Sometimes, things are beyond your control.
When I was in Las Vegas in the late 90s, I invested some of my table winnings into a sunset horseback ride out in Red Rock Canyon. As luck would have it, that trip consisted of just myself, and one other experienced rider and our guide. The weather was beautiful, the sun bathing the canyon and highlighting the rock's flaming colors. The feeling of being on horseback, being out in nature, is really incomparable -- one of my favorite things in life. As the sun set, the spectacular vision of the canyon was replaced by the serene visions of a universe of stars, and Las Vegas, a sparkling crystal city of light in the distance. The whole affair ended with us around a large campfire with a steak sizzling on the grill, embers floating into the night sky joining the stars, and the scent and crackling sounds of cooking meat and burning wood filling the night. That night was wonderful, but for the fact that I had to cut it short to return to the city for a show I had planned, and the fact I had no one to share it with. I vowed that I would return and wouldn't make those mistakes again.
Well, more than a decade and several visits to Las Vegas later, I was back. I managed to locate the same ranch (Cowboy Trail Rides), and planned it as a surprise for my pup, rudder. It was an experience that was too wonderful not to share with him, and I made sure we had no plans afterwards so that we could sit in the warmth of the fire, and watch the stars, and if we were lucky, steal a cuddle together.
As it turns out, the day started out with decent weather, but the closer we got to the ranch the more rain we got. Rain. In the desert. Who knew? The rain subsided as we started our ride, but that was not to last. It started raining again, then turning into freezing rain, then hail, then a torrential downpour to finish it up, soaking us through and through. The weather made the horses skittish, and the guides took us home early, getting us back fore darkness fell. The weather became quite cold, and by the time we were back in the ranch, I could almost not get off the horse for the fact that my left knee was screaming bloody murder. It felt like someone had taken a bat to it.
Needless to say there wasn't much of a sunset, stars were out and Vegas was nowhere to be seen. There was no firepit, and we all huddled into an open sided shack for shelter as we ate our steaks. Strangely, the heaters were placed at ceiling level, so trying to warm ourselves was all but impossible. They offered us hot chocolate, and I finally gave in despite my concerns about sugar, and even that did little to warm me up.
My pup insists he had a good time, and I know he tells me the truth without fail. However, I have problems mentally accepting that a punishing ride out in the elements could be fun. I can see it as an accomplishment but not really one would have chosen to do. Beyond that though is the idea that something I had hoped would be romantic, and a fulfillment of something I had thought about for so long, could end up so FUBAR. I guess it doesn't help that this trip was somewhat marred by financial tightening, something Las Vegas abhors, and that our money could really have been much better spent elsewhere.
But such is Life. Sometimes things are beyond your control. Life's broncin buck will toss you clear out of the rodeo sometimes. You have to dust yourself off, get back on the horse, and ride hard to find the sunset that eluded you today.
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A music video for this post:
Chumbawumba, Tubthumping.
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