Valley of Heat and Salt

At long last, late on Thursday afternoon, we made it to the Lower Warm Springs oasis in Saline Valley. After 50 miles of desert driving, hot springs are really the last thing on your mind. But, the palm trees and lawn were quite a sight. When we arrived, men and women lay about on the lawn, in sun and shade....with fly swatters. As we discovered, the flies bite. They were particularly fond of Emily, who was not impressed with them in the least. Two people, a couple who barely spoke the entire time we were there, were soaking in the 104-degree tub. Keep in mind, it's 90 degrees in the shade here, 105 in the sun. They had a shower, and we heard there was a cool tub somewhere, but didn't see it in the immediate vicinity.

We were all rather worn out, but somehow managed to find a good camp spot without dying first, determined the best shade orientation (with the help of Rick and his dog iva), and parked the van. Emily and i collapsed in camp chairs in the shade and couldn't move until the sun went down. Adam set out to get the satellite dish pointed and our various electronic gear plugged in and powered. Many grunts later, he came around the corner of the van to report that it was working. This was a momentous occasion, as it was the first time Adam pointed the dish (the first several tries at home, after many hours, were unsuccessful) without assistance. Since we were all operating at about quarter mast by then, a passerby would not have been able to tell we were celebrating anything.

At about dusk, the infamous but as yet unseen (by me during the 4 times i've been to death Valley) feral burros tromped into the camp. iva (our neighbor Rick's dog), being a fiercely loyal Healer, made a ferocious little scene and kept them at a distance. At the tubs, about 100 feet from our campsite, there were signs warning of extensive burro damage if the night gates were not closed to keep them out of the springs area. We set up our roll-up camp table and got the outdoor stove working after turning it upside down. We had chicken stir-fry for dinner. Emily had the novel idea of marinating the chicken in our vanilla cognac. it turned out nicely.

We spent Friday mostly being acutely aware of sweat rolling down our bodies. during the morning and early afternoon, we stayed in the van to avoid the sun and the biting flies at the springs. Emily is allergic to grass, making the lawn option beset with two discomforts, not outweighed by the shade. We moved as little as possible: fingers on keyboards, knitting needles, sewing needles, seam rippers, etc. Late in the afternoon, Rick offered to show us where the cool pool was. We had forgotten about it entirely since he told us about it the day before, mentioning that he takes his dog for a swim in it. He assured us there was very little dog hair. Hidden underneath low desert brush was a two-foot deep, 80-degree pool. it was heaven. We suddenly felt glee instead of heat oppression. We stayed in it for about an hour.

That night, we discovered that the refrigerator in the van had gone on strike (we think it was the heat). Realizing our fresh food (including some uncooked meat) had little life left if any, discussion ensued as to how long we were willing to withstand the trials of this place. Too hot to hike except at night, too hot to go in the springs except at night, too hot to keep our food viable, too hot to sleep well, biting flies to keep us away from the shade of the palm trees...we finally resolved to hit the road as early as possible the next morning. We packed everything that night and awoke at 5:30. in the dim light, and by the moon, i could take in the beauty of the landscape. Mountains everywhere, lavender in the new light, encircling the flat, white valley floor, dotted with the small green leaves of creosote bush.

On the drive out, we discovered the namesake of this valley: a large saline lake, thronged with birds. We wended our way up Grapevine Canyon and stopped by a small stream to feel the cool air, and to take pictures of green bugs on cactus pads and each other. As trying as our first visit to Saline Valley was, i was sad to leave. i would love to return in April.