Amazing Sunset 2019-05-29

The sunset, looking to the east, was absolutely stunning, the best I've seen. It's too bad I only had my phone with me to take this picture.  The sun was almost gone behind the mountains behind me and because of the shape of the valley I was in the entire valley was in shadow except for the peaks of the mountains in front of me.

Click the picture to receive a full view.

Enjoy the day.

Interesting Find

So who can tell me what is embedded inside this stone? Are they bones, petrified trees, or something else? Since I tend to hike off-trail quite often, now and then I run into some interesting finds. This area was once a horrible pit of volcanic action and I often find stones composed of layered ash. Obviously, eons of weathering has washed away most of these hills revealing what was once buried during eruptions.

Hike 2019-04-29

As I was out hiking Sunday morning, 2019-04-28, gathering information on another hike some movement caught my eye. I wondered over and it was a lizard. Not just any lizard mind you, this sucker was at least 18 inches long, head-to-tail. I've seen plenty of lizards in my time, but I have never seen one this large.

 As you can see it's not a Gila Monster. This is a bona-fide giant lizard. It would be interesting to know if the rings on the tail could indicate its age.

Happy Hiking

Gold Strike Hot Springs Nevada

If you haven't gone, Gold Strike Hot Springs is one of the great ones here in Southern Nevada. Go and check it out. There are five to six rope descents and ascents and should not be done by young children who are not capable.

The pic above shows the wash outlet to the Colorado River.  There are many natural hot spring and pools on the way down the trail.

Be very careful on this trail.  This hike should be noted as a Class 3+ because there are some large boulder maneuvers and necessary rope climbs.

I would recommend bringing a good pair of gloves. You will need to make some strong hand-grabs on the rocks, but they really help when you're using the ropes.

There are several very dangerous spots on the way down, care should be taken.

This is not a hike to take your pets.

Leave early in the morning as parking fills fast.

Currently the spring water has a large outflow because of all the rain. I've hiked these and other areas around here for over thirty years and have never seen this much water from the springs.

Use discretion if bringing young children, there are often nude bathers in the pools.

The pic above shows one of many seeps coming from the rock walls.

Most of the water is a very pleasant approximate 99 to 100 degrees F.

It's not very clear in this photo, but there's a large amount of water falling to the ground from the rock-face.

Have a great time on your hike.

Watch out soon for our Hiking Guides at all the major book sellers.  We are publishing many of the hikes we've done in Nevada, California, Arizona, Utah, and Wyoming over the last thirty years. The hikes include pictures and complete GPS way-points and trails.

It's taking some time because we're once again retracing many of our previously best hikes with our new GPS trail equipment and cameras.

Look for "Petersons Hiking Guides" available within the next couple months. They will be available as eGuides.

Don't confuse this title with the current Peterson books for sale, they're not us.

Thanks for looking.

 

December at Spring Mountain Ranch

At the Spring Mountain Ranch in Las Vegas yesterday. It's always a great place to visit when the clouds are working their way over the mountains, the combination of light, clouds, and the mountains themselves always leave a great look.

When I'm blogging about the spots I visit, all the photos are from my cell phone, so they're not as dramatic as the ones from my DSLR. However, it's enjoyable to provide a little more detail about the places I visit here rather than on my Instagram @TheEyeSeesWhatTheMindBelieves.

If you have the opportunity to visit these parts, be sure you make the drive to the Visitor Center as well, the mountains along the way are very scenic, the hiking trails are not what you'd think, and the rocks at Red Rock are stunning.

Thanks for visiting.

Bryce Canyon 2018

Bryce Canyon National Park, in Utah, is an incredible spectacle. If you've never visited I highly recommend it. Walking through the trails at the bottom of the canyon is even better. Going to each stop of the Rim is great when overlooking, but there's a completely new perspective when you're at the bottom looking up.

Here are a number of pictures from a recent visit to Bryce Canyon, enjoy.

 

Unique Cloud Patterns

When the clouds are low in the sky they often look more unique because of their intersecting and overlapping shapes. Some think of cloud pictures as every-day not-so-interesting features, but when you think about the fact they're water vapor, and the vapor is visible and floating above us providing unique and interesting visuals, we should post them.

Like them or not, here are a few snapped from my phone the other day. Nature certainly has a unique way of dancing visuals for us.