Near the western entrance of Valley of Fire State Park we find dark red Aztec sandstone. In the red rock nooks and crannies campsites are available and at this outcropping’s northern end is Atlatl Rock. Home to petroglyphs about 4,000 years old carved by unknown ancient tribes. Yes, these peoples lived sometime around 2,000 B.C. and we can only imagine their thoughts through their art. Let’s go!
Many of the trails in Valley of Fire State Park are less than 2.5 miles. That’s great because we can do much more each day. Well . . . the trails may be short but often take you twice as long as expected. Learned that the hard way. Why? Most trails are sand and that’s hard walking. Then you travel over rock with some steep sections, some five +/- foot drops to negotiate, and it is difficult to keep trail markers on top of rock so were some missing? Yes. The good news is this rock is not slippery unless wet which rarely happens in the desert. In addition some trails are not well marked even on sand so walking in circles can leave you wondering. The good news? The scenery is to die for!! Off we go . . . in sand.
Hello! It has been quite a while my friend. Hope your holidays were wonderful, full of fun and blessings. All is well here in Colorado Springs except for the recent polar vortex. Our temperatures the last few days were below zero, getting to -11 last night. Not a usual event on the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Happily today it is a “warm” 28 degrees. I’m still staying inside!
Last week I left the cold and journeyed to southern Nevada’s first State Park, Valley of Fire. What a treasure and geology wonder! You are going to love this.
It is really windy as we start our hike to the overlook of Upheaval Dome in Canyonlands National Park. Watch your step as we head to this incredible geologic wonder!
We are still dealing with blowing sand and high winds which is blotting out any chance of blue sky. No worries, we’ll get our “blue” in other places–just wait. For now, though, we have only a 1/2 mile walk uphill to Upheaval Dome’s overlook so let’s go.
