Sold-Out Crowd in the Middle of Nowhere
Plus - a P-22 Stamp, Incoming Superblooms, a Flip-phone Renaissance, and more
howdy
I wonder what it is about rugged, inhospitable landscapes that draw some of our most sensitive and creative souls. Maybe there’s something about the isolation that allows someone to look inward to tap their creative forces. And maybe there’s something about the barrier of a difficult journey that means that only like-minded people make it out to visit and connect, helping to filter out unnecessary distractions.
One such isolated artist is having their 55th anniversary celebration this weekend – Marta Beckett, formerly of Death Valley Junction.
Born in 1924, Marta was a ballerina who had danced on Broadway, but was so enchanted by her travels in the remote inhospitable land on the California-Nevada border that she gave up life in New York City and moved to a literal ghost town in 1967. She and her husband purchased and restored an old hulking community center built for the Pacific Borax Company to become what she called the Amargosa Opera House and Amargosa Hotel.
Marta lived and worked in the hotel, painting murals on the wall and welcoming errant visitors. She built sets, designed costumes, and performed regular dance recitals – even to empty audiences. Because she didn’t always have people in the seats, she painted an elaborate audience on the walls and ceiling of her theater to keep her company.
Writers from National Geographic happened to stumble upon one of these no-audience shows in 1970 and an article brought increased attention to the Opera House. Red Skelton and Ray Bradbury came to see performances. Marta performed regularly for over 40 years. Her last show was in 2012 and she passed away in 2017.
On a road trip late last year, I finally had the chance to visit Death Valley Junction for myself. You can still rent rooms at the hotel, and at set times the staff will take you into the theater for a tour. The paintings inside the theater are – in every sense of the word – stunning. It is a testament to one woman’s vision and the strength of her artistic drive, and it is impossible to leave without a sense of awe and reverence.
A seat in the front row of the theater is still reserved for Marta. One of her dresses is draped lightly atop the cushions, with a bouquet of Marta’s favorite flowers replaced once a year. One performance of this weekend’s anniversary dance recital is already sold out, proving Marta’s spirit lives on in this incredibly special place, even as the buildings themselves slowly crumble back to the desert soil.
It's a hardscrabble, tough life for those who work here to keep Marta’s vision a beacon in the desert. The buildings need millions of dollars of renovation, and I don’t know how much longer this place will be here. Like all things, if you’ve been meaning to visit, my advice is to go sooner rather than later.
In the hotel lobby, one of Marta’s paintings envisions a potential future – the crumbled columns of her home being slowly swallowed by the dunes. I hope the stage continues to entertain, but at some point this ghost town may only be occupied by the ghosts of artists and audiences past.
The Big Story
Something to talk about
A Farewell to Desert Lakes?
Have you had the chance to boat on Lake Mead? Consider yourself lucky. Water managers in the Colorado River Basin don’t expect Lake Mead or Lake Powell – the country’s largest reservoirs – to refill “in our lifetimes.” I’ve mentioned some sobering statistics about these man-made lakes on the Colorado River before, but in the year 2000, Lake Mead was nearly full. Today, it’s 70% empty. Lake Powell’s levels are so low that its dam may cease being able to generate electricity.
Even if you don’t visit this area, this will likely affect you. The Colorado River supplies about a quarter of the water for coastal Southern California. And for those of us with historical lenses, it is worth noting that a megadrought like the one we’ve been experiencing for over 20 years is often credited with ending the Ancestral Puebloan civilization in this same area. Via Los Angeles Times.
Your Parks
Your Places
Dark Desert Skies
If you visit one of our beautiful desert parks, they’ll often tell you seeing the landscape during the day is really only half of the picture. This weekend, Death Valley National Park is holding its annual spring Dark Sky Festival, which is full of auditorium presentations, nighttime star parties, astrophotography meetups and more from February 10-12. More information and a full schedule are available here.
I have had the pleasure of attending some stargazing talks inside the park and they are truly incredible. If you can’t make this festival, be sure to check for the regular programs the next time you’re spending a night!
Wildlife Crossing
Wildlife and the Outdoors
The King is Dead
I flew down to Los Angeles last week to attend the P-22 Celebration of Life at the Greek Theatre in Griffith Park. Like many Angelenos, I’d been moved and honestly shocked by the discovery of P-22 in the park. During my work writing for Modern Hiker and especially writing Discovering Griffith Park, I was also lucky enough to really get to know many of the scientists and advocates who had worked with and around what became the most famous mountain lion in the world.
Like many, I found myself surprisingly moved at the news of P-22’s death, and the in-person memorial service had a similar effect on me. I was teary-eyed and inspired, and heartened to see that P-22’s legend is now being used to inspire wildlife crossings all across the country. It’s a fitting tribute. Read more on the event at the Washington Post …
and be sure to learn how you can help P-22 get on a US postage stamp, too!
Leafing Out
Plants!
Bracing for Blooms
Many parts of the West have had a very wet winter – this is good! This increased precipitation has led many to expect a large wildflower bloom – this is good, too! But human behavior during so-called superbloom events? Oh, this is very not good, generally!
Even though blooms aren’t really there yet, the Riverside County city of Lake Elsinore has already closed off roads and trailheads near Walker Canyon in preparation of superbloom tourist floods. In 2019, the city experienced a chaotic season that snarled traffic along the 15 freeway and caused damage to the hillsides. To the north, in the Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve, a couple landed a helicopter in the middle of the protected poppy fields – a story that still gets my blood boiling 4 years later.
I will of course remind you that every bloom is super, and if you want to maintain your sanity and / or your faith in humanity, if you see a hiking area included in a report of superbloom sites – go somewhere else.
Dry January Update
Hi my name is Casey and it’s been 40 Days since I went on a Social Media Dry January
Hey! Just checking in on this to note that yes, I made it the entire month of January without social media. And no, I really don’t miss it at all. Having that endless scroll time back has allowed me to do a lot more personal writing, keep up this newsletter (hey, I’m still on a weekly roll here!), and currently I am working two full time entertainment jobs and I honestly don’t really think I would have time to keep posting stuff right now anyway.
I do genuinely hope we are reaching a time when we can go back to existing without this stuff. And selfishly, I hope that if I can find my way into the communications department of a great outdoor org (check my resume!), managing stupid social media feeds will not be a part of my work duties.
We have a ways to go, but there is good news on the horizon. The New York Times has been milking a story about Brooklyn teens who have ditched smartphones for fliphones for some time now, but there is a very good audio interview with the movement’s key figure Logan Lane that’s just been posted. You can also find it in the newspaper’s ‘First Person’ podcast series. Lane is both a regular teenager and someone who has a great degree of clarity and honesty on this issue.
Growing up, a lot of my adult relatives smoked. I kind of wonder if being on our phones all the time is going to be something very similar for Gen Z.
One More Thing
Oh yeah, before I go …
If you’ve been enjoying this weekly experiment in outdoor news and writing, can I humbly ask you consider supporting me with a paid subscription?
A monthly subscription is just $7 a month – that’s less than $2 a week. If this newsletter makes you smile or teaches you about something you didn’t know or gets you to an event you love, surely it’s worth the price of a stale gas station drip coffee, right?
I am very happy that a surprisingly big chunk of you have already signed up to support this newsletter. I genuinely am enjoying putting it together each week, but it does take time and work to do. Right now, I’ve got about 8,500 subscribers (yay!). If just 5% of you to chip in, that will ensure I keep this project going and have enough time to roll out new features for subscribers like live chats, extra content, and other goodies.
This is the eighth week I’ve put out a weekly newsletter – if you’ve been digging it, please consider keeping it going with a paid subscription!
Until then, happy trails.
Thank you for this sweet and respectful story. I hope it doesn't bring in hordes of visitors. These days, we take a risk every time we write or publish about a magical place on the internet. I don't see a resolution to this dilemma.