The start of Dorie and my 2-week Utah trip actually started in Nevada at the Valley of Fire State Park just north of Las Vegas. It was inhabited by the Anasazi over 1,000 years ago. The eroded sandstone cliffs and mountains reflect the sun, giving the fiery red appearance. The park was a location for many films (Viva Las Vegas, The Professionals, Mars and Total Recall) and many Star Trek Episodes.
The campground was first-come-first-served and when we arrived, the sign said FULL. I asked the ranger if we could just drive through and look for a tent site, and he directed us to one area. Great luck. There were several sites and we found an almost perfect one nestled back into the red rocks. After a little afternoon hike and viewing the ancient petroglyphs, we settled by a nice fire for a cocktail.
The next morning, we hiked to the Fire Wave. It was an impressive sandstone wave feature, not a spectacular as the Arizona Strip Wave, but very pretty. We had another little hike planned, but a tour bus pulled in just as we were getting started and 80 people poured out. We left.
On the way to our next adventure, Canyonlands Bike, we passed a cowboy and cowgirl in a scene right out of the westerns. We stopped for lunch at Ghost Rock. In the distance we saw snow and knew we were headed for colder weather on the next leg of the adventure. (click on any picture to start slide show)
