Desert Solitude

A year ago my husband and I were car camping in  Death Valley.  The desert surrounded us as far as the eye could see in any direction.  Other than the untraveled dirt road we were parked by, there was no indication of human existence anywhere.  The air was crystal clear, and one could almost hear the silence; occasionally a bird would flit through the scrubby brush , momentarily breaking the complete and overwhelming stillness of the desert.