Sand Dunes at Dawn

I left my house after sunset and turned on some music for the trip, it's funny how certain songs sound so much better when driving at night. The desert was masked by darkness, but I knew what was all around me; nothing. I got an eerie feeling, the kind you get when you know there isn't another human being within 20 miles of you. The farther I got from LA the more the stars intensified, as if someone was bumping a dimmer switch, bit by bit. When I arrived I started a small campfire despite the wind trying to hamper my efforts. I sat in my chair and sipped on my flask of Crown Royale while gazing at the stars. When I left the crackling fire to crawl into my sleeping bag, I couldn't help but notice, the silence was deafening.

I woke up about an hour before dawn. It was pitch black and I was surprised at how warm it was for March, I expected it to be freezing cold. I crept out of my tent hoping not to wake any others in the campground. Luckily I had my camera gear all ready to go on the front seat the night before. I held off turning my headlights on as I crept out of camp, my tires crackling over the small rocks beneath them.  It was quiet, no sound at all, only the low hum of my engine as I pulled onto the main road. I liked this, I knew there would be no one there, no one to make me feel like I was a tourist. I wanted it all to myself. I thought about how so much of the amazing connection with nature is lost when there's a crowd. I felt young, the feeling of anticipation as you head towards a new experience rids you of the distractions of adult life. I grabbed my gear, I knew I needed to hurry as I saw the faint glow of sunlight start to grow. 

I got there just in time, as I hiked out to the farthest sand dune I started to smile. Something about the sand falling between your toes and the warm breeze made the hike enjoyable unlike some others I've endured. I set up my gear but had no game plan, I just wanted to shoot what I saw in the moment. I looked around and took a few shots of various angles of sand dunes and a few of the small details found in the desert. What I didn't expect was as I was just about to start hiking back, I saw a sliver of light shine down through the clouds. The light intensified like the stars the night before. It looked like something out of a movie where the hero is illuminated by a beam of light. I grabbed my camera and took as many shots as I could, I didn't want to miss it. Before I took ten shots it was gone.

I believe that I'm the only one that can interpret the events that happen in my own life. After all, those events happened to me and no one else. Almost everything that happens, good or bad, can be a lesson. Now I don't think the clouds parting and exposing this beautiful scene signals some sort of divine message from above, but there was definitely some symbolism in that moment. Maybe if only to say that when you put yourself out there, give yourself the mere opportunity to experience something great, that opportunity just might find you.

I headed down the dunes excited and satisfied. I had what I came here for. Not just some pictures to prove I was there, but a great experience to go with it...