Most people in the rock climbing community probably know what you are taking about if you say you are climbing in Red Rocks - but, most of our family aren't rock climbers, so maybe I should tell you a bit more about where we actually are.
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is 195,819 acres of conserved land, which is all apart of the Mojave Desert, and is located only 17 miles west of the Las Vegas "Strip" in Nevada. Once you enter the conservation area there is a 13 mile scenic drive loop, which gives us access to all the different trailheads and climbing routes.
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| Las Vegas (the tall buildings in the center is the Strip) |
The desert landscape of this area is vastly different from what we are used to on the east coast, but we have slowly been learning about the local plants and wildlife. There are a few herds of wild burros that live around the conservation area, as well as wild horses - although we have yet to see any wild horses, as they are much fewer in numbers. The Black-tailed jackrabbit and desert cottontail are a couple of animals we see on a regular basis while driving at night or early morning - those, along with the Kangaroo rat and pocket mouse. One night we were lucky enough to see a coyote as well. During the day, the most common animal you will notice are all the lizards, which dart about at your feet and over rocks - to name a few are the Chuckwalla, zebra-tailed lizard, Whiptailed lizard, and desert iguana. Unlike the lizards, the Desert Tortoise are the more atypical reptile of the Mojave - as they spend 98% of their lives underground in their burrows. The Desert Tortoise is a federally threatened animals, as its populations have been dramatically declining due to human encroachment, competition with grazing livestock, and invasive species.
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| A Gopher Snake passing through our climbing rope. |
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| Wild Burro itching near a Joshua Tree. |
(More climbing talk and photos to come...)
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