The best state park near Vegas: Valley of Fire offers eerie desert vistas and traces of native peoples

Oh the humanity. We've seen a bit of everything homo sapien. We hiked for ages to ponder on petroglyphs dating back thousands of years, yet caught a young couple carving graffiti in a rock wall along the trail on our way back. During another Valley of Fire outing, as we enjoyed a picnic, a couple … Continue reading The best state park near Vegas: Valley of Fire offers eerie desert vistas and traces of native peoples

Red Rock and roll: must-hike trails in the National Conservation Area nearest Las Vegas

Tired of bright lights and city sights around Las Vegas? Head to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Starting with the first stop off the one-way drive, people scamper down as many as 26 hiking trails to see desert plants, wildlife, and geology... You can hike from 2 to 6 miles among these amazing Calico … Continue reading Red Rock and roll: must-hike trails in the National Conservation Area nearest Las Vegas

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge: Juxtaposition of life adjacent Death Valley

Tens of thousands of years ago. Way way back in the BCE. High atop a mountain like, say, Mount Charleston near current day Las Vegas, snow falls. Flash forward today. Those same fossils-old snow molecules glisten in the meadow before you... Our drive through the dry Mojave desert led into Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, … Continue reading Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge: Juxtaposition of life adjacent Death Valley

Drink in a Tequila Sunrise shade of sunset in Saguaro National Park

You probably picture bad guys with six guns riding horses in the dusty heat. Yet, one huge scenery staple for macho Western movies, the iconic Saguaro, surprised us with its feminine side... Thanks to Westerns, I used to think a drab monochrome of tumbleweeds, rocks, and bare dirt dominated the desert landscape. So the colorful … Continue reading Drink in a Tequila Sunrise shade of sunset in Saguaro National Park

The sea in the desert: Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Here you can experience three zones of climate in one park, from desert, to lush forest to mountain tops. Just beware that if you are suddenly transported back in time, you will swim with the fishes... We journeyed south through the desert from Carlsbad Caverns region into the Guadalupe National Park. We parked our RV … Continue reading The sea in the desert: Guadalupe Mountains National Park

We went batsh*t crazy over Carlsbad Caverns

Imagine a quarter million or more bats swirling tornado-like from a gaping maw, out of the earth... Bats only. Mexican free-tailed hanging back there. Meanwhile.... RVoyager dry docked at White City RV Park. $24 to dry dock PriceyDirt and grass parking with ruts.Broken glass in placesSites with Full hook-up are nice You will have to … Continue reading We went batsh*t crazy over Carlsbad Caverns