Red Rock Canyon and Mt. Charleston

We were up at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, very unvacation-like, so that we could get to Red Rock Canyon for photos when the light was still good. As in, I needed to get there early because I like early morning and late afternoon light the best. When we arrived at the canyon, it was just before 7 and the place was deserted. We explored in the car and did 2 hikes into the desert. The scenery was fantastic and we saw lizards, hawks, quail and a rabbit. We also discovered that all desert vegetation is sharp! Every plant or bush we touched scratched or stabbed us. If you know me, I got stabbed a lot! It was amazing to be in a place that is totally silent other than the wind and bird songs. It got hot quickly but we had planned for it and had a good morning. I took a lot of pictures but will post a few of my favourites below. 

After the canyon, we headed over to Mt. Charleston, about 40 minutes away. We saw a lot of Vegas that you don't usually see including trailer park subdivisions, high end homes and desert ranches. Mt. Charleston, surprisingly, is a ski destination in what passes for winter here. So, the mountain has quite a few chalets and the place where we had lunch is a gathering place for skiers. We did consider lunch on the deck overlooking the mountain but, as the sign shows, there was a plague of bees. The food was really good but there was a lot of it! Lots of exercising to do when we get home I think!

It's hard to believe, but we did have dinner as well! It was later and we walked quite a bit and were actually hungry. We were glad that we went as it was our best meal to date at Michael Mina's American Fish. Mina has a bunch of restaurants in Vegas but this is his newest I think. We took  advantage of the Restaurant Week menu that offers a 3 course prix fix meal. Part of the proceeds go to a charity that provides meals for less fortunate people. 
Our appetizers were a cool Caesar salad with whole anchovies and Shrimp and Grits with Jalapeno Cream and Serrano Ham. Both were excellent and I want to try to make the shrimp and grits at home.

Main courses were Marilyn's mixed grill with salmon, scallop, prawn, razor clams, octopus and calamari. I had Mediterranean Branzino (a kind of bass) that was cooked in a salt dome.

We don't usually have dessert but this meal came with it so we had Mascarpone Cheesecake with blueberries and Chocolate Custard with Red Velvet Cake. Last night I was promising myself that I'd run every day when we get home!