Red Rocks Canyon, Take THREE!
Las Vegas NYE Travelog 9
Las Vegas, NV - Sat, 30 Dec 2017, 8:30am
After our first attempt at hiking the Calico Tanks trail Thursday at Red Rock Canyon went bust and we had to settle for another trail, and then found another trail for a "bonus round", we decided we'd give it a third try on Saturday. Today. We'd already set aside Saturday morning in our planning for hiking. We even invited everyone interested from our NYE group to join us. At first it seemed like there might be several takers, but after we clarified that we'd need to leave the house promptly at 8 to beat the crowds, only one of our friends, Perke, was left with his hand raised.
So, the three of us got up a bit after 7 this morning. It wasn't as hard as I feared it might be, even after staying up past midnight once again after drinking a lot. In fact both last night and the night before I've slept surprisingly well. Oh, I've woken up with a deathly thirst from the combination of alcohol and desert dehydration, but I've slept soundly both nights.
With only three of us rising for the hike we even managed to leave the house early, at 7:45. And before leaving I had a chance to check the hot tub and pool temperatures. The heater is still plumbed wrong. The pool is now up to 75F (24C) while the hot tub remains at average air temperature of 55F. And the property manager hasn't returned my call from yesterday evening. Well, worst case we get a hot pool, not just a hot tub, in another day or two!
Thanks to hitting the road early the route to the park was uncrowded. The wait at the entrance kiosk was minimal, and the parking lot at the popular Calico Tanks trailhead was less than half full. We laced up our packs, used the toilet one last time, and started up the trail.
The sky is beautifully clear today, casting the red and gold of the sandstone bluffs around us in vivid color. Perke, who's from Australia, compares the scenery to Uluru. Except the not-red parts. "I look up and I'm like, 'Yellow? WTF!'" he quips.
Update: Keep reading in part 2
Las Vegas, NV - Sat, 30 Dec 2017, 8:30am
After our first attempt at hiking the Calico Tanks trail Thursday at Red Rock Canyon went bust and we had to settle for another trail, and then found another trail for a "bonus round", we decided we'd give it a third try on Saturday. Today. We'd already set aside Saturday morning in our planning for hiking. We even invited everyone interested from our NYE group to join us. At first it seemed like there might be several takers, but after we clarified that we'd need to leave the house promptly at 8 to beat the crowds, only one of our friends, Perke, was left with his hand raised.
So, the three of us got up a bit after 7 this morning. It wasn't as hard as I feared it might be, even after staying up past midnight once again after drinking a lot. In fact both last night and the night before I've slept surprisingly well. Oh, I've woken up with a deathly thirst from the combination of alcohol and desert dehydration, but I've slept soundly both nights.
With only three of us rising for the hike we even managed to leave the house early, at 7:45. And before leaving I had a chance to check the hot tub and pool temperatures. The heater is still plumbed wrong. The pool is now up to 75F (24C) while the hot tub remains at average air temperature of 55F. And the property manager hasn't returned my call from yesterday evening. Well, worst case we get a hot pool, not just a hot tub, in another day or two!
Thanks to hitting the road early the route to the park was uncrowded. The wait at the entrance kiosk was minimal, and the parking lot at the popular Calico Tanks trailhead was less than half full. We laced up our packs, used the toilet one last time, and started up the trail.
The sky is beautifully clear today, casting the red and gold of the sandstone bluffs around us in vivid color. Perke, who's from Australia, compares the scenery to Uluru. Except the not-red parts. "I look up and I'm like, 'Yellow? WTF!'" he quips.
Update: Keep reading in part 2