Very seldom is anyone encouraged to step into the fire. Unless it is a Wave of Fire. This wave happened to be in the Valley of Fire State Park, in Nevada. Again we are delighted to find our preconceived ideas about the sights of the state are wrong. Quite wrong.

A newer hike in the park, Fire Wave is fairly short at 1.5 miles round trip. We extended that number by poking around a canyon that took us up onto higher ground and became flat desert floor - our distance was 2.35 miles total. Entrance fee to the park is a mere $10.00.

Fun finds from this affordable hike included a new species of lizard, a rather bizarre looking mystery plant, and much better shots of an insect that hunts and kills tarantulas. See the sights in all their glory, along with plenty of fiery shots of rocks.