After 5 legs over the course of 7 days, I am so happy to finally be settling into our new host city.
Our original plans had us doing this trip in 5 days, but I am so glad that we decided to leave a couple days earlier! With the few extra days added to our trip, we were able to make some memorable stops along the way!
Our first layover day was in Sedona, AZ. We didn’t have much time to spend exploring but we were able to hit one trail that has been on my bucket list!
The Seven Sacred Pools is one of the more popular hikes in the area and was dog friendly! The pools were mostly dry but it was still a beautiful sight! The contrast of the colors was beautiful! The green trees, red rock, and wildflowers brought this hike to life and was everything I had imagined.
Our second layover day took us to Beatty, NV.
And with Beatty, NV being the Gateway to Death Valley and all…
Let me start out by saying that Death Valley has never been at the top of my “Must See” list, but, with it being so close to our layover stop, I couldn’t waste the opportunity.
With only a few hours to spend exploring before the temperature got too hot, we headed to the famous Salt Flats/Bad Water Basin.
When we arrived at the trail head, the sun had yet to peak the ridge line. Our first steps on the salt flats left our shoes caked in dense white crystals as if we were walking on snow. The air was a comfortable 70 degrees as we walked further out into the open, but the moment the sun hit the valley, everything changed!
The wind brought gusts of hot, dry air and in an instant, Death Valley transformed into its namesake. The heat was intense and truly transformed our experience. The wet, sticky salt that clung to our shoes instantly dried and crumbled beneath our feet. It was this drastic change that made this hike so memorable and it was this dramatic change that left me feeling that I was completely wrong about Death Valley. This National Park should be on the top of everyones bucket list!
After only 30 minutes in the sun, we realized that we were no match for Death Valley. It was time to head back to The Imagine, but not before one last stop! Rhyolite, Nevada was a boom town during the gold rush era and was just a few miles from Beatty, NV. Nothing more than a ghost town now, this place has long been abandoned. It is hard to imagine life here 100+ years ago, but the few structures that remain standing keeps the history alive for future generations to see.
This journey to Reno and Contract #6 has already brought me so much adventure and wonder, I can’t wait to see what’s to come. Now that I am on location, the emails and instructions are pouring in in an overwhelming fashion. I have a lot on my plate for my orientation week and all I can do is take a deep breath and “hang in there”. So, wish me luck as I do my best to survive Week One and make the most out of another crazy travel nurse adventure.
I want to document this contract a little differently. I will still be sharing all of my adventures and favorite captures, but if you have been wondering what Travel Nurse life is like inside the hospital- this season is for you! On-boarding and orientation week is already dramatically different from previous contracts and I want to share those differences from week to week! So check out my blog every Sunday to see all of my adventures and experiences as an Endoscopy Travel Nurse in Reno, Nevada.
