A few months back, I decided at fairly short notice to go to the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) show in Las Vegas. This is one of the hugest conventions of the year and of course all the regular hotels were booked up. I was trying to book on line, and mysteriously, the calendars for the booking forms all seemed to start the day the convention ended - a mass exodus of conventioneers. So I dug out my trusty AAA map of California, which just about had Las Vegas on it, and I searched for places just outside Las Vegas. Well, there's a place big enough to make it on the map called Blue Diamond, NV, which led me to the Bonnie Springs Motel, and they had plenty of rooms. It's also just near Red Rock Canyon which sounded worth a look [it turns out to be spectacular country for hiking].

To reach it, you exit off the 15 freeway just before Las Vegas, when driving from the west, north up route 160 towards Pahrump,NV. You make a right turn on route 159 after a few miles. It's about 20 minutes off the freeway. You come to Blue Diamond, which is a tiny village on the left hand side, and continue on a couple of miles, until you come to this rather grand entrance.

Turns out there's much more than just a motel here. This is the basic building, complete with Western movie style frontage....and spectacular countryside all around. There's also a free petting zoo where the animals are subjected to country music all day, pond with ducks (in the middle of the dessert!), old ranch where they enact shoot-outs and a miniature steam train. There's also horseback riding available.It's a delightful spot, firmly stuck in the past, and I encourage anyone to visit. The phone number is :(702) 875 4400. Rooms cost around $60-$60/night.

A few pictures from the petting zoo and ranch.(click to enlarge images)