I love Nevada. I always say I want to go back to Las Vegas, but, to be honest, I don’t actually care about the strip. I mean, I’ve been there, I’ve seen it. But, I’m not a drinker, and I don’t like crowds of people. I’m a very responsible gambler, so, once my money is gone (money I’ve purposely set aside, knowing I can afford to lose it all), I’m out.
This trip I really wanted to go on the observation wheel. We went at nights, which is pretty cool. You can see all the light, and even the fountains at the Bellagio from 550 ft up. The High Roller is huge. Each car is about the size of a small room. There were 6 of us, I believe, in the car. And we could walk around and move around, and none of us had to get anywhere near each other if we didn’t want to. They can actually hold about 40 people. The ride itself is about 30 minutes. I definitely recommend it.
We had tickets to the Red Bull Air Race at the Las Vegas Motor Speed Way. The show didn’t really start until after lunch, so that left us with a morning to kill…plus, Vegas is 3 hours behind the time at home, so I was up and ready to go at 4am. Much to Brad’s dismay.
A friend recommended Red Rock Canyon. It’s a short drive off the strip…maybe 20 minutes. We had rented a Camaro and didn’t mind the drive.
This place is beautiful. It is $7 per car to get in. The road is a one way loop.
It isn’t crowded, but the road is narrow. And, there are a lot of people on bikes or motorized scooter type things that are going much slower.
There are 19 trails you can hike. There is also some serious rock climbing going on in some places. That was fun to watch. The trails average about 2 miles each. Though, there are some that are just under a mile, and one that is 6 miles long.
I literally wore out my gym shoes the day we were here.
If you want to hike in the desert, you need to watch out for snakes, wear plenty of sunscreen, (and a hat, I like hats), and make sure you bring plenty of water. It is hot and there are very few places you can find shade.
There is a campground located in the conservation area. However, it is closed June, July and August.
You can bike the scenic drive (almost 15 miles long, and one way), but not on the trails.
There are two off-roading trails if you have a 4×4.