The search for the Death Valley Germans

[jage]

Originally Posted by Ocsmb

what is the allure of the desert unless there is some amazing (subjective of course) feature/monument/etc.

The fact that it's desert, and that there are not a bunch of slack jawed tourists looking at what is declared an amazing monument in a book, after arriving by bus and paved path; but so many amazing things to discover and see on your own. But desert covers a wide variety of landscapes from my yard to, say, Death Valley which in itself has a multitude of different landscapes. I'm a big fan of big sand, weathered geology, and desert animals myself. I'm not so much a fan of, say, Nevada desert outside Las Vegas.

I guess it comes down to looking out and going, "that's fricking amazing" whether it's Great Sand Dunes NP, a dime sized gecko on the window, or an endless field of Joshua Trees.

[BajaSportsmobile]

Originally Posted by Ocsmb

I just read the whole thing from start to finish. Thanks for the words of encouragement. Well written, riveting and ultimately extremely sad. Gives me the chills just imagining for a split second what it would feel like had that been me and my family stranded out there.

No solo desert trips for me!!! Meaning, Ill only go if there's at least one other more capable rig.

Btw - speaking from complete ignorance, what is the allure of the desert unless there is some amazing (subjective of course) feature/monument/etc.

Somewhere in the deep recesses of the human spirit resides the bases of instincts for survival and the threads of the "Fight or Flight" instinct. RISK - it is what keeps us tuned and alert. In our modern society we have successfully reduced the perceived risks in our lives to just about nil. We have tried to make everything so safe and eliminate all risk in our lives to the point that the human spirit has been weakened and mentally flabby.

I believe we need risk in our lives, to feel alive, to stay tuned, to keep alert.

P.s. The most dangerous activities we all participate in, we all worry the least about - the dangers we worry the most about are the least statistically dangerous. It is all about perceived levels of control.

[Ford_6L_E350]

Once you relax and learn to appreciate nature's beauty is everywhere then, the desert is as spectacular as the mountains and lakes. And since it is so difficult to live there most of us will never come to view it as 'every day scenery'.

When I first traveled through Death Valley, I was thinking: What forced the early pioneers to come this way? What hardships had they faced to make this seem like the right thing to do? I've come to love the desert and have been to DV 30+ times.

Mike

[EMrider]

The writeup about how the lost German tourists were eventually found is a great read.

Especially interesting is how the guy deduced in which direction they had started walking in hopes of rescue.

R

[Viejo]

Originally Posted by Ocsmb

Btw - speaking from complete ignorance, what is the allure of the desert unless there is some amazing (subjective of course) feature/monument/etc.

Sometimes 'nothing' is what you're looking for. Like being alone in a boat on the open ocean. When there's nothing out there to see, you can turn your gaze inward and see new things.

We like our solitude and if we went to some scenic monument there would sure to be some other fools there gazing it. I'd rather park in a featureless sea of sagebrush, step out at night and see not a single man made light; then look up and watch the universe wheel overhead. If you find the right spot, there won't even be airliners marring the sky.

[Ford_6L_E350]

Germans have another reason to like the desert.

The reason starts long ago when Romans ruled most of Europe. Men were conscripted into the Roman Legions. Death was the penalty for desertion. So, many who deserted went to great lengths to ensure they would not be found. As a consequence, there is no place in Germany (and most of Europe) that you can get away from everyone. Go as far as you want up a remote valley and someone lives there. And no expanse of open land anywhere. The Southwest desert is about as far removed from that as you can get in a civilized country.

When I had some German friends visiting they wanted to go to Death Valley. At one point we were on a highway that went straight as far as the eye could see, and Gert had to lay down in the middle of the road and take a picture of a sight that will never be seen in Europe.

Why they seem to revel in the heat is beyond me.

Mike

[Ocsmb]

Lets clear this up - desert and deserted are not always mutually inclusive. I know I'm chopping the English language here. What the hell is the term to describe two circles that meet at 2 points? Grrrr...

I'm assuming how/where you were raised probably has a lot of influence on where your curiosity lies and ultimately where you point your rig.

So Cal is my natural habitat so I'm drawn to locations with water features like billions of other weekend warriors.

This would be an interesting topic.

What are your 3 top criteria for smb destination planning and list them in order 1) being most important 3) being least.

1) roads I'm comfortable traveling. I have wife, infant and toddler to be considerate of so when they're in tow I'm less risk adverse.
2) Water features (lake, stream, river, ocean, waterfall, snow etc).
2) Potential activities at destination (snowboard, hike, fish, swim etc).

[Ocsmb]

Mike, that makes a lot of sense. DV is probably seen as the last frontier for some of them.

[Ocsmb]

Originally Posted by BajaSportsmobile

Somewhere in the deep recesses of the human spirit resides the bases of instincts for survival and the threads of the "Fight or Flight" instinct. RISK - it is what keeps us tuned and alert. In our modern society we have successfully reduced the perceived risks in our lives to just about nil. We have tried to make everything so safe and eliminate all risk in our lives to the point that the human spirit has been weakened and mentally flabby.

I believe we need risk in our lives, to feel alive, to stay tuned, to keep alert.

P.s. The most dangerous activities we all participate in, we all worry the least about - the dangers we worry the most about are the least statistically dangerous. It is all about perceived levels of control.

Your last statement has a lot to do with frequency, however.

[vwteleman]

Originally Posted by Ocsmb

I know I'm chopping the English language here. What the hell is the term to describe two circles that meet at 2 points? Grrrr...

Venn diagram.