A Sunday Drive

Project 365 – #101

On Sunday afternoon, we decided to go out for a nice drive.  Our first destination plan was Martinez Lake as we had never headed over there.  Upon arrival, we decided that we would just keep on going to the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge instead.  We were a little disappointed that the visitor center wasn’t open.  (Apparently, it’s closed on the weekends after March 31st.)  The disappointment didn’t last long as we found a beautiful picnic area right by the water.

The breeze coming off the water mixed with the warm air to create a pleasant environment for a relaxing picnic.  After we finished eating, we decided to take a stroll around the area.  Munchkin and I were taking pictures while D walked puppy slightly in front of us.  We came across a beautiful tree, so I asked Munchkin and D to stand by the tree.  I wanted to snap a new picture of the two of them.  (She’s growing so quickly. Whew!)

The beauty of the tree was slightly deceptive as it held a painful secret.  The tree was covered in large thorns.  This lead to a long discussion about the crown of thorns roughly placed on Jesus’ head.

Once we finished up with our short stroll, we headed off to complete our drive.  The bumpy dirt road headed toward the Painted Desert Trail.  There were numerous places to pull off and take in the splendor of the landscape around us.

We plan on heading back over here at some point (during the week), so we can check out the visitor center and hike the painted desert trail.  The trail itself is only about a mile long.  Obviously, the terrain varies, so we’re not sure how easy/difficult the trail may end up being.  It’s a beautiful area, and I look forward to seeing all the trail has to offer.