Happy Trails With Nature’s Friends
Valley of Fire rock formation. Photos/Julie Okabayashi.
By Julie Okabyashi
Early on in 2020’s COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, when health experts recommended that we should go outside and get some fresh air while we shelter in place, I took that as permission to hit the road and that’s exactly what I did. I visited places that I used to avoid like the plague (literally), places I’d never been to before, places that I had not seen in a long time, and places that I used to visit a lot pre-pandemic. The only difference: I was seeing flora and fauna come to life where there had been none in quite a long time, which heals my soul and kicks the COVID-19 funk to the curb.
After cruising the barren Las Vegas Strip three days after the March shutdown, I was hitting local parks and urban trails for glimpses of life. Finally, FINALLY walked the historic Railroad Pass trail in Boulder City at Lake Mead that I had been meaning to check out for years. Most everyone on the trail was masked up, kept their distance, and nodded a hello. I even spotted some lizards and desert birds. It was a refreshingly easy walk, and I wasn’t sore the next day. It’s been a few years since I ventured into Boulder City, so seeing the beautification medians and crosswalks on the highway was new for me. My favorite Boulder City landmark and glorious fast food oasis, the A & W drive-thru, was open for indoor dining so I popped in for refreshment. I’m glad this little diner survived the shutdown.
Spring Mountain Ranch State Park is a place I visit every other week, and during the pandemic was no exception. Right now the trails are open daylight hours until dusk but the Visitors Center is currently closed for COVID-19. A few years ago, Harriet Lake was emptied and dried to eliminate an invasive species in the lake. The lake has since been refilled with water, but is still closed for renovation and recovery. Despite the fenced up areas, this park is full of charm and is a pleasant instant getaway from the big city. I spotted a coyote, some burros, and jackrabbits are out in the open. Some things don’t have to change during COVID-19, and Spring Mountain Ranch State Park is proof positive of that. It’s a familiar favorite that I can count on in good times and the not-so-good times.
Giant sunflowers with bee at Pipe Spring National Monument.
Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire State Park are two more parks that I used to go frequently but haven’t done so for a couple of years, and I was definitely overdue for a visit. At Red Rock Canyon, the gift shop is the only part that is open in the Visitors Center, but the loop and loop trails are open until dusk. Valley of Fire’s Visitor Center was fully open where I spotted a family of quail heading to a sheltering shrub. Lake Mead, Overton, Mesquite, Bunkerville, and Moapa were all fun places to drive through in gorgeous weather, as were Mount Charleston, Desert Wildlife Refuge, Searchlight, Laughlin, and Grapevine Canyon. Wetlands Park in Henderson is where I spotted my first white-faced ibis! But I was yearning for more of what nature had to offer. The animals were coming out of hiding and plants were in full bloom. Starting in summer, I ventured out of Nevada and into neighboring states Arizona and Utah.
I have a secret to share—Kanab, Utah, is a blast! July 2020 was my first time visiting this festival town that offers some kind of free outdoor event on weekends for music and theater lovers, recreation enthusiasts, shoppers, and foodies. There’s also a Hollywood Cowboy Walk of Fame with photo op areas and interpretive signage lining the downtown sidewalks with photos and biographies of Western movie actors and actresses. Kanab is also the hub to other tourism destinations like Zion National Park (deer everywhere!), Bryce Canyon (wild sheep!), North Rim Grand Canyon (buffalo!), Lake Powell (amazing hoodoo formations), and many others, and I visited as many places as I could. Plus, on the road from Las Vegas to Kanab, you can stop at Pipe Spring National Monument in Arizona with stunningly large sunflowers in an organic garden, and early pioneer and Native American historic landmarks. The Visitor Center was closed (seeing a trend here), but the mountainous trails were open at Pipe Spring.
On a trip to Laughlin, I drove across the Nevada/Arizona Bridge over the Colorado River into Bullhead City, Arizona. I’d been to Laughlin and Bullhead City many times, but I’d never driven past Bullhead City before and decided to give it a try on Christmas Eve. I landed in the old ghost town of Oatman, Arizona, and surprisingly, the town was full of touristy life, complete with a staged gunfight in the main street, wandering retired mining burros, weathered historic buildings, antique shops galore, and a cute candy shop that sold every kind of rare brand name sweet that I remembered from childhood to some one-of-a-kind handmade delicacies. I ended up buying an Icelandic chocolate bar, some huckleberry flavored hard candy, and a jar of kimchi from a man who was walking door-to-door selling pickled Asian foods that his wife makes. After a hungry burro accosted me for a snack while I was watching the entertaining shootout in the street, I decided it was time to go home.
It’s February 2021 now. The vaccine is here making a positive impact on our community, most businesses can go back to serving 35-50% limited capacities, and the weather is warming up for spring. It’s going to be wildflower season soon in the desert and even more animals and birds will be roaming around. COVID or no COVID, armed with only my old LG G5 cell phone and 70-proof sunscreen, I can’t wait to see where my two feet and my 8-year old Toyota will take me next! Right now, being outdoors is our healthiest and happiest option, and seems to be one of our strongest defenses against COVID-19, both mentally and physically. So far, it has been for me.
Selfie with book art. Photo/Julie Okabayashi.
Before working as a programming specialist at the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District for the past 17 years, Julie Okabayashi traveled extensively in tourism and sales related jobs primarily in the Southwest and across the United States, including travel for business and leisure to England, France, Mexico, and the Caribbean. With the pandemic limiting travel options, Julie is sticking to quick trips to nearby destinations that can be reached by car or by foot, and hopes to visit Asian countries such as South Korea, Indonesia, and Japan when the pandemic ends. Julie is also a co-founder of a nonprofit arts education organization, NV ArtStops, with a mission to encourage statewide conservation efforts by recycling single-use materials into art.
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