Night sky

I tried to take some pictures last night of the Milky Way and failed. Today I resolved myself to try again and decided to drive out into the deep desert, namely to Zabrinski Point, to see if I could get a clear shot. 

 I set off just after sunset and there was still enough light to see the mountains. Just as I got near Scotty's Castle Road I saw spectacular streaks of lightening on the mountain tops. The thought that what I was doing was probably not a good idea started to cross my mind but I carried on nonetheless. I'd forgotten just how disorientating it can be to drive in pitch blackness and had to stay really focused to alleviate vertigo. You can't really see to much in front of you, even with a full beam, and you get the feeling you're heading into a void. 

The rains from earlier today had washed a lot of loose rock and gravel into the road surface - Caltrans were clearing the roads around the village - so I was trying to keep my eyes peeled in case I had to brake hard to slow down. The last thing I needed at night, in pitch darkness and in the middle of the desert, was a flat tyre. 

I made it to my destination and sadly the sky was overcast. Cursing my luck I hung around for a while to see if the winds would clear the low cloud. If you've never sat alone in a car in utter darkness let me tell you that your senses become amplified and you hear creaks and other noises that you might otherwise miss. Luckily I've never been one of those people afraid of the dark or I might have cleared out of there in a minute or two. 

I headed back the same way I came and was surprised to see a CHP car overtake and shoot off into the distance. It was the  first police car I'd seen since I got here. 

 

Close to the village is a large expanse of sand dunes, The Mesquite Dunes, and just for the sheer hell of it I decided to stop to see if the clouds had cleared. 

I hit the jackpot. It was an even better sky than last night and magnificent. One of the things about the sky is that the more you look, the more you see. I leaned back against the car so my neck wouldn't hurt and just kept looking. Eventually the dust clouds around the centre of the galaxy were discernible and I everywhere I looked there was a dot of light. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and I hope I get to see it again someday.

 I'm absolutely non-religious so the thoughts it brought to me were of those I know. My family. My recently departed grandmother. My friends here. Friends far away. Friends gone.

 The memory of it all will be with me forever.