We figured it just wouldn’t be the Fourth of July without Fireworks.  After so many years in Northern Virginia, and so many years watching the fireworks on the Mall (on TV at least), we HAD to have some kind of fireworks on Independence Day.

We found out that the Green Valley Ranch Resort, along with all the Station Casinos, were having fireworks to celebrate the holiday.  We don’t live all that far from Green Valley Ranch, so we thought we’d be able to watch from our balcony, but after looking at Google Maps, we realized we didn’t quite have the right perspective to see the fireworks from the house.

No biggie, really.  We could walk to the District from the house, and so we decided to walk to the District, enjoy some frozen yogurt at Josie’s, and enjoy the fireworks.

Well, I haven’t been feeling 100% this weekend, so perhaps hiking in the blow-dryer that is the evening desert air, wasn’t the greatest idea.  But we made it to the District, enjoyed our frozen yogurt, and after finding a place that we could see the fireworks, watched the 10-minute show with interest.  It was a pretty good show for the most part.  Perhaps a little shorter than I expected, but it was certainly, otherwise, a first-rate performance.

After the show, we hiked home.  It was a nice evening, and as we walked we could see across the Las Vegas landscape all sorts of other fireworks shows going on.  Most were clearly professional shows at high schools or other casinos, but some were certainly amateur demonstrations at people’s houses.  It was weird.  Back in Charlotte, or in D.C., there would be trees and terrain that would make any more than one, or MAYBE two shows all but invisible.  In Las Vegas, with a dearth of tall buildings, and minimal vegetation, the vista across the valley provided a great view of the entire city celebrating the U.S.’s Independence.