Cindy's Birthday Fun Run 2024

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
When it comes to birthdays, there's always one thing Cindy asks for and that's to get in our Jeep, out on some dirt and to do some exploring. And, I should note that it never really matters where we go so long as it involves cool places and things to see, a hike or two and of course, a few saloons or bars along the way. Of course, this is never just a one day event but rather, something that we do for the better part of a week LOL! Anyway, here are a few pics from the fun we've been having 😁

Being that it was still on the cold and rainy side up in Carson City, we decided to make our way south and one of the first places that we stopped at was at the all new Bighorn Crossing in the town of Walker Lake.
20240128135855-96bb7965.jpg


Years ago, this place was called the Buffalo Stop but was bought out back in 2020 and the name changed to The Big Horn Crossing being that there are no buffalo in Nevada and that you really can see a ton of big horn sheep in the area and aside from these very cool sculptures.
20240128135849-f123a701.jpg
20240128135854-3ec61c2c.jpg


Did I mention how killer the view is from here?
20240128135852-5c5a464d.jpg

20240128135851-fe6b1608.jpg


The sculptures really are a nice touch that add a bit of a modern and rustic feel to the place.
20240128135846-e4365956.jpg


Now, I say "all new" because it The Big Horn Crossing came under new ownership in 2023 and the new owners have made a TON of improvements to the once, old gas station both outside and in and maybe most importantly, to the food they serve. I mean, holy cow, the burgers and burritos and soup and sandwiches are super gourmet delicious and come in BIG portions!
20240128135840-7c2ad179.jpg

20240128135810-2e673cc3.jpg

20240128135843-50e53dd9.jpg


Needless to say, I would HIGHLY recommend making a stop at this awesome new lunch stop especially if you're on your way to or from Las Vegas. Time to take in the amazing view one more time before we roll into our 392 and on the road again.
20240128135854-173ae189.jpg


The clouds in the sky made for a beautiful drive and sunset to boot.
20240128135856-b7c5c6b3.jpg
20240128135857-11b63b86.jpg

20240128135858-17a69e6e.jpg
 
After spending a night at our place down in Boulder City, Cindy and I decided to get an early start and head into Lake Mead National Park, to do some sightseeing and of course, go on a short hike among the fiery red rocks that they have out there.
20240128135859-5538ba7e.jpg

20240128135900-caad482d.jpg
20240128135903-651c7ca3.jpg
20240128135905-bfe4f86f.jpg


After crossing the park, we decided to do some exploring along old US Highway 91.
20240128135910-a5fe90a9.jpg

20240128135916-f7fcd83a.jpg


As we got closer to the Arizona border, we made a turn to the north to check out the cool things you can find out there, starting with these massive drainage tunnels that you can drive through.
20240128135921-e15b1cc9.jpg

20240128135542-05826dee.jpg

20240128135548-588b4fa0.jpg


In we go...
20240128135602-6f61c83c.jpg


Just follow the light.
20240128135821-89c17231.jpg


About half way though, it starts to feel like we're in the Time Tunnel (for those of you old enough to remember the show - even as a rerun 😁)
20240128135604-5c5f1f28.jpg

20240128135605-998dedf1.jpg


And finally, out the other side.
20240128154628-84642c6c.jpg


Under the sun again and making our way across the desert.
20240128135609-1f524736.jpg


Well, mostly sun that is.
20240128135608-435513b5.jpg


Mile after endless mile of trail ahead... just the way we like it!
20240128135611-b8d4cfc5.jpg


Okay, so maybe there is an end 🤪
20240128155429-57068cf2.jpg

20240128155807-28cdfb5e.jpg


Although this is NOT the location where the famous film that this location is named after, it has since become a tribute to Thelma & Louise and because of the similar look and feel of their iconic full send off a cliff.
20240128135625-144e863e.jpg

20240128135615-f3dead43.jpg

20240128135622-f03d5d4f.jpg


As you can see, the fence along the road has been adorned by hundreds of bras, boots, stuff animals and all kinds of other tributes and offerings.
20240128135626-a6ca6d30.jpg

20240128135622-b7328a53.jpg
20240128135621-4321df48.jpg
20240128135824-91a702f7.jpg

20240128135821-af706bc7.jpg


On the cliff side of this destination, there are a series of memorials that have been erected for loved ones in the area.
20240128135822-a964bfbc.jpg
20240128135823-c663fe1c.jpg


And, I can totally see why people would have wanted to place their loved ones here.
20240128163528-cc95e12a.jpg


Continuing our trek to the north, we made periodic stops to check out cool old ranching stuff like this water tank.
20240128135629-6ce6b663.jpg

20240128135634-17fed56d.jpg

20240128135632-4213abb0.jpg


And before we knew it, we were crossing back into our beloved state of Nevada.
20240128135635-2df0cb27.jpg


Of course, being that we were standing between two states, we thought, what the heck - let's go a little further and make it 3!
20240128135636-471b63eb.jpg


You guessed it - this is Tripoint or what some refer to as "3 Corners".
20240128135641-03ecf4f3.jpg


Officially, it's called the Tri State Monument and it's where you can physically stand in Nevada, Arizona and Utah and all at the same time.
20240128135637-47dbfbf7.jpg

20240128135638-7100e574.jpg

20240128135826-8a2a89a7.jpg

20240128163904-d51bdd1d.jpg

20240128135648-d7d05895.jpg


And finally, before we lost all our daylight, we rushed over to check out one last thing.
20240128135654-d9ca14ef.jpg


Here we are parked long the edge of a massive sinkhole.
20240128135649-bd28cae9.jpg


This sink hole was created when ground water melted away gypsum under the surface of this hillside and then the weight of it eventually caused it to collapse.
20240128135658-043d8011.jpg


What can I say other than this really was a perfect way and place to end an awesome day!
20240128135705-ccb871a2.jpg

20240128135704-33362522.jpg


Down the hatch - CHEERS!
20240128135826-2ca26dac.jpg
 
And, because it isn't over till it's over, on the following day, we decided to go on another hike and this time, out to the Liberty Arch.
20240128135714-1b0f1700.jpg


I always love walking through canyons like this. You can just imagine what it took to create it - the eons of water rushing through here and carving it out.
20240128135715-fe9a858d.jpg


I don't know how they did it but essentially, this trail was made to get to this old WWII era magnesium mine.
20240128135719-e76018ff.jpg

20240128135721-51462a39.jpg


Of course, this was just a hopper for the minerals they extracted but on to what, I have no idea.
20240128135723-315ebc90.jpg

20240128135723-9fe399ac.jpg


The actual mine was on the other side of the hill but it was fenced off and collapsed a long time ago.
20240128135721-3c206f19.jpg


About a mile and a half into the hike, you can just start to see the arch in the distance.
20240128135729-4b3f9365.jpg


Still got a ways to go before we get there though.
20240128135737-ca241147.jpg


And here we are at last - the Liberty Arch.
20240128135743-0a6da0a3.jpg

20240128135737-d903d69e.jpg

20240128135740-345e81b2.jpg

20240128135828-818db6c2.jpg

20240128135832-b6a6ef6f.jpg


Since we had come this far, we decided to press on all the way out to the Colorado River Overlook. And, while we were on our way to the top, we looked back and got this shot of the Liberty Arch and the Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge.
20240128135748-c9212e4d.jpg


Further up and long the trail, we got better views of the bridge.
20240128135749-a6eae672.jpg


At the top at last, this is the view we were rewarded with.
20240128135755-c6a298e7.jpg

20240128135757-8e2481f0.jpg
20240128135758-5f1a892c.jpg

20240128135836-bcca83f3.jpg


And finally, what better way to celebrate a continuing good time than to do it with BBQ and bourbon - CHEERS!
20240128135837-147c8a38.jpg
 
How AWESOME of an excursion is that?!?

Outstanding pics of what looks to be a killer trip. A big happy birthday to Cindy! I'd want to spend my birthday the same way.
 
Top Bottom