familiar roads

Although the ocean is my favorite natural environment, I do appreciate nature’s diversity and the varied environs which earth and water has to offer. I like tranquil country creeks, rushing rivers,  grand lakes, serene inlets, and  woody swamps. I like forests, meadows, hills, mountains, and deserts. Yes, deserts. In fact, I truly enjoy my excursions from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Pomona, California driving to see my mother.

I enjoy the clear vistas of sand in hues of cream and tan, dotted with Joshua trees, crackly tumbleweed, delicate wild flowers and scraggly mesquite bushes.  I find the sand dunes calming in their timeless patterns of rising and shifting sand. The sturdy mountains in their muted shades of buff, sepia, moss green, lavender and gray encircle me. The open space and long road that stretches before me summons me to unwind, decompress, relax, and be still. Of course, not too still, as the responsibility of driving forces you to be aware.  

The dry ephemeral lake beds in the distance give the impression of water when the sun reflects off the salty crust of the earth. They look like a mirage and I like the way that they trick the eye. The presence of water in this desert centuries ago is evidenced by the alluvial fans formed at the base of the mountains.

Yes, I truly enjoy the trip from Las Vegas to Pomona, and am always on the lookout for something novel to appreciate.