Las Vegas, Nevada
One can spend time in Las Vegas and never gamble or see a show or go near The Strip. All those things are fun, and something we've done in the past. Nothing we feel any desire for now. Too many people.
And there's plenty of natural beauty to enjoy around the city, with all the services needed to get through any size to-do list. Let's do that instead!
Tessa gets a much needed grooming with shorter hair for the hotter temps. I've started using PetSmart instead of PetCo because for an extra fee they'll get her done in two hours without putting her in a cage. So far they've done a great job.
One of our good friends from high school lives in town with her husband and we meet them for a long lunch of catching up. Bill and I rode with Phyllis and her date to prom, and she and I were also roommates in college. It's a fun visit, and of course I fail to get a photo.
Although it's close to town, I never realized there's a national conservation area here until I started seeing blog posts a couple years ago. Wednesday we head to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. As expected, the 13-mile drive is filled with natural beauty. But the visitors' center is a wonderful surprise! Definitely in the top three of interpretive centers we've seen, we spend nearly two hours reading, learning and just enjoying the exhibits. For someone with a belief system based on the natural elements of Air, Fire, Water and Earth, this place speaks to me on a personal level.
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| The Keystone Trust is visible for miles. |
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| The visitor center's windows provide a panorama of the Calico Hills. |
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| The visuals for the Air exhibit are perfect. |
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| Overlapping shadows move with the sun. |
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| From volcanoes to wild fires. |
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| The designers did such a great job here. |
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| Water is explained by walking you along a "wash" showing the impact to the desert. |
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| Earth includes rocks, mammals and reptiles. |
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| Geology is the big show here. |
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| Having all the exhibits outside makes the park itself part of the visual story. |
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| Tessa's highlight is meeting her first desert tortoise. She's not a close as this looks, but she was very interested! |
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| Nine climbers take on a massive rock face. |
With temps rising we head for Mount Charleston one afternoon where we find much cooler weather. It's another pretty area I had no idea existed just outside Las Vegas. We make a loop of Kyle Canyon road and Lee Canyon Road, enjoying the pine forests and long vistas. There really is so much more to this area than The Strip!
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| The ski area is closed, but some snow remains. |
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| Of course we didn't bring jackets. |
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| The white rock looks like more snow - pretty! |
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| Homes here range from small cabins to huge multi-level structures. I'm sure it's a popular place for getting out of the extreme summer heat below. |
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| I've never seen an official water condition of "Concerned". |
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| We were just in the desert! |
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| John and Jodee - what a great visit! |
We make another loop by entering the park off I-15 and coming out along Lake Meade. It's fun to revisit a place where we can just spend time at the "best" places.
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| Ribbon through rainbow |
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| A majestic view in the Lake Meade National Recreation Area. |
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| Brittlebush, Purple Sage and Desert Marigold make beautiful bouquets along the highway. |
Next we're off to Laughlin, Nevada, for our annual high school reunion, with our recently retired friends joining us at the park in their RVs!
Meanwhile Ezra ..........
I most definitely like your way of visiting Las Vegas--we are with you--way too many people in Las Vegas! Enjoy your reunion!
ReplyDeleteIt gets crazier every year there - I don't know where they're going to keep getting more water.
DeleteI’m not much of a gambler myself. Lol I’d rather people watch. If you guys get a chance, you should check out Bonnie Springs. Michael and I enjoyed a trip there once.
ReplyDeleteIt's the one place on the list we didn't get to - definitely next time!!
DeleteI also didn’t know if either of those beautiful parks and enjoyed them very much. I can’t believe they’re not more popular. We didn’t have time to visit Mt Charleston, sobits still on the list. Cutie pie Ezra! Have fun with your buddies!
ReplyDeleteThe mountain is definitely a nice escape from the heat - and so different!
DeleteLove your Valley of Fire photos, Jodee...they jump off the page! Tessa is like "Mom, that rock is moving". 😊
ReplyDeleteShe picked up the smell first, but she sure looked confused!!
DeleteLove the wildflowers and especially the blooming cactus. That ribbon road is really a great shot. I think I'd almost frame that one.
ReplyDeleteThanks!! It was one of those quick shots along the road that turned out to be a keeper :-))
DeleteI can't remember how many times I've whizzed by Red Rock Canyon and never stopped. You've convinced me to visit. Nice to be so close to Valley of Fire, and the cool mountains. Ezra just keeps getting cuter.
ReplyDeleteYou'll appreciate the visitors' center and with the drive on a loop it's easy to see it at your own pace.
DeleteWith all the beautiful locations surrounding the city, one doesn't never need to go near The Strip. You got a lot in during your stop. Hope the reunion went well, which it looks like it did from fb:) Ezra is so cute. Love the bunny hugging photo:)
ReplyDeleteI love that one too - he's getting too big!!
DeleteI was surprised to learn over the years that there is so much beauty around the city of Las Vegas. Haven’t been there but intended to and am glad to hear we aren’t the only ones who spend hours rather than minutes in the Visitor Center information areas. Really love that the elements are emphasized here. Wouldn’t you love to meet the designer? Gorgeous rocks and colors. Your pictures are really terrific. I’m always interested in “get the rig washed”. Does that mean the park let you do it or you found someone or somewhere to get it done? This is the most difficult part of full timing for us. No one will let us wash the rig and big enough do it yourself washes are extremely rare. Oh that Ezra is such a cutie. Love him with that bunny!
ReplyDeleteI would definitely love to meet the designer - such a wonderful vision! We don't wash the rig ourselves. A couple times a year we get it washed and waxed where the park allows them to do it on site. Most won't let campers do it themselves though. This time in LV we just got it washed to get that desert dirt off.
DeleteHaha, love your blog post title! And it's so true. You found so much natural beauty around Vegas. Valley of Fire has been on our list for several years....maybe this fall we'll finally get there! Lucky you to be there with the desert wildflowers in bloom.
ReplyDeleteEzra is adorable with his bunny buddy!
You will love VOF and if you're there when the campground isn't full, you'll love staying there too!! The flowers always look better in that red dirt :-))
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