BACK AT SUN CAMP

My new camera finally came in so we packed up and said goodbye to the Pahranagat Refuge Wednesday.  We were camped at the Upper Lake. As we were leaving I noticed the middle lake was almost a dry lake bed. When we got to the lower lake the methane gas was really nasty. Even the girls started sneezing. The lower lake was extremely dry and the mosses were rotting causing the smell. But as we were leaving we noticed the park crew down at the main water drain so maybe they are going to open the valves and let the water back in. We were told that the lakes are fed by warm springs but that the farmers used the water for their hay fields. Hay season is over so hopefully the lakes will fill for the thousands of waterfowl and animals that depend on it. We left on Hwy 93 and started our cross country trip when we reached Hwy 168. Stayed on that road headed toward Las Vegas until we reached the Valley of Fire Hwy.... what a trip...

 

The highway started out bad. It needed paving and was like riding on waves, up and down. There were places that the sand was coming across the road.  Once we reached the National Park the road was great as you can see in the upper photo. In looking at the area I wondered if it was a strip of red terra cotta clay that ran all the way through to Sedona and on up into the Garden of the Gods in Colorado. The formations are similar.

Here are some photos I took as we passed through this wonderous valley. The first photo is Phil's bunny rabbit lol...

 

It is part of the "beehive" formations... Here are more formations as we past through...

 

 

 

 

 

 

We saw miles and miles of red rock formations ...

 

 

Even after we left the National Park there were spots of the same terra cotta clay as shown in the photo below... which I have titled "Gods Painting"...

 

 

The photo cannot compare to what the eye sees when you look out over this creation of nature. It is magnificent.

 

Leaving the Valley of Fire we turned right onto Hwy 169 which is also known as North Shore Drive. It begins our trip around Lake Mead and by passing Las Vegas. Everyone we talked to said there was no way to get to Phoenix without going through Las Vegas. But the map told us differently. We are glad that we chose our own route because the landscape was fan-n-n-tastic.

 

 

As we went around Lake Mead leaving Nevada and going into Arizona we couldn't help but see that the lake level was really down...

 

 

We made it all the way to a little town called Wikieup below Kingman on Arizona highway 93. There we pulled into a little deli/cafe to get something to eat. Before we could make up our mind to go in the owner came out to greet us and ask if we were looking to stay the night. That was a surprise so we looked at each other and agreed, "why not"? So we followed his lead going past the "big snake" into the rv park behind the cafe to spend the night...

 

 

The next morning we finished out journey back to Sun Camp in Tonapah, Arizona. Pulling into the campground late in the afternoon. This morning we finished setting up and after resting we are set to go again. The last couple of months have shown to both of us that we made the right choice in our life... we are truly dancing with the Angels... and we love it!

 

It doesn't matter what you are doing in life... Become an active participant rather than a contented spectator.... get up and dance!...