White Sands National Park – New Mexico

Some dunes at White Sand National Park move up to 30 feet per year. White Sands National Park is located in the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert, about 50 miles east of Las Cruses, New Mexico. This bright white desert is the largest gypsum dune field in the world and it covers approximately 275…

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Toadstool Hoodoos – Utah

Toadstool Hoodoos are balanced rock formations that look like toadstool mushrooms. The Toadstool Hoodoos are located in Southern Utah in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument in an area known as The Rimrocks, just off Highway 89. When it comes to seeing natural wonders, it is rare exception when you can park your car and…

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Bellagio Hotel and Casino – Nevada

In Italian, Bellagio means a place of elegant relaxation. The Bellagio Hotel and Casino is an Italian themed hotel that is inspired and named after the town of Bellagio, Italy on Lake Como. It is located in the center of the Las Vegas Strip and it is worthy of taking center stage among the Las…

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Seven Magic Mountains – Nevada

Seven Magic Mountains adds a pop of color to a colorless desert! Seven Magic Mountains is a large-scale urban art installation located approximately ten miles south of Las Vegas Nevada. The art project is simple in design as it is comprised of seven towers of stacked boulders that stand more than thirty feet high. The…

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Grand Canyon National Park – Arizona

The Grand Canyon National Park is one of the world’s top natural wonders! The Grand Canyon National Park is located in northern Arizona and stretches approximately 277 river miles in length, 18 miles across at the widest location and descends more than a mile deep to the canyon’s floor. The park was founded as a…

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Luxor Hotel and Casino – Nevada

The Luxor Hotel and Casino is an ancient Egypt themed structure that anchors the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip. The hotel and casino are massive as the hotel houses 4,400 rooms along with 487 suites and the casino gaming area is 120,000 square feet. From the outside, the casino features three distinguishing elements…

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Roseate Spoonbill – Texas

The Roseate Spoonbill is a beautiful bird but it looks more like something from a cartoon than a creature that can be seen along the shore line of a marsh. They have bright pink feathers, red eyes, a partly bald head and a giant spoon shaped bill. Roseate Spoonbills get their pink coloration from the…

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City of Rocks State Park – New Mexico

City of Rocks State Park is located in the Chihuahua Desert region of southwestern New Mexico at an elevation of 5,200 feet. It receives its name because it resembles a “city” from the geologic formation made up of large rocks rising as high as 40 feet in the middle of the grass plans. Many of…

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Mission Concepcion – Texas

Mission Concepcion was established in 1731 and is located approximately three miles south of San Antonio, Texas. The mission appears very much as it did when it was constructed. Currently it is the oldest unrestored stone church in America. Mission Concepcion is a designated National Historic Landmark and is part of the San Antonio Missions…

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Black-tailed Prairie Dog – Texas

Black-tailed Prairie Dogs are burrowing rodents of the squirrel family that are native to the grasslands of North America. The Black-tailed Prairie Dogs are tan color with small ears, strong legs with long claws and a 3 to 4 inch tail with a black tip. The name “prairie dog” comes from a combination of their…

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Zion National Park Scenic Byway – Utah

Zion National Park started out as Mukuntuweap National Monument in 1909 but it became a national park in 1919. It is located in the southwestern corner of Utah near the Nevada and Arizona borders. It is a convenient trip from Las Vegas, Salt Lake City or from the Grand Canyon National Park. The highlight of…

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Hoover Dam – Arizona/Nevada

The Hoover Dam was built between the vertical walls of the Black Canyon on the Colorado River that is the border between Arizona and Nevada and is located about 35 miles from Las Vegas Nevada. Construction of the dam began in 1931 and was completed in 1936. The dam is named after America’s 31st president,…

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