A Date in the Desert

I’ve always believed the desert makes a great date spot - and thankfully, Rhonda married me anyway.

We hit Death Valley on a day that felt like a blast furnace with an attitude - 115°, wind strong enough to steal your hat, and thunderstorms rolling in proving nature itself has a real flair for the dramatic. I was over the moon about the chance for storm light over Badwater Basin (282 feet below sea level), but Rhonda wasn’t exactly thrilled about being stuck at the lowest point in the U.S. during a potential flash flood. Go figure. Luckily, I bribed her with lunch at the tiny, middle-of-nowhere outpost of Stovepipe Wells - running water, air conditioning, and decent food can work wonders. She cooled off, I got the kind of moody desert lighting I usually only dream about, and by the end of the day, we were both smiling. That’s what I call a successful desert date!

Photography Note: This was a quick trip - we were in the Los Angeles area and managed to squeeze in an extra day to visit Death Valley before heading home. With just a single day to explore, we weren’t expecting much - but Death Valley completely exceeded our expectations. Its photographic potential really surprised me, and it’s definitely a place I’d love to return to with more time. Like most landscapes, the weather makes all the difference when it comes to photography. I imagine clear blue skies would make this a much tougher subject - the drama is in the atmosphere.

Three monks seeking enlightenment, or air conditioning... 😉

Sometimes you've got to pull out all the stops on a date...