A Day in the Valley

Most of the parks we visited in the Southwest felt like another planet. But the Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada was something else entirely. The sun beat down hard, the heat rising like a fever, and the dust swirled in the wind, coating everything. The rocks stood red and sharp, like they belonged to a world we shouldn’t have walked on.

What made it stranger was the Tesla Cybertruck. It drove in circles, its awkward, futuristic shape cutting through the desert like it didn’t belong. It looked like a space rover, moving silently through the alien landscape. It didn’t fit, but somehow it did. I couldn’t take my eyes off it.

We didn’t stay long—just a few hours. The park was packed, cars in every spot, people wandering everywhere. But the wildlife didn’t care. We saw herds of bighorn sheep grazing on the hills. They moved with a calm confidence, as if they owned the place. On the trail, a big ram walked right past us. It didn’t stop or look at us, and we stood still, watching it pass like we were ghosts.

When it was over, we climbed back into the car. The dust was still in the air, and the rocks seemed to glow in the fading light. We headed out, tired but ready. Vegas was next. A different kind of wild.