STL DPB ON THE ROAD - LONESOME COWBOY

Just kidding. It's another tourist standing on a ridge at Zabriskie Point, taking pictures with his phone.             

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - DANTE'S VIEW

 

Late post today. Our Internet wasn't working when we got home from the airport last night and I just figured  it out. Dante's View is a point on a mountain top 5,575 ft / 1,699 M above sea level, overlooking Badwater Basin, which is below sea level. The rest of Death Valley sweeps away to the north. The road to the top is an engineering marvel. However, nothing tells you which of the three books of the Divine Comedy you are looking over.

So, great to be home. It's 4 F / -15.5 C.                  

STL DPBON THE ROAD - A MEMORY FROM ZABRISKIE POINT

We've been to Death Valley maybe four or five times over the last 40 years. As I've mentioned, it's one of our favorite places. A memory comes back of a long-ago visit to Zabriskie Point. There is a broad, flat rock to the left of the frame. We saw what the thought was a German film crew endlessly setting up, with Mel Brooks and Alan King off to the side, goofing around and amusing themselves. One of my few close-up star sightings.           

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - ZABRISKIE POINT

It's odd to think of a handful of places in Death Valley's majesty as particularly famous, but Zabriskie Point is near the top. A rock promontory sits amidst these mysterious flows, overlooking the head of equally famous Golden Canyon (which we used to - deliberate past tense - be able to climb to). I know little about geology, but the black caps are lava. You could find out about it at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zabriskie_Point .

It is also the name of an artsy movie that came out when I was an undergrad. The file was a commercial flop but all us 20 year-olds. loved it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zabriskie_Point_(film) 

                 

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - THE QUIET AND THE SPACE

 

One of the things we like so much about Death Valley is the silence and the enormous sense of space. It's not busy during the week and you can drive a long way before seeing another car. The distances between main sites are tens of miles apart. Whether driving or walking through, you may have a sense of being a tiny observer in a vast universe.

Those of you who know us personally are aware that the last couple of years, and particularly the last couple of months, have been difficult for our family. Our last stop on Tuesday was the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. The western skies were cloudy as we approached. I was pessimistic about the light but as we walked out into the sand the clouds parted. I don't need any jackpots when we get back to Las Vegas. I got all I want here. Our rental car has Apple Play and I have a lot of music on my phone. I put on some Chopin as we drove back to Furnace Creek and, in all the space and quiet, a sense of peace fell over me.