Day 2, Mt. Charleston

Mt. Charleston

Going back to the Las Vegas Strip. Thanks Jane, it was a great outing. I rode home to California with my son and daughter–in–law that evening. On the way home, we stopped at Stateline for gas and dinner. There are great outlet stores in its mall including ones for Williams Sonoma and Banana Republic.

Mt. Charleston

On the Way Up to Mt. Charleston

Every time I visit Las Vegas, I am so very happy to see my friend Jane who lives there. We grew up in the same town on Long Island, New York, going to the same high school. We didn’t know each other back in Northport. We actually met at the first Northport High School reunion held in Las Vegas (we ex–New Yorkers do get around). We also discovered that our husbands also went to the same Catholic boys high school in Los Angeles, being there at the same time but also not knowing each other. It’s a small, often wonderful, world. Jane picked me up from my hotel on the Strip and we first went to breakfast with my cousins who live in Las Vegas. One of them I hadn’t met until he moved to Las Vegas and I hadn’t seen his father, who just moved to Las Vegas, for over 50 years. So it was a great day for family and friends. Jane asked me if I wanted to see Mt. Charleston, so off we went after her wonderful husband brought some warm jackets for us––it is 20–30 degrees cooler on Mt. Charleston than in the flat part of Vegas. Photo: On our way up to Mt. Charleston.

On the Way Up to Mt. Charleston

Big house with few neighbors seen going up this road.

On the Way Up to Mt. Charleston

Farther along. I was here on this road once before, but we had to abort our trip due to an unforeseen occurrence. We had a second reunion for our high school in Las Vegas. Only one of the group who Eddie (my late husband) and I were hanging around with had a car. So like a bunch of teenagers, we all piled into his car and followed Jane’s car up the mountain. We had great confidence in our driver––he had been a California highway patrolman for 28 years. Only one problem, on the way up, while it starting snowing, his gas gauge told him he was running out of gas (now why wouldn’t an old Chippie know one must fill up a gas tank before going up a mountain?). So we had to turn back to find a gas station and we decided to go to Red Rock Canyon instead, where it was also snowing. Hey, we all love this guy and that is why we keep bringing up this Mt. Charleston non–adventure.

On the Way Up to Mt. Charleston

Mt. Charleston

Mt. Charleston is only about 1/2–hour’s drive from the Las Vegas Strip. Not many people who visit Vegas even know this 11,919–foot mountain is even there. Fewer even know that Mt. Charleston has a ski and snowboard park––Yes, you can take a skiing vacation to Las Vegas in the winter months. Photo: We are entering Mt. Charleston National Recreation Area.

Mt. Charleston

We drove up to a picnic and hiking area.

Mt. Charleston

This is Jane.

Mt. Charleston

We started a short hike up this trail. Note nature’s steps along the trail. We didn’t hike up too far––if I had brought my hiking boots and walking stick, I would have hiked farther up. This whole area was almost totally deserted. We only saw a couple walking down the trail when we got there and one man with two dogs passing us to hike up.

Mt. Charleston

Nature’s jungle gym.

Mt. Charleston

Some interesting fallen tree branches.

Mt. Charleston

Seeing the limestone rocks through the trees.

Mt. Charleston

Trees and the sky.

Mt. Charleston

Trees, sky, and the top of Cathedral Rock. Here, Cathedral Rock appears to have a pointed top.

Mt. Charleston

Here you can see that there is a flat ledge on the top of Cathedral Rock. The trail we were on led to the top. Jane has hiked up to its top.

Mt. Charleston

Jane calls this “Changing of the Color of the Leaves, Las Vegas Style.” The color of the leaves of this aspen is usually green, changing to yellow in the fall. There were no other tree leaves changing their colors here. We were down from the steep trail and on a flat trail.

Mt. Charleston

Pretty ragweed.

Mt. Charleston

A natural meadow.

Mt. Charleston

More of the meadow. The meadow goes up the hill and there is a trail up.

Mt. Charleston

More aspens changing the color of their leaves.

Mt. Charleston

Sun hitting the aspens. Very pretty.

Mt. Charleston

Aspens and ragweed.

Mt. Charleston

Not Cathedral Rock but another rock. The rocks and the forest reminded me somewhat of Yosemite. Mt. Charleston also has a waterfall in the higher elevation.

Mt. Charleston

We drove down a hill to a restaurant which also had a Christmas gift shop. The restaurant was crowded.

Mt. Charleston

Cathedral Rock viewed from the restaurant.

Mt. Charleston

Looking down to the desert below.

Mt. Charleston

Seen in the restaurant’s parking lot. This little Shih Tzu is getting ready for her motorcycle ride. She already has her goggles on––she also has orange bows in her hair.

Mt. Charleston

Now she has her helmet on as well. She had the same coloring as Missy, my Shih Tzu who went to Doggy Heaven this last August. I don’t think Missy would have allowed me to put goggles and helmet on her, but she loved the wind (she loved to sit in front of the air blower in my car).

Mt. Charleston

The little Shih Tzu on the back of the motorcycle. She is strongly secured.

Mt. Charleston

In the restaurant’s parking lot, there were tables set up for Navajo Indians who came from Arizona to sell their wares. There was also a couple originally from Moscow, Russia, selling handmade jewelry.