“Pic of the Week”, November 27, 2015. The Cabins, Valley of Fire State Park

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These are “The Cabins” in Nevada’s Valley of Fire State Park.  Three small rooms were built from the local sandstone in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), who did a lot of similar work in the parks and remote regions of the country during the Great Depression (‘make work’ projects, like trail and road construction).  These cabins were used by travelers for camping stays in Valley of the Fire, but have been abandoned.  I couldn’t find any good information on how long they were used, but it’s clear when you visit that they’ve not been inhabited for some time.  While the setting is beautiful, I think the summer heat would have been unbearable to many — …

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.All Trips / Nevada / North America / Southwestern USA

Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada

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Tired of the hustle and bustle of Las Vegas?  Had enough of the concrete canyons and smoked filled casinos of Sin City?  Not sure if it’s day or night (there are no clocks allowed in Vegas casinos)?  Then you should do what I do as often as I can when I visit Vegas — make a trip to Valley of Fire State Park and escape into the beautiful desert world that comprises much of Nevada.  No neon lights, no massive buffets, no dancing fountains (in fact, little water anywhere)!  Beyond usual Mojave desert landscapes, Valley of Fire has wonderful and interesting rock formations that alone are worth the journey. The park is is located 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Las Vegas and …

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.All Trips / Central USA / Colorado

Colorado National Monument

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While many of the units of the US National Park system are frequently visited and very busy, there are also a few less crowded places.  Colorado National Monument (known to locals as “The Monument”) falls into the latter category.  Situated just south of the city of Grand Junction in western Colorado,  it’s part of the high desert lands of the Colorado plateau.  The Monument is know for its colorful sheer canyons and unusual rock formations, carved by wind and water from the red rock sandstone so characteristic of Utah and western Colorado.  The Monument is not large by American Park standards, just 32 square miles (20,500 acre), but there’s a lot of great scenery packed in.  Besides the red rock, …

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