Last month I took a roadtrip to Death Valley And LA, CA. It was a 6 day 1500 mile trip and my issues with depression, anxiety, panic, chronic fatigue, gastrointestinal and sciatica let me know they were along for the ride. This was a last minute trip. I wanted to see and photograph the shallow lake that formed at Badwater because of all the rain they had gotten. Usually, Badwater is a dry salt bed. Even though I was excited and prepared for the trip, I was uncomfortable the whole time.
I also wanted to do some night photography with the landscape and the stars. I had it planned but because I did so much driving in a short period of time, I was too tired to stay out that late. There aren't very many places to stay around Death Valley. The closest one I could afford was 75 miles away. So, I had 150 mile roundtrip, about 90 minutes each way to my hotel. I didn't want to drive that far at night fatigued.
I have been having a lot of GI issues, bloating, gas, feeling really full, so much so that it makes it hard to take a deep breath. Sitting in a car for hours didn't help. I would not eat much before driving but that contributed to the fatigue. Then I would get anxious and panic that I was going to pass out and start getting shortness of breath. Most of where I was driving were 2 lane highways in the middle of nowhere. I feared getting stuck or having some kind of emergency and not being able to get help. It was rough. I did feel better once I got to the places and started taking pictures. But, overall I was miserable. Obviously I got through it without and major problems.
After Death Valley, I drove to Disneyland. You would think that I would forget all my troubles in the happiest place on earth, wrong! The GI, sciatica and fatigue were strong as ever and I could only last a few hours a day. I didn't really go an any rides because I was so sore. I concentrated on getting the photos I wanted. The 2nd day it rained, so I stayed in the hotel room and got some much needed rest. I spent the following morning at Disneyland, went back to the hotel for the rest of the day and went home the next morning. I really should have planned these as separate trips but that would have been more expensive.
Overall, picture wise, the trip was a success. I was able to create the photos I had planned, except for the night photos. I will post a few of the photos.
Here is the 1st Death Valley photo of the Badwater lake in black & white infrared. I hope you like it.
#Depression #Anxiety #PanicDisorder #ArtTherapy #ChronicFatigue
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