SuePH

The Black Rock Desert was calling my name today. My camera was pulling my shoestring so I loaded up the dog and everything needed for a mini road trip into the depth of the desert. If you don’t know Nevada it can be a pretty desolate place full of silence. But there are rules and dangers you must be aware of. One, like checking your snow line for avalanche danger you must know where to drive and what not to drive on. The desert is full of silt and one drop of water can be like mixing a bag a of concrete or quick sand. I know the rules and abide. So I go up….mountains are better terrain than dry lake beds and the view over the huge playa that you see for miles is breathtaking.

The Black Rock Desert was calling my name today and my mind’s eye was telling me to get these images. I had driven through Gerlach a month back headed towards Surprise Valley for some winter camping over the New Year Holiday but didn’t stop to explore the BRD. Mainly because the playa was spitting up white dust as far as the eye could see and as we drove through it was a complete white out for a mile. Only when we started to ascend up and over to the next dry lake valley did I look back and see the BRD in all it’s glory. All the while taking a mental note to drive back soon for a solo trip to explore.

When you pull to the side of the road and take a step out you can immediately feel how soft and subtle the ground feels. That’s the silt and that’s not where you want to be when a flash flood comes a calling. 100 miles later the dog was itching for freedom and so we hiked up a natural drainage of DG and beautiful granite stepping-stones to a lone tree in the middle of the desert.

The Black Rock Desert was calling my name today.  The sound of silence is a very powerful nothing.  All thoughts rush from your brain and all you are left with is wind, sunshine and the view. This was a perfect day. A perfectly selfish kind of day.