28. Valley of Fire State Park (photographs)

Thanks to the recession, a couple of months ago I was able to spend a few days in Las Vegas, Nevada for a price that made it impossible to turn down.  My wife and I aren't big gamblers, so we spent most of our days visiting the local state parks including Red Rock Canyon and the Valley of Fire State Park.  It was a fascinating experience as I had usually gone through the major deserts of the west in the summer, enduring blistering heat.  Here, it was a pleasant 60 degrees at day and nearly freezing at night.  Everything poisonous was hibernating, the parks were nearly empty, and the weather was great (we had arrived just after weeks of storms had rolled over the Las Vegas valley).  I took about 6,000 pictures over four days.  Here's a couple of them from Valley of Fire State Park, about 20 miles northeast of Las Vegas. Many more will soon follow.  Click on the images to enlarge.