< more recent | 15 – 31 December 2014 | older >
22 DECEMBER 2014: Spent the day exploring the Valley of Fire, another amazing scenic location not far from Las Vegas. Great opportunities for solo hiking in the desert here. …
21 DECEMBER 2014: Drove the scenic loop through the beautiful Red Rock Canyon with a few stops for some short hikes to get a closer look at the landscape…
20 DECEMBER 2014: Made a visit to Exotics Racing 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…
19 DECEMBER 2014: 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……
THIS MONTH:
More desert discovery out west via a mini-road trip from Las Vegas to Death Valley.
COMING UP SOON:
An independent overland journey in preparation for the big trip — a two-week scouting mission to the Eye of the Sahara in Mauritania.
ABOUT THE VALLEY OF FIRE
The Valley of Fire State Park 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.
ABOUT RED ROCK CANYON
The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, 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.
TEAM 171 PRESENTATION
USnomads, c’est l’histoire d’une amitié de plus de 20 ans, qui s’est construite à travers le temps, les cultures, les expériences de la vie et des voyages. Seule l’union de deux caractères forts et respectueux l’un de l’autre explique que nous soyons arrivées à nos fins dans chacun de nos défis.
Ceci est notre première participation au Rallye des gazelles et nous ne sommes pas des professionels, mais JoMarie a une certaine expérience de l’Afrique et des situations d’urgence. D’autre part, elle s’est totalement investie dans la préparation de cette course et Isabelle s’est récemment mise à la navigation.
Le Rallye des gazelles dans le désert marocain sera le théâtre d’une nouvelle épreuve pour nous : une Jeep, une boussole, une carte et tout le pouvoir de notre volonté d’y parvenir fera le reste.
Ce défi sportif s’inscrit dans un projet humain plus large, celui de traverser le désert du Sahara d’Ouest en Est dans l’espoir d’accompagner les équipes d’ONG dans leurs micro-projets d’aide aux peuplades nomades locales. JoMarie en produira un film documentaire qui donnera à mieux connaitre les hommes de cette partie du monde.
L’équipe 171 prendra fièrement son envol le 15 mars 2014 avec toutes les autres participantes ! Et que les meilleures gagnent !
Mais quelle valeur et quelle portée aurait cette leçon de vie, si nous n’étions pas soutenues par l’amour de nos proches, de nos amis et de tous ceux qui nous entourent. Merci !
SUPPORTING MOTHERS
Team USnomads is proud to support the work of MothersToMothers, 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. (Note that all donations go 100% directly to MothersToMothers).
CURRENT WEATHER
Nesconset | Sedona | Imperial Sand Dunes | Las Vegas | Death Valley
MORE NOTES FROM THE ROAD:
1-14 December – Southwest deserts
November – Paris and planning
October – Overland Expo and Workshops
September – Moab and more
August – Topless For Tatas
July – Summer Fun
June – Bantam Jeep Festival
May – Overland Expo, Rausch Creek
April – Back Home
The Gazelle Rally Recap
Archive
FEATURE
Exploring old trails in search of history deep inside coal country offers some real-life practice in the kind of terrain assessments we will need to make during an expedition based on old maps into unfamiliar territory where conditions are unknown… [read]
MORE INFO:
About Team 171 US Nomads
Team Training
Practical Matters
In Our Words
Team News
Contact Us
STORYBOARD
Sampling Moab’s famed Jeep trails with the Barlow Adventures group over an intense three-day weekend of fun and challenging driving on a variety of rugged desert terrain types including layered rock, sandy washes, dunes and the classic sandstone fins… [read]
ON BECOMING A GAZELLE
The first installment in a series of reflections detailing our personal experiences during the 24th edition of the Rallye Aicha des Gazelles — our journey to the starting line in Morocco… [read]
FEATURE
In March 2014, Team 171 USnomads successfully completed the Rallye Aicha des Gazelles in Morocco. Checkout the rally highlights in this day-by-day recap which includes descriptions of each leg of the race, daily reports from the field, the team’s tracks, video coverage of the event and more… [read]
FEATURE
Five days solo scouting unfamiliar trails in the Ocala National Forest to learn about the challenges of route selection and terrain assessment… [read]
FEATURE
Exploring new trails and unfamiliar routes often requires using paper maps, digital mapping tools and GPS units. When working back and forth between them, there are a few key details that are important to understand for accurate navigation… [read]
