Sketching in Nevada & California

Roberta and I took a trip from the frozen tundra in the Upper Midwest to the sunny climes of the Southwest to visit family, bicycle and sketch. We took out Brompton folding bikes and flew this time. First stop was Las Vegas where our eldest daughter lives. She drove us to Hoover Dam wherewe did some sketching:

My sketch of the dam from the middle.

After hiking around the dam and working up an appetite, we motored to Boulder City and ate an awesome lunch at Fox Smokehouse & BBQ. I especially liked the Pulled Pork and the Cowboy Beans. Here's my sketch of Dan Fox:

My sketch of Dan Fox

The next day, we hiked in the Red Rock National Conservation Area. Roberta and I sketched a mountain:

Roberta's sketch of a mountain at Red Rock.

Roberta and I and our sketch journals at Red Rock.

In the evening we walked around the famous Las Vegas Strip. Roberta did this sketch of a gondola at The Venetian:

Roberta's sketch of the gondola at the Venetian.

We visited Container Park, an attraction made from shipping containers, a favorite of young hipsters:

My quick sketch of Container Park.

And a few blocks away, the Downtown Las Vegas Fremont Street Experience:

We took a bus through miles of desert to Los Angeles. The bus let us off downtown where lots of homeless people camp out on the streets in tents:

My sketch of a homeless man and his tent.

Los Angeles has some pretty good bike paths. We especially like the Ballona Creek trail from Culver City to the Pacific Ocean:

My map of the Ballona Creek bike trail.

The creek is mostly lined with concrete which reminded us of the old horror movie "Them":

Roberta's sketch of the Ballona Creek trail.

The next day, we took a Metrolink train down to San Clemente. We ate a yummy breakfast at La Galette :

Afterwards, Roberta and I sketched the San Clemente Art Gallery, the Farmers Market and the San Clemente Pier:

Roberta's sketch of the Farmer's Market and a tightrope walker.

My sketch of the art gallery & Roberta.

My sketch of the scene in front of the San Clemente pier.

The next day it rained. I sketched the ghost of former San Clemente resident, Richard Nixon:

My rainy day sketch of Nixon's ghost.

The next day was warm and sunny, so we visited the tide pools of Laguna Beach:

My sketch of the tide pools and our guide.

Roberta's sketch of the tide pools.

We returned to Los Angeles where we enjoyed an awesome dinner at The Bun Shop on Western Avenue: