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.
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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.
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Did I mention how killer the view is from here?
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The sculptures really are a nice touch that add a bit of a modern and rustic feel to the place.
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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!
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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.
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The clouds in the sky made for a beautiful drive and sunset to boot.
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wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
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.
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After crossing the park, we decided to do some exploring along old US Highway 91.
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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.
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In we go...
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Just follow the light.
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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 😁)
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And finally, out the other side.
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Under the sun again and making our way across the desert.
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Well, mostly sun that is.
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Mile after endless mile of trail ahead... just the way we like it!
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Okay, so maybe there is an end 🤪
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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.
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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.
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On the cliff side of this destination, there are a series of memorials that have been erected for loved ones in the area.
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And, I can totally see why people would have wanted to place their loved ones here.
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Continuing our trek to the north, we made periodic stops to check out cool old ranching stuff like this water tank.
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And before we knew it, we were crossing back into our beloved state of Nevada.
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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!
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You guessed it - this is Tripoint or what some refer to as "3 Corners".
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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.
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And finally, before we lost all our daylight, we rushed over to check out one last thing.
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Here we are parked long the edge of a massive sinkhole.
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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.
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What can I say other than this really was a perfect way and place to end an awesome day!
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Down the hatch - CHEERS!
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wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
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.
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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.
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I don't know how they did it but essentially, this trail was made to get to this old WWII era magnesium mine.
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Of course, this was just a hopper for the minerals they extracted but on to what, I have no idea.
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The actual mine was on the other side of the hill but it was fenced off and collapsed a long time ago.
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About a mile and a half into the hike, you can just start to see the arch in the distance.
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Still got a ways to go before we get there though.
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And here we are at last - the Liberty Arch.
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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.
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Further up and long the trail, we got better views of the bridge.
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At the top at last, this is the view we were rewarded with.
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And finally, what better way to celebrate a continuing good time than to do it with BBQ and bourbon - CHEERS!
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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.
 
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