September 12, 2005 - Oops as an Understatement

MANY MORE PHOTOS TO BE UPLOADED, SORRY

About seven years ago, I drove through Death Valley on a road trip. Time was short so we managed only to stop once. Today was a different story. Though this has been a climbing-heavy part of the trip, it was wonderful to shift gears a little.

Edison camped out at Emigrant Pass last night and depended on our cell phone and iPod to wake us up at 5 am. It’s strange that everything today is an alarm clock. I guess we are such a rush-rush society that we can’t afford to oversleep. At least, today, we woke up for adventure and not “work”.

The Stovepipe Wells Dunes were a challenge to negotiate. Walking in such fine sand was like what I imagine walking in molasses to be like. Each step was a chore and two steps up a dune were always followed by a step slide back. Edison and I found separate vantage points and stalked the light. The dunes had a mysterious air to them, especially before dawn. But, as light hit each mound of sand, the landscape erupted into a sea of color. Edison and I moved from place to place, trying to capture the beauty and character of the area in two-dimensional form. The biggest challenge of shooting in the dunes is that by getting yourself to the proper vantage point, chances are you’ve messed up the scene by evidence of your own existence (such as footprints).






After seeing the natural beauty of the dunes, we traveled to a ghost town called Rhyolite which hit its prime about a decade ago. Not much remains now but some individuals have managed to preserve the ruins of some of the buildings. It is wild to think about how this was the center of life for many individuals with only shells of buildings and a cemetery as reminders of those days.

The next stop was Scotty’s Castle. Edison creates some wonderful photographs by capturing the subtle character of places. Instead of taking wide photos of these places, he shoots tightly into the corners. These was much history as well as lore that surrounds this landmark. It was the only private residence within the boundaries of this National Park. There is too much to describe here but I would say it’s worth a stop. Edison has inspired me to see the “man-made” places around us a little differently and I tried to do this today through my camera.

The Racetrack is a remote area of the park that is accessed via a 27 mile gravel and dirt road. The sign read “4x4 high-clearance vehicle recommended”. My GMC XUV has a knob that reads 4 wheel drive but I think it pretty much fakes it.

We gave it a go anyway and I was amazed how Edison could fall asleep as the car shook and rattled almost out of control. Near the end of the drive in (yes, the farthest from civilization we were going to be), the back left tire exploded. It could have been a ruptured sidewall from a rock or just damage from being overstressed; But, whatever the cause, it meant being stranded if the spare (or another tire) went as well. We were successful at remedying the problem with the spare but left us with no “cushion”. We decided to cut our Death Valley adventure short and head back to Vegas for repairs, if we could get out in one piece. But, before existing, it was time to chase light at the Racetrack.

The Racetrack is a humongous, dried lake bed that possesses what is supposed to be a collection of “mobile” rocks. The evidence of their movement is supposed to be found in tracks left behind each rock. Some say that the rocks are moved by winds when atmospheric conditions such as rain soften the lakebed into a slick, ice-like surface. Others have less scientific explanations. I’ve seen photos of this phenomenon before but Edison and I were not privileged enough to witness this ourselves. We did find a remarkable place of such natural beauty. But, when we reached the road, I do believe that pavement was just as beautiful and welcomed!

We managed to make it back to Las Vegas where we were greeted by Trang, Doug, and Shadow. Tomorrow starts my adventure to have my vehicle repaired before the 3000 mile drive back home in a few days (but that will all be on pavement!).