VEGAS!

Our first trip of 2012 was to Las Vegas, Nevada! I know, I know - Las Vegas is not the first place that comes to mind when you think of nature, but within an hours drive from Sin City, we explored a variety of environments that satisfied our love for the outdoors.

1/29/2012 - 2/4/2012
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Lodging: Polo Towers Suites
Travelers: Steve, Christine, Kevin, Jules and Starkey

For the majority of the week, we spent each day outside of the city and each evening somewhere along the strip. The weather was marvelous... sunny, warm and in the 60's during the day; cool, clear and in the 40's at night (that's degrees Fahrenheit for our European friends!). Our hiking adventures included visits to Mount Charleston located in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area; Red Rock Canyon State Park only 15 miles west of Las Vegas; Valley of Fire State Park about six miles from Lake Mead. In addition to a lot of hiking, we road dune buggies through the desert, went to the show KA by Cirque du Soleil at MGM Grand and enjoyed a 5 course tasting menu with wine pairing on the top-story of The Palms Casino Resort. Although our Vegas vacation was not a typical Vegas vacation, it proved to be a great start to the new year with some really good friends!

Red Rock Canyon State Park
This picture  and the picture below were taken during our hike on La Madre Springs Trail.
From this spot, we were completely surrounded by mountains.
In the picture below, you can see a quick storm that blew through while we were hiking.

Valley of Fire State Park
This photo and the next few were taken in Valley of Fire, Nevada's oldest state park.
These prehistoric petroglyphs were taken along a trail called "Mouse's Tank."
Mouse's Tank was named for a renegade who used the area as a hideout in the 1890s .

Yeah... we totally climbed that tall guy in the center.
 It was a fun climb to the top, where we were rewarded with a 360 degree view of the park and Lake Mead.