Flight to Las Vegas

Due to depart at 4.50pm it ran late and did not set off for another hour - however, the bombardier jet was in fine condition and one of those two by two set outs like a private jet (but with 83 other passengers). I had a window seat right at the back of the plane and this gave me unobstructed views of the landscape as we left San Francisco.
The flight has some of the most amazing landscapes that I have ever seen in flight. Heading East from San Francisco we pass over rolling hills and mountains covered with pine forest and patchy settlements, soon becoming drier and on the Eastern side of the mountains the landscape suddenly becomes one of arid hillsides and deep shadows… ok… not deep shadows but in fact HUGE lakes created by the development of hydro-electric power in the region and the requirement for large amounts of water for irrigation. On the plains below the hills are massive irrigated fields - an unnatural series of squares and oblongs streaked over the surface as far as the eye can see 0_0 The sight is staggering with not only clear irrigation dykes cutting across the landscape but also circular drip/spray fed green fields standing out against the stark light brown of the arid landscape. A stunning tribute to the power of mankind to change any habitat to suit our needs.
The final leg of the flight heads over highlands covered in snow… yes you heard me SNOW… not the small layers found in the UK during harsh winters but the very permanent looking covering of thick drifts found on alpine flanks in mid-winter… And its May!! The landscape is an untouched winter wonderland as far as the eye can see with pristine winter-scapes dotted with pine trees and frozen lakes. Magical. All to soon this comes to an end with the final descent between two mountain towards Las Vegas airport - the pilot informs us that we will be zigzagging around thunder storms on the way down and that we should keep our seatbelts fastened… Suffice to say there were several adjustments to compensate for the thunderclouds which looked vast close up but no real bother to the pilot who safely guided us to a landing only an hour behind schedule.