Lucky me, I head to Vegas a minimum of twice every year now that my sister lives there full time working on her start up! I’m still amazed at how much natural beauty exists beyond the infamous strip and night life madness! Stunning desert scenery is within reach, just a day trip away, and includes vast canyons (the Grand Canyon!), awesome national Parks (Zion, Utah big 5), and unique vegetation (Joshua Tree).

Previous Posts: Vegas like a local

This past Spring, my sister and I finally crossed off the lofty goal of a “Mother Daughter Trip!” from my list. It helped that we had a very important occasion – my sister getting engaged! So, together we purchased a flight for my mom to come down for a sisters-sponsored week of fun and sun!

We chose to reserve one full day for a fun escape. Anna (my sister’s, future sister-in-law… that makes her my sister too, hah!) goes on regular adventures and she scouted out Oatman for us.

Oatman: An old gold rush town that still stands as a live open-air museum, complete with donkeys that wander through the streets.

It can veer a bit on the cheesy side, with its fake gun show/stand-off in the middle of the day! But still, it’s worth a stop and the donkeys are friendly, so that makes for a pretty unique setting!

Bonus – we stopped at a very cool canyon on the drive back to Vegas that had colourful wildflowers and hieroglyphics.