Valley of Fire - Feb. 2006

A year ago this weekend we took our first camping trip of the year to the Valley of Fire. It’s only 55 miles northeast of Las Vegas, and it took us about an hour from our house to the site we picked. I was looking through our pictures and decided to share some with you.

Here, I am setting up camp.

These two are pictures of our campsite at Arch Rock. One from the ground, and the other I got after climbing a ways up the rocks, and then one of me up on the rock.

We stopped at the visitors center to have a look around and decided to get some pictures inside the red sandstone formations that are near by.

Since the weather was so nice we decided to take a hike to some of the attractions of the park. Instead of taking the road, we hiked up and over the red sandstone mountain to reach the Arch Rock.

Up and over the next mountain we came to the 3,000 year-old Indian petroglyph’s area, and climbed the stairs to see them.

We hiked back to camp after a long day, and this time we followed the road.

I was a little tired, so I got in the tent to take a short nap.

Looking back at these pictures has got me excited to get back there this spring.

Bob Coomber

Every now and again I will read a story that is so inspiring it almost brings me to tears. It really makes me think of the times I almost cried on a 4 mile hike because I just didn’t think I could take one.more.step. without collapsing. Well imagine going hiking without being able to walk at all. Bob Coomber is just one of those people. He is in a wheelchair due to diabetes and a very bad case of osteoporosis. This certainly doesn’t stop him though. He’s been to the top of the 2,517-foot Mission Peak, and wheeled himself along the entire 28-mile Ohlone Wilderness Trail. His goal is to make it to the 14,000 foot summit of Mount Washington. What a true inspiration to us all, and I will remember him when I am moaning about a little 4 mile hike from now on.

Bob Coomber, hiking, wheelchair, inspiration