It doesn’t rain often in the desert but when it does it can be quite a treat.

My friend Ron and I’ve been on a long adventure starting first in Sedona, heading into Colorado for a trip to the top of Imogene Pass and then on to Crested Butte to ride bikes amidst the fall colors. Valley of Fire is our last stop on the trip and perhaps the most spectacular and colorful state park in all of the Southwest.

The park is basically bedrock split into two almost impossibly different geological playgrounds by the entry road that cuts thorough the middle. On one side the sandstone forms a number of distinct formations: orangish-red bedrock; a maze of chocolate-covered canyons; and to the far east part of the park the beautiful white Silica Dome.

There are so many possibilities. Today Ron and I have chosen to head east following an unmarked entry point that leads down into the a maze of red and chocolate-covered slots. There’s nothing to guide us. Every turn in the maze provides an entirely different adventure, a new way to lead us through the bedrock.

We chose a left fork and then another and before we know it we’ve found a beautiful drainage to follow that is sometimes open and inviting and at others narrow and challenging. It would be easy to get lost here except for the fact that Silica Dome dominates the horizon and provides a focal point to guide us.

The rain turns to a mist, enough it will soak our clothes if we stay out too long. Rain coats come out and we continue on, the rock covered with a coating of water that seems quite enchanting. Eventually we work our way to the upper end of the draw where it widens out into an open basin of sorts. One fork leads left and the other to the right.

We’re about to take another left fork but when we round a corner we spot a herd of desert sheep perched on the side of the wall. They scramble back a bit but then seemingly feeling safe enough stop they look back to check us out. Amazing.

Instead we turn right and continue climbing along the ever-steepening slope till we reach the road leading out to Silica Dome. From here we walk back along the road and down to my trusty Tacoma 4×4 with smiles on our faces and tales to tell.

Another incredible adventure.