The Valley Of Fire!

The Valley Of Fire!!

I am SAM.

(Super Awesome Matt)

Over my birthday weekend, Russ and I went to the Valley of Fire in Nevada. As you can see in the image above, it doesn't matter where I am, I have the tendency to be super. SUPER RAD, that is. We had lots of fun.

When we got there, it was pouring rain. We had already paid to stay in the park, though, so we decided we'd rough it out. This is Russ trying to find a signal on his phone. (Because we were roughing it...)

My tent had a queen-size Aero Bed inside. It took up the entire space, and made it so I couldn't shut the door all the way. It sure was comfortable, though! MUCH MUCH better than sleeping on the cold hard rocky ground!

We breathed a sigh of relief as soon as the blue sky began showing through the rain. I had to snap this picture while the sky was still murky, because I've always thought there were few things more breathtaking than a storm in the desert. This picture doesn't do the actual scene justice.

Finally the sun began to shine through, and brought a beautiful rainbow! And at the end of the rainbow... a real treasure: the park outhouse!

The next day, we climbed the surrounding cliffs. I love the color of the sky here, in contrast with the red rock. I wore black on this hike. I was SO hot! Well, I'm always hot, but I was heated up besides. Oy. The price I pay to look beautiful.

Aren't these flowers beautiful and inviting? Up close, these cacti look like they don't have needles! GUESS WHAT??? DON'T PICK THE CACTUS FLOWERS BECAUSE YOU THINK THEY DON'T HAVE NEEDLES! I made this mistake. The little needles are small and almost impossible to remove. I found this out the hard way.

So the camping trip was a success, although I think I have an infection from a cactus needle that went under my skin. Other than that... who knows where Russ's and my next adventure will take us. (Actually, I'm pretty sure our next adventure will be to Mt. Charleston. So... I guess I do know where it will take us.)