Friday 20 April 2012

Red Rocks

I know I've gone on about this before, but I love the desert.

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I will amend my previous statement to include the fact that my love is conditional.   I love the desert when it's nice and cool out and you might feel the need to wear a light sweater.  None of this 100 degree nonsense.

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We took a nice trip to Red Rock Canyon, just a short drive outside of the city of Las Vegas.

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It's a Bureau of Land Management area, meaning we had a chance to see some wild horses or burros.  We saw signs of them (and tried not to step in it) but no such viewing luck was had.  We did see plenty of birds and tiny lizards, but it was probably too late in the day to expect any really good wildlife viewing.  Hello, no one gets up early in Vegas.  It's against the law.

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I love the color palate of the desert- the muted silvery sages and shades of gamboge to salmon pink.  The unexpected pop of wildflowers crop up here and there.

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There's a 13-mile loop road through the park that begins and ends at the visitor center.  There are plenty of places to stop along the way to hike or take in the view.

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We headed for an easy trail through the valley that ended up at a waterfall.  By waterfall, I mean a rather refreshing trickle of water splashing down on the rocks below.     

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There was also some petroglyphs nearby.
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See them?  It was hard to get a good picture with the sun high in the sky at that point and the barricade telling me I can't get any closer.

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