The highway stretched out before them like a shimmering ribbon, the last rays of the setting sun painting the sky in fiery hues of orange and red. As they left the city behind, the landscape gradually transformed from a sprawl of buildings and concrete to a tapestry of scrubland and rolling hills. The air grew warmer, a stark contrast to the crisp mountain air they were accustomed to just hours earlier.
Reaching the designated trailhead, they unloaded their bikes and gear. The desert sprawled before them in all its vastness – a seemingly endless expanse of sand, dotted with cacti and sculpted by the relentless wind. A lone raven circled overhead, its harsh cry the only sound breaking the silence.
