In the Desert
From the chaos of Vegas, we headed out into the quiet of the desert. First stop? Death Valley National Park.
This was our first hint of heat since we'd got to the states, and we lapped it up. It felt so nice to walk around outside without wearing layers and layers of clothing. Death Valley is the site of the highest ever recorded temperature (a sweltering 56 degrees Celsius
) but, being February, we were treated to a gentle heat broken occasionally by a breeze.
Driving through the entrance to the park we encountered little, and it wasn't until we climbed up to Zabriskie Point that we could appreciate not only the size of Death Valley, but also its fiery palette of burnt orange and amber, its immense stillness and silence.
It's a place full of dramatic sand dunes, rock faces and valleys. We went exploring canyons and natural bridges and secret tunnels in the earth. It felt good to be away from the relentless pressure of Vegas and back into the wilds of the US.
We also took a little detour to Rhyolite - an ghost town standing abandoned in the middle of the desert. Gutted buildings have been left to decay where they stood, alongside houses riddled with long-forgotten ghosts. A rusted old car lies abandoned near the entrance, boot and wheels missing, car interiors exploding sadly. Where was it going? Why did it never get there?
Joshua Tree
Next on our list was Joshua Tree National Park. We drove along winding roads lined with these strange, spiky soldiers, before clambering out for a hike. While Phil decided to climb up the precarious rock formations - which always took longer than expected - I prowled around the vegetation below, marvelling at the cacti springing from unlikely places and the tangles of tough plant that manage to survive in these seemingly impossible desert conditions.
At sunset, we reached the peaceful cactus garden and had a chance to reflect on the next stage of our trip; namely, California. Driving up the famous route 1 from San Diego to San Francisco. The weeks rolled out in front of us, empty and full of possibility. I couldn't wait.
