The Grand View by Steve Bennett

I took this photograph of Aguereberry Point during the soft warm light of the golden hour. The Point, named after Jean Pierre Pete Aguereberry, a French migr who worked at the nearby Eureka mine from 1905 until his passing in 1945, stands 6,433 feet above sea level in the Panamint Range. At the top of the Point, which Aguereberry called The Grand View, you can see Badwater Basin. At first blush, the shimmering basin looks as if its filled with water. Its not. The basin, 282 feet below sea level, consists of salt flats. The scene evoked a sense of awe and the sublime. On the one hand, it brought to mind Shakespeares famous quote, that "the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory." On the other, Aguereberry Point has an undeniable and timeless majesty.