This photo reminded me vividly of the strong sand storm we experienced at Death Valley.
Yeah,
winter in Death Valley is usually calm and quiet. In fact, sometimes
it's so quiet it feels surreal... especially at the massive Panamint
Valley.
Well, that wasn't the case in December of 2022.
We
were about 25 minutes from the road (where our car was parked) when the
violent sand storm came out from nowhere. The winds were so strong that
we could barely stand still. For a brief moment, I wanted to go further
into the valley and get closer to the storm -- to experience the drama.
Then the dark clouds rolled in with waves of sands coming our way...
By the time we decided to walk back to the car, we could barely see the road, let alone our car...
The
25-minute hike back seemed much longer, with sands hitting my face
harshly and getting into my mouth, my teeth... it was impossible to keep
my eyes open to see where I was going!! All I could hear was the
screaming sound of the wild winds...
Death Valley, really, do you really NEED to do this to me???
Death Valley, CA
December 10, 2022
