red rocks, petroglyphs, Las Vegas and an homage to "Elf"
We left Death Valley and headed south east to the Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada, about an hour east of Las Vegas, but before we left California we stopped at this amazing place, the China Ranch Date Farm in Tecopa. It was an amazing little oasis on the Old Spanish Trail beside the Amargosa River. Trails, cactus gardens, birds, dates and a fab bakery! On to the main event, Valley of Fire ... this is the kind of desert where you don’t have to search for the beauty, it is there everywhere you look. The rock formations, colors, patterns, swirls and angles, arches, boulders precariously balanced and the interplay of light and shadows made this area such an incredible place to spend time. A photographer's dream! It has those gorgeous giant red rock hills that make the southern Utah NPs so spectacular. It reminded me of Arches NP, especially the campground. Each campsite was large and nestled in and amongst the rocks. There we are. (Of course, as I'm considering this phenomena,