Red Rock Canyon

Our final day in Vegas and I had five things I wanted to do before we got on our plane at 11:30 p.m.--go to Red Rock Canyon, go to the Anne Taylor outlet, shop for tacky Vegas souvenirs, go to the Venetian and go to Fremont Street downtown. Early that morning we headed for the first place on our list--Red Rock Canyon. This was a little like Valley of Fire, but I enjoyed it more. The drive to get there wasn't as long (only 19 miles west of Vegas) and there was a little more diversity in the sights. It was a perfect day to put the top down on the car and cruse through the 13-mile scenic loop. We stopped along the way at pull-offs to take photos. Next time, we're bringing a picnic lunch. This was the desert version of Cades Cove. There were bikers and hikers everywhere and a few rock climbers. I think I'd like to hike the next time also. We didn't see any of the wild critters we had read about in our Vegas for Dummies book, but the peaceful drive was worth the trip. Next on to Anne Taylor and the shopping was grand, that is, after we found a parking place. We also shopped in the tacky Vegas souvenir shop and bought the girls T-shirts and casino cards. (Like we need another deck of cards at our house.) Our final short stop was back on the strip to the Venetian. This was about as disappointing as Ceasars Palace. Unlike the real St. Mark's square with the huge campanillo and the millions of pigeons. However, it looks very similar on a small scale. It was a very beautiful hotel and casino. On to Fremont Street. PHOTOS