A Thinking Person’s National Park.

It was pre-Covid years ago when I was nursing an IPA at the Badwater Saloon at Stovepipe Wells situated at sea level in Death Valley National Park. I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder. I twirled around and looked up at a halfback-sized dapperly dressed Black man with an enormous Star of David circling below his massive neck. At his side was a petite, attractive Asian woman. 

“Mind if we join you at the bar?” he politely asked.

“Please! I’d be delighted to have company.” 

Names were exchanged and a bit of banter too. I asked him if he really was a “Member of the Tribe.” 

He replied, “No, but I have a lot of respect for Jews.”

“Thank You! Well tonight, I deem you a  “Member of the Tribe.”. Your girlfriend too.”

With that out of the way, he got down to basics. “We can see from that crazy tan of yours, you spend a lot of time here. What’s with Death Valley? It just seems like a lot of rock, sand and gravel. What are we missing?”

I smiled grandly, “It’s cerebral.” I took a long pull on my Stone IPA before I launched.

“Our feeble minds don’t take in the reality of what we are seeing. To the east are the Amargosa  Mountains. They reside well over a mile above the valley. To the west are the Panamints. Rising over two miles is 11000’ Telescope Peak. The high point of the Park is about sixteen miles away from Badwater the low point. That’s  lots of looking up. Does it register? No.” 

I took another sip. I was on a roll. “Ahh! Then there’s the sunrises and sunsets. Drinking a coffee as the Panamints light up or watching the alpenglow of the Amargosas while drinking an IPA. It’s a pallet of colors and shadows either way. At night the Milky Way will startle your senses too. Then once in awhile if you’re lucky. SCORE! A Super Bloom!”

My audience of two still looked interested. I kept going. “Right now we’re in the most populated state in the US. Trust me, there’s places you can go without seeing anyone. Maybe even for days. Death Valley is the largest park in the Lower 48. Most of it is considered wilderness. (93%). It’s a great place to wander BUT as the saying goes, Mother Nature is beautiful until she tries to kill you. The desert treats fools and the cocky equally. It’s not a place to get hurt or sick. Cell phone coverage is almost non-existent. In other words the cavalry ain’t coming to save you. It’s no place to pull an Aron Ralston or an Everett Ruess.”

https://jeffsambur.blogspot.com/2018/03/i-think-about-everett-ruess.html

https://jeffsambur.blogspot.com/2019/08/at-least-i-didnt-have-to-cut-off.html

“Then there’s the human history of mining. For about 140 years  Diggers were looking for that elusive pot of gold. For every Keane Wonder Mine there were multiple not so lucky Chloride City Mining Districts. Most of the prospectors hard efforts went bust. It wasn’t just gold they sought, there’s copper, talc, borax, antimony and silver in those mountains, valleys and canyons. Its estimated the Park has 17000 mining remnants within its vast boundary. Many of my hikes take me along those routes and trails the old miners made. You never know what you might find here. BUT! Don’t venture into abandoned mines. They aren’t safe AND remember California is famous for earthquakes too. Who would want to write a sequel to “The 33: Deep Down Dark.”? 

I took another sip. They weren’t yawning yet. “I’ve been coming to DVNP for decades. It’s one of my Happy Places.  On a sunny windless day in February or March, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. I’m in a state of smiles on those days.” I drained the last of my IPA. Then I quoted the philosopher Forrest Gump,  “And that’s all I’m going to say about that.” 

Good news. My company was smiling too. “We can see you are passionate about Death Valley. When we drive around tomorrow, we’ll look at the scenery through your eyes and ideas. Can we buy you a beer for the cerebral lesson?”

How could I say “No”?

Hoping you find your Happy Place in our time of Covid.

Cheers, 

Jeff

Extra reading: On March 2nd I had my first Moderna Vaccine shot. I’m happy to say, all my parts and appendages are still attached and working. Other than some joint soreness, I’m fine and looking forward to the second vaccine. Get your vaccines ASAP. Please. It’s time to place this virus into Solitary Confinement.