Valley of Fire–Trip Notes for 03/22/2012 (Bighorn Sheep Sighting)

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This page last updated on 06/15/2018

(Fig. 01)

03/22/2012 Trip Notes: After a hike to the Muddy Mountains Wilderness Area, we passed through Valley of Fire State Park on our way home. Just as we entered the park from its western entrance, we came upon a lone, rather emaciated desert bighorn sheep (Fig. 02) who was munching (Fig. 03) on the remains of some rather dead and dried up roadside vegetation. He was in such bad shape that even his horns (Fig. 04) seemed to be suffering from years of malnutrition. I really felt sorry for him. When I showed someone at the visitor center this picture, they said, "oh yea, that is the one we call "the ancient one".

(Fig. 02)

(Fig. 03)

(Fig. 04)

(Fig. 05)

(Fig. 06)

Almost everywhere you look you find rock that is punctuated with holes (Fig. 05). These holes are called “Wind Holes”. Over thousands of years the sandstone, weakened by weathering, often develops small pits which are then enlarged by the action of wind and water. As the moisture dissolves away the minerals that cement the sand grains together, winds whirl the loosened sand within the pit, literally sand-blasting the holes. I thought the image on the right (Fig. 06) looked like a carved Halloween pumpkin. Connie named it, “Stone Fright”. The images in (Fig. 01) and (Fig. 07) below were taken outside the Visitor Center.

(Fig. 07)

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