Ubehebe Crater is the north end of the tourist circuit. It is the end of the paved road. Beyond this point, a sign on the road to Tea Kettle Junction and Racetrack Playa warns of a rough track and recommends bringing two spare tires! The desert is all around in Death Valley but the paved roads and park infrastructure give the illusion of security, despite the reality of the place. Have your car fail on a summer day and try to walk out for help before sundown… well you aren’t likely to make it!

We were witness to the mechanisms of evolutionary selections at the crater: Whole families, parents and children would eagerly descend the soft dirt trail down 700 feet into the crater without a thought in their heads. Most times they had no hats, carried no water and had not a thought of what they were getting into. We watched the drama from the rim. They were usuaully pretty miserable on the return trips. I thought how far we’ve come from being aware and in harmony with our environment. This kind of behavior would have rapidly gotten these individuals out of the gene pool in the past. Is it likely to do so in the future? Maybe so for whole populations…

Janet’s painting triggers this long series of memories and associations, as well as powerfully evoking the place itself!

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