Day 2 - Valley of Fire

If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is a video worth? Valley of Fire: http://youtu.be/s2GQR-Os2uc

The advantage of camping over hoteling is that you start close. I awoke just before dawn and drove to the sunrise at Calville Bay on Lake Mead (pic). The drive around Lake Mead is simply breathtaking through the desert mountains. I felt like I was in a movie about a desert road extending to the horizon. Photos didn't do it justice. I wound my way around the large lake through the mountains and in to each bay in order of appearance. A sea plane was banking around the moutains and landing in the last bay just when I arrived.

On to Valley of Fire, a Nevada State Park known for it's red canyons and geological formations. 45 movies have a scene shot there every year. I hiked six trails in the park, seeing a huge iguana on one trail (pic, for bill). The trails were sandy and hard to walk (many people were in flip flops), but the ending views were sensational. The video capture the feeling best, but i threw in three glamour shots from different trails (Mouse's Tank, Rainbow Vista and Prospect Trail).

I learned from my mistake last night and left the park well before sundown so I could find an appropriate camping spot or hotel. I decided to camp as there was Bureau of Land Management land (free camping) just outside the park with the Valley views (see black van and right middle of the last photo). I managed to shower and shave at this secluded spot and awoke to an owl cooing.

I'm in Vegas now and am going to buy the van from Hertz at 10am and then pickup Roman and Page at Noon from the airpot. Then on to Zion.

Comments

Day 51 - Canyonlands Needles Pt 3

A deep connection to the nature surrounding you comes from the solitude of solo travel, but sometimes it is nice to have a companion! I ran into David, a retired telecom exec from Canada a few days ago on the Syncline Loop trail at Canyonlands Island in the Sky. Then I ran into him again halfway through my Chesler Park hike two days ago, then again later in the hike, finishing the last two miles together. David hiked his favorite trail, the Peekaboo trail yesterday, and said I could join him, but my heart was set on confluence trail, so we hiked separately. We did share a campsite though and exchanged travel stories. David was 55 and had retired at 50 from a high-level international job with Nortel and was now traveling full-time. We instantly bonded over our solo travel style. He outclassed me by leagues. He had trekked one month in Nepal, then another month in India, then some months in Asia. He had hiked and skied and adventured all over the western U.S. and Canada....

Day 40 Escalante Hole-in-the-Rock Road

I woke up late following a lovely slumber in a REAL bed-- such a luxury. I stayed in bed reading my maps and guidebooks, trying to put a plan together for the next months travels. I decided I would spend two more weeks in Utah and add on two weeks in western Colorado instead of spending all four weeks in Utah-- I was starting to tire of the desert and Colorado seemed like a good mix of backcountry beauty and civilization proper. The last must do in Escalante was Coyote Gulch, so I read and reread the route description in my guidebook and went to the visitor center to get my permit. I was going to do a loop down Hurricane Wash to Coyote Gulch to the Escalante River and then up Crack-in-the-Wall overland back to my car. Permit in hand, I lingered by the Outfitters wifi emailing and blogging and then drove out Hole-in-the-rock road forty miles to my trailhead. The road was dirt but well graded in most parts. A high-clearance vehicle was recommended for the last five miles but my Dodg...

Days 89 and 90 - Waterton

I started my journey north to Canada today. My plan was to head to Waterton Lakes, just north of Glacier, then to Calgary, then the Canadian Rockies parks of Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Glacier and a few others, then to Vancouver and finally to Seattle, all over the next several weeks. But first I needed the Internet! I drove south out of Many Glacier to a place I remembered having cell reception. I did some emailing and calling back home, did some research for my Canada trip and watched the final three episodes of Game of Thrones--wow, the final two episodes were sensational. This rainy, dreary day was perfect for such activities. I then drove into Canada late in the evening and to a campground set in the cloudy mountains at Waterton. The weather cleared a bit the next day and I was able to do some hiking around this scenic alpine lakes district. Waterton Lakes district from a high hill called Bear's Hump: The chipmunks at Bear's Bump were very interested in the conten...

Road Trip Daily

Search This Blog