Red Rock

Allison and John run an amazing tour on electric bikes. After visiting Las Vegas at least 4 times that I can remember in the last 10 months, this is hands down my new favorite activity to recommend on or off the strip.

Allison answered the phone very last-minute that same morning and got us slotted in the tour. She picked us up from the Bellagio in one of their vans, transportation being one of the many nice hospitable touches included in their ticket. We joined some vacationing folks a decade or three older...

In the photo above, the pink and blue shirts in front of me were the most worrisome. Every single dismount they both half-fell over. The woman scraped her knee at the first stop going down with the bike. At one point, I helped lever the gentleman's leg backwards over his seat while trying to hold him balancing and wobbling on his unstable foot with my other hand. Scary stuff.

Mostly I tried to practice mindfulness, to breathe and do my own thing, to enjoy the scenery and not let the situation get to me.

These folks knew what they were doing. They were quite sharp and interesting to converse with, one having ridden Virgin Galactic to the edge of outer space! I think that ticket is north of $500k. Still, it was difficult for me to not be hovering and trying to protect these extremely cute elders at every turn.

One of them was literally squealing with joy at the experience of assisted biking. I overheard them discussing how liberating it all felt. I doubt these folks go to the gym very often. I saw multiple knees with surgical scar lines.

For me, this single beautiful 17-mile bike ride for a few hours through an incredibly scenic national park was more majestic and grand than my 2-day visit to Sedona. The guided tour bits were perfectly spaced, and the nature spoke for itself.

But the way these fellow tourists were enjoying their golden years—with more youthful vigor than I could muster after drinking and poker the previous night—it might rival the natural splendor.

Their tolerance for physical risk astonished and inspired me just as much as the ancient, marvelously textured panoramas sitting quietly beside Sin City.