Beauty in the Desert
When I moved my family to Las Vegas back in 2007, there were lots of things that I expected.
I expected life to get a little more exciting than it was. I expected the heat of the desert and the stigma of living in “Sin City”. I expected people that I knew to use us as an excuse to come here, and I expected to have company on a regular basis.
Life has been spectacular for us since moving here, but there have also been a few things that I didn’t expect.
Since moving here, we have heard everyone’s opinion on what we’re missing. People seem to think that Las Vegas is the “middle of nowhere”. Even though I moved my family to the desert, the temperatures were higher and more humid in the California city we moved from. The 2 hour drive to the beach we use to have has now become a four hour one, but what we’ve gained makes that extra two hours worth the trouble.
With just a little over a 30 minute drive, we can experience the snow of Mt. Charleston in the winter and its meadows and campgrounds in the summer. A 15 minute drive takes us to Red Rock Canyon for beautiful hiking or we can experience the recreation of Lake Mead.
Las Vegas isn’t all about the strip, as most people assume.
So for those who have told me that you can’t find beauty in the desert, I feel obligated to share the view that I have had for the last 5 years while sipping coffee in the evening in my front yard. Have a great week!
taken 01/26/2012 from my front yard
taken 01/26/2012 from my front yard
taken 01/26/2012 from my front yard
taken 01/26/2012 from my front yard
taken 01/26/2012 from my front yard
taken 01/26/2012 from my front yard
Beautiful!
Thank you!
Being from a city that everyone thinks is all bars and strip clubs and the only street we have is called Bourbon, I totally understand. People tend to judge from the inexperience or ignorance. These pictures are gorgeous!
Are you trying to tell me that it doesn’t rain Bourbon there? What the hell?
You’re right, it is the ignorant and inexperienced that tend to judge.
some say that it’s easier to move on than to be left behind; people mean well, though they sometimes pull us apart when they question our choices, especially when we move to a destination that might be right for us, but not for them.
thanks for calling my attention to your blog; today’s photos illustrate the relaxing and soothing end to your day; what more could one want! -z
Beautifully stated -Z-! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. I’m glad you enjoyed my post
I totally can relate.
I live in desert… armadillos, cactus, dry heat, etc etc
But yet that sky and mountains remind me why I love here.
Beautiful, isn’t it? The skies make up for everything else
Hi,
Gorgeous photos, certainly beautiful colours in the sky.
Nobody really knows an area or place I feel unless they have lived there.
That is true! Thanks so much
I moved from the Utah deserts to the lushness of the Midwest and I can honestly say that I miss the desert. I can not fathom anyone not finding beauty in the desert. Beautiful photos. Thank you!
Thanks for reading! I can’t imagine living anywhere else and would surely miss it if i had to move.
I have experienced sunsets this colorful and flaming over the semi-deserts of New Mexico looking towards the mountains. I agree! You have amazing views there right from your window. Certainly Las Vegas is not all about the Strip! Great that your family has the privilege of the nearby mountains and lakes for healthy, refreshing recreation.
It has been a wonderful experience for my kids that I am grateful I have been able to provide. They have gotten to experience more in the last 5 years here, than I ever could have given them living back in California! Thanks for reading
Wow! Beautiful shots and sweet words to flag them high! Love the concept.
Thanks!
Very pretty! Sure wish I could take pictures like that…but my house overlooks a field of cows…
Cows can be beautiful and an excellent shot. The trick is trying to avoid the manure
There is unexpected beauty in a lot of places my friend. I am not surprised to read there is another side to vegas than the one we all know. One day I would really like to go to Vegas and hopefully, you will still be there. Even if it was just to show me all beauty one doesn’t expect from Sin City
Would love to!
I love sunsets! They’re never the same! They’re like the rose, you have to stop and look at them every now and then and appreciate the beauty.
We have sunsets like these all the time and they are absolutely gorgeous. You are right though, no two are ever the same. There are some evenings where the skies turn purple. Its amazing! I plan on taking more shots to share. It happens so fast sometimes that by the time I get my camera out and attach a lens, it has passed.
Incredible shots!
Nicely done!
Thank you! Glad you liked them.
I love the desert, I live in the middle of Utah and in any direction I can go to the alpine like mountains or the beautiful desert. I have some pics of desert near me on my page Desert Journeys
http://ravenofleyla.wordpress.com/desertjourneys/
smiles,
Raven of Leyla
Thanks so much for sharing your link. Absolutely stunning!
Stunning and Mars-like.
Thanks Kourtney
WOW that is so stunning. If that were my view, I don’t think I’d ever leave the front porch. Thanks for educating us on what Las Vegas is like other than the strip =P
Thanks for reading Cafe
Glad you enjoyed the post.
I am so glad you felt obligated to share such an amazing view with us! OMG, how absolutely fantastic to have that kind of backdrop. Add coffee to that, and I’m in heaven! Seeing your photos reminded me of the Arizona sunsets. My sister lived there for a spell and my children and I would visit during the summer. Sure enough, good afternoon resulted in something similar to your shots. Gosh, I miss those days!
Breathtaking. And that’s coming from a jaded New Yorker.
The view is amazing. I love all the colors of the sky. There are some pretty skies here (four miles past the point all hope is lost AKA Stixville, South Carolina), but not many like these.
They inspired me to give you something… http://mommasmoneymatters.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/awards-vba-cla-la-sa/
Red.
That image of Las Vegas, perhaps, is common. Read Andre Agassi’s book recently and realised there is a lot more. People live and work there. There are families, children, etc. Your blog reinforces that new image.
I believe that you can find beauty everywhere, I mean it. Lovely pictures.
Amazing pictures! I have found that every where you go, there is beauty, you just have to look at beauty differently. I have always wanted to go to Vegas, not for the strip but the landscape around there. Thanks for sharing!
I would so totally move to Vegas if it were possible
Such a gorgeous sunset!
Awe-inspiring sky shots. (Both the sky and the shots.) So worth it!
Being from Phoenix, I know fill well how gorgeous the desert can be. I love driving along the I10 between LA and Phoenix in the spring and seeing all the cacti in bloom.
Great sunset shots hun!