Trapped in Vegas? Day trip escapes from Sin City

by Darren Murph on

If you came here looking for little-known secrets of Sin City that may actually help you stomach a place you currently loathe, you’ve come to the wrong place. Don’t get us wrong — Las Vegas is a real hoot if you’re into certain things. Things like mind-blowing shows, more live music than you can shake a stick at, gambling galore and some of the world’s best eateries. But believe it or not, Vegas isn’t the end-all destination for every traveler. It’s also not the best destination for business travelers, but as I’ve personally found with covering the Consumer Electronics Show, sometimes your job just lands you here. Thankfully, there’s loads to see and do just outside of Vegas, and if your company pays to get you into McCarran International Airport, you might as well use any available downtime to your advantage.

Despite the local government’s best efforts to clean things up in southern Nevada and make Las Vegas more of a “family friendly” destination, there’s still a good deal of unbecoming aspects that are impossible to avoid. Driving on Paradise Road and seeing glorified advertisements for call-girls isn’t exactly the greatest way to start one’s morning, and frankly, there’s only so much alcohol to be drank, cigarettes to be smoked and money to be lost. If you’ve found yourself bored with the so-called Entertainment Capital of the World, we’ve got a few drastic diversions that are all just a day trip away — all of which are markedly cheaper than indulging in yet another played-out show or overpriced restaurant. Read on if you’re dying to escape.Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Just a half hour southeast of the city lies one of Nevada’s (and Arizona’s, to be fair) greatest treasures. If driving south to north on Highways 147 and 167 — which we recently did on our road trip around America’s Southwest region — you can go from one end to the other in around an hour. Thankfully, you’ll find a plethora of pullouts, hiking trails and picnic areas along the way, which should be enough to help you make a day of things. Due to the combination of desert ecosystems in the area (and the placement of Lake Mead and Lake Mohave), you’ll come across a surprisingly varied amount of flora. You’ll also be taken aback by the miles of mountains and overall peacefulness — a far cry from the intense hustle and bustle that you just left.

Cost: $5 per vehicle (covers up to 5 consecutive days)

Valley of Fire State Park

Conveniently positioned to the west of the northernmost section of Lake Mead National Recreation Area, this park is a natural landing point for those who aren’t quite ready to fight the Vegas traffic after an already delightful morning in the desert mountains. Even if you drive straight here, it’s just an hour from the city center. An expanse of mountains and red sandstone formations are littered about, offering visitors a great chance to work on their photography skills, hike, camp or toss a blanket out and have a picnic. And let’s be honest — any of those options beat spending another day in the City of Lights, right?

Cost: $5 per vehicle entry fee

Hoover Dam

Located about 45 minutes southeast of Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam is a must-see. You’ll need to allow for lots of traffic and a potential multi-hour wait, but the reward of seeing one of the most historic hydroelectric power plants in America (if not the world) is well worth it. You’d be doing yourself a huge disservice to pass this one up if you’re already so close (and so anxious to get out).

Cost: $8 per person

Red Rock Canyon

Situated only 25 minutes northwest of the city, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is a world away from the high frequency Vegas atmosphere, a serene, bucolic landscape where one can jump out of the car, hike around the massive, sandstone features and drink in the sprawling views of the Keystone Thrust.

Cost: $5 per vehicle

Death Valley National Park

A National Park just a day-trip away from Las Vegas? You bet. California’s own “Land of Extremes” offers up a veritable plethora of sights. From desert landscapes to snow-spotted mountains, you’ll find numerous faces of nature just 2 hours of 45 minutes away from the city you can’t wait to evade.

Cost: $20 per vehicle (covers up to 7 consecutive days)

Mojave National Preserve

If the heat of Death Valley frightens you, maybe the sand dunes at Mojave National Preserve sound a bit more inviting. This area — which sits just 1.5 hours away in the south of California — also houses wildflowers, Joshua tree forests and a government promise of “serenity and solitude from the crowds of major metropolitan areas.” Funny — that’s exactly what you were searching for, wasn’t it?

Cost: Free!

Zion National Park

It’s nearly 3 hours away in the south of Utah, but for the early risers in attendance, that’s hardly enough to deter you from spending a day at one of America’s most gorgeous National Parks. Monolithic red rock formations and canyons that rival the best offered in northern Arizona are everywhere, and in the winter, the snow adds even more character to a place that already feels alive.

Cost: $25 per vehicle (covers up to 7 consecutive days)

Got even more time? The 5 hour drive to the infrequently visited North Rim of the Grand Canyon is a no-brainer, as is a visit to Cedar Breaks National Monument and Bryce Canyon National Park. If you’re looking to book a week’s vacation following your business trip to explore the Southwest, we admire your ability to make the most of a Vegas situation. Thankfully for you, we’ve got a guide to cover that as well.

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On the road in Oregon with the 2010 Cadillac SRX

by Grant Martin on

Earlier this year, Gadling ran a promotion challenging readers to define their perfect road trip. The winner of the competition won a two day road trip of their choice in a brand new Cadillac SRX, with fuel, lodging and airfare all covered. We had a wealth of excellent entries ranging from trips through the Florida Keys to leaf tours through the Northeast to jaunts down the California coast, but our lucky winner chose a long road trip through the great state of Oregon, beginning in the metropolis of Portland then working down the coast to Crater Lake National Park.

Dilligent bloggers as we are, we sent a team to follow in the footprints, documenting the journey and consuming the Oregon asphault in a similar SRX.

What emerged was more than a simple road trip through the Northwest. Two old friends on the hilly backroads of Oregon experienced one of the finest states that America has to offer, a perfect cross section of city, country, desert, forest, good people, better food and a few beers along the way.

A remarkable, moving experience, our journey began in Portland.

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Portland

As luck would have it, we scheduled our road trip over the weekend of October 17th, right as the leaves in the Northwest were starting to turn. Arriving after dark that Friday, we were shocked to wake up and see rolling hills of red and yellow maples. Despite the forecasted rain, breaks in the low, dark grey clouds allowed for seams of sun to peer into the city, contrasting deeply with the darkness above and colors below.

In case you have never been to Portland, let me sum it up for you in a few short words. Super fantastic. The largest city in Oregon, Portland has a huge alternative culture scene, with hundreds of good independent bars and restaurants, free downtown public transportation, plenty of style and good weather and topography to match. Were it not for the annual rainfall, this could be utopia.

Prior to docking into our hotel Friday evening, we stopped by to visit our friends at Voodoo Donuts, the “must-stop” donut shop for anyone who’s visiting the great city of Portland. Waiting with a full box of 12 Voodoo Doughnuts, our friend Dave gave us a few tips for the city and sent us on our way, but not before some new friends from the street enjoyed a few bites from the mix.

To Crater Lake

By way of I-5 it’s about 4 hours to Crater Lake from Portland, and the SRX seamlessly accepted our destination and led us steadfastly south with the onboard GPS. Sooner or later, all eastbound travelers need to cross into the Willamette, Deschutes or Umpqua national forests, so despite our vehicle’s directions we veered off course at Eugene, OR after a trip through the local farmer’s market to stock up on fresh cider and warm, delicious rice and beef.

Into the forest the drive becomes exponentially more interesting. Two lane roads swing around massive mountains ranges, and as the SRX growled past the rivers and the forests we opened up the extended sun roof and let the music consume the valley. Without a destination guide in our hands the winding roads in front of us became a mystery, each turn holding a new outstanding view, small town or landmark that we hadn’t expected to find. Just short of Odell lake, this is how we found Salt Creek Falls, the second highest falls in the state.

Rain came and went as the terrain changed, but once we crossed into the high desert the clouds began to disperse. Our luck wouldn’t hold at high elevation, however, and as we approached Crater Lake National Park the ranger at the front gate warned us that most of the park was under clouds. That didn’t stop us from grabbing a few pictures at the gate and once up top, however. In case you’re wondering, that bottom photo was shot in color.

Through Bend and Back to Portland

With daylight drawing to a close, we decided to drive to Bend for the night. A modest city of 50,000 people, Bend has everything that a hip, Oregon city requires: a thriving nightlife, tons of cafes and restaurants and most importantly: Microbreweries. Our dinner after a long day of driving and socializing was hearty, unique and delicious, and with a good layer of base food in our stomachs a dramatic, if not somewhat strange, night was the perfect way to cap off the day.

The late start Saturday morning barely set us back, and behind the steady wheel of the SRX it was a quick three hour journey back to Portland. In reverse, the hills and colors of the national forest ensconced us, deep green coniferous forests as we passed Mt. Washington, and yellow, yellow, yellow as the maples began their transition.

It was almost a shame reaching Portland again, the rolling hills behind us and a wonderful journey completed.

Our thanks to Cadillac for providing a free Cadillac SRX and fuel for the journey. It’s navigation, satellite radio, perfect handling, and non stop gadgetry left us (two engineers by training) amazed and giddy during the entire drive, and even the officer that pulled us over was impressed by the sharp design. A well done vehicle indeed.

Visiting Every Country On Earth

by Kraig Becker on

Most travelers have a “life list”. That is to say, a list of travel destinations that are amongst their “must see”, such as the Great Pyramids or Machu Picchu. Others set goals to visit certain countries, selecting ones that appeal to them on some level.

That’s exactly what Chris Guillebeau did when he was 22 and working in Africa for an international charity group. At the time, Guillebeau says, that he was traveling a lot within Africa itself, and making frequent trips back to Europe as well. He was visiting a lot of unique and interesting places, and remained fascinated with the cultures that he saw.

Then, in 2006, at the age of 28, he set a goal for himself to visit 100 countries before he turned 30, somehting he accomplished last year. But in this interview for the New York Times, he admits that about halfway through his quest to reach triple digits, he began to realize that he was setting his sights too low, and has now set a new goal for himself – to visit every country on the planet before he turns 35.
Guillebeau admits that things are starting to get tougher, as he is running out of countries that offer easy access. He mentions that he’ll have to start focusing on making arrangements to get to Chad, the South Pacific, or Central Asia soon, but he makes no mention of visiting such places as North Korea or Somalia, which aren’t exactly welcoming to foreigners.

Of course, with all of this travel, Guillebeau knows all the tricks to make things as easy as possible. He generally has upgrades to first class on domestic flights, many of which he trades away to other passengers, and he recently talked his way onto a flight to Karachi, without the proper paperwork or visas to enter the country. He also knows how to play the system to get as many frequent flier miles as possible, something he shared with us a few months back.

I have to hand it to Chris. When he creates a life list, he doesn’t think small. My question is, what do you do when you hit age 35 and you’ve already visited everywhere? He better hope Virgin Galactic expands its routes, and quickly.

Are We in a Golden Age of Green Travel?

by Kraig Becker on

Clearly the entire travel industry has been undergoing some dramatic changes over the past few years. There was a time when the thought of “green” travel was relegated to a relatively small, niche market that included some eco-conscious tour operators. But in the past few years there has been an inceased effort to be more green in all area of our lives thanks to an increased awareness of global climate change and a focus on limiting our impact on the environment in general.

This increased awareness and focus within the travel sector has resulted in more energy efficient modes of transportation, the rise of sustainable tourism efforts across the globe, and better environmental policies from many nations. All of this has prompted National Geographic Adventure to ask “Is This a Golden Age of Green Travel?”

Adventure cites an action plan from the World Tourism and Travel Council that offers ten ways to combat climate change and the fact that four major international airlines have begun testing jets that use bio-fuels. They also point to the fact that Marriott Hotels is leading the charge to protect a 1.4 million acre section of the Amazon Jungle.

As further examples of the green movement, the magazine offers up five great eco-lodges, on five different continents, that are all leading the way in sustainable tourism and caring for the Earth. Places like the Black Sheep Inn in Ecuador and the Odd-Balls Camp in Botswana, who are making it easier for us to visit exotic places, while leaving a minimal impact.

Seven Endangered Species You Can Still See in the Wild

by Kraig Becker on

There is no doubt that we are fascinated with wildlife. We love to watch diverse and interesting animals, preferably in their natural habitats, and we’re often willing to travel to remote places, sometimes at great expense, to see them. If you enjoy the kind of travel that allows for these kinds of animal encounters, they you’ll want to check out BootsnAll’s list of the Seven Endangered Species You Can Find Outside a Zoo.

The article not only lists the creatures, it also gives us the best locations to go and see them for ourselves, including some brief insights into what to expect out of the journey. For instance, if you want to see polar bears in the wild, you can expect a long flight, or 40-hour train ride, to Churchill, Canada, on the famed Hudson Bay, where every October and November, the bears gather, waiting for the bay to freeze so they can continue on northward. The other creatures, and locations that can be found, include: sea turtles in Barbados, tigers in India, rhinos in Tanzania, elephants in South Africa, pandas in China, and gray whales in Mexico.

As the article points out, in the era of ecotourism, these trips to see these rare animals can be a force for good. Conservation efforts can receive funding from our visits and an increased awareness about the plight of the animals helps to prevent poaching and protect natural habitats as well. Just be sure to travel with a reputable guide service and make sure you pack out everything you pack in.

So did they leave anything off the list? I was a bit surprised to not see the mountain gorillas that we wrote about last week, on there. They’d certainly make my top list. What’s on yours?