Truckin' Across Nevada!

Leaving Death Valley National Park we turned “The Rambler” (yes, I decided to name the rig Rambler as that was my first car model. Yep in 1976 my father purchased a 1964 pea green colored Rambler from my grandfather. It was nicknamed the tank because you couldn’t dent that thing if you tried!) towards Valley of Fire State Park, northeast of Las Vegas. We stopped in Pahrump Nevada for fuel and laundry, groceries and lunch. As we were driving this Monday, April 8 – the day of the total solar eclipse in parts of America – we realized that we weren’t going to be seeing anything out here in Nevada. That was ok. My friends posted great pictures!

Almost every campsite here has a view like this.

This state park is tied for the “Oh Wow” factor with Lost Dutchman in Arizona. We’re here for 3 nights. There’s a strong north wind blowing on us and it was cold enough that it kept us in the rig.

View behind our campsite

We woke to a beautiful, clear sky day! Chilly in the morning but back to shorts in the afternoon. The park isn’t big. It’s about 7 miles between the west and east entrance and about 5 miles one-way on the scenic loop. The roads were narrow, and crowded, so we opted to drive it and not use the bikes. There are so many tour vendors coming from Las Vegas with tourists.  Parking lots were crowded. Trails for me were challenging in the sand as I am still recuperating from a sprained ankle.  The Rainbow Vista was stunning. So was Fire Canyon Road.

Stunning colors!

Driving the road through the park

A geologist will love this place!

You can always find great beauty with the road less traveled.

Stunning formations

Look for the petroglyphs.

Here, you can listen to the wind as it blows and whips through arches and holes, taking it’s time to make another beautiful creation from our Creator.

And we have some good news to share! Our youngest daughter had a doctor visit on Wednesday, confirming she’s expecting a baby in November! How exciting is that!

A little history here at Valley of Fire State Park. For thousands of years, Native Americans have used it for many purposes. Their petroglyphs are found throughout the park. It’s a geologic wonderland and when the sun shines on it, the rock formations look like fire. It gained popularity in the 1920’s and was formally opened in 1934.  It’s Nevada’s largest state park. They close the trails mid-May through end of September due to the heat.

We did one more state park in Nevada. Cathedral Gorge State Park, about a 3 hour drive north. We’re here for 2 days and we scored a great site!  Site 14!  And we have decent Verizon cell service. Some of the sandstone formations here look like beach sandcastles.

Don't you think it looks like a sandcastle?

We got the bikes out and rode about 4 miles to go see the Cathedral Caves, the Moon Caves and walk into some of the slot canyons.  So cool! Literally! The CCC in the 1930’s built a water tower and restroom facility, no longer being used.

Site 14

Spring blooms!

Beautiful night sky

Our bikes!

Going up to a slot

Slots

Nice and cool in the slots

The Water Tower that was built by the CCC.

Headed to another slot

Explain to me what the board is for.

Looking up pat the sky

Restroom facilities built by the CCC in the 1930s

I hiked the Juniper Draw Loop, a little over 3 miles. It walks you along the formations around the valley floor.

If you look hard, you can find a bloom. These were on the valley floor.

Both parks, if you haven’t ever visited, need to go on your list. Be smart about the time of year you come.  We’ve never been here in the spring and have really enjoyed the flowers.

We logged 505 miles in the state of Nevada! As we wait for the north country to start thawing, we will head The Rambler east into Utah.