Drive down to Badwater Basin

As the shaken couple from Sonoma exited the Harmony Borax mine, making a right onto Route 190 in the direction of the Ranch, I decided to pack up and drive down to the lowest point in the North American continent. I loaded my equipment in the RV while my thoughts began to contrast Badwater Basin inside Death Valley, CA with my original destination of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.

• The Atacama—South American high desert—towering 7900 feet above sea level—a vast plateau in the Andes mountains— daytime highs of 70°—nighttime lows of 45°—and bearing the name of San Pedro (Saint Peter)

• The Badwater Basin on the other hand —North American low desert— lowest elevation in North America sinking 282 feet below sea level—daytime highs of 110°—nighttime lows of 82°—holding the distinction of hottest recorded temperature on the planet—134° degrees—named when a thirsty mule refuses to drink from its puddled salty spring water. An endorheic basin covering nearly 200 square miles with salt flats.

Just after midnight, I made the right turn onto Badwater Road for the 13-mile-drive down to the basin's salt-flat entry. I thought about personal safety as I drove the 32-foot-RV along the isolated stretch of desert road. I would be alone setting up expensive equipment and had no idea if there would be other people present or not. A childhood memory ran through my mind that made me chuckle as I drove on. I had grown up on a street with a funeral home and my best friend, Joe, was the son of the mortician. At some point, Joe told me what was going on inside the Funeral Home. When I came to understand all this, I was absolutely horrified— I mean, I slept just a stone’s throw away from the dead! Half crying, I told my mother about my concerns, and she calmly said, "Steven, don't waste any time worrying about the dead, it’s the living you need to be concerned with." Good advice: I would stay alert when I arrived at the basin for any signs of life.

The initial 5 miles was marked by winding road that eventually straightened out as I navigated to the South toward Badwater. I squinted, peering to the left and then the right—high beams on—trying to get a glimpse of what was around me—I could only see the road ahead and the occasional roadside desert shrub. I saw several signs as I drove... Golden Canyon, Artists Drive and Natural Bridge. These destinations sounded so inviting and I thought about returning in daylight hours to investigate when the speed limit abruptly dropped to 35mph, and I was lumbering along. The next road sign that slowly came into view was for the Devils Golf Course, I drove right past the unpaved road before making a slight right turn into the Badwater Basin. Carefully, I parked the RV in the empty parking area, relieved to find that no one was there except for me. After engaging the parking brake, I exited into the open night air.

The temperature had dropped to the mid 80’s and I felt the most comfortable I had felt all day. Looking to my left, I could see a tall cliff rising to the zenith with the most massive expanse of dark, star filled sky I had ever seen on my right. As I stood gazing up into the endless expanse of stars, I was startled by the indescribable silence of this place.

Amid the sobering silence, I reflected again on the contrast of destinations and the deeper meaning of my journey... wherever you go, there you are, and you must open your heart wide to fully appreciate the moment.

Without hesitation, I began to setup my telescope and camera to capture dark sky images. Almost immediately, there was a problem with the auto-focuser on the telescope. Why does it seem our hope is so quickly deferred? I'll tell you this much hope deferred does make the heart sick, just like the writer of the Psalm said. I went back into the RV and fired up the generator, breaking the silence but giving me the power I needed to warm up a 2am lunch feast. I setup a chair outside and kicked back to feed my stomach while my eyes feasted on the expanse of star filled sky. I sat in Badwater snapping photos and learning to use the DSLR camera until 4:45am. Then, quietly, I packed up my equipment and headed back to where there was power for the Air Conditioner and a welcome 1x signal on my cell phone.