Several of my book-blogging friends have been posting recently about their love for the American novelist Willa Cather. Oddly perhaps, given that I named the Antonia shawlette pattern after a character of hers, I have never developed a passionate admiration for Cather's work. I do share a love of hers, though, in the shape of the landscapes of the American Southwest, the desert panoramas evoked in Death Comes for the Archbishop and The Professor's House. So when David and I found ourselves with a day to kill in the Las Vegas area after a family wedding, we made a snap decision to avoid the weak drinks and tacky glitz of the Strip, rent a car, and drive out to Red Rock Canyon for a day hike.
It was a great call. Although Vegas had been in the midst of their first extended heat wave of 2011 just before our arrival, the heat broke on Sunday and we had a gorgeous, sunny 75 degrees, albeit extremely windy. Spring is beautiful in the desert. It's the time of year when the landscape seems most full of life. Flowers are blooming, springs have not yet dried up, and animals are apt to be active even during the day, since they aren't taking refuge from the extreme heat. We saw several varieties of lizards...
...two large groups of big-horn sheep (see above, and also below). The expression on the face of the front sheep here is pretty hilarious to me:
There was also a striking black-and-yellow bird that was probably some kind of oriole, as well as lots of beautiful flora. The cactus flowers are blooming...
...and the desert juniper...
...and the yucca are in bloom as well. Their buds almost look like chili peppers.
I think these lovely red blooms are desert mallow:
But of course, as any reader of Cather knows, the real star of the show on a walk like this are the rock formations. Red Rock canyon features giant sandstone formations in red and white, that rise dramatically out of the valley below:
I love watching the changing character of these formations as I move around them, interacting with them from different angles and perspectives. The trail we chose (the 6-mile White Rock/La Madre Springs Loop) offered a lot of that as it circled around the large White Rock formation and dipped into a hidden pine grove, even passing a standing pool of utterly clear water, complete with tadpoles and water-skippers. And the contrast of that vivid blue sky against the reds and the whites of the weather-shaped rocks is always a favorite opportunity for photo-taking. Happily, I got my camera back just before this little trip, so I was able to test out its newly-functional workings. It hasn't been in true ship-shape condition in over a year, and I'd forgotten how much fun photography can be with a well-calibrated camera.
What a contrast from our last hike! Both were gorgeous, though. I highly recommend checking out Red Rock if you're in Vegas and getting a little sick of the casino scene—it's more than worth it.
Speaking of travel, David and I are leaving for France on Saturday! I'm planning on blogging while on our trip, and cross-posting entries here and on Evening All Afternoon. See you in Paris!
Great photos! I love the one of the big-horn sheep peeking out from behind that outcropping. I meant to go there when I was in Vegas a few years ago, but after weeks of outdoor adventures, the glitter of the city was enticing and I didn't manage to leave it. So Red Rock Canyon is still on my list. Looks amazing - thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Sarah! Yes, I highly recommend Red Rock the next time you're in the area. And I am marybe a little hard on Vegas - I do think every American should go at least once, since it's kind of our modern-day Babylon, you know? I've just been there a LOT over the years to visit family, so I'm over the Strip. :-)