Red rocks glow in the morning sun - Valley of Fire State Park

After a long plane ride from Hartford to Las Vegas and a short drive out of town we set up camp in Valley of Fire State Park. Most of us explore the bright orange and red rocks before dinner.

The next day, after visiting our first petroglyphs, we drive north into Utah. It's a tedious drive, but a long lunch stop at Quail Creek State Park, allows us to cool off in the reservoir and stretch our legs before we jump back into the van. Near the end of the day we drive through Zion canyon, admire the crossbeds (some of us) and head out to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, where we share a crowded campground with way too many off-road enthusiasts, who are allowed "to play" in most of the dunes. Their ATV's wreck the vegetation in the criss-cross the sand with tire tracks and turn the campground into something like a NASCAR staging area. It's definitely not the camp I had hoped for. Ponderosa Grove campground, just a few miles to the north, is virtually empty but requires you to bring your own water. Well worth the effort, I would say.

Crossbedded sandstones in Zion National Park
After setting up tents in Coral Pink Sand Dunes we have a little snack before heading out into the dunes,
where we study dune morphology, climb on top of the highest dune and look down at all the ORV tracks that spoil the sand and ruin the vegetation.
In camp we have hamburgers for dinner. Katie and Michelle tackle the meat, while Caroline sticks to the fake stuff.
back to start page
back to fieldtrip page

on to Day 3