Tag Archive: desert southwest

Fire Wave – Valley of Fire – Las Vegas, Nevada

Fire Wave - Valley of Fire - Las Vegas, Nevada

The Fire Wave at sunset, Valley of Fire,  Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Valley of Fire State Park covers an area of more than 49,000 acres, and offers a varied landscape, flat open desert, colorful sandstone rock strata, the written remains of ancient native american tribes, and beautiful isolated canyons and ravines that offer recreational opportunities and shelter a variety of plant and wildlife species. The Valley of Fire is part of the Mojave Desert, and lies at an elevation from 1,320–3,009.

The park is also part of the Virgin River drainage, which originates east of Zion National Park in Utah, and forms part of the vast Colorado River Basin that eventually drains into the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) in Mexico.

Desert Ranch in Southern Utah – Caineville

Desert Ranch in Southern Utah - Caineville

A desert ranch in southern Utah, on the road between Caineville and Hanksville.  This is a lesser traveled part of the state, on the backside of Capitol Reef National Park, but definitely one of the most beautiful. The contrast  between the green irrigated fields below and South Caineville Mesa in the background is what made this shot in my mind.  Not to mention the tranquil rural scene that makes you want to leave the city behind and pick up ranching for a living.

Hoover Dam Construction Sign – Nevada/Arizona

Hoover Dam Construction Sign - Nevada/Arizona

A sign at the Hoover Dam on the border of Arizona and Nevada, acknowledging the nearly 5 years it took the Bureau of Reclamation to construct the dam between its ground breaking in 1931 and its dedication in 1935. Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River. When full it is the largest dam by volume in the United States.  The dam is currently at the center of concerns about drought and climate change in the desert southwest as the in flow of water from the Colorado River decreases and the volume of water in the dam drops, impacting both power generation, and a water source relied upon for agriculture and domestic consumption by more than 40 million Americans.