"Perhaps the genius of ultrarunning is its supreme lack of utility. It makes no sense in a world of space ships and supercomputers to run vast distances on foot. There is no money in it and no fame, frequently not even the approval of peers. But as poets, apostles and philosophers have insisted from the dawn of time, there is more to life than logic and common sense."
- David Blaikie

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Red Rock Canyon

I typically wind up in Las Vegas at least once a year on business. This trip I decided to rent a car and make some time to explore a bit outside of town.

I was absolutely stunned by what I found at the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

Red Rock Canyon is just a few miles west of Las Vegas and sits on some 197,000 acres within the Mojave Desert. It was only 20 minutes drive from the Strip, but a completely different world.

They pretty much called it like they saw it.... There is a spectacular red rock canyon that I ran straight through. Views like this really make me want to pick up a good geology book.

Supposedly there are wild horses, bighorn sheep, and wild burros roaming free but I didn't come across any. I did see a few rabbits and some spectacular wild flowers.

Over the past few years there have apparently been several efforts to develop this area. One plan even called for 8,400 houses in a master-planned community within the park. Concerned citizens got together and confronted the developers and won.
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