This past weekend my dogs and I camped at Valley of Fire State park (NV). Just an hour north of Las Vegas this park is where I first fell in love with the desert.
"You can't study the darkness by flooding it with light." Edward Abbey
No I didn't visit Mars. The campsites are nestled amid the red rock monoliths. This curved wall was only lit by my campfire. I don't photoshop any of my images. It was just one of those spectacular desert nights.
Surrounded by the forces of erosion and uplift. The place felt like walking through a carnival funhouse, everything akimbo and dislodged. Everything changing.
This was my place to "BE". Many people spend great effort getting somewhere but never take the time to "Be" there. I sat quietly with my dogs for a couple of hours listening to the wind and sand. Watching everything, trying to memorize the moment. To consider how lucky I am to be in this place at this time. The solitude, the quiet nature of the place. I love canyons.
They have large full hook up RV sites for $24/nt and the ones without electricity for $14/nt. Showers were available and lots of shade. A dump station near the exit.
The weather was perfect with daytime temps in the upper 70's and night time dipping to the 50's but not requiring the furnace yet.
Signs of the ancient people surround me. I would turn a corner and discover another great panel of rock art. Trip reports of the past. The effort to communicate expressed by a long dead author. Thoughts left for the ages to erase. Meanings to be guessed at.
While others count their first snowflakes I am surrounded by desert blossoms. Much is still so alive.
“I put on hat and coat and go outside again, sit on the table, and watch the sky and the desert dissolve slowly into mystery under the chemistry of twilight.” Edward Abbey Desert Solitare
Consider a trip to the desert and a visit to a special place. Valley of Fire, Nevada's first State part, fits the bill.
Linear Mode
