Ronnie Adventure #0455 - Blue Diamond Overlook Hike, Red Rock NCA, Clark County, Nevada

 

Picture by Kolohe

The Blue Diamond Overlook Trail is a little known little used trail that goes up the side of a mountain to a point that overlooks the community of Blue Diamond. We had never been on this trail and after hiking it we now know why it is little known and little used!

There is no official trailhead for the hike, so we just had to find a safe place to pull off of the highway near an "S" curve in the road, climb across the fence, walk across a dry wash, and then find the Old Spanish Trail that is now a popular trail used by mountain bikers.

After following The Old Spanish Trail for about half-a-mile, we turned up an alluvial slope that was so washed out and overgrown with desert vegetation that we would not have even known that we were on a trail if we hadn't had some gps coordinates. Once we gained enough elevation to be above the alluvial slope, the trail went up the mountain at a steep incline until it reached a bench near the top where the terrain flattened out. From there the trail was more visible, but it was also washed out in several area as it wrapped around the mountain top. And, to make matters worse, in the sections that were washed out the cliff dropped straight down for about 400-500 feet. This definitely is not a hike for people that do not like heights, or families with small children.

After reaching the observation point we had the choice of following our same route back down the mountain, or following a faint dotted line on the topographic map that led down to the community of Blue Diamond. Since the terrain did not look too bad, we decided to go down to the community of Blue Diamond.

It did not take too long to realize that it was not possible to find the topographic map dotted line when we were actually on the mountain. After a lot of rock scrambling, sliding down the slopes on loose scree, and fighting our way through brush that contained a lot of nasty thorns, we arrived at the outskirts of Blue Diamond. From there we decided to follow Molly's Trail back to The Old Spanish Trail and then back to our vehicle.  

Normally, for trails like this one we say once-is-enough. However, this time we decided that we might return sometime - not to follow the Blue Diamond Overlook Trail; but to ride our mountain bikes on The Old Spanish Trail and other connecting trails that go around the perimeter of the mountain. 

BONUS PICTURES BY KOLOHE

RonnieAdventure #0454 - Calico Loop Trail, Gene's Trail, & Waiting Room - Red Rock NCA, Clark County, Nevada

 

I first learned of the "Waiting Room" in Calico Basin fourth hand, which always makes me a little skeptical. Kolohe's doctor learned of the Waiting Room from one of his friends, but he had never been there. He told Kolohe where he thought the Waiting Room was located and Kolohe gave me the directions. 

Calico Basin has a maze of interconnecting trails, most of which have multiple names, so when hiking in this area it is best to just take a compass bearing and follow any of the trails that go in the desired direction. 

Since it was a nice day for a hike, we decided to follow the directions that we had received to see if we could find the Waiting Room. 

At the trailhead we started on "Calico Loop" and after about a mile we crossed over the Power Line Trail. We then just took a compass bearing and went cross-country to what looked like the canyon entrance that had been described to us. Much to our surprise, we found the Waiting Room on our first try. It was located in a small unmarked side canyon that we had never before explored. It is unclear who constructed the Waiting Room, but it was an interesting place to visit.

To get back to the trailhead and our vehicle, we decided to follow a different route. We started backtracking to the Power Line Trail and then followed it to Gene's Trail. We had been on Gene's Trail before and it is one of the few trails in Calico Basin that has trail markers, so from there we knew our way back to our vehicle. Depending on which map you look at, these trails are also known as "East Fork Loop, East Loop, Regular Loop, and Ridges Loop.   

BONUS PICTURES BY KOLOHE

AND NOW, THE REST OF THE STORY

When we arrived at the unknown side canyon, we immediately recognized an icon on the side of a rock that signified this was a galactic station Waiting Room for space travelers. 

We had just made ourselves comfortable in the Waiting Room and started eating our lunch when a young girl showed up. I think she was probably a student from the planet Saturn because she had an "S" on her sweatshirt. She had just introduced herself when a father, mother and daughter arrived from the planet Arima. Not being familiar with Arima, I asked them where their planet was located and they said Arima is a Class M planet in the R-517 Star System. More specifically, Arima is the third planet on the right in the Alpha Centauri Cluster. I didn't know that - I learn something new every day!

The Arimas explained that they were on holiday when their Vogon ship developed a major propulsion problem, so they stopped at Area 51 outside of Las Vegas to have the ship repaired. Since the repair shop at Area 51 did not stock parts for their Vogon, they decided to sell their ship to a military family for parts and just hitchhike around the galaxy. The only thing they kept was their plutonium bo2 supply that they carried in their metal suitcase, which looked like a tool box. Fortunately, their Uncle Frank worked at Area 51 and he gave them a ride to the Waiting Room so that they could catch a ride on the next galactic ship passing through the area. 

When I asked them how they found the Waiting Room, they seemed really surprised. They said that everyone in the Galaxy knew about the Waiting Room because it had a 42 rating in their travel book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. 

I couldn't help but notice that the father was wearing some interesting socks that were similar to ones some unidentified person sent me for Christmas, so I asked him where he got the nice socks. He said that while they were on holiday visiting various planets his feet got cold, so stopped and purchased the socks at the MIB Trading Post on the planet Burning Ice Gliese 436 b. (Also known as "Gliese 436 b" on some star maps). 

Since no passing spaceships were scheduled to stop by the waiting room for three suns, we invited everyone to come over to our house for dinner and meet the family. I told them that after dinner I would be happy to drop them at the nearest planet so that they could continue their trip without staying in the Waiting Room until they could find a ride. They were really excited to come to the house and meet the family. 

After dinner Grandma Wileta taught the alien daughter how to play cards, but the daughter kept winning. No one beats Grandma at cards, so we think the daughter used some type of telepathy or extrasensory perception to read Grandma's mind while playing cards. After the card games, the alien daughter deflated and fell asleep with Grandpa and one of his granddaughters.

The grandkids had a great time meeting and visiting with the Arima family! The Arima mother even showed them how they dance.

After dinner Uncle Frank stopped by the house for a visit and then I dropped the family at the nearest planet - Planet Hollywood. We all wished them a safe journey and told them to stop by again sometime. (I don't know the age of Uncle Frank, but he said that Arimas turn gray with age.)