The Kelso Dunes are a must-visit place for nature lovers and adventure seekers. Located in the Mojave National Preserve of California, the dunes offer a stunning view of the vast sand hills surrounded by mountains.

The best time to visit is during the cooler months, as the sand can exceed 140°F in the summer. Trekking up the dunes is a tiring workout, but watching the sunset from the top is worth the effort. Visitors can also enjoy sandboarding, stargazing, and camping.

The above photo was taken from the top of one of the dunes back in May 2020. The trek was challenging, with each step you sink into the sand and lose some ground before your next step toward the top. But I can easily say with this view it truly is worth the effort to get to the top. An endless view of nothing but nature surrounding you. Miles of the desert is in one direction and mountains behind you in the next direction.

The great thing about visiting the dunes for me is the solitude and dark sky. With hardly any other overnight campers I get to enjoy the calmness of being away from the business of my day-to-day area as well as getting away from all the city lights I get to enjoy the night sky. I have come here multiple times since my first trip in 2019 to see the stars and Milky Way. Even bringing many friends for an easy vacation into nature to see the stars. This past weekend I made a trip to the dunes to see the Lyrid Meteor shower, one of our annual meteor showers. While I didn’t see as many as I would have liked, the time away was a great breath of fresh air.

During this trip, I was mostly focused on capturing video and timelapse for some new techniques I have been learning, but I did manage to capture some stand-alone photos that captured my attention. One of them being this first sign below, who would have thought I could find something so normal yet so philosophical at the same time 50-75 miles from the nearest major city?

Rough roads are an inevitable aspect of life. They test our resilience and strength, forcing us to face challenges head-on and find creative solutions. While they may be difficult, they also offer opportunities for growth and transformation. When we navigate rough roads with grace and determination, we learn important lessons about ourselves and the world around us. Rather than trying to avoid them, we should embrace rough roads as a necessary part of the journey and approach them with an open mind and heart. In doing so, we can cultivate a sense of resilience and courage that will serve us throughout life.

After seeing this sign, I immediately turned around needing to capture a photo. Seeing the sign reminded me of some of the philosophy subjects I have learned and try to embody. Mostly from stoic philosophy but a couple of these concepts are, what stands in the way becomes the way or simply stated as the obstacle is the way and “Amor Fati”, Love of One’s Fate. The first one stood out to me since we all experience many hardships throughout our lives, we must be ready to face obstacles good or bad if we want to continue to move forward and become stronger, mentally, physically, and emotionally for what life will throw at us next. The second one is about learning to make the best of what is thrown at you in life. Good or bad it doesn’t matter, what has happened; happened and that can’t be changed. But the way you use this experience to move forward can tell novels about your inner strength and virtues.

While I did capture more photos and videos of this trip, this one photo above certainly made it to be the highlight capture of my trip. A print has already been ordered to hang on my wall as a reminder that rough roads exist and will continue to come my way. Below are some other images captured from this trip as well as a timelapse of the trip.

PS If anyone is interested in learning more about the principles of stoic philosophy, I strongly recommend checking out Ryan Holiday’s work and YouTube channel The Daily Stoic. I have read a few of his books and watched many of his videos both in trying times and times of ease.