A beautiful hike in the middle of the desert, surrounded by mountains, sits humbled in Lake Mead Recreation Area. This trail is known by many tourists as the horse trail and by us as the what will we see today trail. Venturing on the gravel path we find many rock formations, native plants, sadly trash, and beautiful sunrises in the sky. Going further into the desert and off the beaten path to the dirt tails, we find another world of adventure. Sometimes it feels as if we could be in Mars. The solitude out in this trail is amazing and the dog loves exploring the vast opportunities of new trails. Some people use this trail for off reading as well so we are extremely careful where we go. Our dog is leashed anytime we see a horse and rider or a vehicle coming up the paths. We like this trail because we can see dust flying way off on the distance and it is our cue to leash the dog.
Other than the dust flying, and dog leashing, he runs free to explore. We bring the whip it stick and let the ball fly as he bounds around chasing his favorite thing in the world. We try to constantly stimulate his need to herd objects by using fetch as a placebo. While he runs around and gets tired, I spy subjects I want to paint and take quick photos. After the dog is ready to rest, I can then sit and take out my sketchbook to create the wonders of my mind out on paper. The days out in the desert are magical moments in time for me and have shaped my artwork into something I ised to dream about as a child. I hope you all enjoy walking in nature with us and diving into the mind of an artist. I see so many images while outside and hope you all see more in my work. I hope to share the joy of wonder and add happiness into your homes. Thank you for reading and have a marvelous Monday!
-Karen Hilliard