River Man

I spent Father’s Day with Dad and Pam hiking along the American River east of Sacramento. It was a beautiful day, warm but not too hot. I was very happy to get out into nature with the people I love. A post-hike stop for ice cream was an added bonus.

As some of my readers know, I often use song titles for my blogposts. This post is named for a song by the great British singer-songwriter Nick Drake (1948-1974) who would have turned 75 years old today.

That’s Amore

I went to the Best Buddies fundraiser at Blaze Pizza. It was fun hanging out with my friends and eating delicious pizza. I think everyone else enjoyed a good time too.

Thanks, y’all.

Total Freedom

Badwater Basin: The statistics tell the story. 282 feet below sea level, the lowest point in North America. A vast salt flat in an endorheic basin made from an ancient lakebed. Besides that, you have the dramatic sweep up to Telescope Peak (11,043 ft.), the highest point in the Panamint Range. We visited at sundown (of course) and the purple evening light reminded me of our encounter with Utah’s Great Salt Lake Desert last summer.

I have a special feeling for this place. Most of the time I have other people directing me and making decisions on my behalf. I don’t mind because it’s appropriate for me. I’m lucky to have caring support staff and a loving family to look after my interests and make sure I have a good life. But out on the salt flats I can run around wherever I want and vocalize at the top of my lungs with my dad a distant speck on the horizon. It feels like total freedom.

We last came to this spot almost exactly ten years ago. I’ve included a picture of me and Dad taken here on March 31, 2013 (my brother Jackson’s 23rd birthday). Dad will thank me for saying that he hasn’t aged at all since then, even though he knows it’s not true.

Zabriskie Point

That’s the title of a weird film made by Michelangelo Antonioni back in the late 1960s. (Dad rented it once and recommends that you take a pass.) It’s also a real place in Death Valley National Park. It overlooks Golden Canyon (which we later hiked through) and has a great view of the snow clad Panamint Mountains across the valley. Lots of people stop and I can see why. It’s a fantastic view.

Dune

Perhaps this is my favorite spot in Death Valley…

The Mesquite Flat sand dunes near Stovepipe Wells is (are?) a must. This time I climbed all the way to the top of the highest dune for a great view of the surrounding mountains. It was a lot of fun. We followed that up with a hike in Mosaic Canyon which was very pretty.

As much as I like sand, I’m not sure I would appreciate an entire planet with nothing else like in Frank Herbert’s novel.

Snowbirds

Due to a snowy diversion, Dad and I ended up approaching Death Valley from the east which we’ve never done before. We drove through the town of Goldfield, Nevada (elevation 5,686 ft.) and had to laugh at the irony of a sign reading “Welcome Snowbirds” as we drove through snow flurries whipped up by icy cold winds. Goldfield is the kind of place where retirees seek a warm and dry climate (at least those who can’t afford Scottsdale).

A little farther south you can see me huddled in my warm sweatshirt by the side of the road with the snow covered Grapevine Mountains in the background. I guess it’s still winter in the desert.

There’s A Moon In The Sky (Called The Moon)

There’s nothing quite like an evening walk along the Yolo Causeway levee road, watching a full moon rise above the Sacramento skyline. You can see and hear the traffic on I-80 nearby, yet it seems distant and beautiful out here.

In my new apartment I’m actually very close to the interstate and it makes me think of travel. I can go west for 75 miles and be in San Francisco or 2,826 miles east and end up in Teaneck, New Jersey.