Red Rock Canyon State Park

On Tuesday, Feb 1st we chose to have an outdoor adventure.
We traveled about 30 miles of Vegas to Red Rock Canyon State Park. Doug & Heidi had told us before leaving on our trip that this was one of the places we should not miss.

It was a cool day (30's) and the winds were quite strong! Peter even was blown over at one of his picture taking walks. Strong winds mixed with sand and grit made for a bit of facial pain when you forgot to cover up. I even lost my hat, but Peter being the gallant man he is went over the edge to retrieve it! Hooray!

On Tuesday, we just drove through the park loop, stopped for a couple of caches, some pictures and a brief hike. We returned on Wednesday so that Peter would be able to walk through the Ice Box Canyon Trailway. He took almost the entire trail hoping to see some frozen waterfalls. I stayed behind and went for a much shorter walk in the opposite direction.


Visitor's Center where Peter made a new friend who insisted on following him around!

Part of our geocaching search.

Hiking up the rocks. Bundled up to protect from the wind.

Red Rock Canyon--- Calico Basin

The Beatles LOVE AT THE MIRAGE

Before we left Colorado, we decided to have one large splurge on this vacation/trip. We had heard and read good reviews on the Cirque Du Soleil highlighting songs from the Beatles. It was showing at the Mirage....only a shuttle ride away from where we were staying. Tightwads that we are, we went for it! And we loved it.

The energy expended during the performance was simply amazing! The music and acrobatics never stopped. One would have to see it several times to appreciate all of it.
The night of the performance we took a limo ride (courtesy of the Wyndham where we were staying) to the Mirage. After the show we had time to watch the Volcano eruptions in front of the Mirage. We came back later in the week for some nighttime photos and videos.

All of these pics were taken from my phone. Quality was not the best. We were not able to take any pictures during the performance.

Some of the many lights in the Theater area.

Peter in the lobby.

Renee in the lobby.

The 2 of us enjoying the evening.

The lobby, prior to the show.

Hoover Dam

Given the warm temperatures predicted for the area and despite the possibility of large crowds at the Hoover Dam on a Sunday, we chose to check out the historical landmark.

We drove from Las Vegas and headed South through the town of Boulder City and on to the Dam along with many, many other visitors. We stood in line, had our picture taken, went through the scanner and then on into the heart of the dam. There were 2 tours to choose from. We opted for the briefer one that began with a short video show depicting the history of the Hoover Dam. We then boarded an elevator for a 500 foot descent to get an up close look at the power plant generators housed at the base of the dam. Some of the cranes inside the Dam were made in Milwaukee at the PH Harnischfeger Corp. We were also able to see and walk through the original diversion tunnels and stand atop a giant 30 foot pipe where we could feel the rumble of the Colorado River racing below us.

After being inside we walked around the outside to a site that overlooked Lake Mead, the country's largest man-made reservoir. Lake Mead can store up to 9.2 trillion gallons of water. We stopped for a bite to eat at the local deli and then went outside again to get our car. We drove a short distance to another parking area where we could view and walk over the newly completed Hoover Dam Bypass. The Bypass was begun in late Jan. 2005 and completed on Oct 19, 2010. It spans the Black Canyon and connects the Arizona and Nevada highways nearly 900 feet above the Colorado River.

It was a very windy day when we chose to walk across the Bypass. As Renee does not like heights or bridges that tend to sway, she had some hesitation and walked on the inner most side of the walkway. After a few moments however she knew the bridge was stable and she walked to the other end taking pictures as she went along. Peter also took many pictures (all of the ones posted here are credited to him. Both enjoyed the site very much. These are just a few of the many pictures that we took on that day.


Inside the Dam.

On the outside, overlooking Lake Mead and the original visitor's center.

Before our walk over the Hoover Dam Bypass - Mike O'Callaghan and Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge. Overlooks Lake Mead and the Dam and spans an area between Arizona and Nevada.


Peter standing in approximately the middle of the bridge looking down at Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam.

A look at Lake Mead and the Dam from atop the Hoover Dam Bypass.


After completing the walk across the bridge and arriving back on the Nevada side.