In “A New Hope,” R2-D2 is captured on the desert planet Tatooine by Jawas in a region called the Jundland Wastes. The scene was filmed in the Golden Canyon in Death Valley in 1976, and the park rangers’ children played the Jawas!I never thought I would be in the same spot where parts of Star Wars had been filmed, but now that famous phrase “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” was not just words on a screen any more. Death Valley was the first stop on our trip out west in December 2019, although Las Vegas was our primary destination.

Death Valley was only 2 hours from Las Vegas, and we got up early Sunday morning since we were still on eastern time. We drove through the Spring Mountains west of Las Vegas and marveled at the stark wilderness: only rocks, shrubs and snow as far as I could see! Once we left Las Vegas, there was literally no sign of civilization, aside from the highway and power lines, until we reached Pahrump an hour later. We only passed through one other tiny village before we reached Death Valley ($30 for a 7-day pass).

Zabriskie Point was actually our first stop in the park, and it felt like we were on a different planet (which is why so many science-fiction movies have been shot there, including my beloved Star Wars!). The sky was the widest I’d seen since my last trip out west about 20 years ago, and the valley was unnervingly flat. It was a psychological shock and it took me at least a day to adjust. You can see for miles in Death Valley which is certainly not the case in Cincinnati or any of the other places I’ve visited.

After arriving at Zabriskie Point,we got out of the car, and suddenly I felt horribly exposed. My hands were sweaty, and I felt like I could be swept off the ground at any moment. The 2004 film “the Forgotten” seems to have made an impression on me, in particular the malevolent force that hurled people into the atmosphere whenever the heroine got close to finding out the truth.

Although unsettling, Death Valley was incredibly beautiful as well. The distant mountains looked like a painting or a movie studio backdrop. Nataliya and I walked up to the top of Zabriskie Point and to get a view of it all. The terrain looked like giants had created furrows by dragging their fingers across it. An array of colors also rippled through the mountains from pale sandy yellow to dark earthy brown – sometimes juxtaposed next to each other. This was only our first stop and we were already flabbergasted! We got back in the car and I immediately felt more at ease.

We drove down to the visitor’s center where we asked for some suggested trails and learned that a ranger would soon be leading a geology hike in the Golden Canyon. We hoped back in the car and a few minutes later we were at Golden Canyon. This was the location where the R2-D2 seen was shot with the Jawas in the Jundland Wastes.

The ranger who led the hike was very engaging and knowledgeable. He explained all about the geology and history of Death Valley as well as the tremendous forces and time span that ultimately created the impressive landscape. The ranger said the powerful process and beautiful results made him feel humble and frightened – I agree! I reflected on the immense scope of the natural world and how insignificant our relatively brief human lives seem in comparison to planet Earth. Never mind the rest the of the universe! Human history is only a tiny blip on the cosmic scale.

On a side note, there’s a very interesting approach towards teaching history called the Big History method, where the class starts with the Big Bang and finishes with modern history. It’s an excellent way to create a multi-disciplinary class that covers geology, biology, history and chemistry, among other topics. And since I’m not a Renaissance man, the best approach is to invite a bunch of guest lecturers to address the various specialties (which coincidentally means less work for me).

It was also thrilling to walk in the same canyon where R2-D2 had once rolled. I have been a Star Wars fan nearly my entire life. The educational hike only went about half a mile into Golden Canyon, and we decided to continue to the landmark known as the Red Cathedral. The trail is also part of a longer loop that can add on another 3 to 8 miles depending on how far you want to go.

The trail was moderately busy and not very strenuous, until the very end, which had a steep incline up to the top of the Red Cathedral. The overlook was completely exposed, and I was turned back twice when anxiety overtook me. I eventually overcame my fear. My 3 years of continuous cancer treatment have taught me not to take anything for granted. I intend to return to Death Valley sooner rather than later, but I realized I might never have the chance (for numerous unforeseen reasons). I did not want to let my fear get the better of me, so I scrambled up to the top. However, I was so anxious that I could only take in the awesome sight through the viewfinder of my smartphone camera. I scrambled back down the hill in a crab-walk. Nataliya had been waiting for me and climbed up when I got back. We then returned to the trail-head together.

Next, we stopped at Badwater Salt Flats which is the lowest point in North America (282 feet below sea level). The salt flats were still slightly unnerving since I could see further in any direction than I could remember before. The Badwater trail is very flat, but it’s possible to trip over salty protrusions. The salt flats actually look more like a frozen lake with frosty wave crests. The salt flats were a popular destination and only a few parking spots available.

Before heading back to Nevada, we made a slight detour to on to the Artist’s Palette driving tour. This one-way loop takes about 25 minutes and includes several scenic overlooks, but we did not stop (which I slightly regret). The drive does show off some colorful terrain, but it’s not as vibrant as some of the photos I saw online. Perhaps the overlooks had the best views or maybe the sunlight wasn’t favorable. In a day, we saw only a tiny sliver of what Death Valley has to offer, and there are numerous natural wonders to visit next time. I balked when Nataliya said she would come back in 10 years – I think delaying more than a couple years would be travesty!

We might have been able to squeeze in one more quick stop, but we left while we still had sunlight since we had a 2 hour drive back to our resort, the Desert Paradise. It was quiet, affordable and not far from either the Strip or the airport. Most nights we cooked dinner in the condo and packed lunches for the trail. Nataliya is a much more budget conscious traveler than I am.

Apparently, I over did it by forcing myself to ascend the Red Cathedral, because I suffered from a few nightmares Sunday night that interrupted my sleep. I awoke suddenly several times after imaging being stuck exposed and terrified on the slope of the Red Cathedral. I only fell asleep after consciously refocusing my thoughts on the hike I eagerly anticipated Monday morning. I vowed not to push myself too hard in the future.

The next morning, we drove to the nearby suburb of Henderson for a walk back in time. But first, we drove through seemingly endless subdivisions of homes painted in the same limited palette of sandy yellow or brown. A few Italian villas were bizarrely out of place, as were the palm trees that seemed confused and lost.

After 25 minutes of mind-numbing architectural repetition, we arrived at Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area (no fee). Since it was early Monday morning, we had the entire place almost to ourselves – only one other car was parked in the lot. This was one of my most anticipated hikes and it did not disappoint. Only 25 minutes from the Strip, Sloan is often overshadowed by more popular parks such as Red Rock Canyon.

Petroglyph Trail was one of my favorite hikes from the entire trip. It reminded me of an Indiana Jones movie or a Lord of the Rings adventure. We started off on an alternate route called the Cowboy Trail and then came back on the main path. However, the Cowboy Trail was a little easier than the regular route, because we were able to simply hop down from a rock ledge instead of trying to scramble up it if we had gone the “correct” route.

The Cowboy Trail provides a scenic view of Las Vegas (plus the first of many opportunities to test out the panorama function on my smartphone camera) and was very quiet, save for the constant distant rumble from the airport. Only a few birds even chirped at us during the hike, although distant gunfire echoed through the hills as we were leaving. Petroglyph Canyon lives up to its name with hundreds of images, mainly facing towards the interior of the mountains. Petroglyphs are created by scraping or carving into the surface of a rock, as opposed to pictoglyphs which are painted onto rocks.

Native Americans carved the petroglyphs in Sloan Canyon at least 800 years ago. The canyon has very little water so the artists must have only been passing through the area instead of permanent residents. Some of the more abstract images were more difficult to interpret since the alignment and perspective were undefined. We had no idea if we were looking at the image upside down or right side up! Mountain goats were a frequent subject, and they seemed to be very lively! Like the collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art, these simple works of art bridged the gap over centuries as Nataliya and I pondered the meaning of the petroglyphs.

Later, we found a booklet at a gift shop that offered possible interpretations of the images – some of which seem to convey very complex stories or concepts. Sloan is a hidden gem on the outskirts of Las Vegas that has somehow preserved an amazing treasure trove of cultural history. There are a several other trails in the Sloan Canyon park as well, and some of the area is open to cross-country hiking, cycling or horse-back riding.

Our next destination, the Lake Mead National Recreation Area ($25 for 7 days), wasn’t far away either. Lake Mead was created in 1935 when the Hoover Dam was finished. The massive recreation area has numerous hiking trails and other activities, including boating and fishing.

We decided to check out Hoover Dam next, but I stayed in the parking garage while Nataliya grabbed a couple photos. I wasn’t really that interested in seeing a giant dam, and I was chastened by my recent nightmares from Zabriskie Point. After seeing how deep the dam was, I decided not to stress myself out any more than necessary. Nataliya was not impressed and only stayed a few minutes.

We made one more stop at the Historic Railroad Trail at Lake Mead before heading back to the resort. The trail is very flat, easy and uncrowded. The railroad transported construction supplies to nearby Hoover Dam and was later converted into a hiking and biking path. There are five tunnels along the 7.5-mile trail. It provided a scenic view of the Lake and another opportunity to try out the panorama option on my smartphone camera. I was still little uneasy with the vast expanses that confronted me, but much less than on Sunday.

After dinner, we went to the Christmas display at the Ethel M chocolate factory. Located in Henderson, about 20 minutes from the strip, the Ethel M chocolate factory has a 3-acre botanical garden filled with 300 species of cacti and other desert succulents. The garden was decorated for Christmas with lots of colorful lights and was extremely crowded. We went inside to warm up with some hot chocolate. We also tried chocolate-coated marshmallows which were surprisingly good. Nataliya said it was the only time she felt the Christmas spirit even though the holiday was only a few weeks away. We saw a few Christmas trees but back home there was a plethora of inflatable holiday yard decorations and massive light displays. Even for a Monday, the Ethel M store was packed full of people. It’s definitely worth visiting – especially if you love chocolate! Be warned that my GPS had a hard time finding the exact location.

To be continued…