Tag: road trip

Weekend Coffee Share – Adventure In Mojave

Sagittarius Viking12 Comments on Weekend Coffee Share – Adventure In Mojave

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Hi, how was your week? Did your weekend get off to a great start?

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We made a daytrip to California today, to Mojave National Preserve. Maybe you remember my posts from December about this fabulous 1.6 million acres preserve? I suggest we have our coffee right here today. It’s one of those beautiful, sunny and 75 degrees California days. Perfect, just like a country song.

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Are you feeling adventurous? My two girls sure felt very adventurous today. There was no end on the exploring. There’s so much to see!

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Those are huge lava rocks. Our goal with today’s adventure was to explore some lava tubes.

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I’ve spent time in Mojave National Preserve before (it’s actually quickly becoming one of my favorite go-to-spots,) but it was the first time for my daughter. She was thrilled.

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There’s lots of Yucca’s growing in the middle of the rocks. It looks like something from another planet.

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Life in the desert fascinates me.

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Did you notice the beautiful wild flowers at our feet? I don’t know what kind it is? Do you know what kind it is? I need to read up on some desert flora and fauna!

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Are you up for an adventure?

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The stairs down to the lava tubes are kind of steep, but well worth the effort. Watch your step!

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A big adventure! I love doing this sort of things. ..and yes Gretchen came with us down to the cave, I knew you were wondering about that.

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Inside the lava tube.

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Do you need a refill on your coffee? Or maybe an extra flashlight? (There’s extra flashlights in the little pocket, on the outside of my backpack.)

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It always takes some time for my eyes to adjust to the darkness of a cave. I did not go as deep inside as my daughter did, but it was still spectacular.

I hope you enjoyed our coffee in the desert. I sure enjoyed your company. I can’t wait to hear about your week! Please tell me about the things that made you wake up with a smile this week 🙂

Love,

Ms Zen

Weekend Coffee Share – Almost Christmas

Sagittarius Viking36 Comments on Weekend Coffee Share – Almost Christmas

 

Today we’re having a 5 min quick coffee chat, I’m about to head out the door. How would you like your coffee today? OK, coming right up!

How was your week? Busy with Christmas preparations? I wrapped  my last gifts this morning.

I’ve been working all week, and on my free-time I’ve put a lot of time into working with my dog (getting some good exercise myself at the same time.) Mostly outdoors, we’ve worked a lot on long recall lately. One night I even took her to MGM (one of the biggest hotel and casino in Vegas,) for some new exposures. She did awesome!!! I was 100% focused on her, so I do not have any pictures to show her excellence, I wish I did though. We spent several hours there, we did not have any issues whatsoever, and no one ever questioned her being there. I’m very proud of her.

I’m about to get in the rental car that is parked in my driveway, and head over to one of our neighbor states for a weekend adventure. I know I mentioned photographing wild horses in Arizona this weekend, but my plans changed. I’ll share more with you when I get back. I can tell you as much that I splurged on a new weekend suitcase, and a hotel room, no sleeping under the stars this time.

Have a wonderful, wonderful weekend, and a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Love,

Ms Zen

Ps. Those weekends that I spent away from home I always look forward to catch up with my coffee friends when I get back. The Weekend Coffee Share has kind of become a thing 🙂

Valley of Fire State Park 2

Sagittarius Viking21 Comments on Valley of Fire State Park 2

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Arch Rock, Valley of Fire State Park (NV.)

Imagine being inside a Star Trek movie, then you’re pretty close to the experience of Valley of Fire. In fact Star Trek Generations was filmed in Valley of Fire, the notorious Captain Kirk died here. It does feel like you enter another world when you enter this state park.

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I may not be a huge Star Trek fans, forgive me, (I have seen all the  movies,) but I do understand why this location would be perfect. Numerous other movies, and commercials, have also been filmed here.  The park is easy to access, and less than an hour from Las Vegas. If you want to visit, but don’t feel like driving out to the desert all by yourself, there’s companies that have guided tours in the park, that happily pick you up in Vegas, and take you to Valley of Fire State Park.

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These amazing monuments are fragile, and protected. You are not allowed to climb up on top of them (we did see people doing that.)

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There is hundreds of natural caves in the park, and some formations have what looks like huge balconies. With so much housing/protection from the elements already there, it’s easy to see why early human beings choose this place for their home, despite the scarcity of water.

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With every turn of the road, new totally awe-inspiring vistas opens up.

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I think the highest sandstone formation, in the above photo, looks like a huge bird of prey. Can you see the open beak?

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Valley of Fire derives its name from red sandstone formations, formed from great shifting sand dunes during the age of dinosaurs, 150 million years ago. Complex uplifting and faulting of the region, followed by extensive erosion, have created the present landscape. 

– Valley of Fire State Park visitor brochure

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I hope you enjoyed the second visit to this incredible park. If you missed the first one, or simply want to re-visit, you can find the first post here. There will be two more posts from Valley of Fire State Park in a near future. To be continued..

 

Love,

Ms Zen

SagittariusViking@gmail.com