Death Valley Ed

Ed’s plan was to ride an electric bicycle across Death Valley. He wanted his wife to drop him off on one side and pick him up on the other. In between he’d ride, set up camp, and write. He’d suffered a heart attack several years ago, looked into beyond, and it didn’t scare him any more. Having been to the other side of that dark mountain., what better place than Death Valley to get the time and space and solitude to write about his new found convictions?

Imagine being so self contained that you could stop and write whenever the muse struck. Being out there alone with the vast distance, the sun and stars. Free from the constant interruptions, the pushes and pulls of living in town.

Even better, technology had vastly improved. Electric bicycles were now the rage. Fat tires for rock and sand, extra strong frame to carry adequate supplies, power assist to help with the effort. Forty miles between recharges. The army had developed a solar panel blanket in a backpack. You just spread it out and hook it up to recharge your electric bike, your GPS, your cell phone, your low watt light and your light weight computer.

Admittedly, the plan was not without holes. How could it carry enough water for several days? Worse, Ed was getting on. In fact he’d crashed it once on city streets. Maybe he’d get in trouble out there. Maybe the stress on his body would be too much. What about equipment breakdown? What if he got lost despite all his planning? Wouldn’t a cheap motel in Desert Hot Springs work as well? But imagine, riding through Death Valley and emerging on the other side. Still, I wondered what his wife thought about this plan.

Kendall Johnson

I am a former trauma specialist, having spent time on scene in multiple catastrophic incidents as a consultant.In fact, I visited the UK some years ago at the request of Elizabeth Capewell of the Centre for Crisis Management and Education in Newbury, Berkshire. I've written a number of professional books on crisis and trauma, the most notable being Trauma in the Lives of Children, Hunter House Publishers. Lately I've been writing poetry, fiction, and Creative Non Fiction. In fact, I managed to co-author a poetry book with John Brantingham titled A Sublime and Tragic Dance about

Robert Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project.