Pedal to the Metal

When you buy a new Corvette, you have the opportunity to go to Pahrump, Nevada and attend the Ron Fellows Performance Driving School at Spring Mountain, where you can learn to drive a high-performance race car. Bob did this back in 2020 after buying Penny so of course, he wanted to repeat it now that we have Shadowfax. This time, he will get to drive a C8 Z06 on the track. The school consists of two days, part classroom and part driving a race-track prepared car like your very own. The two-day program is partially funded by General Motors, covering the hotel costs and breakfast and lunch each day. The driver can bring a guest (Me!) and that guest can attend the classes and even ride with one of the instructors. That would not be a good idea for me, but it does give me a few days in the balmy Nevada weather, at the Spring Mountain Motor Resort and Country Club.

We decided to fly rather than add all those miles to Shadowfax, and I found a great deal on our newest airline in Norfolk: Breeze. Breeze is one of those discount airlines where checked bags and reserved seats add to the cost, but I got a great deal, and Breeze flies non-stop into Las Vegas. Then we planned to rent a car and drive west for an hour to Pahrump. So, on Labor Day we stood outside with our suitcases and backpacks, waiting for our Lyft to the airport. The last time we did this, we stayed at one of the condos on the Spring Mountain property, but many of them have been sold, so they put us up at the Holiday Inn Express, just a few miles from the Racetrack. Our Lyft driver was prompt and check in at the airport was uneventful. Until I realized that I had forgotten one of the most important things I need when I travel: my Kindle. I had downloaded a number of books to read by the pool and while you can read Kindle content on your phone or iPad, those devices don’t handle heat by the pool as well and usually warn you they are overheating pretty quickly. So, it was back to old school for me. I walked over to the airport gift shop and perused the selections, choosing a book called Now Is Not the Time to Panic, by Kevin Wilson.

I love books. For most of my teenage years, books were my best friends. I am a voracious reader and consume books like other people consume popcorn. I toggle between true literature, which I consider similar to a high end, nutritious meal, and mysteries and who-done-its, which are like yummy deserts. And every once in a while, I find a book that I not only truly love, but that I really wish I had written. And that was the case with this one. The plot involves a teenage girl during one fateful and challenging summer, and how love, identity and art can change us in ways we could never imagine. Wilson can write a sentence or a phrase that just knocks you off your feet, and I had numerous periods where I had to stop and reflect. It was so good that I kept putting it down so I wouldn’t finish too fast as I wanted to remain in the lives of those characters as long as possible.

Our flight was right on time, we got a decent car and headed out to Pahrump. The drive is through a fairly barren area surrounded by the Spring Mountains to the East and the Norah Mountains to the West. Brown is the dominant color, and the roads are long and flat and covered with sand and dirt that the arid prairie of scrub cactus can’t prevent from blowing everywhere. We arrived at the Holiday Inn in early afternoon, checked in and headed over to the Raceway so Bob could check in and buy the obligatory shirt. I was disappointed to discover that while our hotel had a nice outdoor pool, they had no lounge chairs, only a few tables with chair seating, so my plans to lie in the sun and work on my tan were thwarted. Probably for the best, as my skin is not as happy about sun as it used to be. We went to the local Mom’s Diner, where we had eaten during our past trip. Mom’s is what comes to mind when you think of a roadside diner—good, simple fare, well prepared and tasty for a good price. Bob had a burger, and I had a chicken breast smothered in Hollandaise. By then, although it was only early evening, for us with the time difference, it was past bedtime, so we turned in.

Next day we had two choices for breakfast. The hotel had a buffet and so did the Racetrack Resort, so we opted for both! The hotel had cinnamon rolls that were pretty good, and the Resort had a buffet. Then I drove Bob over to his classroom and headed out on my errands.

Pahrump appears to be a bastion for strip malls, casinos, and long stretches of brown mountains and landscape. I would very quickly become bored with the scenery. There are long expanses of prairie scattered with small cacti and scrub. This is the Mojave Desert and September is one of the nicest months for weather, as it cools off at night and is pretty dry. The notable businesses according to Wikipedia are the Spring Mountain Motor Sports Resort, along with a few wineries, many casinos and the famous Chicken Ranch brothel.

I had a few things I wanted to accomplish on the first full day. I knew I would finish my book and since we don’t leave until Friday and I still planned to spend time in the sun near the pool, I knew I would need a few more old school paperbacks. So I headed to Bookworm Haven, a used bookstore boasting thousands of books arranged in a way known only to the young lady proprietor. However, she knows exactly where everything is and is happy to find it for you. I can spend hours in a bookstore, so I wandered around while she waited on a gentleman who had a long list of books of interest to him. I selected a few I knew I would like and headed toward my next stop.

When I was 35, I was at work at The Health Connection, a wellness operation at United Hospital Center, where I was the nurse. I noticed a pinpoint flashing light in my vision, that I initially tried to ignore, but it grew larger and larger over the next few minutes. Nurses always think the worst thing possible, so I decided I was experiencing a retinal detachment. Fortunately, there was an eye doctor nearby, so I walked over and asked for an evaluation. This turned out to be the first of many migraines I have had over the years. Once the flashing light had filled my entire field of vision, the headache joined it, and it was a beauty. Over the years I have learned that the flashing light means business, but it’s a bit like the hurricanes we have on the east coast. You get a warning, so you know it’s coming, and you can get to a safe place. As I got older, the headaches changed. There were two versions, each preceded by the lights: in one version, a blazing headache with vomiting and vertigo followed the lights, and in the second version, there was only a dull headache, followed by mild nausea and a little dizziness. The second version became the norm, although when the first version arrived, it could put me out of the game for hours if not days. My PCP ordered amitriptyline in ever increasing dosage and sent me to a neurologist who ordered an anti-seizure medication, also in increasing dosage. These were supposed to prevent the first version headaches, and they worked most of the time, but I began to experience side effects from the medications. In addition, both medications recommended caution in older patients, which I was certainly becoming. I tried a few times to wean myself off the drugs, but the flashing lights and the headaches returned.

So bring on the research. While there is no real scientific or evidence-based research on CBD oil for migraines there is some subjective data that it may help some people. CBD, one of the elements of cannabis, has been used for pain management and nausea control in cancer patients for many years. Organizations such as the American Migraine Foundation, and physicians like Stephen Silverstein, director of the Headache Center at Jefferson University hospital, suggest that pure and safe CBD (not that which you can get on your local street corner) may help. CBD products have become ubiquitous. My hair stylist even uses CBD shampoo and conditioner, although the only effect I noticed is that your head smells like weed. But if you plan to try it, the recommendation is that you go where CDB oil is legal, grown and regulated. Nevada is such a state.

The dispensary I visited is called The Grove. They claim expertise in growing and distributing cannabis products in Las Vegas and Pahrump. Having lived in the 60’s, when purchasing cannabis products involved surreptitious venturing into the apartments of strangers, I was surprised by The Grove. You enter and provide identification, which is scanned into their system by a genial front desk person. An armed security guard then opens the door to the shop. There are two lines, one for recreational patrons and one for medicinal use patients. I was there early in the morning, and I was the only customer. The store is all glass and mirrors where various offerings are displayed and put me in mind of a jewelry store. The young woman behind the counter greeted me and asked how she might help. I indicated I was looking for a pure CBD product to see if it might help with headaches. She was well versed in her products, suggesting several options. I told her I didn’t want anything smokable, since I didn’t want to add problems by irritating my lungs and she recommended tincture and/or gummies. I selected one of each, paid in cash, and I was on my way. I’ll let you know how they work. I will have to transport this home in my checked luggage, and I’m not worried about that, as I travel with my own lawyer.

I headed back to the hotel and spent a few hours hanging out by the pool. With no lounge chairs, I wasn’t very comfortable, but the water was nice, and I finished my book. (Do the birds really think those owls are real?) I met Bob after his class, and we went to a local Mexican restaurant called El Jefe which was yummy. Bob described his day, which seemed to involve a lot of technical training and obstacle course driving of the Z06, and he was beat, so we turned in.

Next day it was off to breakfast again, and since this was checkout day for our current hotel, we packed up and loaded the car. Bob went off to day two of class, looking forward to speeding on the racetrack, and I changed into my bathing suit and hung out at the country club pool, which had terrific lounge chairs. It was a quiet day for me, and adventure-filled for Bob. He learned visual scanning, braking, downshifting, turn-in, balance, clipping the Apex, unwinding and accelerating techniques all at the right millisecond at speed along with other drivers, in track-prepared Z06’s. Once class was over, and he had his certification as a race-car driver, we struck out for Las Vegas.

Breeze only flies to Las Vegas on Monday and returns only on Friday, so we had an extra day to spend. I’m not a huge Las Vegas fan. I don’t see the sense in gambling away my money, and Bob agrees, so our original plan was to spend the extra day at an inexpensive hotel near the airport. But then we looked into what shows we might want to see and learned that Lady Gaga had a residency at the Park MGM, where she would be performing jazz standards as well as stripped down versions of some of her hits. We were able to get tickets, and because the price was right, we switched hotels to the Park MGM. This is a huge hotel and seemed pretty full. I spent 40 minutes in line for morning Starbucks (guess I need to up my online order game). We hung out at the pool for a few hours until it was time to get ready for the concert.

Lady Gaga began in small clubs in NYC. As a child, she demonstrated an interest in music, learning the piano at age 4. She credits the LGBTQ community with sustaining her through her early years and worked as a songwriter for others while she mastered her entertainment skills. Her creativity, stage presence and out-there fashion sense, propelled her into the limelight as a pop performer. But her roots in NYC included a deep love of jazz and performers like Tony Bennett, who mentored and recorded with her, and Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Etta James. Her concert in Vegas was one that my mother would have loved. And can she sing! Her show was a trip to the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s, with a killer big band orchestra, and the best trumpet player I have ever heard. But she was still Lady Gaga. Irreverent, sometimes profane, tossing off one-liners and comments while covering old standards, she held the audience in her hands the entire two hours. And what an audience! Lady Gaga attracts some of the most interesting followers, snappy dressers, and true fans, and the people-watching was without comparison. The sound system in the Dolby Theater was superb, and it was a good thing, as the fans would have overwhelmed the music at several points. We were glad we had come, and I count it as one of the best concerts I have seen.

Our return trip on Breeze was smooth and we arrived home late on Friday. As we were coming into Norfolk there was a huge lightning storm off in the distance. Several years ago, that would have put me into a panic attack, and I marveled at how things change as you grow older. Am I less afraid of dying in a horrible plane crash or have I begun to understand that I can’t control everything? A quick cab ride home and off to bed. We are now in September and Morgan and Jake’s wedding is in less than a month. We are looking forward to that as family will be coming in from all over. Our next big trip will be a Viking cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam.