Red Rocks Canyon, Las Vegas, NV…

When in Vegas you don’t have to spend all your time at the casinos since places like Hoover Dam and Red Rocks Canyon are short drives away. So after experiencing the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas it was time to see something a bit quieter and a whole lot more stunning…

We hopped in our CRV and headed just west of Las Vegas about 30 minutes to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. With just under 200,000 acres and many unique geologic features this area is a boon to rock climbers and hikers alike. We used our Access card to obtain free access to the park and its 13 mile loop road (normally $7.00 per car).

Like much of the Mojave desert, here you will find yuccas, rabbitbrush, chollas, sagebrush and Mormon’s tea scattered over the terrain. But what makes this place super unique are the red rocks which are “frozen in time sand dunes” that are nothing but a treat to the eyes… Every time time a cloud passes by the sun or near it the colors on the rocks change as do the shadows on these very large rocky outcroppings. At Red Rock Canyons, the gray carbonate rocks, remnants of an ancient ocean, have been thrust over the younger and more colorful tan and red sandstones resulting in a very dramatic panorama known as a thrust fault.

There are lots of hiking trails and the park was fairly crowded this day. We chose to hike instead at the nearby Spring Mountain Ranch State Park since it was less crowded and gave us the opportunity to enjoy the serenity of the area and to hear the rocks talk to us… These two parks are great places to spend a day or two!

The next morning we had scheduled a time to listen to a fellow tell us about a membership campground club called Camperworld, part of the Affinity Conglomerate that also owns Camper’s World and Good Sam. This hour long presentation was like most time share presentations where all the speaker wanted was to high pressure us to sign on the dotted line immediately. Even though we are still exploring membership clubs this one was clearly not for us. However, we did get a free three day extension here at Oasis Las Vegas RV Resort so we will now stay here until Wednesday … Free camping days are always hard to turn down especially one with a cool pool  and hot tub like the one we have here (above)…

An unexpected surprise happened last night as Pam and Vic, bloggers we met in Florida, are at our park! A great dinner and conversation with friends is another hard thing to turn down…