Isabella Bird Miscellany

death valley, california - may 2017 During my journey in the desert, I had the comfort of writing.  I wrote of activities and sites. I wrote descriptive phrases for photos. I wrote pieces of poetry that express more than pages and pages in my journals. These words, I think I’ll keep close as they teach me a way to live in awareness and mindfulness. I hope  you, too will find some inspiration in the silent sounds of the desert. chartreuse desert bloom encircled with thorns I hear the silent sounds of the desert crickets, a few birds, my breath it’s a quiet more quiet than switching off everyday sounds At times I must strain to hear my own heartbeat or eyes blink listening with intention, I begin to hear a beetle in the sand; shuffling like old feet a bee’s wings as it pauses for nectar on a cactus blossom I hear the words of the one who created the zephyr that kicks at the sand; drying my very soul it is the

desert road, open spaces, extra large sky I love the freedom of road trips; stopping when you want, turning on a side road or adding an extra day to a particular place just because you can. The freedom of the road is romanticized in novels and movies, but some of those depictions are reality when traveling with your love and best friend. stokes castle, austin nevada We left early afternoon, and after pushing through the Oregon high desert with water levels equally high and wildlife abundant, we stopped for the night in Austin, Nevada. It’s a small, mostly boarded up, for sale town wedged on the side of the Toiyabe Mountains. Austin is mostly dead and abandoned, but not in a cool ghost town sort of way. Its rugged beauty though, includes a castle, stories of colorful silver miners and hiking, biking and other desert exploring stuff.  big smoky valley,  lonely and lovely Leaving, we dropped into the Big Smoky Valley on the Loneliest Highway in Americ