Into the Valley of Death rode the 2 homies

Roadtrip through a thriving wasteland

Ever been to Death Valley? Neither had I, before last weekend. If you’re like me, you may be picturing something like this…

Oregon Trail characters beware, the original thirst trap; film-negative to the lushness of Eden. The lowest and hottest point in the US, at –282 ft below sea level, averaging 100-120 F for half the year.

That shimmer is no mirage though—it’s a shallow salty pond in Badwater Basin; lingering ghost of an ancient sea. In a few short weeks it’ll dry up into a crusty salt flat…but we’ll get to that later.

We have a lot to explore here and little time to do it, with long roads rolling between.

📍 Largest national park outside Alaska

As luck would have it, we arrived in Death Valley at the start of the Super Bloom come early—rejoicing in our good fortune (while lamenting the reason for the season change) as we marveled in the stunning beauty of this desolate but popular destination.

With our trip clock ticking, we could only touch on some of the quicker park highlights (plus the spectacular sprawl of wildflower-lined roads winding between), like Ubehebe Crater and the Dune Sea and the awe-inspiring stroll through Mosaic Canyon:

Oops wait, let me adjust the focus there…

🖖 Out of the canyon, into the car (again)

My adventures with Pat began long ago at my legendary cocktail bar in Richmond, where he was a regular. When I retired, we remained friends—and went through some serious shit together during the Covid era, talking and hiking rapaciously through the local trailguide…just trying to breathe and make sense of it all.

Now we live on opposite ends of the country, and convene every year or so for a roadtrip—which he plans brilliantly, around his national parks checklist and/or some mutually exciting concert. Fleshed out with local adventure and culinary delights…and much rhapsodizing about music and life and the various downfalls of democracy along the way.

🪨 Rock knowledge & musication 🎸

Pat knows more about music than anyone—any ten people I know. Name a band, big or small; this man will tell you where they’re from and how many times he’s seen them, recounting hilarious misadventures, venue anecdotes, and legends at every turn.

Which is the other wasteland magnetic pull drawing us here, specifically, to this place in time—we have tickets for Nine Inch Nails at the MGM back in Vegas. A longtime bucketlist concert, with a backstory I won’t get into here.

For now though, we have 2 solid days to make the most of Death Valley (worth a year of exploration, at least). Where neither of us have ever been—yet somehow seems strangely familiar…

From Star Wars scapes to saltwater spa for the soul 🦶

If you visit at the right time, Death Valley’s Badwater Basin may be playing host to Lake Manly—sporadic guest and unpredictable lingerer; ghost of ancient aquascapes, reappearing unannounced as this winter-melt wading pool of shallow saltwater, cupped in the broad nadir between mountains.

We stripped off our dusty shoes and hiking socks and stepped into the cool sun-sparkling water…calf-deep as far as you care to go, over a pan of pebble-sized salt crystals (reminiscent of the Dead Sea). Which scrubbed our soles soft and clear as we sloshed around…as we breathed the briny fresh air and soaked up the infinite blue sky all around:

Then the countdown calendar demanded we return to the city and brave the madness; make our way through the human turnstile of hustle & toil…Matrix-style, dodging offers and scams and the zombie gaze of the lifers. We had to join the chaos to blend in, swilling high-end cocktails to jumpstart the transition…followed by the usual downward stepladder of whiskies, as wallet thins and palate thickens.

Surviving the neon tumult long enough to check off another bucketlist concert before it’s too late…to witness the lingering power of an aging rock god filling a stadium with sound and fury and resounding catharsis for the congregation here assembled. 🙏🤘

🎤 Rhyming hole with soul (and other ingenious thoughtcrimes)

The NIN concert and mania of Las Vegas (for 2 non-gamblers) is a story for another time. But here’s proof that it happened:

Bucketlist Q: Who would you go see, and where? 💬👇

And what national park could you visit nearby?