The weather has been very dry and warm for much of this winter. Blame it on La Nina, if you must. It has resulted in excellent mountain biking conditions across the west. So we took advantage of the great weather and excellent trail conditions and found ourselves in southern Nevada in early March.

But this entry isn’t about the mountain biking. Rather, it is about an evening spent in Las Vegas in between days of mountain biking. I wanted to shoot pictures of the fabulous hotels, resorts, and casinos in evening and night light. So we found ourselves slowly walking along “The Strip” and stopping every few minutes.

Of all the images I think these three are my favorites.

I really like the fantasy buildings from the Excalibur Resort. This resort endeavors to re-create the Middle Ages and the fortress-like structure boasts a drawbridge, moat, turreted towers, and stone columns. And it’s all beautifully lit.

My other favorites are from the Bellagio. Most visitors to the Bellagio are interested in the fountain displays that are choreographed to music and, not surprisingly, most images that appear on the web are of the fountains. This image was taken at the far end of the pool is more subtle and the colors far more captivating.

Finally, this image of glass flowers was taken in the main entry way of the Bellagio. Look up because it’s part of the ceiling. This vibrant flower petal chandelier, entitled Fiori de Como, was designed by glass sculptor Dale Chihuly.

So it was a fun and interesting evening and we spent a total of…wait for it…nothing.

Edit: fixed typos.