After spending last weekend cooped up due to the weather, I was looking forward to getting out of the house. It's a long drive to Mesquite, NV, and further on to Mormon Mesa; however, my first stop for today will be a short OHV ride and hike to Mormon Mesa highpoint.

A single-lane concrete underpass allows me to cross the freeway and start the short drive through tall sagebrush and an extremely rocky road to a high saddle. Another short route takes me near the peak, and I find a parking spot at the end of the road.

Mormon Mesa highpoint is challenging to locate, and I hike around in circles hoping to spot a summit cairn or the coordinates on my map. I call it good when I can find no summit cairn. Walking to a rocky outcropping, I stop to take pictures; there is lots of traffic on I-15 this morning and not much else in this desert environment.

My next stop is unnamed peak 2335, just off of I-15. The access point is from the truck parking spot near the south end of the mesa, and I turn down the blacktopped road. A Cox cable company truck stops beside me and asks if I will be working on any of the towers. "Not today, I said; I'm just here for some peak-bagging. "Then, with a funny look, he says he'll be back as if he doesn't entirely trust that I'm not his boss' friend checking upon him. "I'll be long gone by then," I say, and little did I know how true that would be until I find the "Authorized Personnel Only" sign at the mountain's base.

Most peak-baggers would park and hike up the short hillside to the summit anyway; however, I am still awaiting knee surgery and trying to keep my hiking to a minimum.

Finding a spot to turn around can be difficult, and lucky for me a prominent spot in the road existed just up ahead where a "Y" leads to the two-tower peaks. While making my U-turn, I spot on the lower hillside a concrete arrow. [1] Concrete arrows are a unique part of aviation history, and several exist in southern Utah. The concrete marker is an exciting find for me, and I take a picture and mark the spot on my GPS.

Back on the freeway again, I exit a couple of miles further south along the road. NV-169 creates a long sweeping exit, giving vehicles ample time to stop as the road descends from the mesa above. A large turnout and information sign mark The Old Spanish Trail and "The Journey of the Dead Man."

I follow a rugged jeep trail toward unnamed peak 2050; however, I stop at the base of a steep, rugged hillside that would allow me easy access to the summit; I probably would have attempted it any other day, but today I decided to move on.

The most exciting part of the day was my visit to the land art site of Double Negative. Created by Michael Heizer and sponsored by the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, I was surprised that no markers or information boards exist at the site. If you didn't know it was here, you'd think someone started building something and gave up before the builder laid any foundations.

In the ravine south of the land art site, I found a boat at the bottom of the gully. Was this another form of art? Or simply trash. Mystery abounds. Having received my culture limit for the day, I ate lunch at Criss Angel's BLP (Breakfast, lunch & Pizza), where I was seated at the table of shame.

The small restaurant had seating surrounding the outside of the room, with a single table for two in the middle. It was the only table in the middle of the floor, and with all the other tables filled, it was reserved for me. They might also put up a flashing neon sign saying "ALONE." I texted Jessica and Christopher about it, and we laughed. The fish and chips were marginally tasteful but expensive.

After my late lunch, I drove through Valley of Fire, Nevada State Park. I love the park and would spend a lot of time here if it wasn't for the crowds and all the associated problems that come with hordes of people who don't care about the beauty surrounding them.

“The Beehives” Valley of Fire, Nevada State Park

Stopping, I completed a short walk around the Beehives. The Beehives are not an official park trail; however, some incredibly sculpted rock exists in the area. Of course, the easy access to the soft sandstone leaves plenty of temptation for graffiti, which is abundant on every flat surface.

Written March 8, 2022

Reference:

[1] [Concrete Arrows in Southwestern Utah (from Aaron's Article Archive) (aarongifford.com)](https://aarongifford.com/article174.html)

[2] Double Negative, 1969 - Michael Heizer - WikiArt.org