Las Vegas / SEMA

[b3lha]

My company is flying me out to Las Vegas for the SEMA auto show. I'll be there the whole week. If anybody from here is going, drop me a PM and maybe we can meet up and chat about SVXes for a while.

I'm going over with a bunch of other guys, so I don't know whether I'll get a free day when I'm not working. But if I do, I'd like to do some sightseeing. I've never been to Las Vegas before and the mental image I have of the place is all about resorts, casinos, bars and shows. That sort of thing has zero interest for me. Absolute zero. It sounds like my idea of hell. I'd like to hire a car, get out of town and see some nice peaceful countryside.

Can somebody local to Las Vegas recommend places within reasonable driving distance? How about Lake Mead, Death Valley, and the Mojave National Reserve? Are any of these places worth seeing, and if I could only see one, which should it be? Is there anywhere else?

Phil.