Bicycle Cargo Man Pedals Through Roadieville In Summerlin

Summerlin is home to the roadie cyclists, mostly men riding expensive road bicycles. But every now and then a biker on a regular ol' two-wheeler hauling serious cargo will pop into the Summerlin scene in the gateway to Red Rock Canyon.

Like this fella Saturday.

Someone Wants A Bike Lane On LV Main Street

I was biking on Main Street in the arts district of Las Vegas and saw this faint bicycle in a wannabe bike lane.

It looks like an old Schwinn Stingray.

The arts district is home to the the First Friday gala.

Cycling the Summerlin-Strip-Downtown Ride On Christmas Day

Christmas Day rides are always pleasant because there's so many fewer cars on the road and people who are out and about just seem to be a bit more pleasant in light of the festive day. Today's ride included three trails -- the 215 beltway trail of about 7 1/2 miles en route to the Strip and downtown Vegas and then the Bonanza Trail and the Angel Trail back up to Summerlin.

Here is the photo report.

Hitting the Blue Diamond Mountain Trails

My R-J photo pal Jason Bean is always razzing me about getting of the road bicycle and hopping on the GTZaskar LE mountain bike for some off-road action. So we met in Blue Diamond about 15 miles from my home and took to the single-track routes around Blue Diamond in Red Rock Canyon, Here are just a few of the pics.

Biking Downtown Vegas, With A Pitstop At Container Park

The final stop of the Outdoor Trifecta today was biking around downtown Las Vegas, with an extended stop in Container Park. It's one of the headline projects under the Tony Hsieh's Downtown Project banner in Las Vegas. It's made from real containers and a neat little oasis off Fremont Street, just a few blocks from the Fremont Street Experience. Lets check it out.

And more to come:

Other downtown highlights:

Yes Las Vegas, There Is A Wetlands Park (And A Trail, Too)

I've been in the Las Vegas area for more than a year and I'm still discovering new terrain to ride. Like today, for example. Michael Wixom of all people, a member of the Nevada Board of Regents, told me about a new regional trail near the Lake Las Vegas area on the opposite side of the Las Vegas Valley from Summerlin.

After a morning hike from my home to Little Red Rocks, I packed up the Zaskar LE mountain bike and headed over to what is called Wetlands Park (it contains the Las Vegas Wash, which leads to Lake Mead) and tested the waters, and trails, too.

The trailhead is six miles from Lake Las Vegas and the paved trail meanders through some desert but through some gorgeous vegetative areas, too, near the Las Vegas Wash.

Here's the beautiful thing about riding a mountain bike on this course -- I was able to mix and match surfaces, biking on the paved trail but also going off pavement to bike on an unpaved road and also some dirt areas near the Wash.

Let's take a tour. The trail is smooth as silk.

  

But check out the off-pavement riding, too. Some easy camel back riding.

Amazingly, Sam Boyd Stadium and the Las Vegas Bowl college football game had just started when I started biking. It was only a few miles away -- but on the other side of the Wash. I heard the cheers and PA announcer.

Check out the paved trail skirting the trees and water.

Went off trail to check the trees and vegetation

Whoa nellie, we have some equine activity.

Checking some more off pavement scenery.

Then, there was some unpaved roads, too, to explore.

Some gorgeous scenery for the paved trail to explore.

Hard to believe the desert in Vegas has a park called Wetlands Park.

Keeping the Zaskar LE off dirt is like keeping a fish out of water.

Did see a few bicyclists, but only four total including this fella.

Reminds me of the Platter River in Denver -- but it's Wetlands Park outside Vegas.

The bridge over the Las Vegas Wash was nice.

The scenes were not as colorful as the sign today, but it was a wonderful discovery.