"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world." ― John Muir
I took this photo yesterday morning at the majestic Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, a short drive from downtown Las Vegas. Sometimes articles in Muse News inspire me too, and a few months ago when I shared The Best Day Trips From Las Vegas, it made me really want to see more of Las Vegas and its natural beauty, beyond the neon lights. I travel to Vegas each August for Virtuoso Travel Week, but the conference schedule is so packed, I never get to explore past the Strip.
So I invited an old friend to join me in taking advantage of my special Marriott rates and share a room at the Renaissance Las Vegas, a welcoming oasis off the bustling Strip, conveniently located to all the sights, and a perfect home base for a quick weekend getaway. We had a great time exploring the Art District and the old school downtown Las Vegas, and my favorite museum visit was The Neon Museum, a super cool collection of Vegas signs, some from iconic landmarks. This outdoor museum tells a history of the city that's fun and engaging, while the buzz of vintage neon lights your path.
A highlight of the weekend was definitely Red Rock Canyon! The visitor center, pictured above, has a great gift shop and outdoor exhibits full of helpful information, and its staff are enthusiastic and warmly welcoming. I can't imagine how those rocks were once sand dunes, from when all this was a sea. I was on the small group Red Rock Canyon Classic Tour with Pink Jeep Tours, and our guide taught us about desert plant life too when we stopped for walks on the 13-mile scenic loop filled with Joshua Trees, sage, and various cacti. There are dozens of spectacular hiking trails, and our autumn weather felt perfect to explore Red Rock Canyon - breezy and around 50 degrees with a bright blue sky. We didn't spot any wild bighorn sheep, mules, or desert tortoises, but we got to see a pictograph handprint preserved on a large boulder.
I highly recommend visiting Red Rock Canyon in the cooler months and spending a day exploring Red Rock Canyon along its trails where you can see petroglyphs, quarries, and the icebox cave that never gets sunlight and is always cold. To see more photos of Red Rock Canyon and from The Neon Museum, please check out Nine Muses Travel's Facebook and Instagram.
Last but not least, my friend and I visited Fontainebleu Las Vegas, the newest luxury hotel on the Strip, for a delicious Asian-inspired dinner at Kyu before seeing Tears For Fears at their BleauLive Theater. The venue was impressive with good acoustics, and of course, Curt and Roland never disappoint.
Feeling the expansiveness of time at places like Red Rock Canyon is always humbling, and I appreciated being immersed in that landscape the day before elections. It was a comfort to remember humanity perseveres through the ages, being reminded by an ancient red handprint on a desert rock.
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Nine Muses Travel designs journeys to inspire artists, arts lovers and the culturally curious.
Danielle Dybiec
Founder & President
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