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.

Leaving town.......

On Jan. 27 Peter & I left for Las Vegas. We had never been there before and really did not have any plans to go, but listening to others talk about the sites that were close to Vegas, we decided to take a chance and go for it!

We traveled on Thursday and stayed overnight in Richfield, Utah. We made several stops along the way for pictures and some geocaching in States that we had not been to before.
Weather was great the entire stretch.

64th birthday celebration

This January 14th marked the 64th birthday of Peter. This is momentous because it is Peter's first birthday celebrated in Colorado and the first time it was celebrated with all members of his immediate family. Andy and Tara and the girls traveled from Lander and stayed the weekend and Doug and Heidi joined us on Saturday. A wonderful Packers victory was another gift.

The dining room table was twice surrounded with smiling faces admiring birthday cake complete with lit candles, once on Friday and again on Saturday.

Time was spent with granddaughters, Hailey and Emily, playing at the playground and on the living room floor.

Time was also spent with sons, Doug and Andy, being introduced to frisbee golf.

Renée planned the event and was instrumental in pulling off it off.

The girls helped Peter open gifts of a rust colored shirt, slippers to replace my holey ones and a new chalk bag for climbing. Andy and Tara hid their gift before returning to Lander.

First Winter Hike

Fort Collins has wonderful Natural Areas that are both supported and patronized by the citizens of the city. The Gateway Natural Area was the spot I chose to explore, hike and photograph. Historically this site functioned as a water treatment facility that outlived its original usefulness. This spot is where the North Fork and the Cache La Poudre River meet.

I took a short and steep hike up the Black Powder Trail to the summit of 5800 feet. The trail runs up a rock and dirt trail through ponderosa pine, rocks and grasses. The dam creating the Seaman Reservoir is visible along the upper reaches of the hike. There is evidence of past fire with the charred tree bark and trees fallen and burned.

The water of the North Fork River flows out of the Seaman Reservoir to the north and joins the Cache La Poudre at the Park Area. There is a parking area with restrooms available.

It appears that trout fishermen try their hands year round stalking their version of rainbows.

New Puzzle

When we arrived home from our trip to Arkansas, we found a puzzle waiting for me on our dining room table....courtesy of Doug & Heidi. They had finished it and were giving me an opportunity to put it together as well.
As can be seen, it was a bit confusing, but I put it together in about 24 hours. When I start something like that, I like to finish it. It is now back in the hands of another puzzle aficianado. ...a friend of Heidi's. I am now trying my hand at a puzzle that is a replica of one of Jackson Pollock's works of art. Intense splashes of color on canvas. I estimate that this will take me about a year to complete. Lucky if I can get one piece/day.