Boulder City, Nevada

Good morning, my friends, and welcome to Boulder City! 

It was a long day of driving yesterday, and through a desolate landscape. It'll be our longest driving day for this trip. As we were heading north on I-15, I noticed the roadside daisies are starting to bloom. We didn't see these when we arrived in Escondido. What a difference a month can make. You can see the orange patches in the image below.

This was our view for much of the day.

We could see some snow-capped mountains out Mike's window.

Eventually, we started seeing more color in the barren landscape.

And this...just a rustic water tower. When there are no barns nor any grain silos, water towers stand in as photography subjects.

We drove miles, and miles, and miles, and the image below pretty much sums up the scenery.

When we were within about 100 miles of the state line, this salt flat came into view. This is known as Soda Dry Lake (or Soda Lake). It was formed from the evaporation of ancient Lake Mojave. Situated near Baker, California, and I-15, the area features a white salt crust, a nearby palm oasis, and the Desert Studies Center.  The lake has standing water during wet periods, and water can be found beneath the surface.

Eventually, we began to see Joshua trees. The Joshua tree is native to the southwestern United States (Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah) and northwestern Mexico. This range mostly coincides with the geographical reach of the Mojave Desert, where it is considered one of the major indicator species for the desert. It occurs at elevations between 1,300 and 5,900 ft.

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Eventually, we came to many miles growing thick with Joshua trees. Joshua trees are one of the species predicted to have their range reduced and shifted by climate change. Concern remains that they will be eliminated from Joshua Tree National Park, with ecological research suggesting a high probability that their populations will be reduced by 90% of their current range by the end of the 21st century, thus fundamentally transforming the ecosystem of the park. Wildfires, invasive grasses, and poor migration patterns for the trees' seeds are all additional factors in the species' imperilment.

As we approached the state line, we came across this mining operation. This is Mountain Pass Mine, home to the largest rare-earth element mine in the U.S. 

Discovery of the mine’s rare-earth elements happened by accident. In 1949, three prospectors sought uranium in the Clark Mountain Range in the midst of high demand for the element during the developing Cold War. However, instead of uranium, the prospectors struck bastnaesite, which contains rare-earth elements found in familiar gadgets we use today, such as the magnets in speakers, microphones, vibration monitors in mobile phones, and other modern communication devices.

Down the road, I captured the colors in this hillside. This is the sort of thing we'll see when we visit Death Valley. The green color indicates the presence of copper, and red indicates iron.

We were traveling adjacent to the Mojave National Preserve. In this photo, you can see the mud flat behind the sign. 

This is Ivanpah Lake, a dry lake. It's a 13-square mile mud flat located along the California-Nevada border near Primm, Nevada. It is a premier, free public destination for wind-powered recreation like land sailing and kite buggying, managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The site is famous for hosting land speed record attempts and, in 2009, saw the Greenbird set the world wind-powered land speed record of 126.1 mph. 

Farther down the road, we came upon the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System. 

This is a concentrated solar thermal plant. It was slated to close in 2026, but that decision has been reversed by the California Public Utilities Commission. The facility derives its name from its proximity to Ivanpah, California, and the Chemehuevi word for "clean water."

It is a 377 megawatt net solar complex using mirrors to focus the power of the sun on solar receivers atop power towers. (Mike thought "power towers" was the best phrase of the day.) Those are the big shiny objects you see in the image above. The electricity generated is enough to serve more than 140,000 homes in California during the peak hours of the day. 

We were just about five miles from the border at that point...get ready...it's the picture of the day...

We stopped there for fuel. (Fuel is cheaper in Nevada than in California.) As we exited the interstate, I noticed his HUGE roller coaster off to the right. Sheesh. Don't look for me to be riding this monster.

And I don't know what's going on with that structure, but it reminded me so much of the Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark we visited when we were in Alaska, pictured below.

In the distance, we watched as three skydivers jumped from a plane. Looking at the image below, I'm guessing this was a tandem jump. There appear to be two people attached to that parachute.

And then...surprise, surprise! This is one of the things I had on our bucket list for this visit. This is known as Seven Magic Mountains. 

This unique art installation was created by world-renowned Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone in 2016. In his words, he describes his creation as “artwork of thresholds and crossings, of seclusion and gathering, of balanced marvels and excessive colors, and the contrary air between the desert and the city lights.” 

Seven different structures (mountains) make up the artwork, consisting of massive, stacked boulders painted in vibrant colors that glow brilliantly against the Nevada desert backdrop. Each mountain is a whopping 30 feet tall, and the artwork is considered one of the “largest land-based art installations in the United States.” The creative installation represents Rondinone's interpretation of human interaction with the desert. It was one of the things we had on our to-do list for this visit, but we can check that off now as to-done.

Okay, and continuing on, we turned southwest here, but we could see Las Vegas in the distance.

We were nearing our final destination. There's some interesting art work along the interstate here. I captured only a small piece of it.

These are the mountains behind the RV park. They're beautiful in the glow of the rising sun.

We have a nice end spot, and an orange tree growing right at our doorstep. (I have an idea these are ornamental only.)

So we're going to take a chill day today. After such a long drive and after being social butterflies for the past month, we need a day off. I'll probably get outside and take a walk around the park. I expect we'll add naps to our day's agenda. Aside from that...no plans. Sometimes those are the best days. I have a few things on our agenda for this area. You'll want to dust off your hiking boots, because I'm sure we'll find a few trails to walk here. Also, there will be time for sewing.

Whenever we arrive in this part of Nevada, I'm reminded of a conversation we had with a cashier at the grocery store on a previous visit. We were purchasing some Mike's Lemonade, which is an alcoholic beverage. We weren't sure about the liquor laws regarding alcohol in a moving vehicle. Was it okay to have it in the cab with us? Or did we need to put it in the back and out of reach? The woman there said, "You can do anything in Nevada." Okay, then. My kind of state.

Oh yes, and tomorrow will be the reveal of my latest art quilt for The Endeavourers art quilt group. Prompt this time around is"Motion." Signing off now. Have a good day, Everybody!