If you leave Reno, Nevada and drive north toward Susanville, California, thirteen miles after you pass Hallelujah Junction, you'll see a sign for Red Rock. That's where we live. Red Rock Valley is a geographic designation on a USGS map, and it's home to us. We are on the cusp of California and Nevada - so we get pretty without having to pay California state taxes.
The closer you get to our turn-off from Highway 395, the more red the rocks appear. This was an acknowledged route to overland travelers, dating back to the westward migration over 150 years ago.
The loveliness of these out-croppings thrills me even yet, but the road scares me to death. I still quail at driving on a two-lane road, 70 miles an hour into oncoming traffic and I get passed all the time, like I'm driving too slow.
This is a partial view of Red Rock Valley - it's really big - but it's the view westward that we have from our living room. Sometimes when I'm at the gas pump, I wonder what on earth we were thinking when we moved so far away from our jobs. But then I think about how short life is, and I ask my myself what I lost when I gave up disposable income for meals out after work. We live in vacation land every day. What did we lose?? I'm absolutely thrilled - my neighbor Mim has started blogging. She says she was driven to it by my blog of Zephie, her little lamb born in a great Nevada wind. Another Shetland shepherd!!
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5 comments:
Thank you for mentioning my blog. This is fun logging my life!
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I love the quail also. We have a Alberta spruce in our back yard. Every morning it's like a clown act at the circus. One by one the bush shakes and out pops a quail. I counted 13 the other morning!
Such a beautiful place!
We did the same thing: gave up dinners out after work to move out to the country. It isn't so dramatically beautiful, but I rarely regret even an inch of the commute.
I don't have to commute, as such, but I certainly do limit my trips to town and gang up errands as much as possible. Sometimes it feels a bit isolating, but most of the time I love it, especially with internet access. Speaking of, I'm glad Mim starting blogging, too!
Such great pictures! So different from Virginia. Thanks for sharing.
Sharon - Where do you get your rovings processed? I saw Leigh's post about them and they are beautiful!
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