Our very favorite place to camp in the whole world is the Valley of Fire State Park! I stayed there many times as a child when my family came to visit relatives in Overton. In fact, my Great-Grandfather Jones actually helped map out the roads for the park. As a boy he hiked and climbed all over the area, and when the park was created he helped pick the camp sites and the features that millions of tourists have enjoyed.
Camping is great, but it is even better to bring another family along. This time we had the pleasure of introducing our friends the Wilsons to the Valley of Fire. The Valley of Fire is a popular place to camp, so we felt very lucky to get these two adjacent campsites. The Wilsons are set up in the shade of the big rock at bottom right, while you can see our white van just over the ridge at the center left.The soft red sandstone formations of the Valley of Fire are the greatest playground ever constructed. The children climbed rocks, crawled through caves, and played in the sand to their heart's content. The parents reminisced about college days, swapped songs and stories, and took turns chasing children over the rocks. Having four adults there made for half the work and twice the fun.
The ancient inhabitants of the area left some artwork on the rocks. I felt like I might be able to understand it if I stared at it long enough. My two-year old enjoyed pointing out the letter "o" on the State Park Service's "Please Do Not Touch The Rock Drawings" sign.
Last time we went I snapped lots of shots of wildflowers. Russel got this globemallow for me because he knows how much I like these little flowers.
We were all sad to leave, but it is nice to be home again and not to have red sand in my hair. Farewell to the Valley of Fire until next time!
3 comments:
What a DELIGHTFUL time we spent out there with our two families! I heartily agree with the idea that four adults are better than two. I also very much enjoyed reminiscing about old college days and swapping stories.
In fact, here are the links to the stories that you asked for:
"Fade to Grey"
"A Little Life" (Currently putting toegether chapter 6 for this one)
Ruled by the Water
I'm also planning on writing the remainder of Teric's backstory at some point, soon.
Thanks again for inviting us out there with you--I had an absolute blast!
What beautiful pictures. I took a bunch in Snow Canyon. Love the red rocks and spring desert flowers. I wanted SSSSSOOOOOO badly to stop and see you while I was in St. George but just didn't have time. I hope everything is going well.
Diana! You were in St. George? When? I'll have to go check your blog, I guess. Sorry you didn't have time to visit! Some other day.
Oh, and thanks, Teric, for the stories. I need to read more of your work because you have natural abilities in areas I need to work on. I admire how you pull the natural drama out of ordinary life. I'm glad you're going to work on your backstory. You are definitely ready to move on from fan fiction and start working with your own characters.
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