Days 6-7; and the Big Boom

Okay, so I don't really have pictures to post from the last few days because you wouldn't find them interesting. The last couple of days haven't been very exciting except for getting some double exercise time in, going to St. George, and celebrating my sister-in-law's birthday. Yet, nothing out of the ordinary or funny really happened. However, I would love to give you an idea of what it's like to live in the middle of nowhere Nevada.

My parents live just 164 miles north of Las Vegas. We're not just off the freeway, either. Since we live just a couple of hours out of Las Vegas where the Nellis Air Force base is located, we are always getting to see "fly-bys." While growing up I saw many military air craft around here. It is not uncommon to hear sonic booms either. Especially right now as the Air Force is in the middle of their Red Flag training. The last couple of mornings during my morning run, I've had to "duck and cover" because it has literally sounded as if the Air Force is dropping missiles on us. I remember two years ago when Matt, Jackson, and I flew out to visit Matt's parents in Virginia. We went to the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum located at the Dulles Airport. There we watched a movie about the Red Flag training, and it was surreal for me (even if it was just practice) to watch my home turf getting bombed on video while I knew I was thousands of miles away. Nice to know that we are the training ground for the Air Force to drop their bombs on. I guess they have to pick some rarely-known place somewhere.

We're also within an hour and a half drive from the infamous Area 51; better known as the Test Site here. When Area 51 was brought to light in the movie Independence Day everyone here cheered because, well, we know people who work there and have basically contracted their lives in exchange for secrecy, and none of us thought that the whole aliens in hybernation were too far from the truth as we've all heard the rumors that there are aliens and space ships there; and we all know that 7-year old kids have all the facts straight. Needless to say, nothing around here is too unusual for us to see here.
***However, we did all think that the movie was "bogus" after the RVs drove across the Utah Salt Flats to get from California to Las Vegas. Nowhere in Nevada is it that flat and empty. Every bit of flat ground is covered in Sage Brush -- that's why the state flower is the yellow flower that grows on sage brush.

So, now you've gotten to know a little bit more about where I come from. I dare say that some of you out there know what it's like to live in the middle of the desert in nowhere-ville.