“We were wise indeed, could we discern truly the signs of our own time; and by knowledge of its wants and advantages, wisely adjust our own position in it. Let us, instead of gazing idly into the obscure distance, look calmly around us, for a little, on the perplexed scene where we stand. Perhaps, on a more serious inspection, something of its perplexity will disappear, some of its distinctive characters and deeper tendencies more clearly reveal themselves; whereby our own relations to it, our own true aims and endeavors in it, may also become clearer.” ~ Thomas Carlyle

Photographed just after sunrise at Zabriskie Point, which is Perhaps the most famous Death Valley viewpoint; an elevated overlook of a huge area of yellow-brown-black badlands, with the white salt flats in the main valley beyond. The landscape can be seen from short walks near the viewpoint, or a longer hike towards Golden Canyon, which lies behind the inspiring peak seen here, known as Manley Beacon.