Death Valley, CA. The name alone sent shivers up my spine when my husband suggested that we create a family reunion there. How wrong I was.
Shivers turned to open-mouthed amazement and awe. I’ll let the curious Google the fascinating history of this huge 1.8-million-acre desert that boasts the only true oasis in North America, the lowest point below sea level on the continent, and the only International Dark Sky Park in California.
And most certainly a geology of faults, rocks, salt flats, and volcanic ash created breathtaking sculptures in the mountains rising on either side of the desert floor.
But it was the night sky that rocked my soul. Studded with constellations I had only read about, almost blinded by massive stars like Sirius, Beetlejuice, the Milky Way, and Ursa Major, I wanted to fall to my knees in thanksgiving. How insignificant we are in this vast universe and yet we often act as if we are the masters of all. Civilizations have come and gone before this magnificent planetary display and yet, we often pretend that climate change is not real and that we can treat this fragile planet with disdain.
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