Zabriskie Point

I was fascinated by the area known as Zabriskie Point near Death Valley in California.I was attracted there by a similarly named film by the Italian film maker Michelangelo Antonioni. It was set in the hippie movement of the late 60's. Though beautiful it has dated badly and it's politics are fag packet Marxism.

Zabriskie point was named after a mining company owner - Borax was extracted in the area. Zabriskie point has a eerie erosional landscape . It used to be a lake bed long since dried up. The sediments from the lake bed gave the area the strange lunar landscape.

Death Valley and its surrounds have the reputation as a harsh inhospitable place . The Valley was given its current grim moniker by gold rush prospectors. Prior to the gold rush it was known as Tumpisa by the Timbisha Shoshine tribe. Tumpisa means rock paint and derives from the red clay found in the valley.

The Native American tribe have lived in the area over a millennia . Unlike the gold rush prospectors they have found the area manageable. They have flourished and hold the place sacred.My wife and I found similar. Despite the heat we found the place magical and oddly life affirming.