Day 17: Drive to Las Vegas, Valley of Fire State Park
đź“ŤPrehistoric inhabitants of The Valley of Fire included Ancestral Puebloans, also known as the Anasazi, who were farmers from nearby fertile Moana Valley. Their approximate span of occupation has been dated from 300 BC to 1150 AD. Their visits probably involved hunting, food gathering, and religious ceremonies, although scarcity of water would have limited their stay. Fine examples of rock art (Petroglyphs) left by these ancient people can be found at several sites within The Valley of Fire State Park.
We woke up, packed up (boy that was a chore with all we’ve accumulated on the road in the last 2 weeks), and headed to breakfast at Cafe Soleil again, because they are great people with a wonderful attitude and yummy eats. We soaked up the last moments of Zion before we headed out and began our 2.5 hour drive to Las Vegas.
On the way, we decided to stop at The Valley of Fire State Park, to get in one last hike to end the trip. Well, I will say now, we should’ve skipped it! Not because it wasn’t beautiful, it was, and I can appreciate that, however it ended up being a giant cluster.
We arrived at the trailhead, 90 degrees outside, and with 2 liters of water each. This was a small loop trail. Easy! Simple! Right?
The trail started simple, over fine red powdered sand, then onto flat streaky rocks with pole markers along the way. We got to the beautiful “fire wave” and took some photos. This trail was supposed to be a loop and the trail markers stopped.
We lost the trail. Ken went to try and find the trail and we made a rookie mistake; separating. I couldn’t find him, I called for him, and with the way the canyon was shaped, he couldn’t hear or see me, nor I him and I panicked. It was hot, and we had been hiking in extreme heat the last few days, but this time it felt different. It felt hotter, like a suffocating heat. Heat exhaustion hit me, which made my anxiety rise and not help the overall situation. Eventually we met back up and retraced our steps back to the car; forget the loop!
I drank loads of water and got my core temperature back down, and we carried on. Needless to say, it was a quiet trip onto Vegas from there; time to reflect! This is one of those times I talked about yesterday, learning to embrace the suck! Not every hike will be aw inspiring, some are a time to learn. I realize now that these small moments are preparing me for an adventure I’m planning for 2022.
We arrived in Vegas and quickly checked into our hotel room, and then made a mad dash out again, since we had a massage appointment at 4:30pm. We were late. The massage did help and was greatly needed, but I couldn’t help get the day out of my mind.
When we made it back to the hotel, there was a huge “50th” bouquet of balloons waiting for me in the room from my friend Kaff. I nearly cried! It was the boost I needed after an emotionally tough day! I am extremely grateful for the team of friends and family I have around me. Beyond words!!
Dinner was room service from a Thai restaurant with our feet kicked up, watching “CSI Miami” reruns. A nice relaxing ending to the evening.
Onward!
Byrds On A Wire 