#BACK OF MY MIND CRACKED#

That evening, we enjoyed a warm soak in the steaming pools until the first stars began to wink at us. The Summer Lake basin is a sacred place to local Indigenous tribes, and we began to feel the quiet majesty and a desire to conserve it, and precious water is at the heart of its survival. As we gazed toward the horizon, through the dusty haze, we could see the faint shimmer of water, but could not estimate how far away the lake began, as water scarcity changed its perimeter and threatened its ecosystem.

We followed a small path, which descended from dirt mounds and dried washes.

The rattlesnake was a good reminder to stay watchful as we walked toward the lake bed. Our dogs were curious, but we kept them away from the reptile, allowing it to pass through. As we approached the path, a juvenile Western rattlesnake slid past us carefully. Once parking our truck near our camp spot, we decided to walk to the 15-mile-long alkali lake bed.

#BACK OF MY MIND CRACKED#

When we arrived at the rustic bathhouse in front of Summer Lake, pale dust clouds whirled across the bed as heat radiated onto the cracked earth and dried cheatgrass. We hoped that we would see other wildlife, although we became unsure of that when we saw what drought and extensive water usage had done to the land. Winter Ridge, dappled with snow, towered over the Summer Lake basin as we continued down the highway closer to the wildlife refuge. A small group of pronghorn antelope grazed casually near an old farmhouse their pretty tan patterns and perked ears caught our eyes as we drove past. The weather was perfect sunny and 60s with a breeze. My partner Katie, a carpenter, is also an avid outdoors lover, and together we enjoy road trips and exploring all parts of the Pacific Northwest, and especially the desert.ДЄs we left the hustle of Bend, we watched the change from verdant pastures and ponderosa pines to a nearly treeless expanse under a bright blue heaven. Something about the desert continues to call me over and over again. I work in healthcare, and being in nature helps me heal and decompress. We were in an impressionable state of mind, as we drove south on Highway 31 toward Summer Lake Hot Springs this past March. While we await the official first-week figures for H.E.R.'s debut album Back of My Mind, check out one of the album's most popular singles, 'Come Through' with Chris Brown.Author: Medina Glenn | Published: J| Category: My Desert Adventure What's even more exciting is that herВ early album sales and streams have her fighting for the sixth spot on the Billboard 200, which would mark her highest placement on the chart to date. The singer-songwriter's last project, I Used to Know Her, moved just 8,700 album-equivalent units, so if H.E.R.'s current sales projections hold, she willВ quadrupleВ the first-week sales ofВ her previous effort. According to DJ Akademiks,В early sales projections revealВ that H.E.R.'s long-awaited debut album will move approximately 34,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.ДЄt first glance,В H.E.R.'s tentative first-week sales may not look like much compared to theВ mega releases as of late, but the projections actuallyВ represent significant commercial growth for the Grammy-winning artist.

Back of my mind