Despite the ridiculously cold weather here in Las Vegas (38
degrees at 10:30 a.m.… seriously?), I was out and about today. I gave a talk at
the Summerlin
Library about Las Vegas Day Trips and Staycations—one of my favorite
topics.
Luckily, I had my husband with me, because later on—on the
drive to lunch at Due Forni—I got to ask
him, “Did I mention that Death
Valley is the largest National Park in the Lower 48?”
“No,” he said, "You missed that," which opened the door for us to talk about
all those little details that I had intended to share, but had missed during my
talk. What can I say? So many fabulous places to describe, so little time.
If you were at the talk today, here are some extra details,
along with links to the official sites for all the places I talked about. And
if you weren’t at the talk, well, just imagine a slightly out-of-breath woman
is reading the text to you, and it will be kind of like you were there.
In the late 1970s, the BLM issued permits for oil drilling
in Red
Rock, but fortunately that idea was squashed.
The Park
hosts Civil War reenactments every year for Nevada Day, and throughout the year
they regularly hold living history and pioneer events. (Interesting side note:
Since our State Day is October 31, I grew up thinking Halloween was a holiday.
One of the many oddities of being raised in Las Vegas.)
Twenty-four of Ash Meadows’ plants and animals can be found
nowhere else on earth, giving Ash Meadows the highest concentration of endemic life in any local area in the United States.
Experts now say that St.
Thomas, the town that was under Lake
Mead for over 60 years, is not expected to ever be underwater again.
Grafton
was part of what was known as the Mormon Cotton Mission, an unsuccessful
attempt at cotton farming along the Virgin River.
Okay, you already know that it’s the largest national park
outside of Alaska. But did you know that the famous Harmony Borax Works were only open for 5 years?
Zzyzx,
in the Mojave National Preserve
Curtis
Howe Springer named his spa Zzyzx because he
wanted it to be “the last word” in health (which might have been really catchy,
except that he was a fraud.)
Links to information about the other places I talked
about today:
Mt. Charleston lodges: Mt. Charleston
Lodge, The Resort on Mt.
Charleston
How many of these
places have you visited?
All pictures by Terrisa Meeks
When the 
The abandoned buildings on the edge of the dry Soda Lake are slowly being claimed by the desert. A boat embedded between two palms sits next to the horseshoe pit. The vast dry lake bed sits white and flat for miles, just beyond a spring-fed pond ringed with palms. The old spa’s outdoor pools still hold water. Through windowpanes without walls, the Providence Mountains rise in the background.