Las Vegas Springs Preserve, Spring 2010

A piece of the past, present, and future.

Sunday we met up with a colleague of mine, her fiancée and his roommate's dog, Red. The guidebook says something like "if you've reached the Hacienda Hotel & Casino, you've gone too far." No kidding....the unmarked turn off is the last turn before the Hacienda's parking lot. Good thing we had that guide book - we'd have ended up in Arizona. But we made it to the parking lot just as Fiona drifted off to sleep in the back seat.

Historic Railroad Tunnel Trail in Lake Mead Recreational Area. 2 miles and change in each direction. 5 tunnels. Lake Mead. And a blue sky full of fluffy white clouds. The trail and tunnels were used to take equipment to the Hoover Dam construction site. Other than minor elevation from the parking lot, it's a level walk on compacted gravel. Four and a half miles is a lot to ask of a three year old so we didn't go beyond the tunnels. But you can walk or bike to the scenic Hoover Dam Visitor Parking Deck.

A view of the Lake Mead Marina.

Looking back at Tunnel 4. Notice how low the water level is on the lake.

Railroad tie from the old tracks.

Per Fiona, this is a volcano but it isn't exploding.

Thank you, climbing walls at every playground in the city. She was not pleased when we made her stop climbing so we could hike back to the car. But she got to have her first pee in nature shortly after this and was sufficiently distracted.

Four of the five tunnels have timber supports at either opening. Here and there you can see drill lines in the tunnel walls from where dynamite was placed.

Across the way on that ridge are old bootlegging trails. We've been told there's a peak from which you can see the Strip and Lake Mead.

A wee little rock cairn we found along the trail. I experimented with different camera settings. In the bright sun the night-time setting gave this lighting effect.

Interesting color and formations in the rock below the trail.

Again with the night-time setting on the camera. There were a few sailboats on Lake Mead that day. This one is for Anthony who is still mourning the sale of his Buc.

Should you find yourself in Nevada, this is a great walk, view, history lesson. Just make sure you don't leave the granola bars in the car.

It took my breath away.

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. LaMadre Range. Mohave Desert. Western edge of the Las Vegas Valley. 30 miles from home. When I left I went to REI and bought some proper hiking boots. I will be back to this place.

Driving in along the 13-mile scenic loop, you come to this incredible vista quickly after leaving the visitor center. And it just kept getting better. The red rock, creamy sandstone, calico hills, and an absolutely perfect weather day for hiking.
Since I was only armed with my Blackberry, I couldn't take that many pictures. Here's a brief picture-story of my trip through the RRCNA today. My mission was to check out the easy hikes to see if we can take Fiona there this winter. So I skipped the crowded overlooks and pullouts and landed at Lost Creek Children's Discovery Trail. Just a few minutes in and I was looking straight up this rock face.

On the way there is a spring creek....actual running water in the desert. There is a snail restoration project going on. So tucked into this short hike is a whole habitat in and of itself - the only home on the planet for this tiny little snail!

The end of the trail is a dry (right now) waterfall. The rounded and smooth rocks tower over you. There was a climber above me - see him on the left edge of the rock?
I hiked back out to the trail head, turned left, and explored the Discovery Trail for kids. It ended up being a spur of the first trail I took, so I met up with some familiar faces and paws. But this part of the trail has more of a human element to it. I was walking right through the middle of a native American seasonal camp. I can't wait until Fiona is old enough to appreciate what that means.

On my way out I had to take a picture of this rock. Lime green lichen. In the middle of a desert. Now....I have a love affair with rocks. I'm not sure exactly when it started but I have distinct memories of being stunned by rock formations as a kid, a teenager, and time and again as an adult. I've been to some pretty amazing places in my life, when it comes to rocks. And since my geography field course in college I've been drawn to this part of the country. There's an energy here that makes me, well, giddy. It starts with the rocks. Then it's amplified by the magnitude of force and time it takes to move and shape these rocks. Not to mention the life that happens on them, around them, in spite of them....oh, I do like it out here.
And for my parting shot, I present you a cactus. "Touch me and I will hurt you" it whispered.

Mind games.

Fiona got out of bed about 6 times before finally falling asleep tonight. Twice she came to the top of the basement stairs to ask me to come up and lay down with her. Both times I said I would while fully intending to keep my butt planted right where it was. She will fall asleep on her own and I will be victorious.

I just came upstairs to go to bed and found my body pillow on her bed with her leg flopped over it. She thinks she showed me. Ha! Just wait until she wakes up and finds it gone from her bed. My body pillow! Mine!

A Party in the Park

Last weekend we attended Lincoln and Cooper's first birthday party in Stillwater, MN. The park, Washington Square Park, is a very nice city park. The story behind it a local man is using his own money to refurbish the city parks. He has established an endowment to support future upkeep of the parks. It was the cleanest city park I've ever been to. The bathroom door was arched. The picnic table tops were thick slabs of composite granite. The playground suited kids of all ages. And instead of plain old concrete sidewalks, they were paved with bricks.

The shelter was decorated in a "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" theme. It was very sweet and they thought of every details - even the boys' onesies were in theme! Their mom made red velvet cupcakes and it was the most entertaining first birthday cake attack I've ever seen. Red cake was EVERYWHERE!!

It has been really fun watching these two boys grow in the last year. And now I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that their mom, Christie, is the supreme party planner in these parts. I can stop trying now. :) Here are some photos from our day at the park. Fiona and Jo have become buds - shows, doesn't it? When Linc and Coop get a little older we'll do the blanket thing again.

The Great Minnesota Get Together 2009

This year Fiona and I went to the State Fair without Anthony. I'm still paying for last year with him. We tagged along with the Wandering Moos on the twins' first birthday. We saw lots of animals, rode the Carousel twice, sampled fair food that wasn't all on a stick (!), and saw a cow get milked. Here's the photo log of our day....

Husband's birthday

I planned a little surprise adventure for Anthony's birthday this year. Fiona and I picked him up from work early and took him to Theodore Wirth Park in the northwest part of the metro. It's the largest park in the Grand Rounds system and we'd never been there. So we stopped at a geographical marker along the parkway for a photo op:

Then we parked at one of the two golf courses, unloaded the bikes and pod, and went for a very hilly bike ride. Anthony had to take over pulling Fiona in the pod...ugg, that was hard. After the ride we drove over the Wirth Lake and had a picnic dinner on the beach. Putting aside the traffic in our view to the right, the mucky water in our view to the left, and the goose poop all over the beach it was a fun picnic. I made curried chicken salad and served it on croissants. Lemonade, strawberries, and marbled cheesecake squares rounded out the meal. Fiona got to check out two new playgrounds. It was a big night!

Anthony got a titanium link bracelet for his 37th. Looks good, no?

Burgers: A Great American Growth Spurt

Burger joints are popping up left, right, and center here....and I suspect all over the country. But in the Twin Cities these new burgers are a departure from what I've come to know as a classic TC eat - the Juicy Lucy. There's considerable debate over who makes the best Juicy Lucy. But since I've never eaten a Juicy Lucy and my homemade version is turkey stuffed with brie and a slice of Granny Smith apple on top, I won't comment more than to say the Juicy Lucy is a known standard throughout these parts.

So back to the new guys on the scene. A-Mo and I have recently tried Five Guys and Smashburger - two new suburban establishments peddling meat and potatoes in two very different ways. Five Guys is really about simplicity - to the point that their food is served in a brown paper bag even if you're eating at the restaurant. The cooking is open for viewing, which amuses and distracts cranky toddlers. The menu offers only a few choices; alas, no brie. They make a tasty burger, though next time I'll forego the lettuce and tomato as they just made things slippery and the grilled onions were too far to the raw side of things for my liking. Hot dog was split down the middle and grilled - yum. Fries aren't really worth mentioning.

Smashburger caters more to families and those seeking a different version of an old favorite. For example, they offer multigrain buns, veggie frites (carrots, green beans, and asparagus fries), salads, and malts. I built my own burger and it was good, but I swooned over those ordered by others in my party - those with gooey cheese and bacon to be exact. Perhaps the best part of the meal was the Smashfries. Knocking Twin City Grill off the top of the heap, these fries are my new favorite french fries. Tossed with olive oil, garlic, and herbs, they are indeed a different version of an old favorite. And they will have me going back for more.

The social experiences for my one visit to each are polar opposites from one another. Five Guys = my little family unit, shove it in as fast as you can because The Toddler is getting antsy. Smashburger = three couples, 4.5 kids, two men (we call them "uncles") for The Toddler to flirt with, and adult conversation not focused on our restaurant exit strategy.

I think we'll give both another shot. In the meantime, here are some pictures of our Smashburger outing last weekend, courtesy of Christie and her "new" camera.