While we were scouting for locations to photograph Playa Del Rey, CA on Thursday, Mia and I decided to head to her cabin in the mountains just outside of Las Vegas for the weekend. I had no idea that such a place existed just 20 minutes from the Las Vegas strip!

With no solid plans and plenty of cotton candy to go around, we set off on what turned out to be quite an adventure, including an extended visit with our buddy Chuck E. Cheese along the way. When we got to the cabin in Mt. Charleston around midnight, it was pouring rain. (the first rain that I’ve experienced since I moved to Southern California 4 months ago!) The weather completely took me by surprise up there…only getting up to about 55 degrees during the day!

We spent most of the day Saturday hiking up to Mary Jane Falls and snapping some photos. Again, I was amazed by the snow-covered mountains that are so close to Las Vegas! When we got back to the cabin after being out in the cold all day, we fired up the stove and snapped a few more photos.

Searching for the Key

Sock Mittens

The Lions Mane

Warm and Cozy

If you’d like to see more of Mia, I put together an album with more photos.