After Nan's semester ended we took a trip to southern Utah. We left Durham on Sunday, Mat 8th at 4:00 AM. Nan's co-worker and friend Mike Ennis drove us to the airport and stayed in the apartment and watched the dogs while we were away. We flew fron RDU to Charlotte and then on to Las Vegas, where we picked up a car and drove northeast to Zion National Park. On the way we stopped off at a Neveda State Park called "The Valley of Fire".
The park is in a basin composed of Aztec sandstone created some 200 million years ago (for you creationists that's 6,204 years ago). The comination of wind and water scoured the rock into odd shapes and formations.
Here's Nan holding up a portion of a formation called the
Beehives. I got inside one to see if it really housed any bees.
It didn't.
In addition to the interesting rock formations we visted
Atlatl Rock, where you climb up irons stairs to see Native American petroglphs on a rock wall.
It is assumed that the petroglyphs were left there by Anasazi tribes that lived near-by from around 300 B.C. to 1150 A.D. The desins were carved through desert varnish, a dark coating on the rocks caused by the leaching of certain minerals inside the rocks. It's kind of a natural varnish that preserves the drawings.
One of the other interesting rock formations in the valley is
Elephant Rock, which is reached on short side trail.
Sometimes you really have to use your imagination.
From the Valley of Fire, we drove on to Zion. More on that park my next entry.
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