Monday, August 18, 2008

Las Vegas Wetlands

Yesterday I went to Las Vegas' best kept secret, the Las vegas Wetlands, with my friends Camila, Evan, and Frankie. The Vegas Wetlands aren't completely done (I think they started in 2000), but they have the first phase open (free) from dawn until dusk (vistor center open from 10am-4pm) and it's located at the far east side of Tropicana, just past Boulder Highway.
This was only the second time that I'd been to the Vegas Wetlands and both times, without even trying, I saw wildlife that you don't see anywhere else within the city limits, like this desert cottontail rabbit in this photo (click photo to make larger and see the rabbit better). Leave the guns at home please!
When the whole Wetlands project is finished it'll encompass six miles, but seriously there's already a good amount of land with good trails where you can see environments that you wouldn't think would (or could) exist out here in the desert.










For more info about the Vegas wash project and the wetlands, visit www.lvwash.org as they have a great site that explains what and why the project exists accompanied with great photos. I'm sure at some point they'll start charging to go within the Wetlands, but as long as it's not as much as what the Springs Perserve charges, it'll be worth it if that's what it takes for this place to continue to be a great retreat from the big city that is Las Vegas.

2 comments:

Camila said...

Hi Ralph!

I can't believe you don't like the Truman Show. I know nothing about the Twilight zone. But I guess throughout time there are repeats of previous films, activities, or things. Like when I liked the Backstreet Boys, everyone older than me told they were like the New Kids on the block.

I never thought about the Wetlands charging once they are finished building. I can imagine it though. Although the Wetlands Park is a federal funded park though so they might not. I don't think the Springs Preserve was designed by the government.

nice photos! :D

Ralph Mathieu said...

I realize that there is very little that is truely original and I'm sure that the people that made the Truman Show wouldn't claim that their movie was. I didn't not like the Truman Show not because it wasn't original, but because it didn't do anything different or interesting with its premise and I didn't care for the characters (mostly Jim Carrey's character I guess). Of course subjectivity is part of the equation determining whether someone likes or doesn't like something and it's also true that if someone hadn't been exposed to a previous work or artist that uses the same premise or style, that work or artist will resonate with them more or seem more novel to them.