I get out to Las Vegas every year or two. If you follow this blog you may have read previous posts on Viva Las Veglass, Model behavior in Las Vegas and A walk down the strip. Since I don’t gamble and don’t attend any of the big musical reviews or dance shows, this probably seems like a strange destination. But, it is a very interesting place for a photographer. If you can’t find anything that captures your photographic fancy when you’re surrounded by the people, the buildings, and the lights of Vegas, well, let’s just say it’s time to set down your camera.
On my latest trip I decided to get out of town for a day to see what nature has to offer in this part of the country. Fortunately, only 17 miles from the city is the nearly 200,000 acre Red Rock Canyon National Recreation Area. You can drive, hike, climb, ride your bike (or your horse), or just relax and have a picnic. My activities were limited to driving and hiking.
It was a bit overcast most of the day so the sky was not adding much interest to the scene. But, the absence of the bright sun meant that even though I got a late start, I didn’t have to deal with the harsh shadows and high contrasts that can plague mid-day photos.
Recent rains provided some nice green ground-cover to balance the reds and tans of the rocks. I was hoping to see wildlife. This is the home of the Desert Tortoise and, although we saw signs, not one showed up to strike a pose. However, I was able to see one distant Desert Bighorn Sheep. It blended into the rocks so well I’m sure I wouldn’t have seen it had there not been others watching when I arrived.
Although it was a weekday, quite a few people were out enjoying the park. That occasionally made it difficult to find a place to park. So, if you prefer solitude with your nature fix you might want to get an early start.