The New Normal

Las Vegas; March 18, 2020

It’s been a week since my last post and like everywhere else, so much has changed in that one week. The base where we are camping has temporarily canceled reservations and isn’t accepting new campers. We feel so grateful that we are here and have been allowed to extend our stay until the end of the month while we wait to see what happens next. We also realize it’s not in anyone’s best interest  for us to be moving around the country at the moment.

Today, the bright lights of the Las Vegas Strip shut down for a minimum of 30 days. There hasn’t been a total shut down of the strip since JFK was assassinated in 1963, and that was for just one day. I know the same thing is happening in other major cities (bars, restaurants and casinos closed) but it’s a really eerie thing to see it happen on such a grand a scale.

We are thankful to be in a safe space and like most of America are doing our best to adjust to this new normal. Our adjustments are so minor compared to so many. We can’t use the fitness facility here anymore (it’s closed to all but active military) but we do have the base disc golf course available and a bocce court. We have been researching the surrounding parks for lightly trafficked hiking trails and have had luck finding solitude if we get to trailheads super early or choose bad weather days for hiking. Granted, there usually aren’t many of those, here in the Vegas area, but in the week we’ve been here the area has received 2 inches of their 4 inch yearly total. Maybe that’s all part of this “new normal “ too.

Waiting for Markie