A few hours ago....if you asked me where I worked.....where I lived.....even what my name was.....I would have given you a puzzled look.
That's what three days in the desert can do to you......it scrubs you clean....erases your worry....and sometimes even erases who you are....it's like resetting an internal clock to a new time....and a new date.
Death Valley was incredible.
We escaped Las Vegas and the mega traffic jam in the middle of the afternoon....and arrived at Furnace Creek as the sun was thinking about slipping behind the Panamint Mountains.
When we first drove past the posh inn at Furnace Creek....I wondered if I had made a mistake to book the simple...historic little cottages a few miles down the road. But when I opened the door to the clean little unit...with a porch and a couple of chairs to sit on....I knew it was a good decision....the big hotel had been renovated and now looked like any Marriott any where in the world.....but this little cottage....on Dante's Lane...was a throw back to an early age...when people summered in the desert for their health and spent weeks soaking up the sun and the warm spring waters.
We threw our bags in the cottage and took a walk...and within a few minutes....a huge silver full moon....rose up from behind the mountains to the east. The moon was so bright...it seemed like someone turned a thousand gray lights on.....but despite the glow....the whole valley had quieted down... there was no traffic....no bugs....no sounds.....just moonlight and a few stars.
We went back to our cottage and found we had neighbors...each cottage is divided into two units. The man and woman were retired folks from Denmark....sitting out on the chairs smiling like little kids.
"It's so cold where we are from...we are so happy to sit outside.".....They were dressed in t-shirts and shorts and sipping a cold beer...and their happiness...at being warm...at sitting outside with a beautiful warm breeze....in just the essentials in clothing....was so pervasive....it seemed to add a glow to our little place.
The next morning....I woke hub up early.
"It's time to get up and go into the desert."
"It seems so dark."
"Well...it's already 7:15 so you better hurry up."
Hub dutifully got up and moving...before realizing....I had stretched the truth a bit....it was 7:15 am central time.....but only 5:15 am Pacific time....but hey....it worked and we were out the door and watching the sun rise .....watching it paint the barren rocky mountains with a deep red glow....as it rose.
Over the next days....we hiked in a small field of dunes.....hiked a gorgeous shady high walled canyon......and also found a place I named....Play doh canyon...because the high walls of ancient soft smooth mud...made you feel like you were walking through a kid's Play doh project.
At times....we felt like we were visiting a foreign land in the park...not because of the scenery but because we were the only English speaking/Americans around.
The place was full of French, German, Spanish and other European folks. I guess the American Dollar is so deflated....coming here is a bargain....and there are no great deserts like this in their countries.
Funny ...I noticed ....the majority of them seemed to be renting Mustangs or Mustang convertibles. Every time we saw a Mustang...out popped someone speaking French or German. We theorized....they love big engined cars....because the majority of cars in Europe are small..and fuel efficient.....and of course ....who doesn't want to go vroom vroom in the desert with our top down?
I took a gazillion pics ....with my reg camera....and I'll post a few when I return home....I was forced into electronic silence in the valley.....because there is no cell service 200 feet below sea level in the park.....and no Internet service.....I actually had to call my son with a regular telephone....a land line from the room...and leave a message on how to call us and ask for our room number. Wow...that was like in the prehistoric days.....but I survived....and we survived...and even my kids survived without us for a few days....
although I will tell you....that when we crossed over into California....and our cell phones reenergized.....the first messages went like this from the kids: my cell phone is dying....I think you may have to get me another one....my car is not working....what do I do...and nothing from my daughter...which means she hasn't figured out we're actually on vacation yet.
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Showing posts with label Death Valley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Death Valley. Show all posts
Friday, October 17, 2008
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Back to sand and rock......
In 12 days....I will be back in the desert.
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12 days....and I can shed the work work work mentality I've acquired over the last couple months....and .....return to sand and rock..... at least for a few days.
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About a year ago, my sister-in-law started planning a family reunion on a Carnival cruise which departs from San Diego... heads to Los Cabos, Mexico, on the tip of the Baja peninsula, then back.
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When I pulled out the map to look at Los Cabos.....what I saw....was an opportunity.
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If we flew into Las Vegas.....rented a car....we could spend a few days in the desert before we go a-cruising.
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Of course this was all planned before I returned to work full time.... so I'm leaving for the desert and the cruise....in the middle of an extreme work cycle.
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And yet...if there was a small window of time to go in this crunch period....this would be the exact time slot.
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Funny how that happened.
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Perhaps there is some kismet, karma....or a nice god watching out for me.
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But until I leave....I have work work work....major event....and more work.....
and then perhaps a miracle......
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a chance to walk quietly among soft sand dunes.... hear nothing
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but the wind... feel nothing...... but the earth.... at least for a few days.
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