Kibitka Escape: Las Vegas and Valley of Fire State Park

Wednesday we dropped Tall Son at the Las Vegas Airport for his flight back home and back to work. While he was making his way through security (probably), we towed the Escape down “The Strip,” if that is the proper term for that crazy street where live the Flamingo Hotel, Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Bellagio, Paris, New York New York, and Caesar’s Palace. Frankly I thought the Escape 19 should be turning heads, but the tourists seemed somehow distracted by other sights. We are not Las Vegas types, but we just had to drive through this famous area once.

Great Husband is a car guy so he was delighted to discover the Carroll Shelby Museum while leaving Las Vegas on the east. Adjacent is the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where those with deep pockets can have a total of 15 laps for $1000, driving a Lamborghini, a Porsche, and a Ferrari.

The huge hit of the day, however, and an easy drive from Las Vegas, was Valley of Fire State Park, which is the most stunning state park ever. We were overwhelmed by the beauty of the red sandstone rock formations, like nothing we had ever seen before, but ten times more overwhelming were the incredible rocks and terrain in pink, orange, violet and gold on the 5.5 mile drive from the Visitor Center up to White Domes. At White Domes is a one-mile loop hike, absolutely jaw-dropping in its colors, forms, and other-worldliness. This is a place every human should get to see in his lifetime.

During our time at White Domes, a video crew for “Shut Up and Drive” of the Speed Channel was out to shoot a segment. We were among a small crowd who waited at the high point of the road for the scream of the engine and the sudden appearance from below of the bright yellow Lexus LF-A, a brand new supercar available for about $350K. Rumor had it in the crowd that the Lexus was going 90 mph around the last turn, where the speed limit was posted at 15 mph.

We camped here at a campground named Atlatl Rock. It’s a beautiful place with 43 sites, some with utilities for an extra fee. Sites are not reservable, and there were few available when we arrived on a Wednesday afternoon in late April. We set up adjacent to a smallish Airstream, and enjoyed comparing the size and roundness to our Escape.

Today was our 31^st wedding anniversary. Valley of Fire State Park made this a most memorable day.