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Story by Alan Snel Photos/Design by Anna Barantez
Anna is so happy when she is bicycling on dirt trails. She makes every ride into an adventure, with breaks timed to mix in joyful gazing at the scenery with a photo shoot to capture the memories that will bring smiles at some unknown time in the future.
Lately, she has been recovering from a shoulder procedure to fix what Anna calls her “frozen shoulder.” Anna is working on PT, but nothing is like pedaling on the dirt and hearing the “crunch, crunch, crunch,” to elevate her spirit.
On this magnificent 80-degree day with a light breeze in southern Nevada, Anna was ready to hop on her mountain bike and get the pedaling juices going for the first time since her procedure.
I suggested a flat, easy, dirt trail — the historic railroad trail at Lake Mead that follows the former rail route to Hoover Dam.
It was game on at 7:30AM Sunday.
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I have lived in six major markets around the United States and the most successful markets like Denver and Seattle do more than appreciate their stunning natural beauty.
They invest public money in outdoor resources like trails, open land and recreational facilities because the best markets know quality of life that is accessible to all residents is as important as flash and glitz projects.
Here in metro Las Vegas, the railroad trail is a popular public resource that attracts a stunning cross-section of users — families with little kids on bikes, couples walking dogs, groups of middle-age hikers and area visitors who relish the views of Lake Mead.
The flat, easy dirt surface was perfect for Anna.
The tunnels are the big crowd-pleasers along the railroad trail, leading users to Hoover Dam.
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The trail is not very long. It’s a just a few miles from the Lake Mead parking lot that fills up quickly on a pretty day along the trail to Hoover Dam.
It’s a clash of views — the soothing vista of Lake Mead and the dramatic, spectacular scene of Hoover Dam.
It’s a ridiculous 726.4 feet high and if you’re fearful of heights think twice about looking over the concrete wall along the sidewalk atop the dam.
Naturally, we had fun joking about biking to Arizona.
Anna has a nice photo touch for the “drama” in pictures. She has a nice eye for details, though let it be known that I did detect a distractive tag in one of her two gloves positioned on her bicycle for a photo shoot. Ha,
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It was a happy ride.
Bicycling will do that.
It can take you to places far beyond the physical destination.
LVSportsBiz.com says if you operate a car or truck, be on the lookout for people who ride a bicycle or walk, especially at intersections. Unfortunately, there is not a trail to take you everywhere.
On a sweet Sunday morning, this trail gave Anna a nice “recovery” ride.