Visiting the Dead

Stopping at the cemetery of Joshua Trees

Burned Joshua Trees

Traveling from one ocean to the other, taking time to bear witness to the land, not just through our eyes but also through our feet (and paws), tends to imprint the traveler's soul.

Edward Abbey, desert rat, and author of Desert Solitaire and other titles wrote, "You can't see anything from a car; you've got to get out of the goddamn contraption and walk, better yet crawl, on hands and knees, over the sandstone and through the thornbrush and cactus. When traces of blood begin to mark your trail, you'll see something, maybe."

Okay, admittedly, we're not crawling when we visit these varying landscapes, but there have been moments when I've been brought to my knees. This is due to dizziness and reverence. Prayer had me on my knees on the scorched earth of Cima Dome this past week. We'd come to pay our respects.

I know I've said this before, but this was the best day on our coddiwomple yet. We began with a walk in the Red Rock Canyon area outside of Las Vegas. A simple f…