open while we threw stuff inside, we would still be cleaning sand out of it months later.  As we descended into the valley from Beatty, we observed the same ominous storm system forming to the north and sped up the cars so we could get back to camp to prepare for the wind and sand.  Our outcome was much better this time around. 

As we drove through town reminiscing about that memorable visit, we noticed a mule walking along the road which then led to a few others grazing amongst a grouping of satellite dishes.  We said our farewells to these four-legged friends and continued to Henderson and our date with destiny at Honey Baked.  While Joanna waited in line I ran some errands, including a stop at a nearby market and to fill the car with gas.  Ham finally in hand, we landed at Kim and Marty’s for the rest of the week. 

After the festivities on Thursday, we had a few days to enjoy activities outdoors, something not always available during the hot summers this area experiences.  On Saturday, we drove to the Wetlands Loop Trailhead so that the four of us could ride our bikes on the Wetlands Loop Trail, a 14-mile loop inside the 2,900-acre Wetlands Park, which sits on the eastern edge of the Las Vegas Valley.  The park also contains a 210-acre Nature Preserve and provides recreation opportunities and wildlife habitat as well as an outdoor classroom for scientific studies and educational programs for all ages.

We would add a few miles to the ride by heading to, and turning around from, Lake Las Vegas, a 320-acre reservoir and the 3,592-acre developed area around the reservoir.  The area is being developed by 5 companies one of which is Lake at Las Vegas Joint Venture LLC and includes three resorts; the Aston MonteLago Village Resort, the Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort, and the Hilton Lake Las Vegas.

It was a great day for riding, the temperature mild and deep blue skies above us as we rode the paved trail.  Unlike the Mountain Lake Loop Trail we’ve ridden in the past (chronicled in prior posts) there isn’t much climbing required here, just mildly undulating terrain so the course isn’t too challenging, sometimes exactly what one wants out of an afternoon’s outing. 

The next day around 2:00 pm we made our way to the Arts District, also known as the 18b, in Downtown Las Vegas. Created in 1998 as an 18-block zone set aside to encourage art and artists, it won Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Best of Las Vegas award in 2005.  It contains a mix of independent businesses including vintage clothing boutiques, antique stores, art galleries, hair salons, residences, restaurants and breweries.

Our destination was Esther’s Kitchen, a very popular seasonal Italian neighborhood restaurant that we were able to secure last minute reservations for.  Unsurprisingly, the place was packed, and we were guided to our table at a covered patio at the back of the property.  We started with a round of seasonal cocktails, including a Breakfast in the Nude (a variation of the Naked and Famous), a Bloody Mary, and a Curious Cardigan (a take on the Old Fashioned).

Along with the drinks we ordered the bread service, which includes a small loaf of their in-house sourdough bread, butter and an olive oil based dipping sauce  This was a great start that then led us to our to be shared main courses, the Chopped Salad, Rigatoni Carbonara (egg yolk + house-made guanciale + peas), a Chicken Parm Sando (pomodoro sauce + provolone + basil + simple salad + chips) and The Brunch Pizza (lamb merguez + pomodoro + chorizo + fontina + quail eggs).

It’s hard to pin down what was the best, all delicious except for the hard to handle Chicken Parm sandwich, which as is often the case could not be eaten neatly, the chicken piece constantly trying to escape the bread.  None the less, we exited completely satisfied with the meal and the experience and with time left in the afternoon, walked across the street to Crafthaus Brewing for a sampling of their beers. 

It was a good way to finish off our week in town, enjoying yet another set of brews from a decent producer with a wide variety to choose from.  We would hit the road for home the next morning, a Monday, in order to miss the usual end of the weekend traffic out of town on Sunday.  We had breakfast before leaving at Craft Kitchen, a local favorite, known for their quality bakery products as well as imaginative breakfast items. 

Along with a couple of cups of coffee, Joanna and I split a delicious Caramel Apple Kougin Amann and a Chili Relleno Omelet (cage free eggs, battered green Chile, pepper jack cheese, new Mexico red sauce, lime crema, with Spanish rice, and micro cilantro).  The imaginative omelets here are a star attraction and coupled with a world class pastry, it’s a breakfast to hold you physically and mentally all the way home.

Links

Honey Baked Ham: https://www.honeybaked.com/home

Schat’s Bakery: https://www.yelp.com/biz/erick-schats-bakkery-bishop-4

Bailey’s Hot Springs: http://www.baileyshotsprings.com/#

Wetlands Loop: https://www.clarkcountynv.gov/government/departments/parks___recreation/wetlands_park/trails.php

Lake Las Vegas: https://lakelasvegas.com/

Las Vegas Arts District: https://dtlvarts.com/

Esther’s Kitchen: https://www.estherslv.com/

Crafthaus Brewing: https://www.crafthausbrewery.com/home

Craft Kitchen: https://www.craftkitchenlv.com/