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Sunset in Red Rock Canyon – Las Vegas

Sun getting low at the Red Rock Canyon sign.

Date:	4-8-2026
Location:	Las Vegas, NV
Distance:	1.5 mi
Elevation Gain:	225′
Total Time:	2.5 hours (including Scenic Drive)
Parking:	10+ cars

The first full day at the conference was underway and I learned that our hotel had a rent-a-car place inside the resort. So, at lunch I booked a car for the day and planned to drive out to Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area later that evening to catch a sunset.

I picked up the car about 4:30 or so and was on the road by 5pm. It took me about an hour to get to the canyon.

My first stop was the sculpted rock sign. A quick pull off to get a picture but I wanted to keep moving because daylight was dwindling.

My orginal plas was to hike these trails on the rock

My plan was to hike along some of the Calico trails on the red rocks for sunset. But I did not realize that the sunsets a bit earlier because it goes behind the mountains.

Teh rocks were the stars of the this sunset journey

When I got the scenic drive where the trails were, I had to stop at a ranger station and pay $20 to drive this route. It is a one-way road that weaves through the red rocks for about 12-14 miles or so.

These rocks really stand out when the sun shines on them

The rangers said the best spot for sunset was the overlook pull off. So I decided to take their advice and make that my target destination.

The view red rocks from the Overlook. The shadows are already taking over the valley.

When I went by the Calico trails the sun was starting to set and the rocks were glowing with a rusty bright color. I walked around a little bit but wanted to head up to the overlook.

The shadows and the light from the sunset were very pretty.

By the time I got there the sun was already setting and I wished I had stayed with my original plan.

Now that most of the canyon was in the shadow of the mountains I decided to pick a trail and get my feet on the ground.

I pulled over at the Fossil Canyon Trail head which had plenty of parking. It also offered horseback rides at a nearby camp.

The trail lead upwards toward some smaller foothills but offered some beautiful views of the surrounding canyon.

Views of the red rocks in the distance from the trail

The trail was mostly dusty dirt and pretty easy to climb up. It was well marked and following it in the after flow was not hard.

One thing I noticed was the temperature dropping and the winds pick up as daylight disappeared. There is also a distinct smell out in the desert.

As I walked along the trail I noticed many different cactuses. Many of them had blooming flowers. It was really beautiful. This was different from anything I hike back east.

I went up the trail until daylight was gone. There is a strange feeling standing in the middle of the desert at twilight with the wind blowing.

A lot of different thoughts went through my head. Since I did not have a headlamp that was my queue to start heading back down toward the car.

A horse back ranch all lit up down below

I’d like to visit this area again when I have more time to explore and find the dinosaur tracks. While my original plan did not work out as I hoped it would.

Winging it seemed to be a great alternative. When I got back to my hotel, I parked the car and had a great late-night Mexican dinner along the canales of Venice.

Teh roks were the stars of the this sunset journey

Neon Sign Museum All Lit Up – Las Vegas

Roadside Attractions and Oddities

Me standing in front of the neion baby duck car sign

Date:	4-7-2026
Location:	Las Vegas, NV
Cost:	$30
Parking:	20+ cars

I was in Las Vegas for a few days attending a conference. On the day I arrived, I got a text from my aunt and uncle. They were in Vegas as well and were going to go to the Neon Sign Museum later that evening and wanted to know if I wanted to go.

The Stardust was the hotel that the movie Casino is based off

Of course, I said yes. I had been to this museum once before, but I went in the middle of the day. This time it would be dark out and several of the signs would be lit up.

The whole area with the signs is completely different during the night. Many of the signs are not lit up themselves but are colored by all the other lights.

Color TV sign. I remember seeing these signs when I was younger

This is a fun little museum to visit in the day or night, but I personally liked it better when it was dark out with the signs lit up.

The old Hard Rock sign and the M from Moulin Rouge sign

After the museum we stopped and walked around Freemont Street and watched the people zip line above us.

Spring Hike to Arethusa Falls in Crawford Notch

Hiking, Waterfalls

Date:	4-4-2026
Location:	Crawford Notch, NH
Distance:	3.14 mi
Elevation Gain:	707′
Total Time:	3 hr 5 min
Parking:	20+ cars

My buddy Eric and I wanted to get out for some fresh mountain air. It looked like some of the waterfalls up north were starting to thaw so we decided that Arethusa Falls in Crawford Notch would be good option.

Weather was looking good, with some sunny and partly cloudy skis. Temps were going to be in the 40s/50s. When we got to the trail head at 9am temps were already in the high 30’s.

Trail conditions varied but we bare booted most of the way

There was lots of parking when we arrived. The lower lot was empty, and the upper lot only had 3 or 4 cars there.

When we started up the trail there was very little snow or ice. Shortly after the trail got snowier and muddy but no need for spikes. As we progressed there was various levels of ice and snow on the trail.

When we reached the bridges, the trail was mostly hard packed snow. It is always nice to see the water flowing good on in the streams.

When we got to the trail junction, we decided that we would put on the spikes for the hard pack snow and ice going down to the falls.

pretty much the hight of the trail is the trail junction

When we got to the falls, we were the only ones there. The falls were flowing beautifully. There were two large pilers of ice on both sides of the rocky falls with a great flow of water coming down.

Some of the best cascading water I’ve see, on these rocks in a long time. Very different from the trickle of water seen in the summer and fall.

I made my way closer to the falling water along the edge. At one point I was walking on some hard packed snow, and I fell through up to my thigh, I was waiting for my feet to get soaked but the water was only about an inch deep.

I stepped out and over to the shore for the last 30 feet or so. I didn’t want to get too close incase some of these large ice chunks broke off and fell down.

The angle I was at was great. I could see the spray coming off the top of the waterfall. I took a bunch of pictures from different angles then started to head back to where Eric was.

By this time a couple of people had arrived. We took a few more shots and then we headed back down the trail. We decided to keep our spikes on most of the way down back through the snow, ice and mud.

We were in no rush going down and took lots of photo breaks.

Heading out back to the car. Last view selfie

When we got back to the car the lot was still not full yet. I was surprised there were not a lot more people out on a nice sunny day.

After our hike we made our way over to Reklis Brewery in Bethlehem for lunch.

The Randall Bridge – Lyndon VT

Covered Bridges

Date:	3/29/2026
Location:	Lyndon, VT
Water Body:	Passumpisc River
Year Built:	1865
Bridge Length:	68 feet
Truss Type:	Queenspost truss
Parking:	pull off 1-2 cars

Diving home from Burke Mt. We spotted this old, out of use covered bridge and had to stop and check it out.

This bridge was old, it was built in 1865. It was also showing its age. I love old structures like this. This bridge spans over the East Branch of the Passumpsic River.

Looking inside at the Queenspost Truss design. The boards are wavy from the bridge setteling with the land

This bridge is about 68’ long and is built with a Queenspost Truss deisgn.

View of the Randall Covered Bridge resting over the Passumpisc River

We walked around the bridge to photograph it from different angles. It is open on both sides but given the condition of the over all bridge I did not want to risk walking on it fore fear of falling through the floor.

This is really a beautiful bridge in its gently decaying state. I’m not sure how much life she will have left, especially if another flood event goes through the area. I was glad I had an opportunity to photograph it.

Bradley Covered Bridge – Lyndon VT

Covered Bridges

Date:	3/29/2026
Location:	Lyndon VT
Water Body:	Miller Run River
Year Built:	1878
Bridge Length:	56 feet
Truss Type:	Queenspost truss
Parking:	pull off 1-2 cars

My buddy Jay and I stumbled upon the Bradley Covered Bridge driving home from Burke Mountain in Vermont. Since there was a pull off near the bridge, we deiced to get out to take some pictures

This bridge is also known as the Miller/Run Covered Bridge. This is because the Mill Run River runs beneath it. There is a large iron sign/arch that extends over the road before the bridge. The road is active and has a good amount of traffic moving through it.

There is also a covered walkway connected to the bridge for pedestrian traffic.

Pedestrian walkway along side the Bradley Bridge

The bridge was constructed in 1878 by E.H. Stone. This bridge is a single span Queenspost Truss design spanning 56’ across.

Iron Sign in front of the Bradley Bridge. Also known as the Mill Run Bridge

It always amazing to me that a bridge this old can till handle regualer traffic. Things this bridge has seen…

Skiing at Burke Mountain

Skiing

Date:	3-29-2024
Location:	Burke, VT
Cost:	Indy Pass
Parking:	10+ cars

It is getting late in the season, and I wanted to try another mountain I had not been to and Burke Mountain seemed to fit the bill.

Lots of fun costumes on the slopes of Burke

My buddy Jay and took the two-hour ride up to see what it was all about. Temps were in the 30’s and I did not need to wear a burka under my helmet.

There are two different lots you can park at. The base lot and the Midway lot. We choose to park at the bottom.

The Sherburne Express was the only lift that took us to the top.

We went in to get our tickets and boot up. The lodge was pretty simple. It was maple week in Vermont so there was a maple vendor there selling all kinds of maple products.

We headed over to the Sherburne Express lift up. The only other lift running was the T-Bar but that was for racers to ride up for the races that were happening.

The snow was decent. Little to know ice and very carve able. It was actually great conditions for this late in the season.

Some cook VW Bug artwork on the wall in the tavern

I will say there is not a big difference between Vermont blue box trails and Vermont black Dimond trail. Those blues are legit!

There was a cool shelter building with a fireplace off one of the trails that was cool to stop at.

Little shelter with fireplace along side one of the trails

View of the shelter from the inside looking out tot he ski trail

We stopped at both lodges. The fist one at the Midway, for an Irish Coffee and the second time down at the base for lunch. The food was really good there the hospitality was great too.

End of the day and the race course is empty

After lunch we did a few more runs till about 3:30pm. I really would like to come back to Burke when all the trails are open. This was a great first experience.

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