Las Vegas attracts a bazillion people per year looking to engage in all forms of debauchery. It's a glittering wild place that juxtaposes high end luxury with sleazy stripper clubs and curbside drug dealers. I fly in there a few times per year. I have family in one of the surrounding desert communities. I usually take a trip to the strip to see a show and have dinner, but I prefer to explore the desert around Las Vegas.
On the most recent trip to Nevada, Mom took Mike and me to Red Stone State Park with big rock formations jutting out of the sand contrasting with soft silver greens of the desert flora. We climbed over and under, explored some wind made cave systems, posed for silly pictures and enjoyed the golden light of the setting sun and the cool winter day.
The desert oasis also has some amazing cycling trails that run all over the place. We borrowed bikes and rode about 20 miles through the Wetlands along a river, which sounds flat if winding. It's not. Instead, there are some gnarly hills, made worse by the fact that I wore sneakers rather than cleats and clips. It was super dry and the temperatures were in the high 60s or low 70s. What a perfect day!
The best part about traveling to Nevada in the winter is that my likelihood of seeing slithering bottom dwellers that rattle is pretty low. Despite several long treks through the desert, I saw no reptiles. Yay for me!
Our one visit to the strip was to see Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque Du Soliel, which was fabulous! I had great tickets from a Black Friday deal. Wayne took us all out to eat and we explored the Bellagio before heading to the show. The Conservatory was decorated for Chinese New Year with dogs of all sorts. Double dates are wonderful!
One of my favorite parts of the year is when you and Mike come to Nevada! We love exploring with you two and sharing our love of the stillness and beauty of the desert. We also enjoy making one of the few pilgrimages to the Strip that we make each year when we have visitors. We live in Nevada, not Vegas. They are distinctly different worlds! It is wonderful to have such diverse choices so close together. I always love your blog posts!
ReplyDeleteI love seeing the places you guys go and the adventures you have. I need to find a way to take trips like these, only less adventurous (none of that high places shit even though the views are amazing) and more family oriented. Not that Rick and I wouldn't enjoy it, but we have 5 kids between the two of us. Glad I can live vicariously through you!
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