This is a continuation of a multiple part sunset shoot in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada.
Serene Desert 5Serene Desert 6Desert Surf
The rock features here remind me of ocean waves and ripples on a shoreline.
Stage Light
A desert shrub stands as if on a stage in a spotlight as the late day desert light show begins.
Life on the Rocks
In a harsh, rocky, dry desert environment life finds a way to survive.
Life on the Rocks 2Rock Huggers
Desert vegetation staying close to the rocks. Is it because that is where the sand is deepest, where more water is available from run off from the rocks or is there more protection from the elements there? I suspect all of those are factors in desert life survival.
Serene Desert 7Serene Desert 8
Fin Rocks
These vertical rock protrusions remind me of fish fins.
This is a good place to end this post, but more of this sunset shoot to follow.
This sunset photo shoot will be presented in multiple posts.
Looking Sunward
These rocks seem to be looking towards the late day sun.
Rock River
The rock texture here looks like a river or spring flowing from beneath that little arch.
Rock Spring
Rock seems to be flowing like a spring from beneath the rock above it. There is even an eddy current or whirlpool near the left side of the rock spring.
Sand Generator
Rock makes sand, sand makes rock, cycle repeats.
Wonderful Geology
Interesting rock formations in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada. I can imagine those cross cutting, linear features as veins feeding into a strange creature’s brain.
Shadow Remains
Life is gone from this desert bush, but it still casts a shadow upon the rock beside which it once thrived.
Serena Desert 3
Shadows lengthen as the peace of evening descends over Valley of Fire, Nevada.
Desert Serenity 4
A quiet, peaceful evening is fast approaching in Valley of Fire, Nevada.
Rock Fall
Rock texture mimics a waterfall.
Whirlpool
The rock fragments accumulated in the “whirlpool” like area of this rock feature look like debris swirling around at the base of a waterfall.
On our hike back to the parking lot, we took an obvious route towards a large feature that we had hiked past on our way in. This route went alongside the rock outcrop from which the Fire Wave is formed.
Fire Wall
That large rock feature towards which this outcrop points, is our destination for joining up with the official trail back to the parking lot.
Against the WallLaminar DesertThe Not So Grassy SlopeShadow Divide
Early morning shadow and light seem to be divided by the meeting of two different rock formations. The meeting of these two different rock deposits forms a low area, where sand accumulates and desert vegetation takes root.
Pebble Ridge
I noted many small pebbles accumulated in the ridges of this rock outcrop. Initially, I thought maybe tourist were tossing these into the grooves, but now I think it is a natural accumulation. Maybe strong winds blow the pebbles along the rock face until the pebbles drop into a place that is somewhat protected from the wind.
One of the better known and most popular geological features in Valley of Fire is The Fire Wave. The beginning of the hike to this feature is well marked and apparent, but the trail soon becomes not so apparent. We found a couple of others on the trail in the early morning of our visit , at least one of whom had been there previously, and he was confused about the trail, too.
We headed in opposite directions, wandered around for awhile, found a marker telling us we missed the trail, doubled back and eventually found our way to the Fire Wave.
The two we had separated from earlier had also found their way and another photographer had arrived before any of us. Those three were occupying the best vantage point for shooting the Fire Wave in the AM, so I shot from other directions, until those arriving first vacated their spots.
Fire Wave 1
The shadow of one photographer and his tripod can be seen in the lower center of this first image.
The Fire Wave, East Side
While waiting for the other photographers to finish their shooting, I wandered around to the east side of the feature to see what it looked like from there, making a couple of images.
Fire Wave, East Side 2Fire Wave
After the other photographers were satisfied with their shots, I moved into a better spot for shooting this feature. The Fire Wave is best shot at sunset, rather than sunrise, but then one has to deal with a crowd of folks, since most ordinary visitors do not get out at sunrise.
Photos from another sunset shoot in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada. The day after the storm at sunset, we returned to the same area for another photo shoot. Some of the photos in this post are similar to the evening prior, but with different lighting and sky
The Day After The Storm 1The Day After The Storm 2The Day After The Storm 3Skyward TiltDesert GoldShadow Ravine
After a morning shoot, my son and I decided to take a short hike in another part of the park, before. the crowds of tourists began to get out and about.
Movie Set Remains
It is not surprising that this area is a popular one in which to film portions of western movies. The image above is of the remains of one of those movie sets.
Where Many Have Trodden
A portion of our early morning hike went through a slot type canyon. The many footprints in the sand indicates the number of people that have recently hiked this way.
Natural PathwayClosing InRock FeaturesThrough A Rock’s Eye
More photos from scouting and exploring Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, March of 2023.
Inside to Outside, iPhone PhotoMultiple Arches, iPhone PhotoRock of Many Windows, iPhone PhotoChecking the LCD, iPhone PhotoThrough an Arch, iPhone PhotoArch Light, iPhone PhotoPhotographic Inclination, iPhone PhotoShouldering the Load, iPhone PhotoSky View Arch, iPhone Photo
The number of arches in this area is almost unbelievable. One could spend much time here just photographing arches from inside, outside and through. I’m reminded of the Joni Mitchell song “Both Sides Now” about clouds and how it could be adapted to describe having seen arches from many sides and still not having seen all aspects of arches.
This is a continuation of hiking and exploration in Valley of Fire State Park and nearby areas, Nevada. All of the photos in this post were shot with an iPhone 14 and converted to monochrome.
My son and I utilized the middle of the day hours to drive around, exploring the local area and generally sight seeing. We traveled to Lake Mead and Hoover Dam on a couple of occasions.
Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, iPhone Photo
The Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge is like art and an engineering marvel rolled into one, which is fitting for this location, the site of the magnificent Hoover Dam, built over a period of 5 years from 1931 to 1936. That such a structure could be built in those early years of the 20th century is an astounding engineering feat.
Hoover Dam, iPhone Photo
I had to be sure to have a firm grip on my iPhone as I leaned over the walkway to shoot downward at the face of Hoover Dam. It was a windy day and the wind hitting the dam face was deflected upward with a significant velocity.
Lake Mead, Nevada, iPhone Photo
The image above is of Lake Mead, behind Hoover Dam. The bleached rock layers indicate the historic level of Lake Mead. This is a very large reservoir, so that indicated drop in the water level represents a tremendous amount of water that is no longer in the reservoir. Reading about the effect of the long drought in this area is concerning, but actually seeing the visible indication of how much water is gone, is much more impressive and startling. Maybe the recent heavy precipitation in this area will provide some respite, but it will take years of above average rainfall to replenish this reservoir. In the meantime, people whose water supply depends upon this water resource are having to adapt to using much less water.
Large man made reservoirs in the western U.S. have allowed more people to move into previously arid desert areas and increased farming and ranching activity, but now the lack of water resources is having dire effects upon that population and agricultural activity.
Hoover Dam Worker Tribute Sculpture, iPhone Photo
The drive between the Valley of Fire area and Hoover Dam is a scenic one along Northshore Drive.
One can see from the clouds in these photos, that the weather was unsettled at times with intermittent rain and gusty winds and the light on the landscape changed as the clouds moved over. The clouds added much drama to the sky and to the photographs.
My oldest son, also a photo enthusiast and excellent photographer, met me in Snow Canyon on the first morning of my stay. The weather forecast called for considerable rainfall for our location over the next few days, so we began to consider our options. After some discussion and exploration of not too far away areas, we decided it best to move into Nevada in the vicinity of Valley of Fire State Park.
Valley of Fire State Park has two camping areas, one with full hookups for RVs and another with no hook ups, but water available. At the time of our visit, those campgrounds were still on a first come first serve basis. This is a popular destination in the spring, so it is difficult to get a camping spot. We stayed a few miles outside the park on BLM land for the first several night, traveling into the park and into adjacent areas. We made a few passes through the campsites, while in the park, looking for open sites. It was not unusual to see would be campers waiting in line for a campsite to be vacated that could be claimed.
As is our normal practice, we scouted areas for photography and I made many photos with my iPhone, during these outings. So part of this series of blogs will contain mostly those scouting photos.
Reaching for the sky, iPhone photo
I got down low to photograph this small cactus, making it look much larger than it is.
Valley of Fire 1, iPhone Photo
Late day sunlight lights up the rocks in Valley of Fire, enhancing the color, shadows and textures.
Prickly Sunset, iPhone Photo
Sure Footed, iPhone Photo
We spotted these two desert sheep as we were driving. I shot these from the vehicle. That slope is much steeper than this image makes it appear and the soil is loose, making their hooves slip with each step. These animals have a remarkable balance and the ability to navigate steep rugged terrain.
There is an old CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp) multiple room crude cabin used by CCC members, who worked in the park during the Great Depression, in the park. The following image is from the larger of the three rooms.
