Just outside Vegas is a park called Red Rock Canyon. There is a scenic drive that loops through the park. We found a company that would drop us off at the beginning of the loop with rental bikes. Being in the US, it would seem that you can still bring your gun but are not allowed to shoot it. So much for freedom!These are the Red Rocks the park is named after. The peaks are up to 3000 feet high and are famous for their excellent rock climbing. If you look carefully there are people on the trail to get a sense of scale. Alex Honnold calls the Red Rocks home. If you don’t know who he is, watch this documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urRVZ4SW7WUThe bikes the company rented us for this adventure were surprisingly good bikes. No complaints here. In decent shape too. There is a viewpoint at the highest part of the scenic loop, which is full of tourists. Damn tourists ruining everything!Being the highpoint of the loop can only mean one thing! Traditional tourist summit selfie!Action shot! Despite this area warming up to a sweltering 45 degrees C in the summer, it was fairly cold and started snowing right around this time. I was demonstrating how I look with the speed of the e-assist bike! I also have on two jackets because it is freezing cold. The next stop on our trip is called the Ice Box Canyon. That will probably be warmer, I hope.Turns out Ice Box Canyon is the coldest part of the scenic loop. Our hands were frozen. The last thing I even considered bringing with me to Vegas was a pair of gloves. You would think in a dry desert that water would soak into the ground but the opposite is actually true. When it rains, the water tends to stay on top of the ground and creates streams and rivers. Fortunately, this one wasn’t strong enough to knock us off the bikes. The heavy battery probably helped keep us planted. Apparently, the Red Rocks is home to over 600 different types of plants. They all look like cactus to me. After finishing the scenic loop we merged onto the highway to head back to Vegas to return the bikes. Fortunately, it was downhill with a tailwind so the ride into town went by very quickly. Is that a Subaru Brat? Rare car that just happened to pass as I took this photo. After getting back into Vegas we followed a bike path though a very expensive neighborhood and eventually found the bike store to return the bikes. Although we really enjoyed this tour and would certainly suggest it, we also found it was a bit rushed and would have liked to have spent more time exploring…. Perhaps on a warmer day.
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