Heading out across the desert I was hit for the first time by the ugliness of that particular part of the Mojave. Before, the vastness, barrenness would have resonated with a sense of adventure and no boundaries. Today, with the colorless dirt made even more wan by the overhanging sky of smoke and smog, I felt I was at the edge of the end. I hated it and could only see ugly. This was an entirely new way for me to see the desert. Of course I can’t discount the effects of all the meds but the combination of heat and ugliness was not edifying.(I howled over this cartoon which I found in the latest issue of Readers' Digest. I hope it's ok to use it.)
The surreal desert landscape coincided with the ultimate in unreality in Las Vegas. But to get there you go through Primm--complete with gigantic neon Indian head and roller coaster. A bit further down the I-15 there’s a casino built like a huge river steamboat! Did anyone even think how conflicted a brightly-painted steamboat looks settled into the desert sand? I don’t think reality is a strong suite for Nevada!
Hopefully, Las Vegas is the first and last big city I will need to drive through. I’ve tried to avoid cities and freeways as much as possible the rest of the trip. It was over 100 when I went thru Vegas at 11:30am. By the time
I got to Mesquite it was 109o. The Virgin River runs through a beautiful gorge. Once again I got to see what a beautiful state Arizona is. Once again I gritted my teeth and cursed the highway designers for failing to include even one turnout where a motorist can take pictures of the spectacular scenery! The colors, the water, the fault lines, the dramatic rock formations--it was hard to keep 
my mind on my driving.
Just as the navigation system, aka Miss Julia, predicted, I pulled into St. George at 1:30pm. The flags in Utah are at half-mast--I assume in memory of the miners killed in the cave-in over a week ago.
The inside temperature of the coach was 90o. This RV park, Temple View, is very nice. The people are so friendly and helpful. I have the first spot so my wifi reception is pretty good. The blog is up and running although I have very few pictures to show for the day’s drive.
My first “best missed photo” was right after leaving the monastery: a little gray desert fox! I’d never seen one before. Wrong lens, I lose.
2 comments:
Way to go! Driving thru Las Vegas is a pain. 109 degrees -- ugh. Thanks for the beautiful pictures.
Are you still planning on stopping in Spearfish? Be sure to drop me a line if you are! I sent my phone numbers to the e-mail address associated with this blog.
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