Susie had a surprise for me, and nothing could have excited and entranced me more than our outing
to Nevada's Valley of Fire.
It is located east of the Moapa Indian Reservation; a gem of a place that rises up in shocking colors from a bland desert floor; colors that are brazen even in red rock country!
Two things make it unique when compared with other red rock areas:
the variety of holes of all sizes,
and the brilliance of the red.
My husband and I have visited and hiked in Arches, Bryce, Canyonlands, and Zion National Parks,
yet I have never seen anything so astounding as this little Valley of Fire.
Surely most of the thrill was that I could climb down (and up) into
holes to look for great effects in shadow and light for creating my own unique photos:
I want to give tribute to Susie for another reason:
She must be the "Fastest Brake in the West"!
She stopped for photo ops almost before the words even came out of my mouth to ask!
Of course it figures that her sensitivity allowed her to know even what I was thinking, before saying something out loud, because that is the way we were for each other as roommates at BYU,
starting 54 years ago.
East of the Valley of Fire is the "Lost City".
Early settlers discovered remains of ancient pueblos, and in
modern times, actual pueblos were constructed
over the foundations of a small settlement.
This val verde tree was such a contrast to the stucco of the visitors' center:
This is part of the reconstruction of the Anasazi Pueblos:
2 comments:
David went to VofF several times on his mission, but his photos hardly even show the beauty. This area looks quite similar to the Red Ledges area in Diamond Fork Canyon that Steve and Coralie and I explored. You have some glorious shots of those natural holes, and nice work with the lighting!
PS--Forgot to mention I am drooling over the petroglyphs.
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