BCNHA Weekend

We were picked up at our home at about 8:45 AM and we joined Jim, Gayle, and the other Larry on a trip south. We drove through Newcastle, turned south at Enterprise, and then west at Veyo. We drove by Gunlock Reservoir and it is at capacity. We noticed that the black brush was in bloom, a very rare occurrence, indeed. Jim is a black brush specialist. He pointed it out to us and told us of its significance. The moisture this year has been good and it has come at just the right time in order to make this happen. By the way, the photo above is NOT black brush. It is the flower of a prickly pear, which we took on the Beaver Dam slope just north of Beaver Dam. It was a glorious day on that sunny slope and once we got out, no one wanted to get back into the van.

We headed to Mesquite and stopped for the buffet at the Oasis. It was surprisingly good although, everyone ate way too much. From Mesquite we drove on I-15 to the Logandale/Overton exit and then to Overton and the Lost City Museum. This looks like a great stop for the group when we bring them on the trip next June. After the museum, we diverted to Valley of Fire State Park and I shot this beautiful image of an indigo bush. All of the wild and flowering plants are either verdantly green or in full bloom. This is a great time to be out in the desert.

We stopped at the visitor's center and did some display and people watching. There were lots of foreign devils with abundant body piercings and tatoos. The Valley of Fire is a popular location for weddings. They claim to host 60-80 each month. It was warm and wonderful there and the shadowed red rocks were very dramatic against the blue sky. We drove on to Henderson, and finally to Summerlin were we stayed at a Hampton last night. We did a Memphis style BBQ last night that was amazing. There were five of us and they offered a BBQ feast for $69 and we asked if it would feed five. The waiter laughed and just said,, "Easily!". It was enough food for eight! We did enjoy it, but took way too much back to the Hampton with us.

This morning's activities started with an early trip to the retailer whose sign is pictured above. We needed water and some snacks and we headed out for the Red Rocks recreation area.

It is a very popular stop for folks from Las Vegas and the park was full of bikers, joggers, hikers, rock climbers, and picnicers. I shot this image of Bubby tanning her legs on the bench in front of the VC. We drove the scenic loop drive and then returned to I-15 at the Blue Diamond exit.

This is a photo of Jim and the flowering black brush. He is properly proud of his favorite forb. The delicate flowers lack petals and are small, but beautiful.

On our way to Mount Charleston, we stopped at a restaurant recommended by Guy F. on "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives". It definitely falls into the last category (despite the waitress's denial, we were in North Las Vegas). We were a little frightened to go in, but we decided to take a shot. It was certainly a bar, but the bar area, and its smokers, were behind glass. We ate in a pleasant dining room. The foods of choice were wings and stromboli. The portions were generous, and we all said we would do it again if we get the chance. Maybe we will take the group next year when we come. We have a new place to take any of our readers should we be here with you in the future.

After several hours of a geologic road log of the Spring Mountains, we stopped at the top of Mount Charleston, where I took this photo of bristlecone pine foliage. The trees grew very straight in this location (not the twisted and knotted trunks and branches we are used to seeing). Their bottle brush-like needle clusters are really unusual.

On our way back to the motel, we stopped and I took a photo of Bubby by a joshua tree bloom. She loves these flowers, and during this trip we have seen the blossoms and the fruits that the joshuas bear. It has been a glorious weekend and we have really enjoyed ourselves. We will start home tomorrow after a tour of the Hoover Dam. I think our in-service teachers will really enjoy this trip next year.

Buboppy