Boulder City, Nevada
We take a "pause" day, and I never get out of my PJs while we read, nap and generally laze about. In the evening we Skype with Ezra who entertains us with the ABC song, counting to ten, and showing us some of his favorite toys. We love getting to spend a little time with him, although not being able to give him lots of hugs is hard :-(
 |
| Oh how we miss you Ezra Michael!! |
One of the great things (one of the many) about "following" our friends around the country is getting previews of cool places to visit. Last week the "local" Jeep gang made a day trip to the ghost town of Nelson, Nevada. Sounds like a fun time, so Tuesday we head out.
Even before we reach the mine and out-buildings we drive through beautiful canyons, and the most Cholla Cactus we've seen anywhere. The area is privately owned and offers tours of the site, including inside the mine. We don't join the very full tour group, so for pics of the mine and great information on the history, check out John's post from their visit. They charge $10/hour to take photos of the out-buildings and collection of vintage vehicles and "stuff", but they give me 10 minutes to capture a few shots. If you Google Nelson Ghost Town Images you'll see that many photographers use the area for photo shoots. Cool place indeed!
 |
| About 1/10th of the Chollas that fill the hillsides. |
 |
| Mining is hard work, I hope there was time to appreciate the view. |
 |
| Even under cloudy skies the colors are wonderful. |
 |
| Some pieces are set in venues, screaming to be photographed :-) |
 |
| Vintage hoods over vintage vehicles. |
 |
| Lots of random stuff in random places. This saw blade on a window frame. |
 |
| Gas stations are definitely a big part of the theme. |
 |
| Making the transition from run-down to ghost town. |
 |
| The main building includes more artifacts and a couple furnished rooms. |
 |
| Teenagers' room - they're all aliens at that age. |
 |
| Today's gold comes from tourism dollars. And lots of space to store a collection of collections. |
The road continues to the north end of Lake Mojave, passing through more gorgeous canyons. We pick up a couple dirt roads along the giant washes that combined their contents in 1974 to destroy the small settlement of Nelson Landing. From a storm that only lasted 1.5 hours, these dry expanses became a violent river. It's very humbling to remember this when traversing the dry and dusty trails. And forces us to keep a vigilant eye on the skies and weather apps for the surrounding hills.
 |
| Hoodoos formed in this curve. |
 |
| We never tire of the many textures along the river valley. |
 |
| Time, wind and water take their toll on the canyon walls. |
 |
| Water's edge. |
 |
| She can get right to the fringe and never get her feet wet. |
 |
| The Colorado River flowing into Lake Mojave. |
 |
| Looking for fossils in the many layers. |
 |
| Success. They're like little time capsules. |
 |
| While he's looking up, I'm finding treasures along the ground. |
 |
| Two tiny arches along the ridge top. |
 |
| Soft bunch grass gives the road a delicate trim. |
 |
| Deep orange and red color this melting face in the rock. |
I have more errands to run in the city, and although the rain continues sporadically, Thursday is the day to get them done. Navigating this busy area is a little easier this time and although most of my search is fruitless (back to Amazon) I do get a few items off my list.
The forecast for Saturday is clear skies and the agenda is more Jeep trails. By necessity it's a post of it's own - I took so many photos!!!
 |
| Next time! |
Technology is a wonderful help to keep you close to the grandsons while you wonder the country:) The Lake Mead Recreation Area has a wealth of places to explore and so much beauty. Glad you made it to the mine. Sometimes we just need those do nothing days:)
ReplyDeleteWe really have to Skype more, it's so much fun!
DeleteYour backyard is amazing. It will take you years to see it all!
No one believes us but we do have those "do nothing" kind of days also!
ReplyDeleteCompared to you two, most of our days are 'do nothing' :-)))))
DeleteWe've visited Nelson and agree that it really is a cool place to visit.
ReplyDeleteIt's a gorgeous area with a fun little stop in the middle :-)
DeleteLovely photos Jodee! Nelson looks like quite the place to spend some time...but $10/hour is a little steep for me! Random drive through the desert never disappoint!
ReplyDeleteI agree it's steep for travelers like us - but professionals use the place a lot. With the tours being their own income source I suppose it's one way to pay their taxes :-)
DeleteYou guys have a great relationship with Ezra :-) That's what we hope for us and Emmett. Yep, I 'give' Amazon plenty of money too... LOL What fun adventures you and Piper get to experience :-)
ReplyDeleteFor us it's been all about his parents making sure we have lots of time with him when we're there. We don't take advantage of Skype as much as we should - have to do more of that!!
DeleteEveryone needs a PJ day at least once a month if not more often. I know just what you mean about the fun of Skype and it’s limitations. How old is Ezra now? Great photos of the ghost town. Teenager’s room is hilarious! Looks like another super fine desert drive. Boy have I spent way too much time trying to plan our summer at this rather late date for the east.
ReplyDeleteEzra is 2.5 and missed terribly! With our son's wedding the first weekend of June and my tooth implant to get finished, I had to wait too long for our summer planning and as a result we've taken Banff and Jasper off the table. Just too stressful to try and make it work. We're still excited for our modified plans though :-)
DeleteI think I like the outside of the mine better than the inside! But I don't like going underground, so there's that. :-) You captured some great shots in your few minutes that you were allowed.
ReplyDeleteThanks Laurel! There's quite a bit of the place visible from the road as well. Pam and Sue were good with the mine, but this large tour group made me think it would way too crowded "down there" :-)))
DeleteThis area around Boulder City sure offers a lot of possibilities. Nice you could take some shots without paying the big bucks. Tessa looks all nice and clean by the water. Everybody needs down days.
ReplyDeleteYep, those down days are sweet! This area is amazing - so much to see and do!
DeleteLove that old Caddy with the Van Auken bumper guards in the Chevron garage, Jodee. Looks like it is a late 40's. My gramps had a 51. I practically had to stand up to steer it and stop it, as that was before power steering and power brakes.
ReplyDeleteYou would spend a day in heaven at Nelson - the old vehicles are everywhere and you can walk around them all!
Delete