Taxes Done. Started on 2023 Already.

So, how did my "Taxing and Relaxing" weekend go? Well, other than that soak in the hot tub Saturday morning I posted about, there wasn't anything special in the relaxing category. I did take it easy around the house. That's a valid form of relaxation after 6 busy days of travel ending last Monday night.

In terms of taxing I finished my 2022 taxes. They took less time than I thought. That's because (a) I didn't have any new forms or situations this year so I was already familiar with all the gotchas I'd have to watch out for, and (b) I continue to settle in to the relationship my partner, TurboTax, allows with me.



I also started on my 2023 taxes. I've quipped before that one of the reasons tax time isn't so onerous for me is that I start 12 months early. What does that mean? Well, it doesn't mean that I'm pre-filling in forms a year in advance. I can't! Not only won't I know any of the numbers for another 12 months, but the forms won't even be published for probably 10 more months.

What I am doing is forecasting what my taxes will be. I've built a spreadsheet to estimate income, deductions, withholdings, and taxes due. I use the spreadsheet throughout the year to ensure that my withholdings are in line with what I'll ultimately owe in taxes. That lets me avoid the shocker of owing several thousands of dollars on tax day or the disappointment of finding that I've given the government a huge interest-free loan in the form of a massive tax refund.

Hiking the 7 Wonders Loop

North Las Vegas Travelog #9
Valley of Fire State Park - Sun, 19 Feb 2023, 12pm

The Fire Wave may be the most popular trail at Valley of Fire state park in Nevada. When we hiked it Sunday morning there were dozens of other people on the trail with us. Most people get there, stand on top of it while taking pictures of something else, and turn back. We kind of did that ourselves on our first visit a few years ago. ...I say kind of because we didn't stand on the wave while taking pictures of something else. I mean, we did stand on the wave, but we took pictures of ourselves on the wave because it was amazing. But turning back after that is not the only option.



There's a loop trail that continues on from the Fire Wave. It's the 7 Wonders Loop. What are the 7 wonders? I don't know! When we visited here a few years ago I was too sore from overextending myself the day before to hike around the loop. We turned back to the trailhead like 90% of everyone else. But today we've got ample energy to hike the whole loop.



So, what are these 7 wonders? The trail doesn't exactly have guideposts marking them. We're on our own to figure it out. I'm going to guess that the Fire Wave itself (pic from lower end shown above) is Wonder #1.

Wonder #2, then, would be this small arch I spotted slightly off trail:



The cool thing about hiking this continuation of the trail is that the crowds dropped way off. It wasn't empty down here— we still passed a fair number of people as it is a holiday weekend— but I was able to enjoy some "alone" time at this arch and other features on the trail.

Keep reading: Wonders #3-4, the Mustard Cliffs and Roast Beef Canyon!