We recently took a short trip out west (at the end of 2018). One of these days I’ll post a photo/video album from the trip. We both really enjoyed it, but we both really enjoy the unique beauty found in the American desert.
El Dorado Ghost Town
This first photo is comprised of two pictures stitched together into one. I shot them at the El Dorado Ghost Town and abandoned gold and silver mine. We were lucky to be there on a heavily overcast day.
The cactus visible in the foreground are a particularly vicious species. The meaty part of the cactus is loaded with needle-sharp barbs that will leap as far as 6 inches if the plant senses motion near it. We were told that the barbs are so sharp they will pierce leather and any and all fabric even in heavy layers.
If you are attacked by the cactus, someone has to use a pair of pliers to get the barbs out of you or you will get stuck to the seat of the vehicle that takes you to the hospital, and you will have to go to the hospital. Apparently the barbs splinter into tiny barbs that take years to work their way out of your body. The proprietors had photographic evidence of people who did not believe them.
We were instant converts and stayed clear of the horrid things!
Down the Colorado River
We took a helicopter down from the top of the Grand Canyon (west bank) to the river. (I could say we hiked it, but everyone who knows me would know that simply wasn’t true!) Once on the river’s edge we hopped into a boat and sped up and down the river. It was surprisingly calm, like a lake really, in this area.
The guy manning the controls of our boat took this photo of Steve and me.
Yes, I am sporting a beard, and my hair is astonishingly “blown back” from the wind as we sped down the river. In fact, it was so wind-blown Steve took a picture of it and posted it to Facebook asking if I looked like a televangelist (a horrible insult to my character) or what. My favorite answer from a friend in Australia was that I looked like Sting on a really good day!
Valley of Fire
Another great stop was our day trip to the Valley of Fire. The blue sky was an exquisite backdrop to the red, red rocks.
