Southbound through Idaho & Nevada
First stop after visiting Melrose was this small BLM campground along the Snake River.
We were the only ones in the campground and enjoyed views like this in the waning evening hours.
On one of our scenic drives during our two day stay we saw more views of the Snake River.
On our way south to the Ruby Mtns. Susan got this cool picture of the Snake River as we crossed a bridge.
We wanted to boondock somewhere "away from it all".  This seemed to qualify.
I mean we were REALLY out there by ourselves.  You can just see us out there in the distance.
Quiet and beautiful, we wanted to stay longer, but alas a storm was coming.
We visited the Ward Charcoal Ovens near Ely, NV.  They were used to make charcoal for silver smelting.
This is a view from the back of the ovens.  They burned up to 30 cords of wood at one time in the ovens.
Meanwhile, back at our Ely campground the snow was falling.  Only a small amount, but it was fun anyway.
After the snows passed we were treated to views of snow-capped mountains.
We also visited the Lehman Caves while staying at Ely.
The view from the front steps of the visitor center offers an expansive view.
We only got a few good pictures in the caves due to the low lighting.
The cave formations are not unusual, but still it was a nice tour.
Back in the 1920's they had dance parties in the cave. Some folks wrote their names on the formations.  Sad.
Our next stop was dry camping at Cathedral Gorge SP.  What a gem. Thanks for the tip, Mom!
Black tailed jack rabbits were common. This one was more bold than most in the area.
This is the view from our front windshield.  Very cool.
It was cold, but we ventured out anyway to see the park.  I think this was a former water tower.
This and the next few pictures capture the beauty of this park.
You can just see Susan in her yellow ski coat entering one of the narrow canyons.
Some of the canyons are wide.
This is looking out from the back of one of the canyons.
Most of the canyons are narrow like this one.
When they named it Cathedral Gorge I think narrow canyons like this are what inspired the name.
The formations seemed to almost be melting before our eyes.
This is an up-close view of the soil. It feels like cardboard or an egg carton.
When it rains (which it had recently) the soil literally melts away.
More park formations.  Enjoy!
In the afternoon light there were many great views of the eroding cliffs.
The trail was generally pretty good, but after recent rains it was washed out in places.
We had a great campsite (middle of picture) at the Valley of Fire SP.
I pieced together about five pictures to make this panorama shot viewable from the campground.
The visitor center is nice and answers questions regarding the formation and geology of the area.
Susan got a great picture of the sand, plants and mountains.
These rocks seem to have faces. Notice the schnozolla on the rock on the left?
This area had lots of petroglyphs.  Susan is standing in front of what appears to have been the local newspaper.
Here is just a small example of the many petroglyphs.
Just a reminder that I was here too!
We just loved the way the roads wound and undulated through the area.
This "rainbow vista" was created over 150 million years of time.  Awesome.
I think we got a picture of every rock in the park.  Thank goodness for digital pictures!
We took several hikes in the area and this is a view along one of them.

This narrow canyon was along the trail at the White Domes area of the park.
Another view along the White Domes trails.
This is the Elephant Rock formation  (can you see it?) at the east entrance to the park.
Thar's a storm brewin' out there Ma.
Dark clouds and afternoon light makes formations become firey.
What a beautiful light on jagged rocks.
Oooh... Ahhh...
With these skies and bright orange rocks is there any wonder why this is called "Valley of Fire"?
Snake River, ID
Ruby Mtns. & Ely, NV
Cathedral Gorge, NV
Valley of Fire SP, NV