{"id":3241,"date":"2015-02-22T18:06:38","date_gmt":"2015-02-22T18:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/blog\/?page_id=3241"},"modified":"2016-01-29T13:10:37","modified_gmt":"2016-01-29T13:10:37","slug":"notes-from-the-road-15-31-december-2014","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/blog\/?page_id=3241","title":{"rendered":"Notes from the Road — 15-31 December 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NOTES FROM THE ROAD<\/h2>\n
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< more recent<\/a> | 15 – 31 December 2014 | older ><\/a> <\/p>\n

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Roadtrip: Valley of Fire<\/h5>\n


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Finding some solitude in the desert …<\/strong><\/h6>\n


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22 DECEMBER 2014:<\/strong> Spent the day exploring the Valley of Fire<\/a>, another amazing scenic location not far from Las Vegas. Great opportunities for solo hiking in the desert here. …
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Roadtrip: Red Rock Canyon<\/h5>\n


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A scenic loop around a popular canyon …<\/strong><\/h6>\n


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21 DECEMBER 2014:<\/strong> Drove the scenic loop through the beautiful Red Rock Canyon<\/a> with a few stops for some short hikes to get a closer look at the landscape…
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Roadtrip: The Las Vegas Speedway<\/h5>\n


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Checking out some really fast cars …<\/strong><\/h6>\n


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20 DECEMBER 2014:<\/strong> Made a visit to Exotics Racing<\/a> at the Las Vegas Speedway where I had the chance to drive some really fast cars around the track. Driving down the long stretch full throttle was pretty exhilarating. And I even learned a few things about handling performance cars…
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Roadtrip: Las Vegas<\/h5>\n


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Arriving on The Strip in Las Vegas …<\/strong><\/h6>\n


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19 DECEMBER 2014:<\/strong> Roadtrip time. Starting point Las Vegas, NV. Arrived late at night to the timeless neon of the Strip, where inside the casinos there is no difference between night and day\u2026…
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PREVIOUS NOTES FROM THE ROAD<\/a> ><\/a> <\/h6>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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THIS MONTH:<\/strong>
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\nMore desert discovery out west via a mini-road trip from Las Vegas to Death Valley.
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COMING UP SOON:<\/strong>
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\nAn independent overland journey in preparation for the big trip — a two-week scouting mission to the Eye of the Sahara in Mauritania.
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ABOUT THE VALLEY OF FIRE<\/strong>
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\nThe Valley of Fire State Park<\/a> is the oldest state park in Nevada and was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1968. Covering an area of almost 42,000 acres, it derives its name from red sandstone formations, created by shifting sand dunes some 150 million years ago, that were then sculpted by erosion into the present surreal landscape.
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ABOUT RED ROCK CANYON<\/strong>
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\nThe Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area<\/a>, located 17 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip, consists of 195,819 acres of protected land and is visited by more than one million people each year.
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TEAM 171 PRESENTATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\nUSnomads, c’est l’histoire d’une amiti\u00e9 de plus de 20 ans, qui s’est construite \u00e0 travers le temps, les cultures, les exp\u00e9riences de la vie et des voyages. Seule l’union de deux caract\u00e8res forts et respectueux l’un de l’autre explique que nous soyons arriv\u00e9es \u00e0 nos fins dans chacun de nos d\u00e9fis.

\nCeci est notre premi\u00e8re participation au Rallye des gazelles et nous ne sommes pas des professionels, mais JoMarie a une certaine exp\u00e9rience de l’Afrique et des situations d’urgence. D’autre part, elle s’est totalement investie dans la pr\u00e9paration de cette course et Isabelle s’est r\u00e9cemment mise \u00e0 la navigation.

\nLe Rallye des gazelles dans le d\u00e9sert marocain sera le th\u00e9\u00e2tre d’une nouvelle \u00e9preuve pour nous : une Jeep, une boussole, une carte et tout le pouvoir de notre volont\u00e9 d’y parvenir fera le reste.

\nCe d\u00e9fi sportif s’inscrit dans un projet humain plus large, celui de traverser le d\u00e9sert du Sahara d’Ouest en Est dans l’espoir d’accompagner les \u00e9quipes d’ONG dans leurs micro-projets d’aide aux peuplades nomades locales. JoMarie en produira un film documentaire qui donnera \u00e0 mieux connaitre les hommes de cette partie du monde.

\nL’\u00e9quipe 171 prendra fi\u00e8rement son envol le 15 mars 2014 avec toutes les autres participantes ! Et que les meilleures gagnent !

\nMais quelle valeur et quelle port\u00e9e aurait cette le\u00e7on de vie, si nous n’\u00e9tions pas soutenues par l’amour de nos proches, de nos amis et de tous ceux qui nous entourent. Merci !<\/p>\n

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SUPPORTING MOTHERS<\/strong>
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\nTeam USnomads is proud to support the work of MothersToMothers<\/a>, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that recognizes the ability of mothers to change their destiny. MothersToMothers, founded by Pamela Parlapiano, partners with local women to create community supported day care and learning centers that change lives. Their model project in Amacho Wato Kebele, Ethiopia, has shown how with just a little help, the mothers in the community can improve the lives of a whole village. Please join us in supporting their efforts to take this successful model to more villages: Donate to MothersToMothers here.<\/a> (Note that all donations go 100% directly to MothersToMothers).
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CURRENT WEATHER<\/strong><\/p>\n

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