I camped last night in the isolated Mesquite Campground in Death Valley National Park. It's five miles from Scotty's Castle at about 2,500 feet in the lonely northern corner of the park. You can see my campsite in the photo. Last night before I went to bed, I stepped outside to see the stars. The nearest town is 50 miles away and it's tiny. So there was no artificial light to interfere with Mother Nature. Above me were a million stars. The Milky Way actually looked milky, like a high thin cloud. There were four other RVs scattered in the campground, but, like mine, they were dark. So on this night, all I could see were stars with the exception of a few distant planes, their strobe lights blinking like pin-point-sized flash bulbs.
As my eyesight adjusted to the darkness, more stars appeared. The only sound was the wind. It was magnificent!
I envy you Chuck! Even though I can see the stars pretty well from my home in the outskirts of Payson, Arizona, I know it can be even better star-gazing from a spot like the one here. "No evidence of civilization" is a great place to be.
ReplyDeleteI had a similar experience sailing across Lake Michigan one night with the only sound was the lapping of the waves against the hull and the only things that could be seen were the stars. I laid on the bench looking up and it was almost a religious experience.
ReplyDeleteRichard