Retrospective 1-Leaving Death Valley

OK, so we’re back home now. I discovered that trying to keep the blog was nearly impossible with all the driving to and from our shooting spots, up early to catch early light and staying out until after dark for sunset. Most of the trips were 100 or so miles 1 way and much more than an hour. So, I’ll catch up in retrospect.

On Thursday March 15, we were up, checked out of the Motel 6 by 5AM and on our way to the Mesquite Flat Dunes. We were first on the scene, but as the dawn approached we were joined by a growing number of others chasing the light and some of the iconic images of Death Valley. There muffled conversations and we could see parties of photographers staking their claims when suddenly there it was, the light everyone was waiting for. I don’t think I have ever heard so many shutters clicking all at once in my life. It sounded like a Washington news conference.

So, we gathered our images and headed back to Libby. We stopped at Stovepipe Wells for breakfast and continued on our way west. First stop was Wildrose Canyon and the coke kilns. Apparently, back in the mining days, one of the mining companies figured that it would be easier to make the coke for the smelters right there in the area rather than to import it. So 10 kilns were built, each about 25’ high by 30’ in diameter (or it might be the other way around and pine was harvested from the canyon to produce coke for the gold and silver smelters about 30 miles away. I think they were only in operation for a few years before going idle. Anyway, these kilns have been restored and are quite a sight.

Next we hiked into Darwin Falls, which is a lovely little oasis deep within a canyon. It’s a pretty easy hike, though it involves a tiny bit of easy rock scrambling. It ends at the falls, which are about 30’ tall or so and they cascade into a beautiful pool.

After the hike we checked into our room at the Panamint Springs Resort (PSR) and had a cold pint on the porch while waiting for the light to change. After our pint and a little snooze (this is where the trip gets a bit more civilized) we drove down into Panamint Valley to photograph some old abandoned cars in the evening light. Phil had taken us there last year, but Holly’s images weren’t what she wanted so we had to go back. This year we both scored some nice ones, as well as some interesting shots of the sunset.

Dinner, sleep, an excellent breakfast and we were off out of Death Valley Nat’l Park for another March. We stopped at Father Crowley Point to say farewell and continued up to Bishop for the required stops at Mountain Light Gallery and Wilson’s Eastside for some gear shopping. On our way back down to Lone Pine we stopped at the Manzanar Nat’l Historical Site, which was an internment camp for Japanese Americans during WWII. The stories of this site, and others, made us think of the profiling and paranoia that is happening today surrounding Arab Americans. I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same and just when you think we might have learned something…...