I spent Wednesday through Saturday in Las Vegas visiting my niece, her husband, their three dogs, three cats, dragon lizard, and hedgehog. Thursday my niece and I climbed a large hill in a park near her house. From the top, we could see the entire area - the strip and downtown, as well as the mountains and surrounding housing developments and urban sprawl, then the desert. Friday we went to Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area. We drove the scenic route around the area, then hiked a short way into some of the more interesting paths. I confess that I am in terrible shape, and my back has been so bad from driving that we didn't hike as far as we should have to really experience the beauty of the area. It was also extremely hot - I think it got up to 97 F that day, which was better, really, than usual. The next day it went into triple digits.
The area is beautiful, and the visitors' center was also interesting. We saw the tortoises that are kept there in an enclosure within the visitors' center. We also learned about the desert plant life and the local burros and horses. Apparently the Bureau of Land Management relocated approximately 200 of the 250 wild burros and horses that roamed in the area. The staff members we spoke with at the visitors' center could not give us definite answers as to where the animals were relocated, only that they were moved, most of them to somewhere in California, we were told, because there wasn't enough water or grass to maintain that many of the burros and horses. According to the US Department of the Interior, "The Wild and Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act (Public Law 92-195), passed in 1971, stated that the Bureau of Land Management should manage wild burros with other plants and animals in the environment. The desert in Red Rock Canyon NCA is a very fragile area that is hard to restore when damaged. The BLM is currently managing the burros within Red Rock Canyon NCA so that there will always be burros, but not so many that other animals and plants can't also share the area." Apparently the numbers of the burros and wild horses had exceeded what the area could sustain, so they removed many of them. I wish it were possible to find out just what they did with them, though.
One of the trails brought us to a section of rocks that contain both petroglyphs (art carved into the rock) and pictographs (art painted on the rock). See the photo section of this website for photos of the Red Rock Canyon and these ancient Native American art work.
The next day we toured Hoover Dam. See the photo essay section for more about this (when I get it up - sorry, that might not be till tomorrow...) I realize I may be the only person in the world to visit Las Vegas and not go to any of the casinos or visit anything on 'the strip'. My niece doesn't like going to those areas, and I wasn't particularly interested in them, either, especially since there was so much more to do outside the actual city.
Then I left early Sunday morning and drove to San Diego, CA. Traffic was surprisingly not bad, though there were a few instances of insanity from several CA drivers. They made Jersey drivers look good in comparison! (I was trained as a Jersey driver, so I can say that...) The Mojave desert changed from mountainous desert filled with Joshua trees, yucca and creosote plants, and grasses, along with some mesquite and cottonwood trees, to mostly just grasses and creosote plants, along with a lot of rocks, as I drove through the rest of NV and then through CA to the coast. Eventually I found my way to my brother's place in Imperial Beach, CA, just outside San Diego.
The area is beautiful, and the visitors' center was also interesting. We saw the tortoises that are kept there in an enclosure within the visitors' center. We also learned about the desert plant life and the local burros and horses. Apparently the Bureau of Land Management relocated approximately 200 of the 250 wild burros and horses that roamed in the area. The staff members we spoke with at the visitors' center could not give us definite answers as to where the animals were relocated, only that they were moved, most of them to somewhere in California, we were told, because there wasn't enough water or grass to maintain that many of the burros and horses. According to the US Department of the Interior, "The Wild and Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act (Public Law 92-195), passed in 1971, stated that the Bureau of Land Management should manage wild burros with other plants and animals in the environment. The desert in Red Rock Canyon NCA is a very fragile area that is hard to restore when damaged. The BLM is currently managing the burros within Red Rock Canyon NCA so that there will always be burros, but not so many that other animals and plants can't also share the area." Apparently the numbers of the burros and wild horses had exceeded what the area could sustain, so they removed many of them. I wish it were possible to find out just what they did with them, though.
One of the trails brought us to a section of rocks that contain both petroglyphs (art carved into the rock) and pictographs (art painted on the rock). See the photo section of this website for photos of the Red Rock Canyon and these ancient Native American art work.
The next day we toured Hoover Dam. See the photo essay section for more about this (when I get it up - sorry, that might not be till tomorrow...) I realize I may be the only person in the world to visit Las Vegas and not go to any of the casinos or visit anything on 'the strip'. My niece doesn't like going to those areas, and I wasn't particularly interested in them, either, especially since there was so much more to do outside the actual city.
Then I left early Sunday morning and drove to San Diego, CA. Traffic was surprisingly not bad, though there were a few instances of insanity from several CA drivers. They made Jersey drivers look good in comparison! (I was trained as a Jersey driver, so I can say that...) The Mojave desert changed from mountainous desert filled with Joshua trees, yucca and creosote plants, and grasses, along with some mesquite and cottonwood trees, to mostly just grasses and creosote plants, along with a lot of rocks, as I drove through the rest of NV and then through CA to the coast. Eventually I found my way to my brother's place in Imperial Beach, CA, just outside San Diego.