Valley of Fire

29450 Valley of Fire Hwy, 

Overton, NV 89040

 We've been researching and planning hard for this trip. Just added the Valley of Fire State Park to our list of attractions. One of the things I'm looking forward too the most on this trip is hiking around and enjoying the beautiful scenery and this place looks absolutely amazing!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsJzJG9eRTo

Valley of Fire State Park is a public recreation and nature preservation area covering nearly 46,000 acres (19,000 ha) located 16 miles (26 km) south of Overton, Nevada. The state park derives its name from red sandstone formations, the Aztec Sandstone, which formed from shifting sand dunes 150 million years ago. These features, which are the centerpiece of the park's attractions, often appear to be on fire when reflecting the sun's rays. It is Nevada's oldest state park, as commemorated with Nevada Historical Marker #150. It was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1968.

Valley of Fire is located 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Las Vegas, at an elevation between 1,320–3,009 feet (402–917 m). It abuts the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on the east at the Virgin River confluence. It lies in a 4 by 6 mi (6.4 by 9.7 km) basin.

RHYTHM OF LIFEEARTHWORKS SCULPTURE MEASURING 50 METERS SQUARE

YUCCA MESA, CALIFORNIA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YU0Soh14hI

A breathtaking Earthworks sculpture installed in 2008 by the world renowned Australian sculpturist, Andrew Rogers, Rhythm of Life can be seen near the intersection of Old Woman Springs Road (SR 247) and Aberdeen just about five miles north of Yucca Valley in California. It can also be seen quite a bit outside of that intersection as the sculpture measures 50 meters square.

A distinguished artist, Rogers exhibits his work internationally and, those larger Earthworks sculptures that he can’t move around the world, can be found in numerous private and public collections in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, the United States, and Australia. Rhythms of Life, perhaps the work for which he is best known, is part of a larger project that forms a chain of 47 massive stone sculptures around the world. The project spans seven continents, thirteen countries, and has involved nearly 7,000 people.

Davis-Schrimpf Seep FieldBurping, gurgling geothermal mud pots by the Salton Sea 

Within a mere two square miles of the desert outside the Salton Sea there are enough gryphons, gas vents, salses, and mudpots to delight any geological oddity enthusiast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6eBhK1Xh-U

At the Davis-Schrimpf Seep Field, geothermal mudpots announce themselves by belching gray bubbles from short sludge volcanoes. The bubbling seep fields are caused by the buildup of carbon dioxide beneath the surface of the earth, which pushes to the surface through the water table and sediment. As such, these aren’t true volcanoes. They aren’t boiling hot, merely warm. They can be quite stinky though, and gas bursts can range from a quiet “blurp” to a noisy eruption.

The salt content of Davis-Schrimpf Seep Field mud is so high that when it dries on the ground it forms a white crystalline top layer. When visitors walk across its surface it crunches like hard snow.

Another cool find added to our points of interest!

Glass Outhouse Art Gallery
34.13572, -115.96898
77575 Twentynine Palms Highway
Twentynine Palms, CA 92277

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYrDBUjZM3M

IF YOU BUILD A WELCOMING ART GALLERY, THEY WILL COME.

Tired of rejection, one desert artist turned a Glass Outhouse into a space for work you won't find anywhere else.

When the Glass Outhouse Art Gallery opened in Southern California’s High Desert, one of its first exhibits featured armless, headless mannequins hanging off the walls from hooks in their backs. Majestic mountain ranges and tranquil lakes were painted over the mannequins’ naked torsos. One had its belly cut open to reveal a tiny plastic baby. Another had a bloody rosary dangling from its nonexistent private parts.

Call them bizarre or avant-garde, these mannequins are a form of artistic expression to the Glass Outhouse’s owner, Laurel Seidl. Since 2010, the 71-year-old’s gallery, off Highway 62 near Joshua Tree National Park, has attracted a growing number of art enthusiasts, from locals to tourists from around the world.

The Glass Outhouse features the work of artists from throughout the state in every medium—from photography and oil painting to sculpture and various mixed media. Despite the freaky mannequins and many similarly weird exhibitions, Seidl says, the gallery isn’t about shock value; it’s about showcasing artists who might not otherwise have the opportunity to display their work.

“I basically started it because I couldn’t hang my own artwork anywhere else,” she says. “Sure, everyone told me I was nuts and it would never work. My family and friends all said, ‘Laurel, don’t do it. You’re going to be disappointed when it doesn’t work out.’ All I said to them was, ‘You just stand back and watch me. I will make this work and make it into something special.’”

In case you are wondering, yes, the Glass Outhouse has an actual functioning outhouse with its own septic tank on Seidl’s five-acre property. And yes, it is made of glass. Thankfully, the glass is a one-way mirror, so no one can look in. But once inside, you have a 360-degree view of the breathtaking desert scenery.

The gallery is spacious, with three separate areas that usually hold the work of anywhere from 10 to 15 artists. The cement floors and immaculate white walls hide the history of the building, which once housed more than 185 rabbits, when Seidl and her third husband, Fred, ran a farm.

In 1976, the newly married couple moved to Wonder Valley, just north of Joshua Tree, and bought the farm’s property for $3,200 from Seidl’s parents. Before then, Seidl had worked in Silicon Valley for a tech company that manufactured parts for lasers. Her husband, Fred, was a machinist. The couple embraced the quiet desert life. In addition to rabbits, which they bred and sold, they had goats, and even geese in the property’s tiny pond.

The bunny business was lucrative for about five years, until the 5.9-magnitude Whittier Narrows earthquake hit the area in 1987. The temblor spooked the couple’s rabbits, many of which panicked and broke their necks in their cages. The couple sold the surviving 20 rabbits and decided to find a new venture. Fred converted one of the rooms in the barn into a gunsmithing shop, and got a steady stream of business from locals and law enforcement.

Two years later, the Seidls’ 14-year marriage ended abruptly: Fred ran off with Laurel’s best friend of nine years. Instead of bemoaning the loss, Seidl now tells the story with a laugh. “I sent her a thank you card for taking him off my hands,” she says. “I figured I got the best part of the deal. She got him, but I got her dog.”

To make ends meet, Seidl started driving a school bus and painting, one of her favorite activities since she was a child. She says she depicted “everything that would stand still.” She most enjoyed painting big cats on canvas, but she also painted other animals, flowers, and landscapes on everything from vinyl records to hand saws.

Seidl toured California’s arts and crafts circuit with her work, and dreamed of seeing it exhibited. But she was always rejected when she submitted her work to local galleries. “They would take a look at my stuff and say, ‘That’s a hobby, not art,’” she says.

Frustrated and driven by her desire to help other struggling artists, she decided to turn her shuttered rabbit barn into a full-fledged art gallery. But the transformation wasn’t easy. At first, Seidl paid a local artist $200 per month to gut the animal barn and slowly turn it into a habitable building. Eventually, she hired professional contractors, who chipped away at more improvements. In June 2010, during the Glass Outhouse’s first few months of operation, Seidl collected 15 percent of any art sold until renovations were completely finished. (Now, she takes no cut of the artists’ profits.)

Word quickly spread across Wonder Valley about the woman who ran an eclectic little gallery in the middle of the desert. The Glass Outhouse became a tourist attraction when Seidl’s friend, a gallery curator named Frank Megzet, began constructing metal sculptures and a tiny wood chapel outside the gallery. Over the years, Megzet has added more knick-knacks to the property, which also features mannequins sinking in quicksand, skeletons pumping iron in a “Ghoul’s Gym,” and a trail of colorful glass bottles that gleam in the desert sand.

Seidl still marvels at the number of tourists who take pictures in front of her outhouse, which is so shiny it can be seen for miles. Today, the gallery gets anywhere from 40 to 300 visitors monthly. It has been featured on tourism websites like Daytrippen.com, and on public television. It has a growing fan base on social media. Seidl doesn’t have a cell phone or a computer, so she has friends run the gallery’s Facebook page.

“If you build it, they will come,” Seidl says. And artists from all over California continue to do so. Her roster is booked solid through February 2018.

Seidl hasn’t brought in much profit in the gallery’s five years. In fact, its operation costs are factored into her monthly living expenses. But that doesn’t keep her from greeting you with a kind smile when you visit. She’ll offer you a cold drink from the gallery fridge, and ask what brought you to her little corner of the desert. Then, with her walker, she’ll guide you through each room to tell you about the works, and the artists who had their start on her walls. Some of them have graduated to larger venues, found their own success.

“It really amazes me because, when I started, I was asking people to show their work,” Seidl says. “Now, they are coming to me.”

All You Need Is Love....And a Record Player!

Joe and I still have most of our vinyl albums from our younger years. In recent years we have added to our collection. We love little record shops and it's always fun to visit a new one. Here are some the ones that we've been to:

George's Song Shop

The oldest record store in America since 1939

128 Market Street 

Johnstown, PA 15901

https://www.facebook.com/Georges-Song-Shop-115798391774755/

Stans Record Bar

48 N Prince St

Lancaster, PA 17603

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stans-Record-Bar/153460531334929

The Mad Platter

(Since 1976)

111 W Gay St 

West Chester, PA 19380

(Note: They are closing this summer. We need to get back there!)

Hopscotch Coffee & Records

250 Millwood Ave

Winchester, VA 22601

It's a coffee shop with a record store in the basement. How cool is that?

We are always on the lookout for record shops and hope to add some new ones to our travel list!

Assateague Island, Maryland and the Remains of Baltimore Boulevard 

(Life of the Dunes Tail)

Between 1933 and the early 1960s, federal interest in creating a national seashore on the island alternated with periodic pushes for development. In 1950, a 15-mile section of the Maryland side of Assateague was plotted for development, and a paved road, Baltimore Boulevard, was constructed to traverse the new development. The Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962 destroyed or covered most of Baltimore Boulevard, and many of the structures on the island were destroyed. Although some private landowners on the island supported re-development, by this time the state of Maryland generally supported a national seashore and legislation was introduced in the United States Congress. After Congressional efforts did not produce final legislation in 1964, new legislation in 1965 was successful and Assateague Island National Seashore was formed.

We found this on Onlyinyourstate.com and decided to take a day trip to check it out since we only live a few hours away. It was well worth the trip! It costs $20 per car to get into Assateague State Park and they give you a map of the area. This piece of road is located on the Life of the Dunes Trail. There is also a parking lot right at the beginning of the trail. We were also able to catch a glimpse of a few of the wild ponies that roam the island as we were headed towards the entrance. 

Coordinates: 38.190462, -75.159406

Here is a little clip of the trail. Narrated by the Roadmaster:

https://youtu.be/nCVxSIUHnVc

After this we ventured over to the town of Berlin, MD to have lunch at Rayne's Reef Soda Fountain and Grill (Since 1901). Another cool little historic town to explore!