Death Valley Junction, CA

Today I was offered a used iPhone for free. It's in mint condition, yet, I'm conflicted. Holding it in one hand and my dumbphone in the other, I began to compare and wonder about things far beyond its extra weight. If a majority of the population has a smartphone in the future, will we communicate more through images and less with language? Will language matter less and less in a foreign country when I can Google and point to an image of what I'm trying to eat or visit? I wonder how many more pictures the internet has since smartphones? Does the internet really need another travel blog with tons of pictures? Nope, I wasn't exaggerating when I wrote, "far beyond" :)

Seriously though, the internet is practically a Chuck Close painting. It doesn't need a "new" perspective when my perspective has mostly likely been captured and uploaded in the time it takes me to write a post because of my technological deficiency. Consequently, I'm only going to share one image per location. Thankfully you only need one picture to capture Death Valley Junction, its junction, and its main attraction, the Amargosa Hotel. Nope, still not exaggerating.

Yeah, I was joking (or lying, your choice), but my other option was starting a scrapbook. How am I going to continue to travel light and lug my scrapbooking supplies in one carry-on? Exactly. Or, I could live somewhere remote and have the world come to me like Marta Becket. I know it's annoying to click on a link for more information, but please do. Her story is best learned in her own words. If you're stubborn or pressed for time, this paraphrase from Wikipedia might compel you eventually:

"A Broadway ballerina and her husband were on a way to an engagement in 1967 when, due to a flat tire, she discovered a theater in Death Valley Junction and decided to stay. After repairing the theater she began to perform a one-woman show and has been doing so since."

Her story sounds fairly ordinary in the grand scheme of things. Plenty of people fall in love with a place and start afresh, but if you Google or ever visit Death Valley Junction then you'll know why her story is fascinating. The "town" is in the middle of the desert. There's one functioning building (the hotel/opera house) and two derelict ones. That's it, nothing more. Not even a gas station. The community may have been an oasis in the 1900's but certainly not when Marta and her husband decided to move here.

During our stay I wanted to ask her an infinite number of questions, but sadly she wasn't greeting any visitors due to her frail age. Instead, one of the maids gave us a tour of the opera house. As soon as I stepped in Marta's passion answered all of my questions. She built her dreams and they came, and when they didn't come, she built them. Marta performed her show three times a week for 44 years. Being in the desert, she often performed to an empty audience. To resolve this she decided to paint one. As the years passed, word spread, and eventually, they materialized.

Why do we doubt faith when it's so powerful? Maybe because we often forget what brings us true joy, so our faith is ephemeral. Wouldn't it be nice if we really did have an alarm clock that ran on happiness? Something that would jolt us awake when we are following bliss. In turn, we'll know and do more it.

We spent the night watching her videotaped performances. It felt surreal, to me at least. Partly because I didn't think it was possible. I didn't think you can spend your entire life following your bliss. Marta proved me wrong and I'm sure everyone else who stays at The Famous Amargosa Hotel.

Length of Stay

One night

Docking Index

    

4 anchors sadly. Looking up facts for this post I learned that Marta gave her last performance on March 8, 2012. Without her performances, I'm not certain how the community will survive. (Christ! I just wrote an entire paragraph on faith and I clearly don't have any. No wonder I can't dive into anything.)