44

John Wise with Boyd on the left and Woody Burns on the right in Santa Barbara, California

Today, the 4th day of the 4th month, I turned 44. This celebratory photo was taken a week before in Santa Barbara, California, where very much to my surprise, this cake, along with a rendition of the Birthday song, was all of a sudden in front of my face. I needed a few moments before I realized this was in my honor. Keeping Caroline out of the loop helped as she looked as surprised as I did. My cousin Nancy, Aunt Jean, Daniel, Theresa, Aunt Ann, Uncle Woody, and good old Boyd were all present and made for the best surprise party I have ever had.

Family, Market, Driving

Goleta Farmers Market California

Family is like chard: colorful, bright, and fluffy. Wrong, family is like wilted chard that has lost some of its appeal but it’s yours, so you deal with it. Come on, family is not like a vegetable at all; they are like ruminants chewing on old memories and passing a lot of gas. Just kidding, family are not like ruminants; they are like…

Berries from the farmers market in Goleta, California

No, they are not like an assortment of berries.

Sunset on the I-10

Obviously, after the Santa Barbara routine, we stopped at the nearby farmers market, did some shopping, and then drove away from the sunset. This was looking back from where we came.

Early Birthday

Boyd, Woody, and a friend in Goleta, California

This is what happens when you have a bad head for names; on the left is Boyd. My uncle Woody is obviously in the middle, but I have no recollection of the guy’s name on the right. This is embarrassing.

John Wise with Boyd on the left and Woody Burns on the right in Santa Barbara, California

It’s not very often I’m surprised, especially when it’s still 11 days before my birthday.

Birthday Cake

For the occasion of my upcoming 44th year, my aunt Ann and uncle Woody with their friend Boyd, brought out a cake on our visit to Santa Barbara this weekend.

Salt Sausages

On the salt flat in Death Valley National Park at sunrise

Up before sunrise so we could take a long walk out on the salt flat near Badwater (elevation: 282 feet / 85.5 meters below sea level) and wouldn’t you know it, it takes forever for the sun to reach us.

On the salt flat in Death Valley National Park at sunrise

We almost gave up after having walked out approximately a mile and a half (2.4km) and waiting for more than a half-hour for the sun to peek over the mountains.

On the salt flat in Death Valley National Park at sunrise

Luckily, we held our ground because watching the shadow brighten and give way to sunlight was spectacular. The bluish salt quickly turns golden for a moment before blazing white.

Death Valley National Park in California

Out on the salty Death Valley floor, we found areas where the ground buckles and small stalagmites grow in the cracks; insects that didn’t leave before the last water evaporated are dried into fragile shells, and miniature forests comprised of salt crystals, hair-thin filaments, and ceramic-like chunks that sound of glass as they clink together.

Caroline Wise and Jutta Engelhardt on the salt flat in Death Valley National Park at sunrise

Daybreak here is as amazing as any sunrise at the Grand Canyon.

Death Valley National Park in California

Heading up Mustard Canyon Drive to visit a place in the park we’ve not visited previously, I think.

Death Valley National Park in California

The Harmony Borax Works lay in ruins but are well worth the drive up the narrow road.

Amargosa Valley, Nevada

Trying to maximize daylight hours during the shortened days of winter, we pushed Jutta along so we could make one more stop along the way before heading home. And don’t be mistaken; I’m not implying this giant cow is my mother-in-law.

Jutta Engelhardt and Caroline Wise at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Amargosa Valley, Nevada

Looking into the clear waters that are emerging from this spring at the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Amargosa Valley, Nevada.

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Amargosa Valley, Nevada

Our visit will be short as we have quite a few miles left before pulling into Phoenix this evening.

Death Valley

Shoshone Inn in Shoshone, California

We took a night here at the Shoshone Inn in Shoshone, California, outside of Death Valley, because lodging in the park was just way too expensive; this won’t be the last time we stay here either.

Crowbar Cafe in Shoshone, California

Breakfast at the Crowbar Cafe because when you are going to Death Valley, what sounds better than eating at the Crowbar?

Caroline Wise, John Wise, and Jutta Engelhardt at Death Valley National Park in California

Entering the park.

Caroline Wise and Jutta Engelhardt at Death Valley National Park in California

It took Caroline and me until this, our fifth visit to Death Valley National Park in California, to make our way up the mountain to Dante’s View. The overlook from Dante’s View peers down 5,000 feet (1.52km) to the valley floor, where a moonscape-like surface has taken over. The salt from an ancient sea on the valley floor takes on different shapes and patterns and, when viewed up close, reveals a variety of crystalline formations such as those found at the Devils Golf Course.

*This claim of being our 5th trip might be wrong as on subsequent reading of this years later, I can only account for three previous visits, which would make this our 4th time at Death Valley.

Death Valley National Park in California

The salt from an ancient sea on the valley floor takes on different shapes and patterns and, when viewed up close, reveals a variety of crystalline formations such as those found at the Devils Golf Course.

Death Valley National Park in California

The terrain here is not a homogenous desert landscape; it seems that everywhere you look, you see something unexpected.

Death Valley National Park in California

Contrast Valley might be another name for this National Park.

Death Valley National Park in California

And though it’s called Death Valley, it’s brimming with life.

Death Valley National Park in California

And suddenly, another day comes to an end.

Nothing New

Huntington Botanical Garden in Los Angeles, California

Today finds me doing a lot of nothing besides sleeping. After the long drive home from Santa Barbara yesterday and facing an almost equally long drive tomorrow as we travel to Death Valley, I took it easy and didn’t take a single photo here in Phoenix. And so it is that I am posting a photo from this past week’s visit to the Huntington Gardens in San Marino, California.