Nevada: Seven Magic Mountains

You can't really miss this from the highway — tall bright rock formations stacked against the mountains in the background. And you shouldn't miss seeing it up-close, in-person. 

This large and bright art installation is the work of Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone, and called Seven Magic Mountains. Not sure if he was thinking of the theme park Six Flags Magic Mountain when he named it... but that's what I think of every time haha. 

They're just off Interstate 15 — ten miles south of Las Vegas. The towers stand more than thirty feet high(!!) and are a "creative expression of human presence in the desert," with the location significant in that it "is physically and symbolically mid-way between the natural and the artificial: the natural is expressed by the mountain ranges, desert, and Jean Dry Lake backdrop, and the artificial is expressed by the highway and the constant flow of traffic between Los Angeles and Las Vegas." (source)

They're only on display for two years — starting May 11, 2016 — so make sure you stop and see these beautiful structures in person when you can. 

Annemarie and I had a lot of fun walking around these things. I don't know what it is with humans stacking rocks in various formations, but it always seems to become a marvel (Stonehenge anyone?).