May 15, 2012, 10:57 pm On our way to Zion National Park we stopped at the Valley of Fire State Park east of Las Vegas. We first went to the visitor center to get some recommendations on hikes and things to see. A European couple in front of us was getting directions to some out of the way place (not a main, advertised trail) that sounded interesting. I asked the ranger about it when our turn came. It turns out that there is a feature in the park recently popularized by a European photographer and so many Europeans have come to see it the park marked a use trail to it just this year. It is called the Fire Wave.
 Fire Wave
It was late morning when we started at the trailhead and the temperature was already in the mid 90’s, and of course, for photography, the light was harsh. Much of the trail is over slick rock, and I lost the trail for a bit and ended up down in a featureless wash. We turned back, but then spotted some rock cairns leading further south. The alternating bands of light and dark pink with a background of yellow and brown were striking. It reminded me of Zebra Canyon. After a few photos, we headed back. Did I mention how hot it was?
Driving down the road just a bit farther we did a short hike at White Domes. There were lots more people on this trail. To me it was a typical desert hike in canyons and washes, although there was a bit of the set of the movie The Professionals (a movie I had just recently watched) left along the trail.
Links
—Valley of Fire 2012 photo gallery
May 14, 2012, 10:16 pm We began our southern Utah vacation this morning, dropping my Mom off after she spent Mother’s day with us, and then driving on to Henderson, NV. Our plans include hiking and/or biking in Valley of Fire State Park, Zion National Park, Bryce National Park, Kodachrome Basin State Park, the Burr Trail, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Little Wild Horse Canyon, and Capitol Reef National Park. Hopefully, I’ll have photos and blog posts for each in the coming days.
May 6, 2012, 1:54 pm  Note the high tech backpacks. I’m bringing up the rear on the right. I ran across these photos while sorting through some of Dad’s old prints. I can’t remember which trip this was or where it was. Clearly it was a boy scout trip, since that is our scoutmaster leading the way. I’m sure it was in the southern Sierras—all of our backpack trips were in that area.
In those days we made our backpacks from army surplus pack frames with an open top 5 gallon tin for a container. With no hip strap and very little padding I’m not sure how we managed. Didn’t have a light-weight down sleeping bag either.
 Fishing, our favorite pastime
We did these trips just for the experiences—enjoying the challenge and the beauty of the high country. However, once we had arrived at a destination and set up camp we always gave a try at fishing. Sometimes we caught a few and sometimes not. On this trip we clearly caught a few and promptly found an old fire pit and grilled us some fresh trout. All you need is a little salt and maybe a bit of butter.
 Our catch  Nothing better than a fresh fish dinner from an outdoor grill Links
—Scout backpack trip circa 1960 photo gallery
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Consider this:“Honor one another above yourselves.” Romans 12:10 |
