Caves: we love caves. Magical wonders of chemistry at work to create some of the greatest artworks. A human can make a piece of art in minutes, maybe even years, but it takes nature centuries to slowly and methodically alter reality, shaping it into a complexity that bends the mind and delights the eyes.

Lehman Caves were discovered more than a century ago by Absalom Lehman. It is being discovered all over again by John and Caroline Wise today.

This is one of those days that I wish I had a better camera and lens. Using a flash on our cheapo camera with relatively poor optics in a dark place without sunlight really shows how much room digital cameras have left to improve. I took this picture, which is a close-up view of the previous image, with the hopes you might have a better understanding of just how intricate and colorful these formations are.

These are the paintbrushes nature uses to build her artworks. Loaded in those drops of water are dissolved minerals whose molecular structure is able to adhere to other similar molecules as they wash over a surface, thus collecting to form the stalagmites, stalactites, ribbons, crusts, and other beautiful shapes that adorn this cave.

Met this couple up in the park; they were looking for a ride back down to town. Where was their car? Well, they didn’t have one as they were biking across America and hot gotten a ride up to the park earlier. It’s always a grand surprise and inspiration to run into people on the most extraordinary adventures.

Driving south because, ultimately, we’ll have to pull into home at some point today.

First though, we had to stop at Valley of Fire State Park north of Lake Mead due to the name sounding pretty intriguing. I present you with the worst photo ever taken of Elephant Rock in the park. Check on the internet, and you’ll be assured that this is seriously the worst ever.

Has anyone else ever heard of the place called Valley of Fire? It’s kind of like Valley of the Gods over in Utah in that a close neighbor overshadows the smaller cousin. Only 50 miles away is Las Vegas, and it seems that when visitors there have a bit of extra time, they head over for an excursion to the Grand Canyon. But what of people who live in the general area? I’ve never had anyone give us a tip about these lesser-known locations; we must stumble into them. So there is then this whole serendipitous aspect to our travels, and of course, that’s always a good thing.

I swear that those Native Americans who cruised through these environments leaving graffiti wherever they felt like should be held accountable. And if we can’t do this posthumously, then maybe we should take it up with their descendants. I hope you know that was meant tongue-in-cheek as I find these sites to be treasure troves of awe and mystery.

We’ve never been to the Wave over near Antelope Canyon, so for today, this will have to do as a surrogate. You say it doesn’t remotely compare? Well, come on, use your imagination: rock, stripes, desert, it kind of has all the elements. In a few hours, we’ll be home, and another great weekend will be in the bag.