I've never had greater anticipation to see what was at the end of the trail than when I hiked to the Fire Wave at the Valley of Fire in Nevada. The anticipation turned to a bit of trepidation as we made our way toward it, when we met people coming the other way.
"Where are you going?" I asked the young couple from Italy. "The show's over," the guy answered. "OK, if you say so," I thought to myself. I thought he was crazy because the clouds in the southwestern sky looked promising for a killer sunset. But secretly, I was glad he left; less people meant better possibilities for good shooting positions.
Seeing photos of the Fire Wave just doesn't do it justice. It's a massive slab of striped sandstone, which I have seen described as a candy cane, bacon, and my favorite, ketchup and ranch.
The light show ended up being pretty amazing; which was an added bonus for a Fire Wave first timer like me.
Two prior trips to VOF, had left me shut out. The first time I was there, I had no idea where it was, and even if I had, I probably wouldn't have tried the hike -- it was 115 degrees that day.
On my second trip, as luck would have it, the area was hit by its 100 year thunderstorm, and the road was washed out.
So, yes, third time was the charm. Even better was the fact that there were only two other guys there shooting.
Reached Explore No. 55 on Sunday, September 6, 2015.
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