Red Rock Canyon

     Well, today I had planned to go to Death Valley.  But when I mentioned this to a colleague, he suggested that I wait until it got cooler before heading out there.  He suggested that I check out Zion National Park or Red Rock Canyon.  So I choose to venture to Red Rock Canyon today.  This adventure is still about 2,000 miles outside of 285, but luckily only 20 miles west of Las Vegas.  So I checked out the website. It looked interesting so I decided to roll.  My first thought.....this looks a lot like the Valley of Fire.  My second thought.....nope, this place actually has lots of trees.
 
     After a short drive I arrived at the gate, where it costs 7 dollars per car to get into the area.  Then I headed up to the visitors center.  It has a ton of information especially about the geology of the area.  The exhibit  is broken down into air, fire, earth and water sections.  The people at the front desk were really nice and knowledgeable. Unfortunately, I did not see the tortoises that live there.  I guess they were hiding in their holes.  What's the difference between a turtle and a tortoise?  Turtles swim.  

After leaving the visitors center I took a drive on the 13 mile scenic road. 

The first stop was Calico 1. 

     The next stop was Sandstone Quarry.  I actually got out here and walked around for a while. Here are a few pictures.  Luckily it was cloudy and there was a nice breeze.

It was cloudy, but you can see a little blue poking through.

 

What is this....a hot Cheeto?????  Lets taste it and find out.

 

 

At one point it looked like it was going to rain...but it never did.

 

 

Twisted Beauty!!!

 

Amazing colors...this all natural.  It looks like something Bob Ross painted back in the day. You know, the white guy with the fro, who had the paining show on PBS.

 

 

 

 

During the walk I saw a few lizards and a bird. It was a blue bird, but bigger than the ones you usually see in the south. There were a lot of families and couples making the hike.  There were also a lot of foreign tourists with HUGE cameras.

 

 

After leaving this area, I stopped for a few more pictures.

 

 

 

 As I made my way out...I saw some people rock climbing.  Can you see the people?  LOOK BELOW!

One guy has on a white shirt.  Can you see them?

Verdict:  This is is nice place to come if you are visiting Las Vegas and you are yearning to get out of the casinos for a few hours. I will definitely come here again when it is cooler to hike some of the more strenuous trails.