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| - If you drew a straight line South of the Spring Mountain Ranch State Park parking lot, you'd be in Bonnie Springs in the Red Rock Canyon National Recreation Area. Driving into Bonnie Springs is a similar experience to Calico Basin Road. It is two lanes with a hilly s-curve. Be alert!
If the road into the park was unpaved I'd pass over the visit. However, the general parking lot was gravelly & dirt. To drive on it without denting your car is like driving on an egg shell.
To reach the Old West Village you must board the train (runs on weekends). The park seemed to use the train more of a tool to make sure you paid the $10 admission than entertainment. There is a sign stating you have to have your admission band to ride the train back. The conductor did not have the positive personality for the first and last person you see in the Park. He admitted to a guest he isn't a people person. There was no celebration of the Red Rock scenery.
The smell of barbecue from the restaurant greets guests at the Old West Village Station. When I paid the $10, I asked for a park map. The ticket clerk said there are no maps and the park is small. She was right on.
I walked into what looked like a western movie set. I passed a shooting arcade, school house, church, Petty Canyon, trade posts, and ended up at the Hanging show by the Opera House & saloon. Unlike the Town of Oatman, another nearby ghost town, most of these buildings were facades. The Marshall and loan buildings were closed off. The wax Museum is open at certain times during tours.
At the Hanging show, guests sit at picnic tables that are out of place when a sign warns against outside food in the Park. IMO the show fell short of entertaining. I'd pass on the Melodrama.
The Hanging is by the saloon where I exchanged $5 for an aluminum bottle of Michelob. The saloon is really a catering hall with a bar that was nearly empty during my visit.
My favorite area is the petting zoo. When you enter, there is a sign stating that you need the admission band. By the cat dolls another negative sign says something like, "touch it, pet it, drop it pay." In the zoo there is a sign telling people they need to remember the exit. This isn't really a fun Park. But the animals were upbeat. The 2 pantagonian cavys were playing. Roosters hung out on rooftops. Prarie dogs charmed the crowds. People wanted to take the sheep home with them. The wolfdog which is 98% timberwolf & 2% dog seemed to want to be petted. But the existence of the tortoise seemed to be to try to escape. The zoo was clean and had the barbecue smell eliminating any nasty smell that comes with a petting zoo.
Petty Canyon would give a breathtaking view of Red Rock if a wooden fence didn't get in the way. Again, no celebration of Red Rock.
Outside the Old West Village, by the restaurant is a pond that is home to ducks & turtles. It is an oasis in the desert. To the west are the horse stables & pony rides.
Growing up, I read of how the West was one. On the contrary, after a few hours at Bonnie Springs I learned that this Old West was lost from a lack of enthusiasm for Red Rock Canyon, negativity pointing subtly toward a distrust of guests in all these signs, and the first and last person you see on the train not being a people person. I think I'll be spending time in the West North of here that is Spring Mountain Ranch State Park and Red Rock Canyon.
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