Santa Rosa Hike

On Saturday AM we headed out to the Santa Rosa Ecological Reserve with close to 30 other Epic folks, with our own resident botanist Ranger James Harrison leading the way. Turned out to be a warm day, but it was well worth the effort...beautiful pools, native flowers, and great company. Probably the neatest thing was seeing James in his element...giving us commentary about the various types of shrubs and flowers that grow here , warning us about the poison oak along the path, and even a bear story or two. When you see people at church, most of the time you have no idea what they do at work, and how many people are so good at what they do. That's why it's always a treat to see people doing what they love. When it was all said and done, and we were pooped (I was proud of our kids for making the trek), stopping off at Tom's Farms for a burger on the way back really hit the spot. And then we were off to a wedding.

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

Over Spring Break we traveled to Vegas to visit my dad, which is where he makes his home. Beyond the swimming and eating that is the standard fare, we decided to get outside and exercise a bit by hiking in the Red Rock Canyon area, where they just completed an amazingly creative and interactive visitor center. We didn't hike all that much, but there was plenty to see and admire on the 13-mile loop with its vistas and changing landscapes. All in all, a beautiful way to spend the morning with grandpa. We finished our day, of course, with a buffet lunch at the Red Rock Hotel completely erasing any benefit we made by hiking.