By Catherine Ellerton
Moapa Valley Progress
As I wandered through the colorful Valley of Fire on Easter Morning hunting for the Easter Bunny I ran into almost-6-year-old Chloe from Washington, D.C. She and her family were on the first stop of their tour of the Southwest when the Easter Bunny found them.
Chloe and her sister Elsa and their new camping friends Sklar and River from Las Vegas were still giddy over the white hare’s visit and very excited about the taffy, tarts, suckers, and hot dog candies they had received. Chloe’s 7 week old sister Juliette had slept through the whole visit.
As Chloe’s parents originally were from France we exchanged Holiday greetings and customs. Instead of an Easter Bunny showing up on Easter, in France a bell softly rings which indicates that a gift from heaven has come. As we parted company, the joyful greeting “Joyeuses Paques” followed me in my continuing pursuit of the bunny.
Next on the Bunny’s list were Damon and Raylene Barbosa from North Las Vegas. They thought the Bunny was “Cool!” and really liked the candy hot gum.
I spotted the elusive creature receiving a hug from Alexa and Ayva from Las Vegas as Alex, Matthew and Ethan looked on. Then, a bit further on, I was able to snap a red rock moment the bunny shared with Parker and Hunter Gibson from Las Vegas and Georgia and Jake McKay from New York City.
Our white furry friend kept wending through the magical red rocks looking for young ones to greet and I took my leave. As I headed out of the State Park I looked above and spotted a magnificent hawk circling ever wider and higher overhead and thought in the distance I heard the gentle ring of a bell.