Weekly Smile – The Desert Around Las Vegas

My weekly smile this week goes to the fact that my book The Desert Around Las Vegas – A Guidebook To Amazing Day Trips In The Mojave Desert is now available on Amazon! It’s the result of more than a year of hard, fun work. There was blood, sweat and some tears involved. I basically spent all my free time exploring the Mojave Desert around Las Vegas, while taking notes and thousands of photos, that I afterwards spent hundreds of hours of editing, and then designing the book, to now be able to enjoy the result. I had the help of an amazing editor, Ken Decroo. I am very grateful for his help!

The Mojave Desert with its smell of sage, million-dollar vistas, wildlife, and beautiful cacti, has been luring humans to explore within its boundaries for centuries. The desert can be hot, brutal, and very dangerous with venomous snakes and spiders. If you are planning a visit to Las Vegas, and know that there will be some time for adventures outside the city, maybe you are asking yourself some of these questions: If I only have a few hours, where do I go? How do I stay safe while I experience the deserts intense beauty? Can I bring my children? Is it dog friendly? Are there restrooms available? What time of the day should I visit? If I want to see wild horses, where can I go?

For me, it was more or less a forced move to Las Vegas that made me explore the desert outside. You see, I am a country girl; to move to the city was a huge change for me. I started to spend all my free time in the desert: hiking, reading, and playing with my camera. When the weekend arrived, my daughter, my German Shepherd, and I would head out to Red Rock Canyon, Spring Mountain National Recreation Area, Valley of Fire, Death Valley, or Mojave National Preserve. Spending the weekends exploring these places kept me sane during that first year living in Las Vegas.

My colorful guidebook will get you there well prepared, knowing what to expect, but your imagination is the only limit to the experience you will have! You can expect to be blown away by each destination’s beauty and uniqueness.

– Excerpt from the preface of The Desert Around Las Vegas – A Guidebook To Amazing Day Trips In The Mojave Desert, by Maria Jansson.

Thank you Trent for hosting another week of smiles 🙂 What makes YOU smile this week? Share some of your smiles!

Love,

Maria

Published by Sagittarius Viking

It’s all about experiences, and the healing power of nature. Life is about choosing happiness. I entered the magic world of photography when I was five years old. My gypsy soul have taken me to many different countries, and definitely taught me to be more humble. I believe that you are what you eat, body and soul. I enjoy growing my own food, and spending time outdoors. A Sagittarius loves to travel, have an open mind and, and a philosophical view. It motivates them to wander around the world in search of the meaning of life. Sagittarius is extrovert, optimistic and enthusiastic, and likes changes. A lot of that perfectly describes me. The fact that my ancestors, on both parents sides, were vikings, doesn’t exactly lessen my desire to explore. Maybe a slightly more mindful exploring, compared to the average viking. My blog, and my art prints is a results of my (inner and outer) explorations. Love, Maria View more posts