Obligatory Kelly Pic

Obligatory Kelly Pic
Originally uploaded by TheBassPlayersWife.

In our neverending quest for the cheap and free, J and I headed north on I-15 this weekend. Our destination? Valley of Fire State Park, incidentally, Nevada's first state park.

We are both complete Red Rockophiles, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. My boss did tell us that this is the best time of year to go.

And I could see why.

Valley of Fire is the site of an ancient inland sea (Paleozoic Era, if I remember correctly.) The fossil record alone is pretty interesting. But what was most striking to use was the contrast. The floor of the valley is in full bloom, and ethereal carpet of hazy green. In contrast, the sandstone formations jutting up look like a conquered army of some ancient race of giants.

Of course, upon closer inspection, that green carpet? Not so soft. It is mostly small succelents and creosote bushes. And those felled giants? Nothing so fanciful, simply millions of years of water and desert winds.

I think, however, that flights of fancy are a perfect way to spend a lazy saturday afternoon when spring descends upon the desert.