The
most
beautiful
moment
of my life....
I've seen
sunrises
before...
...from
the west coast
...to
the east....
But none...
...could
compare...
...to the
desperate
beauty...
...of seeing
a sunrise
on the dunes...
...of
Death Valley.
I leave my warm room
in the dark
before
the dawn...
My way
lit
by a single
star...
the
only
car...
Pre-dawn gold
glows
on the dunes
ahead.
The moon
drifts in the sky
silently
behind me....
...as
my footsteps
stir the
sleeping sands...
The caw
of a raven
is swallowed
in the silence.
I can almost hear
the sun
waking
each
grain
of sand...
...as it
sweeps
across
the dunescape.
I've never
experienced
such silence...
It thrums
in my ears...
Silence..
the word
sounds
like its meaning....
Silence...
like the sound of an s
as the breath
slides past the lips...
...the sound
of the wind
slithering
across the sand.
Snake
Hiss
Sand
Silence...
I can
hear
the tiny skitter
of a bug
skirting the sands.
I hear
the soft crunch
of my
footsteps.
Is it like
the crunch
on a
truly
cold snow?
No.
Listen closely.
You can hear
the grind
of tiny grains
underfoot.
Unlike the
fragile
crystals
of snow.
As
I climb
the soft sands...
...and
the sun
rises
behind
me....
I watch
the sunlight
pour color
on the mountains
before me.
Within minutes
the mountains glow
an unearthly hue.
I reach
dune-peak.
Golden glow
to the east.
Blue shadows
to the west.
I laugh
to see
the diamond shapes
of ravensteps....
And I
find
company!
Rayleen
is watching
her husband...
...as he braves
the far dunes...
He casts
a long
shadow...
...a brief
stumble...
keep going....
...and a
Rocky dance
at the top!
Rob
and daughter,
Rayann,
rejoin us....
...the only
living beings
for miles
around.
After
a few moments
sharing the wonder
of it all....
...they
head back
for breakfast
at their camp.
...and I
spend
a few moments
...watching
the sky turn blue
and
the shadows
recede.
I slide
down the
sandslopes...
...to
a land
of plants...
Long-lived
creosotes
with berries
for birds.
The plants
and the critters
of Death Valley
are tough!
What have
they
found?
Tiny tracks...
a tail line
in between
the paws....
A kangaroo rat!
looking for shade
looking for moisture
In fact,
I'm ready
for shade and drink
myself!
I drive back
to the
Furnace Creek Ranch...
past
blue-shaded
mountains...
....so I could have
a moment of rest
before my next
big adventure...
...biking
Death
Valley!
Helen, I enjoy your pictures and blog so much! Thank you for sharing. :)
ReplyDeleteI love the pre-dawn lighting, that anticipatory glow that seems to rise from the earth itself...
ReplyDeleteBiking Death Valley.... sounds scary.
ASW
You should know, Wixy!
ReplyDeleteI remember my first trip out west. Driving the old lab chevette after my freshman year at Bard I went to the NW, down the coast, seeing friends & fam, and then LA and from there to Las Vegas (I was reading Hunter S Thompson). I think it was actually after LV on a long long lonely road headed vaguely east that I stopped for gas and experienced what you just wrote. Silence. My boots in the gravel were the only sound to be heard from horizon to horizon. I remember it vividly to this day. Several years later I had a similar experience, near the same area on a MC trip that took my through monument valley.
ReplyDeleteGlad you found it all so inspiring.
CRS