chaybert (Brian Rueb)
Mesquite Dunes Storm
Stephen was correct.
One more hour on high heat was perfect for the crock pot. The roast was fork tender and delicious. We ate all 5+ pounds of the roast along with warmed tortillas and bread. For dessert we ate a Almond Rocha like cookie Buttermilk had brought.
When the meal was done nobody felt like moving. We sat around the fire, drank a few more beers and discussed where we could shoot in the morning. The consensus was if there was no wind, and we saw stars…we’d head to the Mesquite Dunes. If we woke and it was windy, we would head back to the Badwater basin. Before we turned in Oachs put the roast remains in the car…to keep out the animals.
That night coyotes came in close and loud. Now I’m sure everyone assumes I would be petrified of coyotes…and when they started their demonic chatter I would be reduced to a whimpering mass in the bottom of my sleeping bag. However, I’m not afraid of them…I can’t explain it…but I think that of all the creatures I could probably take with my spear…the coyote is one of them. That being said…I didn’t like it when they went off on their howling-jabber fests…but It didn’t cost me any sleep.
The roast, however, cost me plenty of sleep. I’ve never had heart burn until that night…man…it was some painful stuff. I thought I was dying.
After a night of pork intoxicated sleeplessness….we woke at 5am to a windless and star speckled sky….and a car the STUNK like old roast and garlic.
UGH…
What was delicious and tempting on the ride in now brought back memories of sleepless nights gorged full of pork…and heartburn. luckily our immunity to the odor is pretty substantial so we acclimated easily to the pork whiff.
Next stop. Mesquite Dunes.
We were the only ones at what is usually a hotbed for sunrise photography.
The night before was very windy…and all the footprints of the previous day were blown out, leaving us with a virgin landscape to photograph. Stephen and Buttermilk Davis chose a spot on the first dune we crested while I opted to go farther away and see what I could turn up.
The sunrise did not disappoint. WOW. From my perch high on a dune I could hardly decide which direction I wanted to shoot…and in my confusion, I let down my guard, leaving me wide open for a tripod attack.
With lightning precision my tripod leapt forth and cut me across the forehead.
Ow.
Despite the blood dripping down my face, I forced the tripod back into submission and was able to complete the shoot. The score is now Brian 5 Tripods 1
The dunes were truly a place full of photographic opportunities…and we had it all to ourselves. Or so I thought. I began to hear the cackle of what I thought were coyotes…coming to see if we left the car unlocked so they could get in and have some roast juice.
It turns out it was a few Japanese ladies out wandering the dunes…watching the same thing we were. Man sound carries out there.
In addition to the dunes themselves…there is a great variety of dried earth and interesting vegetation to photograph. We spent a couple hours total in the area before we retreated to Furnace Creek for some coffee and a planning session on what to do for the afternoon.
The pork roast, who we made the unofficial 4th member of our team, waited to greet us with its odor once again as we returned to the car.
Death Valley was still threatening with the storm clouds as we sat in the café drinking coffee discussing our options. The Furnace Creek visitor center shows a 15-minute long movie about the various sites in and around the valley…we figure we could sit in there, watch the show, and find out what we wanted to see.
The show was less than riveting. If you’re new to power point and want to see all the different ways slides can transition…well, then this might just be the presentation for you. In that aspect, the show was top notch. Buttermilk fell asleep in the theatre.
After the show Buttermilk and I wandered the gift store for a while…when we came out Oachs was on his knees looking at my back rear tires, while a ranger was stooped down looking at the front.
Oh great what did I run over this time…
I didn’t recall hitting anything.
As it turns out they were checking my tires, to make sure we were good to go to the racetrack…
The racetrack is a 28 mile dirt road leading out to the middle of nowhere…the rocks on this road are volcanic, and according to the ranger…used to make scalpels…I know this because he told us 40 times at least…
“They make scalpels out of that…it’ll cut through at least 4 ply of tire…”
Then when he told us it was at least $2000 to get you out of there if you get stranded…we began to question our choice to head out there…
We finally decided we would still make the attempt…but go SLOW. I now know why people say it takes all day to get out there…because it’s getting later in the morning, we opt to wait until Saturday to make a full go of it…and see what the afternoon has to offer closer to our campground….
The roast reminded us of its presence with an odor that was beginning to ferment…
Mesquite Dunes Storm
Stephen was correct.
One more hour on high heat was perfect for the crock pot. The roast was fork tender and delicious. We ate all 5+ pounds of the roast along with warmed tortillas and bread. For dessert we ate a Almond Rocha like cookie Buttermilk had brought.
When the meal was done nobody felt like moving. We sat around the fire, drank a few more beers and discussed where we could shoot in the morning. The consensus was if there was no wind, and we saw stars…we’d head to the Mesquite Dunes. If we woke and it was windy, we would head back to the Badwater basin. Before we turned in Oachs put the roast remains in the car…to keep out the animals.
That night coyotes came in close and loud. Now I’m sure everyone assumes I would be petrified of coyotes…and when they started their demonic chatter I would be reduced to a whimpering mass in the bottom of my sleeping bag. However, I’m not afraid of them…I can’t explain it…but I think that of all the creatures I could probably take with my spear…the coyote is one of them. That being said…I didn’t like it when they went off on their howling-jabber fests…but It didn’t cost me any sleep.
The roast, however, cost me plenty of sleep. I’ve never had heart burn until that night…man…it was some painful stuff. I thought I was dying.
After a night of pork intoxicated sleeplessness….we woke at 5am to a windless and star speckled sky….and a car the STUNK like old roast and garlic.
UGH…
What was delicious and tempting on the ride in now brought back memories of sleepless nights gorged full of pork…and heartburn. luckily our immunity to the odor is pretty substantial so we acclimated easily to the pork whiff.
Next stop. Mesquite Dunes.
We were the only ones at what is usually a hotbed for sunrise photography.
The night before was very windy…and all the footprints of the previous day were blown out, leaving us with a virgin landscape to photograph. Stephen and Buttermilk Davis chose a spot on the first dune we crested while I opted to go farther away and see what I could turn up.
The sunrise did not disappoint. WOW. From my perch high on a dune I could hardly decide which direction I wanted to shoot…and in my confusion, I let down my guard, leaving me wide open for a tripod attack.
With lightning precision my tripod leapt forth and cut me across the forehead.
Ow.
Despite the blood dripping down my face, I forced the tripod back into submission and was able to complete the shoot. The score is now Brian 5 Tripods 1
The dunes were truly a place full of photographic opportunities…and we had it all to ourselves. Or so I thought. I began to hear the cackle of what I thought were coyotes…coming to see if we left the car unlocked so they could get in and have some roast juice.
It turns out it was a few Japanese ladies out wandering the dunes…watching the same thing we were. Man sound carries out there.
In addition to the dunes themselves…there is a great variety of dried earth and interesting vegetation to photograph. We spent a couple hours total in the area before we retreated to Furnace Creek for some coffee and a planning session on what to do for the afternoon.
The pork roast, who we made the unofficial 4th member of our team, waited to greet us with its odor once again as we returned to the car.
Death Valley was still threatening with the storm clouds as we sat in the café drinking coffee discussing our options. The Furnace Creek visitor center shows a 15-minute long movie about the various sites in and around the valley…we figure we could sit in there, watch the show, and find out what we wanted to see.
The show was less than riveting. If you’re new to power point and want to see all the different ways slides can transition…well, then this might just be the presentation for you. In that aspect, the show was top notch. Buttermilk fell asleep in the theatre.
After the show Buttermilk and I wandered the gift store for a while…when we came out Oachs was on his knees looking at my back rear tires, while a ranger was stooped down looking at the front.
Oh great what did I run over this time…
I didn’t recall hitting anything.
As it turns out they were checking my tires, to make sure we were good to go to the racetrack…
The racetrack is a 28 mile dirt road leading out to the middle of nowhere…the rocks on this road are volcanic, and according to the ranger…used to make scalpels…I know this because he told us 40 times at least…
“They make scalpels out of that…it’ll cut through at least 4 ply of tire…”
Then when he told us it was at least $2000 to get you out of there if you get stranded…we began to question our choice to head out there…
We finally decided we would still make the attempt…but go SLOW. I now know why people say it takes all day to get out there…because it’s getting later in the morning, we opt to wait until Saturday to make a full go of it…and see what the afternoon has to offer closer to our campground….
The roast reminded us of its presence with an odor that was beginning to ferment…