Stealth trilobites and a playa drive

But first, we must set fire to all the things.

The moon was properly full - the Teen had a fantastic time popping corn on the campfire, making s'mores, etc, complaining about the smoke, etc. (Was pretty smoky, must admit.)

The next morning, we packed up and drove along 93 west to Oak Spring Summit, where you can go and dig fossils out of the ground - in theory, anyway.

The trilobite site was a good excuse to take Harry down a dirt road. It's clearly an ATV/OHV trail, so we found a place to turn around. On the way back up we re-passed a patch of golden yellow shale - stopped and looked but didn't find any fossils.

So, much like the remainder of the stop, really. We found a few impressions in rock where someone else had split the shale and found a fossil - some of them are very beautiful. But none of our own, not one: zip, nil, and nada. However, even without finding any fossils, I thought that digging down into the ground and opening layers of rock that have been sitting there for 500 million years (since the lower Cambrian) was quite cool. Sitting or lying on the rocks was like being on an electric blanket, and I had to remember to keep drinking. I'd like to go back in a cooler season with more time, more tools, and companions who are willing to stay for a few hours (the Teen wasn't).

Island of pseudonormal in the middle of a vast arid solitude.
in foreground on picnic basket:
Desert S'mores (chocolate melted onto graham crackers)

Next, we drove down to Delamar Playa again so the Teen could have a look. We improvised a picnic (thanks Harry for the shade). To aid our digestion, we let the Teen have his first drive, still out on the playa. There wasn't a soul - just us three careering about in Harry and the wind and the dust devils.

Then down through Overton and the amazing colours and varied geology of the North Shore road along Lake Mead, and home to a fiery summer day.

Coming back into Henderson.
We missed the photo of 120 F because I wouldn't take a pic while driving :)

Itinerary

Sunday: To Caliente, turn west on 93 to Oak Spring Trilobite Area. 93 west to Delamar. Dirt road to Delamar Playa, Alamo Canyon Road to Alamo, 93 south to Coyote Springs, 168 southeast to Moapa and Glendale, I15 north and 169 to Overton, 167, 564, 215 to Henderson.