“I should like to leave the Shire, if I could – though there have been times when I thought the inhabitants too stupid and dull for words, and have felt that an earthquake or an invasion of dragons might be good for them. But I don’t feel like that now. I feel that as long as the Shire lies behind, safe and comfortable, I shall find wandering more bearable: I shall know that somewhere there is a firm foothold, even if my feet cannot stand there again.”
~ Frodo, J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring
This marks Day 2 of my Journey Through Middle-earth, a revisiting of the “Éowyn Challenge”. To learn more and how YOU can join my fellowship, check out my main challenge page here.
#JourneyThroughMiddleEarth Day 2
Crossing The Water
Miles 3-4: Clark County Wetlands Park
Current Location: Bridge over The Water (the Shire)
The next few miles in the book take us over The Water. One of the places I’d been meaning to check out was the Clark County Wetlands Park here in Las Vegas (yup, we have them) and this seemed like a good point to do so.
The Wetlands are about 20 minutes east of the Strip and are free to enjoy. There is a great visitor’s center with plenty of interesting displays both for kids and adults. The real star, of course, is the wetland trails!
They have both paved and non-paved paths; there are maps available to show ADA accessibility. Bikes are allowed, but only in specific areas so they don’t disturb the main wildlife areas.
The scenery changes depending on where you are; bushes of fragrant blooms gave way to grasses taller than my head that gave way to trees taller than most I’ve seen in the Las Vegas valley area, and hidden behind every bend was the possibility of a babbling brook. Finally, we came to the larger water area, complete with a foot bridge for checking out the views and wildlife.
And just in case you doubt that this watery haven really is in Las Vegas, check out the Strip skyline in the background!
It was a really pleasant morning, and definitely something I recommend doing before it gets too late in the day; despite having more than the average amount of shade, there was still plenty of hot sun. I’m looking forward to pressing onward and hope you’ll consider joining my fellowship!
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I bet that was so much fun. It is absolutely beautiful!
This sounds like an amazing day.