Valley of Fire Hikes

January 19, 2024

Valley of Fire State Park is north of Las Vegas. It took us around an hour to get there, not because of distance, but because lower speed limits. It is considered the state's first state park. We spent an enjoyable day driving the scenic roads and taking three hikes for a total of 3.5 to 4.0 miles of hiking. 

Our first hike was the Mouse's Tank. The tank, meaning a natural spot in the rock that serves as a water tank, was indeed on the small side. For us the coolest thing on that short hike, about .75 miles out and back, was Enterprise Rock. Harold needed a Star Trek costume for that. As a side note for Trekkies, scenes from Star Trek Generations were filmed in the park.

The next hike was the Fire Wave hike. This hike, along with several others, is closed in the summer due to extreme heat. Fire Wave is a loop trail just shy of 2 miles. We had hoped to combine it with the White Domes Trail. However what Alltrails was showing as the connector trail was not a true trail. The park service had posted signs saying such. 

Our final hike of the day was the White Domes Trail. It was a 1.1 mile loop trail. It was probably our favorite because of the short slot canyon. However, the trail probably had the most rock scrambling of the day.

All of the trails involved a lot of fine-grained loose sand. If you're thinking beach sand, you're probably about right. It's more tiring than you think. We were glad for hiking poles to help with balance and weight distribution. Bring another pair of shoes and socks. You'll be glad you did!

Enterprise Rock

Looks like dried spilled milk

Mouse Tank

Stuck...stuck... (not really)

Cool formations

Waves of color

In a wash area

Slot area

White domes hike

Colors

Where Are We Going Next?

Death Valley National Park

January 17, 2024

Death Valley National Park is a park of superlatives...

• Hottest national park - 134° in 1913, though that is in question. 129° in 2013.
• Driest national park - lowest average rainfall, less than 2 inches per year
• Lowest national park - 282 ft below sea level
• Largest national park in the contiguous US - over 3 million acres

We had originally planned to spend three full days in the park, camping at the Furnace Creek campground. Mechanical issues with the coach changed that to a day trip. Finding a hazmat object along the roadside, changed the full day to a half day. So we made the visitor center our first stop and got their advice on the best things to see in an afternoon. 

First up was the Harmony Borax Works Exhibit. We'd read about the Borax 20 Mule Team at the Donkey History Museum and were interested in seeing more.

Then we drove the 17 miles to Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America. We walked out on the saltbed toward Lake Manly. The ranger said it was the first time they'd had water in a couple of years. 

On the way back toward the visitor center we drove the  one-way Artists' Drive, seeing some amazing mineral colors and some wildflowers. 

Our final stop of the day was Zabriskie Point where we caught some photos before the sun set behind the mountains.

We do want to go back and spend more time in the area. There's plenty more to see, and weather permitting, take a hike or two. We'd like to take the 26 mile OHV road to the Racetrack where those rocks scoot across the ground. The Borax Museum, the ghost town of Rhyolite, and the nearbyish date farm are all things we'd like to see. 

Borax products

Hauling up to 36 tons

Processing on site

Badwater Basin

Lake Manly

Throwing saltballs

Desert Gold wildflowers

Artists Palette

Sunset at Zabriskie Point

Zabriskie Point

  Where Are We Going Next?

Who You Gonna Call?

We had just found a geocache off a dirt road in Nye County, NV, and were returning to the highway."That looked interesting," Harold said as he backed the car up. He had spotted what he thought might be a door to a safe. Well, a closer look determined it was something far more interesting and that it probably shouldn't be lying next to the road. We could make out words like "radioactive, depleted uranium, high salvage value, manufactured by Nail Lead." Now, who do you call about that?

Since we were near Cheech AFB and the Nevada test site, we opted to call them. They put us in touch with Nellis AFB. Harold sent them photos. However, since the object did not say property of the US Government and it was not on government property, we would have to call the local police department. Hmm, perhaps that should have been our first call. So what county are we in and what's the non-emergency number?

While we were waiting for all the call backs, we had driven further down the highway, headed for the nearest rest area. We spotted a sign for a sheriff's substation and headed there. While the office was closed, we spotted a sheriff's department pickup and flagged the deputy down. Harold explained everything again. The deputy started making phone calls and let us know that the fire department was sending out a hazmat team. We followed the deputy back to the site and arrived the same time the hazmat team did. It was quite the spectacle on this empty stretch of road.

The hazmat team checked Harold out for radiation and started toward the object. While the radiation levels were elevated from the surrounding area, they were still in a safe zone. As Harold kept saying, it was depleted uranium. However, this is not something you want just lying by the roadside, primarily because of the metal's toxicity.

So after chitchatting with the responders while decisions were being made, providing all our information to whichever department was asking, declining medical transportation, and so forth, we left them to do their thing. The joke was that now they'd have to find the alien ship that crash landed after losing their fuel. 

As for us, we still had half a day for Death Valley National Park, our original plan. 

Harold used public records and determined that the object is a counterbalance weight for a C141 aircraft.  How it ended up along the roadside is anyone's guess. So where did the depleted uranium end up? We received word that the Nevada state radiation control program now has it safely in custody. 

An isolated road

"That says what?"

Checking for radiation

Declining medical transport

 Where Are We Going Next?

Home of the Stardusters

Ok, Nellis AFB is really the home of the Thunderbirds. But, did you know that for a month in the beginning of the team's creation, the Thunderbirds were called the Stardusters?  The first team had only three weeks to prepare for their first show too. I guess it just reinforces the fact that they had good training all along. Their first civilian air show was at Frontier Days in Cheyenne in 1953. 

We stopped by the Thunderbirds Museum one afternoon. After several loads of laundry and a couple of errands, it was time for a little something different. The museum wasn't very big, but we enjoyed looking at the memorabilia and trying to figure out why the 5 was always upside down. We'll let you figure that one out on your own. Here's a hint.  5 is the lead solo jet. 

Performance jet models

Where Are We Going Next?

Red Rock Canyon

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is just a few miles outside of Las Vegas. It's managed by Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and has one of the nicer visitor centers on BLM land that we've seen. We took the 13 mile scenic drive to kill time while our coach was in the shop. The area is quite popular and you need a timed entry for the scenic drive. Parking at some of the pullouts was a bit tight, even with the timed entry. 

We enjoyed a little rock scrambling and a short hike along the way. We really enjoyed the burros grazing near the visitor center. In contrast to the burros in Custer State Park, these burros are not to be fed!

Wild burros

Calico Hills 

Petrified sand dunes

High Point Overlook

Seasonal waterfall

 Where Are We Going Next?

Las Vegas Outliers

We quickly came up with a list of things to do in Las Vegas that weren't gambling. There are myriads of shows, museums, and shopping opportunities. A fair number of which we ended up not doing because of Harold's turn with covid.

We stopped at the Las Vegas sign. We good naturedly laughed at the number of people lined up for their photo turn at the famous landmark. We were reminded of the southernmost US bouy. 

Good enough for us!

Southernmost spot in US photo line (Feb 2022)

Just down the street from the Las Vegas sign is the Pinball Hall of Fame. Harold had a blast playing pinball and arcade games from his youth. I was surprised at just how much fun I had.  I had never really played pinball much. From some of the earliest pinball machines with wooden side rails to some of the latest, it was kind of interesting to see the differences. Sadly, quite a few were out of order. 

Monaco Cup

Asteroids

Indiana Jones

Black Knight

Neon

Afterward, playing pinball for awhile, we headed to the National Atomic Testing Museum. A Smithsonian affiliate, they packed a lot of exhibits in what felt like a somewhat tight space. A lot of underground nuclear testing was done nearby, hence the museum. At first, hotel and casino owners were afraid that the nearby atomic testing would frighten people away. It turned out to be quite the opposite. Americans were fascinated.

Atomic culture

Where Are We Going Next?

Bad Luck Comes in Threes

When we tried to leave our campground in St. George, UT, we had difficulty getting the coach to air up. We had an air leak. We had experienced this at our last stop as well. Harold had crawled under the coach and managed to get the valve to stop leaking. This time it took considerable more effort. It wasn't just a stuck valve. Something was wrong. Harold worked his magic to get us on the road, but we needed to find a service center.

We called Spartan, our chassis manufacturer, who quickly suggested NIRVC in Las Vegas. We called NIRVC, and they told us to stop by. They worked us in their schedule that same day to at least determine what was wrong. Kudos to their service department for working us in the schedule.

The service techs determined that the ride height valve that controls air flow in and out of the air bags needed to be replaced. They sure did appreciate Harold's input and knowledge and were impressed with the diagnostic steps he had taken on his own. (Have I told you lately just how much I love this man!)

NIRVC would order the part, but it wouldn't arrive until Monday. So, what do we do? It was Thursday. We had planned to continue to Death Valley National Park. Did we want to be that far away? Sure, Harold could most likely work his magic to get us aired up, but somehow it just seemed safer to stay nearby. 

We had planned to come back through Las Vegas after Death Valley for a couple of weeks.  So, we contacted the fine folks at Desert Eagle RV Park on Nellis AFB in Las Vegas. They worked their campground tetris and got us a spot that allowed us to check in four days early. Yeah!

So, as us pessimists would expect, the part didn't arrive on Monday. That turned out to be ok because Harold caught covid and we would have had to reschedule anyway! Thankfully, again the symptoms were not severe, and more like the mild flu or a cold. I did not catch it this time. Perhaps since I had had covid in October I was still immune? Who knows. 

Lastly, we needed a grocery and pharmacy run. Wouldn't you know it? The car battery was dead. We charged the battery enough to make it to the auto parts store. Poor Harold had to swap batteries in the store parking lot with me going back and forth between him and the counter staff to answer questions about engine sizes and asking for loaner tools to get the job done. What a week!

Battery swap out

Waiting for service

Where Are We Going Next?

Zion - Kolob Canyon

Toward the end of our stay in St. George, we took a scenic drive up to the Kolob Canyon portion of Zion National Park. It's a relatively short scenic drive, approximately five miles in length, right off of I-15. It's worth taking a peek, especially if you're driving right past. However, the drive may be entirely closed or partially closed during winter. 

Where Are We Going Next?