We packed up this morning and headed out of Las Vegas by road, which took us by the “Fast Lane Drive-Thru Wedding Chapel” and a billboard about a buffet where guests in excess of 300 pounds eat for free before very suddenly entering a pretty rough part of town. So, it was Vegas. We were eager to get back on the road.
Evan insisted on an AutoZone stop because he wanted to replace the vacuum line that powers the cruise control in his Rover, and George took the opportunity to yet again tighten his steering rack in an attempt to reduce the Jeep’s “death wobble.”
(Kinda hard to see here, but full-screen the video and look at his front-left tire.)
From there, we headed out to Hoover Dam for a quick look. Unfortunately, the stop was even shorter than planned because Evan was stopped at the security checkpoint and denied entry. So George, Charlie and I drove down toward it for a peek at the overlook and headed back to Evan at the Lake Mead Visitor Center.
We took off along Lakeshore and Northshore Roads headed to Nevada’s Valley of Fire State Park. I was surprised a the lack of lake views on roads with such names, we occasionally caught glimpses of Lake Mead, but it was mostly rocky winding roadway that slowly transitioned from rocky desert like we’d seen entering Vegas into vibrantly colored red and white rock formations that were taller and more jagged than before. Yet again on this trip, we’d never seen anything like it.
We hiked the White Domes loop trail which was stunning at every turn. Then we headed over to the overlook for the Silica Domes and the Fire Canyon. It was also the first time in about five days that we’ve seen a cloud. I was so used to desert air that I assumed “Valley of Fire” meant “hot as hell,” but now I can see that it is because of the dramatic patterns and colors in the different stones, they do look like fire in some places. Also it’s hot as hell.
The nerds among us may recognize this part of the Valley of Fire as the backdrop for Veridian III, a set from Star Trek: Generations and the final resting place of Capt. Kirk.
After we raided the Rover snack shop and looked around a while longer, we headed up some back roads through Mopa Valley to the 15 and into Mesquite where George had us staying at the “CasaBlanca” resort.
Tomorrow we head out to Bar10 Ranch on the north rim of the Grand Canyon in a very remote area. None of us have seen the Canyon except by air, so we’re all excited to explore the area. This will probably be the biggest endurance test of our cars since the washboard gravel hell on our first day in Death Valley. Also I’m not expecting much in the way of internet/data service, so blog updates may be on hold until we get up into Utah, but who knows. It’s gonna be a great day!
P.S.: HAPPY BIRTHDAY GEORGE!
