Nau speak: Road Tripping: Scenic drive through Valley of Fire State Park

If you've been to my blog before, you might have noticed that we've got a bit of a love affair with Valley of Fire State Park. We've gone camping there a few times during the cooler winter months and have returned for day trips several times, too. It's not far from Vegas, only about an hour down the freeway, and has such stunning stone formations and scenic views that it's hard not to be blown away by the beauty anew with each visit. There's always something new to discover or see, and the serene seeming desert hides a complex ecosystem full of life, from adorable ground squirrels skittering about the campsites to coyotes and mountain lions lurking in the distance during the deep, dark nights. You can catch the glow of Vegas peeking out behind the mountain ridges at night, as the stars come out to glisten, but despite the distant glow it's easy to feel almost entirely cut off from the rest of humanity on some far and distant alien planet (with conveniently paved roads).

We were quickly running out of sunlight and wanted to stop and get a photo shoot in, since we've accumulated a huge backlog of ready-made shirts needing to get added to our inventory. I'm sure if I weren't such a perfectionist we'd have an easier time getting them online- because we can't sell what people don't know we have, right? But first I need to process the photos we've already taken, add those to our inventory, sort and organize our standing inventory to make room for the new additions, measure, post... it's an entire process, my friends, and it's a time consuming one. It's worth it in the end, though, because each time we sell one of our tie-dye shirts there's so much joy and pride! Some day it will be my day job, but you've gotta build it from the ground up first and that's going to take a lot of work and effort. It's not always easy trying to start your own business, and I'm grateful that I'm in a situation that allows me the flexibility to work on it and grow it in my free time while still bringing in an income to support our basic needs.

Even though I definitely had work on the mind, it's hard not to marvel at the scenery when in Valley of Fire. The massive stone formations jutting out of the ground in bright, stark colors contrasting the sands and shrubs surrounding them with the endless blue sky above can take your breath away. Even just driving down the roads and enjoying the view from the comfort of your air-conditioned car is well worth the trip from Vegas! During our trip this time we passed a wedding party posing for photos, so that was an unexpectedly romantic thing to spot. There was also an art installation involving mirrors that we saw in passing, but that was only there for a very short window of time. It was gone by the time we could've gone back out to inspect if closer... shame, but that's the ephemeral nature of things sometimes.