Bootleg Canyon
Here’s a pro tip … 30 minutes from the Las Vegas strip, one can find trails that will make you grin from ear-to-ear.
Mar 25
Here’s a pro tip … 30 minutes from the Las Vegas strip, one can find trails that will make you grin from ear-to-ear.
Mar 23
I was having a great ride until I wasn’t.
Ideally, that pedal pictured above is one – not three pieces of medal. And it was until striking a boulder dead-on … at speed.
Conveniently, my ride was mostly completed and the what remained was downhill.
Fortunately, there was a bike shop ten minutes from the trailhead. Unfortunately, the replacement pedals set me back $150.
On he bright side – the new pedals are black and look a whole lot better on my bike.
In a move that can only be described as being highly uncharacteristic, last week Kelly and I made a snap decision to leave the soothing vast emptiness of Death Valley National Park and visit its evil twin – Las Vegas – for a few days.
We made the decision knowing that during the stay I would have a chance to meet-up with former colleagues attending a conference while also making time to visit family. Coupled with a few other to-do’s while in the area, these “up-sides” became justifications Kel and I anchored to as we ventured into the city known for showcasing much of the urban trappings we otherwise loath.
And yes … we did spend an evening on the strip dining and walking – not gambling – through casinos.
Valley of Fire State Park is located about an hour from the glitz and glamour of the Las Vegas strip, but scenically the park may as well sit atop another planet. This being our second visit to VOF we knew what to expect. The park is not particiually large and ambitious hikers can easily traverse most of the trails in two or three days.
As an escape from the Vegas circus this place is just about perfect … even more so if you camp in the (cheaper) non-hook-up sites.
Jan 2
Today Kelly and I are traveling with two other couples to Death Valley.
But first, we stopped at a Las Vegas BassProShop parking lot (next to a casino obviously) to regroup while Kelly visits a nearby hair salon and our buddy awaits his wife to fly into town.
Tonight, we sleep in the desert.