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Although I had been to Las Vegas several times over the years, I finally decided to go on a photographic expedition from the gambling capital of the United States to the Hoover Dam, the western rim of the Grand Canyon, and the Valley of Fire.

One of my favorite sites on this trip was the petroglyphs, as I entered the Valley of Fire State Park. These are pictograms that are created by removing part of a rock's surface and engraving images. Petroglyphs have been found in all parts of the world including Africa, Scandinavia, Siberia, Australia, and southwestern North America. They are considered precursors to writing systems and are examples of symbolic communication.