Death Valley

9/17 So here’s the score for yesterday… Carters 7, Sun and heat, 10. Death Valley was an amazing place… and we wimped out in the afternoon sun. It takes mental energy (and lots of water) to be in 100 degree plus heat and remain present and rational. The sun won the struggle and left us totally delighted to find an RV Park in….. drum roll….. Las Vegas. The park had shade, electricity, water, and an air conditioned restaurant. We did the RV tourist thing with great gusto… ate at the restaurant (first such dinner since we’ve been on the road), tried out the air conditioner in the RV (it worked) and least anyone think we were totally fried by the heat, be assured we weren’t. We didn’t go to the casinos… although had we not been so hot and tired and cranky, we might have ventured out. That was not to happen. Air-conditioning (and the night air) made for a good long sleep. We leave Las Vegas and Nevada today, headed for Utah. Weather reports in Utah seem to be a bit cooler.

Yesterday’s experience of intense dry heat reminded me of a similar experience 45 years ago in India. There, with time, I learned to live with the heat rather than fight it. I have lost that skill and will have to re-learn it to fully enjoy being here… As I drove the RV up out of the Death Valley area, I found myself thinking that if the road would just climb a little more, we would round a corner and there would be cool air, green trees, running water… the heat had fried my brain but oh, the images of coolness were wonderful.