Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
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Seven Wonders Loop (part) Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada |
October 28, 2020
This already has been a strange and unusual day. I awoke at the Zion Park RV Camp to a dead car battery, replaced it at Walmart in Mesquite of all places, visited with a good friend in that town, and now here I am.
Another blogger has mapped out an otherwise unpublicized route. One of his "Seven Wonders" is an item on my Valley of Fire Bucket List, so exploring this loop seems like a good plan.
Some hikers are coming out of that canyon, so that must be the trail
Here come some more walkers; so much for "unpublicized"
Before long, some marvelous yet not-unexpected formations begin to appear:
Arch #1
Contributing to the unusual nature of this day is the fact that I am using an
11-year-old camera. Having recently sold off half a dozen units that
had proven unsuitable to my lifestyle, I kept a Panasonic FZ-35 that was
purchased used, but which never has been out of its shipping container. This
model served me very well for many years, and I am using it today because it has a
great sunshade. So far, so good.
Arch #2
The next formation has at least seven openings of various sizes, including two bigger ones. The 'Seven Wonders' trail creator calls it "Fire Cave", but others ascribe that designation to the actual cave that houses the remarkable Windstone Arch elsewhere in the park.
Arch #3 (=Wonder #1) is not a cave at all
So far, all the action has been on the left-hand side of the trail; but the next attraction is up a slickrock slope to the right.
Arch #4
Also on the right:
Arch #5
Those two are on a dead-end route
Arch #6
Yep — a dead-end
The rough route continues steeply down
In fact, I am disinclined to continue the exploration at this time, because
of the heat. Even though it is only about seventy degrees at the
moment, the midday sun is relentlessly beating me down. Knowing from prior
experience that the last part of the full loop would be the hottest part of all
and uphill to boot, I decide to wimp-out and turn back.
This would be more colorful on a cloudy day
Although I now am backtracking, no rule says that I must 'stay the course'; so I will clamber around through the boulders to the right as much as possible.
The parking lot is up there somewhere
I guess this qualifies as plant life
My detour is handsomely rewarded:
Arch #7 from two sides
Arch #4 reprise across the way
Arch #8
Arch #9 is a double
A few more uphill steps, and the parking lot reappears.
Arch #10 is beside the road near Rainbow Vista
§: Well, I must say that that was a most scenic short mile of walking;
but I seem to have missed 'Wonder #2" completely, and I didn't go far enough to
encounter the others. My camera, however, worked great.
What I have learned from further research suggests that I most definitely must return her if only to complete this marvelous loop. Later in the day would seem to be the best choice, and a relatively overcast sky would enhance all the colors. I'll ask the travel agent for one of those.
Meanwhile, Siri says that I can manage the 600-mile drive home in just 8½ hours, getting me there by 11 p.m. I believe I'll do that, as if this day hasn't been strange enough already. Saving the cost of another motel room will pay for the car battery.
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