6/25 - Valley of Fire - in more ways than one

Hot in Vegas! It has been over 100 degrees every day, and there is no relief in sight.
We drove 77 miles from Las Vegas to Overton, Utah, using our new GPS. The old GPS had a setting for Bus but our new one has a setting for RV, so we expect more from the new one. And boy, did we get more. The new GPS (which we call Sam, because the voice choice for US English is Samantha) took us on a zig-zag around the town. I assumed it was because the downtown roads would not accommodate a large RV. We finally arrived at our RV park and learned we could have driven straight through. Oh well. 

It was so hot. We turned the air on for the dogs, settled the RV, and got in the Jeep to head to the Valley of Fire. It's just about 10 miles away. There is a $10 entrance fee, which seemed reasonable. It was around 112 degrees outside so we decided it was way too hot to hike the trails. So Randy drove us around, and wherever something caught our eye, we got out and explored. And a lot of it caught our eye. 

Some of the land is flat but all around are big, beautiful rock formations. Mounds, cliffs, caves - all made from that gorgeous red sandstone.
Near the entrance is a structure known as The Elephant. Yep, I can see it.
One of the paths led to three cabins, constructed of local stone. Very cool! These were build by the Civilian Conservation Corps and they aren't used anymore, but they are still really interesting.
The markings on some of cliffs look like hieroglyphics in an unknown or lost language
But in another area, on a structure called Atlas, there are real petroglyphs. There are stairs to climb up near the top to view petroglyphs, but the rocks themselves are really remarkable.
There are petroglyphs all over this formation. The meaning of some of them are known, but others are still a mystery.
Randy walked around the back of the formation and found a ton more petroglyphs. The ones on the dark rocks show up clearer. Because this is in the back of the identified attraction, it doesn't get much attention - everyone else around us didn't see it. 
In another section there is a small arch, high up on a cliff. This is the only true arch in the park.
At the other end of the park, the colors grew more varied.
There is a strange mix of colors in these rocks, shifting from red to gray to yellow, and sometimes all in the same rock.
There are all sorts of interesting natural sculptures, and some look like something familiar.
These are called Bee Hives. 
I love it all!

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