Day Trip To China Ranch Date Farm

A friend of mine from Thailand is back in Las Vegas and we had lunch together last week. Bill has changed his diet because of some health issues and has gone vegan. While we were talking he mentioned dates. I asked him if he had ever been to China Ranch Date Farm out by Pahrump. He had not but would like to see it. The weather in Feb. 2019 Las Vegas has been unusual for us. The 'Pineapple Express' has been bashing Calif. for the last few weeks. Almost daily rain in SoCal, snow in the Sierras. Vegas also received more rain than normal and we even got snow on several days. We decided to go Feb. 22nd as it was clear skies and right after snow on our mountains. We met at the Silverton Hotel parking lot and we took my Odyssey. West on Blue Diamond Rd or NV 160. First stop was Bonnie Springs Ranch on State Route 159. Bonnie Springs has just been sold and approved for redevelopment. The plan is for around 20 luxury homes and an event center. The motel, Old West show, petting zoo, train rides, will be history so many locals are coming up to see it before it closes. Bill cannot walk very far due to illness but we got some nice photos of the ranch with snow on it.

Over to Red Rock Conservation Area for some additional photos. More traffic, people and less snow so we did not stay at Red Rock Canyon very long. I drove back to NV 160 and headed for Pahrump.

The turn off for China Ranch is Tecopa Springs (Old Spanish Trail) before you get to Pahrump. There is now a stop light as the road is under construction. An OK road until the turn off to Furnace Creek Rd. It turns to dirt and is quite steep the last mile before dropping into the ranch area. The China Ranch Creek keeps the palm tress alive in the Mojave Desert. First stop was the bathroom, then the gift shop. Bill bought plenty of dates and I got some date bread for my neighbor Jean. We walked among date palms but not many very showing dates this early. I think most of the dates ripen in the spring, summer. I took all the photos I wanted and then it was time to head home. China Ranch is an easy day trip even with stopping at Bonnie Springs. Bill voted not to eat at any restaurant on the way home as he is really trying to control his diet. Hopefully the vegan diet will help him feel better and back to optimum health. Our day trip was over by 4 pm.