Webwords

Yup, Vegas was hot. At 116 degrees Fahrenheit or 47 degrees Celsius on Saturday (the day they issued an "extreme heat warning" for), it was hotter than anything I’d experienced. After spending several hours outside on a Lake Mead cruise, we drove to Hoover Dam, parked, and decided that we were too tired from the heat to walk the quarter mile or so to the dam.

On Sunday, the others arrived. They were still adjusting to the heat while we were enjoying the "cooler" temperatures. The four of us WHT moderators (Dennis, Steve, Paul, and me) met and had lunch together, and that evening, the four of us had dinner along with the three iNET staff members who were there (Troy, Mat, and Scott).

Vegas involves a lot of walking. I’d heard that, but I couldn’t fully grasp it until I was there. From the parkade at The Mirage, where the conference was, it was a 15-minute walk to get out of the parkade, into the hotel, and through or past the reception area, the casino, the restaurants, and the shops. To do any sightseeing, you also need to consider the time needed to walk from where you’re parked into and through the building. To go from one building to another is another major walk.

Driving is another story. Don’t count on Google Maps to show you the full routes. There are shortcuts through hotel property to avoid driving on the Strip, and once you’re parked, it’s a while before you can get to a road again.

Working in the conference exhibit hall was fun. We met a lot of people we’d gotten to know online, and of course we played around a bit. Dennis, Steve, Paul, and Mat, among others, I really enjoyed meeting you and spending time with you.

Vegas isn’t my type of vacation, but it wasn’t just a vacation, and it was a different type of experience. You have to be there to understand it. I’d like to go back and plan on more time for each activity, relax more, and splurge on a show. Many of the free attractions aren’t worth the time it takes to get to them, but I heard only good comments about the shows.

For those who are wondering about my other reason for going to Vegas, this picture tells the story:

We take care of one another. When someone needs help, we help. That’s part of being human.

Even when some people deserve help more than others do.

When we rescue people who need to be rescued, do we assess the value of each life? Does it matter if they’re young or old, contributing members of society or retired after a lifetime of work?

No, it doesn’t, as two recent rescues illustrate.

The first was the rescue of a 20-something man in Lynn Canyon. Signs warn people not to cross into the danger area, but every year, some people decide that the signs don’t apply to them, cross the line, and get hurt. Or sometimes killed.

This particular young man was lying on the rocks below a cliff. It took several members of the search and rescue team about two hours to get to him and carry him on a stretcher up to where the ambulance was waiting. Although he wasn’t injured, he was unable to walk — because he was drunk. As the paramedics were loading him into the ambulance and TV cameras were pointed at him, he showed his appreciation for the rescue efforts by giving the finger.

A TV news crew interviewed one of the search and rescue team members. "How do you feel about rescuing people who disregard the warning signs?"

"We don’t like it, but…" he paused. "It’s what we do."

The second rescue involved a suburban search for an 80-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s. The evening before, she’d walked away from the care home where she lived. Searchers were combing the area by foot, and a helicopter was used to search for her from the air.

A police officer interviewed the afternoon after she disappeared was cautiously optimistic. With the warm weather conditions, he said, there was a much better chance for a positive outcome than if the weather had been cold and rainy. Her neice talked about how the woman had been certain that she needed to go somewhere.

Hours later, she was found, several kilometres from where she lived. Her worst injury was a sunburn.

I can guess which search and rescue team felt better about their efforts.