Postmarked April 23, 2013

Leaving the coast of California and heading deeper into the heart of the country, the moisture leaches out of the air. A drive with the windows down leaves a dry tongue licking parched lips; the road ahead disappears into shimmering heat. Surprisingly, California extends far beyond the Sierra Nevadas, encompassing vast tracts of desert and mountainous wasteland that seem alien in their austere beauty. On the border of Nevada lies Death Valley, its soil cracked from lack of water or covered in towering sand dunes. Cacti and the hardiest of plants fight to take root, and the few springs and creeks are brightly marked in an outburst of green. The silence and clarity of the air only adds to the sense of vastness.

Song for the Road: Little Wing, by Stevie Ray Vaughn