We came to Vegas a few days before our races so we could have a mini vacation and do a little sightseeing away from the busyness of Vegas. We took a drive out to Red Rock Canyon where as the name suggests you find large red rock formations. The area is a national conservation area and while we didn't see any wild life, there are signs that indicate you could encounter rattlesnakes and lizards. We stopped in one area that is popular with climbers. The rock here was very smooth in texture and mostly two toned in colour- red and white but the colours were alternately layered on one another. It was certainly a natural wonder. From here we took the 13-mile scenic drive through the conservation area. There are plenty of trails along the way, which if we weren't running in a couple days we may have considered doing one, but we wanted to save our legs and feet for the weekend. The drive really is extremely scenic and there are plenty of places to stop for photo ops. The vegetation for being in an arid desert seemed to be alive and well. This was a very cool place to visit and didn't really take much time out of our day. 
Another day trip was to the engineering marvel known as the Hoover Dam. Built in 5 years during the Great Depression, and using over 3 million cubic yards of concrete this structure is certainly worth seeing when in the area. We paid $10 for parking and from there it was free to roam around the dam. You can take a guided tour but we opted to skip that. The Dam is not only used to generate power, but also acts as a water source for municipal and irrigation uses. We also stopped at the Mike O'Callaghan Pat Timman Memorial Bridge and walked to the middle to chat a view of the dam from the front. What an incredible sight!! This arch shaped bridge connects Nevada and Arizona south of the Hoover Dam and rises 890 feet above the Colorado River.
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