Death Valley and Me

Death Valley has been wonderful to me over the long weekend.  Thinking back, this is the 4th time I’ve been there over the past 3 years.  Never once has she failed to show me her unique beauty or to offer me the solitude I desire.  I am still deeply in love with her.

As always, the sand dunes, salt flats, and thousands of acres of desert land lay silently in front of me.  However, each time, they surprise me with their ever-changing shapes – it amazes me (or scares me) what stillness can do to this massive piece of land!  The usual neatly lined up light-gray salt flats are now all in dark brown with violent shapes.  The endlessly open Panamint Valley has thousands of little volcanic rocks spreading around…  Where did they come from???  “It must be winds that brought them here,” I said to myself…  They just lay around randomly and quietly, all over the playa, small but strong and solid!  Even when I touched a very small piece of rock, it sticks firmly to the playa – they have bonded tightly together to endure strong winds, dark nights, hot summers and icy winters…    

There is really NOTHING in Panamint Valley.  But it’s the nothingness that attracts me here every time when I come to Death Valley.  The relationship between me and the world of total emptiness is very difficult to describe.  The silent surrounding is overwhelming – it brings such purity that you may never find elsewhere.  The contrast of BIG and SMALL is best illustrated in my relationship with Panamint Valley.  On this trip, I literally sat in the middle of the playa and meditated for about 50 minutes – just me, the soft wind, the warm sun and the never-ending quietness – amazing!

Yes, I brought all my camera gears; I took a few pictures; I got up early and went to bed late; and I also discovered new features of this magical place…  However, the special connections I have with Death Valley can never be accurately recorded by my photos.

Death Valley National Park

California

January 17-18, 2015