We had an unbelievable experience in Death Valley, filling the day with three different activities. In the morning, we climbed the buttes, mountains that were incredibly steep and covered with scree. We then headed for some culture as we studied the flow of water in the desert while walking along a 'stream'. Truth be told, there ain't a lot of water in the desert—whatever you read about the dry, harsh conditions—they are correct. We have now verified it.
Later, we drove to Stovepipe Wells, a village somewhere in the park for refreshments and to wait for cooler conditions. A day before we were in freezing temperatures. You should hear our bodies protest. It's interesting that in the last month we have moved about California mostly, popped into Nevada and are now approaching Utah after passing through Arizona, briefly. In the warm/cold range of temperatures, we have experienced a 100 degrees F going down to 21—fortunately, not on the same day. While on statistics, we have climbed as high as 13,100 feet above as well as sunk to 150 feet below sea level. We suppose we've been around this last five weeks. We won't bore you with the towns we've passed through and the number of different beds we have enjoyed. Hmm!
We interrupt ourselves, a frequent occurrence. In the late afternoon, we headed for Mesquite Flats. This is our second visit but we loved it so much the first time that it was going to take a lot of power to prevent the editor from playing on the dunes. Being a gentle and kind soul, we felt we could not stand in her way and so we went along for the ride um...run. What an afternoon.
We have set out a few photographs from Mesquite Flats only, followed by a video which shows a lot more of the same. Brian sings, always beautifully, as we climb, run and celebrate on the dunes. Had he known where we would be, perhaps he could have produced a rendition of, "Hey Dune".
Finally, you might notice the different coloring. We took shots in full sunlight, fading light and at sunset as well as from different sides, thus providing a varying mix of color.
California dude reached dune peak.
Californian 'dudess' stops to pull out the camera.
Setting sun catches the mound and screams 'color'.
Later shot from the other side affects the colors but not editor
Shade on dunes, last light on the mountains.
Not only does she want to run but perhaps take-off, too—fasten seat belts.
Running in wonder at the amazing scenes in a beautiful but harsh environment.
The last stretch on soft sand to get to the high dune and beat the shadow.
Fading light hampers camera but captures the sunset on dunes.
Kindly see video below
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
Click icon on lower right corner for full screen and then the screen arrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment