the security of flimsy curtains

eitan amongst the stars at valley of the gods

Valley of the Gods was amazing. Our very first *boondocking (dry camping) experience. We basically owned the valley and had the entire universe to ourselves. We could see buttes named Sitting Hen, Battleship and Seven Sailors from our spot. From a distance, we could see the famous Monument Valley. 

Then came night. It was unnerving. When our first night came, I told the boys I'd be going outside to take photos of Milky Way and that it'd be safe, unlike Goblin Valley. I went out and as soon as I did, darkness enveloped me.  I skedaddled back into Mer faster than a cheetah with the chill of fear racing down my spine. I went in and slammed the door in a haste, my boys looked at me and were puzzled. 

"It's too cold." (it wasn't)

I went to my bedroom and saw that all of my curtains were not drawn, I suddenly felt like all the spirits, energies and animals were staring at me. Hair rose at the back of my neck, I quickly closed all those thin fabrics curtains and all was right again. I felt safer. Really.

valley of the gods with the starry nights- Sitting Hen butte on the right, Castle Rock Butte on the left

Eitan knew how much I wanted to take night shots, especially after that epic fail at Goblin Valley. He asked me if we could bundle up in warm clothes and that he wanted to join me this time.  I told him, "honestly, I am scared, it's too dark." He went through our drawers and picked up the sharpest knife and said, "here, I'll watch your back."

eitan asked to pose, he wanted him with the stars.

it was a lot safer, thanks to the knife

ikea, $2.99

This particular photo reminds me so much of Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods." There was a part where he heard a bear rummaging through their stuff right next to their tent. He was so terrified and the only thing that made him feel SO safe was his nail clippers. 

The end result of photoshooting in the middle of nowhere? We felt safer. 

milky way and the Seven Sailors butte

Besides the ridiculous fear of the dark, it was amazing.
 
We spent our 3 days there doing nothing. We played outside, we hiked a bit, we slept, we played games, we watched a movie and we hung out. The boys even got to play with the camera, learned how to use Lightroom for editing and made movies.

original photo

aidan's edit called the magic morning, "I created three special features to get this effect."

eitan went for the cold and bold hues

I'll let the photos show you what our days looked like.

Oisin, the fire bringer

north view of valley of the gods, sitting hen and castle rock buttes

it was the kind of dirt we didn't mind rolling around in

oisin directed a short video (see below) he wanted to show what we do with our rv lifestyle

Oisin's movie

oisin and aidan gathered tumbleweeds for our fire

theo purr, we are gonna miss him when he finds his forever home

self portrait

oisin with his homemade harry potter wand

beginning of the magic hour

the gods' sunset (our last night)

with a fire pit comes lotsa smores

good night, valley of the gods, may my boys forever remember you

we ended our last night enjoying the campfire, smores and the sunset. I have to confess tho, as soon as it got dark, the chicken shit in me emerged and we went straight into Mer, with curtains drawn.

*boondock means rv camping without any hookups, no water, no electricity or sewage- which usually means docking on federal land, aka: BLM (Bureau Land of Management)