Lee and Karen Duquette,
The Two RV Gypsies: Full-Time RVers
at the Red Spring area in Nevada

- August 7, 2012

After visiting Red Rock Canyon (part of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area), the Two RV Gypsies noticed a sign for Red Spring (shown below) and decided to go there.

Below: A round building seen just before Lee and Karen Duquette entered the Red Springs area

This project in the Red Springs area is a result of management alternatives developed to protect the habitat in this high use area. Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is a Bureau of Land Management area on the western edge of the Las Vegas Valley. This area,known as Red Spring, the Red Springs area, or Calico Basin, is sheltered and moist, making it attractive to a wide variety of birds and other wildlife.

The two RV Gypsies saw a Desert Cottontail but it ran so fast that Karen Duquette could not photograph it. So she just took a picture of the sign.

Below: Karen Duquette was able to photograph a little chipmunk even though it also moved very quickly. There is also a small bird in the photo.

Below: There is a boardwalk that circles the entire area with easy walking that allowed Lee and Karen Duquette to enjoy the site and experience interpretive areas while allowing sensitive riparian habitat to remain protected.

A wooden boardwalk within the fenced area at Red Spring educates the public to the sensitivity of Red Spring. Allowing the public access into the enclosure on a defined path keeps visitors from trampling sensitive areas.

Below: Red Spring is part of Red Rock Canyon (Red Rock National Conservation area)

Hugging the base of towering dunes, the boardwalk allowed Karen and Lee Duquette to be close enough to see the effect of what iron rich coatings on grains of sand and calcium carbonate from water has done to these dunes both bleaching the rock white, then accenting it with the deepest reds resulting in patterns of red spots, bumps and marbles (see below for explanation of spots, bumps and marbles).

Below: As Lee and Karen Duquette started their walk on the boardwalk, they found themselves amazed by the beauty all around them. This is why they love being RV Gypsies and traveling for so many months each year.

Below: Signs explained that ancient springs once flowed here, plus showed a photograph of the area where the spring once flowed.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF ROCKS: Lee and Karen Duquette were fascinated by the spots, bumps, and marbles on the rocks.

The rock below looked like it had chicken pox.

Below: Swiss cheese anyone???

Hopefully, you have visited other pages on this website and have already learned about Petroglyphs and Pictographs. But in case you skipped those pages, here are signs explaining the difference between Petroglyphs and Pictographs.
(More information and photos can be found under the Red Letter P at the bottom of this page)

Below: Some important signs telling how this exact area looked from 600 million years ago through today. The sign on the left side below demonstrates how areas in the photo below on the right looked in the past. Karen Duquette photographed each section of the sign separately so they are big enough to be read - so just scroll down to be amazed.

Below: Lee and Karen Duquette approached the end of the boardwalk and their adventure at Red Spring.

Below:  A big rock that previously fell from the mountain and landed beside the boardwalk.

Below: A tree and some flowers (some with bees on them) that Karen Duquette enjoyed photographing.

Below: Back in their car, the two RV Gypsies stopped for a few more photos of the scenic area.

Please enjoy all of the sections below in Nevada
plus the link to several National Parks in Utah.

Travel from CA to NV

Las Vegas

Red Rock National
Conservation area

Valley of Fire

Terry Fator