Desert Storms

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

 

My iPhone Photo

I had 2 cameras and 3 lenses in my camera bag weighing about 25-30 ponds, but #2 was taken with my iPhone -- go figure!!

Death Valley, CA 

December 10, 2022

 

The White Christmas

Lake Michigan, Michigan

December 25, 2022

Weather Conditions:

Wind gusts = 21mph

Temp with windchill = 6F

Lake effect snow...

Highway road conditions:

Snow and ice, with low visibility 

Many cars were moving with the emergency lights on...

 

282 Feet Below Sea Level

This is where I have once again learned how small and insignificant I am…

Death Valley

December 10, 2022

Why???

So why did I come to Death Valley 9 times over the past 10 years?

 

One of the reasons is - this is probably the only National Park where you can see so many different types of landscape in one place. The variety of the land formation here fascinates me!!

 

Death Valley

December 8-12, 2022

Sunrise Spectacular

This was the 9th time I came to Death Valley over the past 10 years. I know, it’s crazy, but I love it here. Each time, I was deeply touched by this spacious and timeless world…

Came here with 3 other photographers this time. After the scheduled group activities, I decided to stay for one more day to once again experience the tremendous calmness and serenity in this vast piece of land.

The sunrise photos I captured here involved hiking in the dark, by myself, at 282 ft below sea level, through this treacherous area of salt and mud (shown in the last picture) for about 30 minutes... It reminded me of those two times when I got lost in this massive area of salt-flat at night.

Was it scary? Absolutely. The 30 LONG minutes were buried by the darkness and dead silence all around me, except for the sound of my boots hitting the salt-flat... But at least I knew I'd walk out of this place under the bright sunlight this time!!

The prize? I got to see one of the most spectacular sunrises in Death Valley. Beauty is everywhere, even at 282 ft below sea level.

Death Valley, CA

December 12, 2022   

 

 

A Music CD

Have you ever had a similar experience like this? Something profound happens, you just don't have time to quietly, deeply and completely absorb it. By the time you get to it, the whole thing has become much less profound...

I found a music CD last Monday, 11/28/2022. It was a gift my Mom gave to me in March 2008. I remember it was her last visit to the US. Before she went back to China, she insisted to buy a birthday gift for me... I mean, really, INSISTED. Since I couldn't convince her to drop the idea, I picked a music CD I really loved. Right after I got it, I immediately made a copy in fear of losing the original copy, and wrote on the disc: "From Mom."

I remember after my Mom went back to China, I kept on listening to the CD for almost a year -- it touched my heart each time. Then, for some odd reasons, it was neglected for almost 13 years... Since I have let go of all our CD players over the years (as part of my LETTING GO initiative), when I saw the CD labeled as "From Mom," I immediately went to my car to listen to it. Wow, it brought back so many memories. The music sounded so sweet and familiar, so calm and yet so full of life -- with birds singing and streams running...

Sadly, I couldn't find the original copy of the CD. Believe me, I looked through everything not once, not twice, but 3 times, still couldn't find it (likely had been LET GO)...  

I am only grateful that I made a copy, found it, recognized it, and started listening to it again... as if my Mom is still here. Thinking back, I am so thankful that I let my Mom buy the CD for me 14 years ago.