We were first time visitors to Valley of Fire State Park (NV) but it certainly won’t be our last visit. The proximity of this park to Las Vegas results in more congestion than we typically like, but we were able to find peace and solitude early in the morning, at sunset and on longer hikes past the tourist Instagram locations. Initially we thought red sandstone would dominate this park but the more we explored on foot the more we began to see the swirled/waved pattern of white and red sandstone and unusual rainbow 🌈 patterns of rock. However, what really impacted on our impression of this park was the sheer number of desert bighorn sheep and their BABIES! Oh my goodness, we saw herds of desert bighorn sheep on at least 4 occasions. We camped in the park at the only campground which had full hook-ups and humongous modern sites. The Internet was non-existent throughout much of the park so we mostly put our phones away. We did quite a lot of hiking over sand, across slick red and white sandstone, through mini slot canyons and down arroyos. Tony was able to bike several times and he said the roads within the park were in terrific condition, motorists maintained the 25 or 35 mph speed limits and gave him wide berth when passing him and there were lots of “punchy” hill climbs, his favorite.

After leaving Valley of Fire, we drove along the scenic route near Lake Mead to Las Vegas, our next stop. This is a route we have never taken before and it was gorgeous with views of Lake Mead almost the entire way and it was worth the extra 20 minutes of driving versus taking the freeway. We aren’t lovers of Las Vegas itself, but we purchased concert tickets for a band Tony has had on his bucket list to see for years. Our campground was an “adult-only RV resort” which is not the type of place we ever stay and we were concerned it might be a nudist colony…it wasn’t. 😊 We picked the campground for its proximity to the Las Vegas Strip and nothing more. The location while convenient was in a very undesirable area of Las Vegas, so much so that we had problems getting Uber/Lyft drivers to want to drive there. Inside the walls the campground itself was fine with strict 24/7 security at a staffed gate and roving security on golf carts which made us feel safe. We only used the campground as a place to sleep and left each day for exploration outside of Las Vegas city limits, including walking the Historic Hoover Dam Tunnel trail (with even more views of Lake Mead) and hiking at Red Rock Canyon. Of course, Tony got in a few bike rides, too. Our concert to see Maroon 5 was at the Dolby Live theater which was a surprisingly small venue for this well-known of a band so everyone had good seats. If we are honest, we were a bit disappointed with this concert. Adam Levine’s vocals sounded both weak, strained and out of tune and the balance between his vocals and the instruments was completely off. The set design and lighting were basic at best. For the price we paid for these tickets, we had higher expectations. We did enjoy ourselves, but it just was not great concert and certainly not a band we would ever pay money to see again. We compare this concert to ColdPlay, who we have seen numerous times, and their concerts are exponentially better in every way.

We had planned to camp in Picacho Peak State Park (AZ) for several days, but the temperatures were already approaching the high 80’s there and Tracey’s knee was bothering her, so we decided to proceed directly home instead. If you ever have the need to drive between Las Vegas and Phoenix, DON’T take the I-11 S/US-93 S route. The road is seriously one of the worst roads we have ever driven on anywhere in the world and this is stupidly the 2^nd time we have taken this route thinking it would have improved…spoiler alert it hadn’t. It really shouldn’t even be suggested as a route on Google maps as it is in such poor condition consisting of bumpy, uneven and pot-holed surfaces almost the entire way. And don’t even get us started about the amount of trash on the roadside for almost 200 miles of this route. Why is it like this? Seriously, a “shit hole” of a drive.

We arrived back home and within 2 hours Tofu was unpacked and fully cleaned, laundry was started and we were sitting down for dinner. Overall, this was a great trip with lots of hiking, cycling and 2 concerts. We visited several new places (Buckskin Gulch and Valley of Fire SP) along with an old favorite (Snow Canyon SP). We could not have asked for better weather for this time of year and visiting in the shoulder season meant less crowds, too. Tofu had no mechanical issues and continues to be a beast of an adventure vehicle for us as we move into our 5^th year owning this vehicle. With 55,000+ miles and getting 18 mpg, we can foresee many more years of enjoyment with this van. There is always talk when we travel about whether we want to live long-term in Southern Arizona, but each time we return from a trip, our house just feels like home and so we remain.

Onwards…but we leave for our Europe adventures in less than 6 weeks!