| Lake Mead and The Valley of Fire |
 |
 |
 |
| Thursday, 08 April 2004 00:00 | |||
 Today we ventured to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and then to The Valley of Fire a Nevada State Park.
Wow! There are no words in the English language to describe the beauty of what we were privileged to see today; the majestic colours, the boulders, the canyons, the winding roads and the blooming desert. The Lake Mead Recreation Area is spectacular with its mirrored, aqua blue lake, multi-layered rock formations, dry riverbeds and flowering cacti. It draws 9 -10 million visitors a year and for good reason with its many campgrounds, hiking trails, beaches, marinas, boating and fishing possibilities and sheer magnificence. Right now the water level of Lake Mead is extremely low due to the fifth year of a drought and which has only succeeded at making it even more spectacular.
The Valley of Fire was truly breathtaking! I was absolutely overwhelmed with emotion as we drove through Nevada's oldest state park. The name is derived from the red sandstone formations throughout the park formed over 150,000,000 years ago during the age of the dinosaurs from shifting sand dunes. The average annual rainfall here is only four inches per year however there is an abundance of plant life. The resident animals consist of lizards, snakes, scorpions, coyotes, kit foxes, spotted skunks, jackrabbits and ground squirrels. There are also rare, endangered desert tortoises. Sadly we saw none of them with the exception of a couple of lizards. Knowing how dry the area is, it is difficult to fathom how anything can grow here. We were both humbled by our explorations here today and so grateful for the opportunity given to us to be able to take it all in!
Oh and the most important thing to note today....Happy Birthday to my son Jay! 
|