Wow. It’s mid-May here in the Nevada desert.

We checked out of our Vegas hotel this morning to head to our next destination, Page, Arizona. We know the desert heat can be brutal, but I will admit we did not expect it to be quite THIS bad in May! We are both feeling somewhat better today, thankfully. With my usual favorite trusty travel app in hand (Roadside America), we headed out into the desert and away from the glitz and glam of Vegas. The rocks and mesas of the desert feel so foreign to me as a native Floridian. Florida is such a damp, humid heat, and it really creates incredible differences in the flora and fauna. I had to take pictures of some of the beautiful sights and rock formations we passed.

Little Mount Rushmore

Sure, many of you have probably seen or been to Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. But… have you ever been to Little Mount Rushmore? Roadside America led us to this find just outside the tiny town of Mesquite, Nevada where a local sculptor hobbyist started using the sandstone rocks beside the road as his canvas. His artwork carvings are done on a stretch of roadside rocks spanning about 3/4 mile, and ranged from a replica of the Mt Rushmore presidents to the Peanuts characters, lady Liberty, and the Easter Island Heads. It was really cool! Below is a sampling of the carvings we saw.

The Road to Page

Our 4.5 hour drive today took us through Nevada, to the northwest tip of Arizona, into southern Utah, then returning to northern Arizona. We gained several thousand feet in altitude, and not only did our ears keep popping, our car and phone clocks kept gaining and losing hours depending on our location. It was a wild and scenic drive! Found a few more strange gems thanks to our app, as well.

Horseshoe Bend at Sunset

We made it to our hotel in the cute little town of Page, and got checked in before turning around and heading right back out to nearby Horseshoe Bend. The park closes at sunset, and the overlook hike is supposed to be gorgeous at that time of day. Never mind that it was still 94 degrees!! This place has been on my bucket list ever since my first glimpse of it on a travel ad, and it was as incredible as I hoped. Worth schlepping a mile or two up and down the hill in 94 degree heat while sick? Absolutely!

The red sandstone cliffs, the Colorado River… this was a major bucket list check ✅! Found a yummy local spot for dinner tonight (Rustic Thistle) where we had some great frybread tacos. Tomorrow we are off to another bucket list item for me: Antelope Canyon! Check in again for more incredible beauty in the U.S. of A. Thanks for adventuring with us.