In which thunderheads tease me

The meadows are hoping these thunderheads that keep teasing us finally will come a little west and give us some rain. It’s been a long time since the last rain. The weather station registered a lightning strike 17 miles away today. Hopefully that doesn’t start any fires.

Desert Storm

Coming back into Las Vegas after seeing the Hoover Dam we ran into a nice little storm.  It dumped buckets of rain on west Las Vegas but mostly missed where we were driving.  Here are just a couple of photos of the fun.

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The Road to Vegas

The road from San Diego to Vegas skirts through the southern portions of Los Angeles before roaring over the mountains and into the desert. Mile after mile of freeway unfold across the desert as cars rocket back and forth between the two capitals of sin, lust, and greed. On this particular day a batch of moisture had found its way into the arid interior. Thunderheads loomed large to the east. I encountered my first taste of rain since leaving Oregon as I crested the last hill and beheld the city of Las Vegas.

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The first hints of clouds.

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The Zzyzx off-ramp.  I came this way a month prior on a previous trip through the desert.

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At least according to the welcome center, Nevada is closed.

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Casinos built right on the state line.  Every single road entering Nevada has a casino as the official welcome committee.

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RAIN!  I had to use my windshield wipers!

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Rolling into Vegas with some stylish Hummers and Escalades.

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Looking toward the strip from the freeway.

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The Stratosphere.

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Sunset looking west from North Las Vegas.