Stanislaus State Director of Marketing and Digital Strategy Mandeep Khaira chronicled Associate Professor of Geography Alison McNally, Lecturer Chuck Bowen and 17 students on their Death Valley field study, held every other spring break.
“I wish we knew we were in the good times during the good times,” Steven said, referencing The Office and it stuck. Because that’s what this trip was for all those who got to experience it: the good times. Not loud or flashy, but found in the quiet awe of Titus Canyon, the life in the desert, the surprise of the magnitude of the impact of wind and especially water.
We came expecting heat and maybe discomfort but left with stories that surprised us. Laughter over a cracking campfire or the glow of a laptop screen as we admired the first day. A moment of stillness beneath towering canyon walls. The strange and beautiful texture of salt at Devil’s Golf Course. Lizards darting across the path from their camouflaged spots. The kangaroo rats playing footsies with August as he sat barefoot at the campsite. Conversations that revealed more than we anticipated.
And here’s the thing, what made this trip so unforgettable wasn’t just Death Valley’s extreme beauty, it was the people and the passion for learning.
In some way, a visit to Death Valley answers the question, what makes Stan State unique? It’s not just our setting in the heart of California’s Central Valley, a region that shapes who we are with its resilience, diversity and connection to the land. It’s also the rare moments that take learning beyond the classroom walls. What makes Stan State so special is the people who make it possible.
Other universities may have passionate faculty, but they don’t have Chuck, who brings history to life through the land itself or Professor McNally (’05), who doesn’t just talk about geography, she walks you through it. Literally. Step by step, layer by layer, story by story. An alumna of this class, so it's a full circle moment for her to be teaching this class now.
Other universities may also have bright, driven students, but they don’t have Hunter or Jericho, whose deep, personal relationships with the desert made them ready to see it through a new lens. They don’t have Aaliyah, Alyssa P., Alyssa R., August, Cameron, Cody, Cole, Danny, Jack, Juan, Sergio, Sharlien, Taylor, Francisco and Steven, who brought their whole selves into this experience; curious, open and willing to be challenged and changed.
Some found meaning in the geology, in the sheer power of water, wind and time carving Golden Canyon. Others were struck by the weirdness and complexity of the desert ecology. “Every little thing on this planet has a story,” Cody said. “You might not know it, but somebody does. There’s a story everywhere you look.” That curiosity stayed with us.
All the students shared around a campfire what resonated, how the land invited them to slow down, to notice. How it shifted their relationship with nature, from something to conquer to something to be present with. “It’s not about fighting to survive here,” Hunter reflected, “but adapting and living in harmony.”
The group changed too. Some had come in barely knowing each other’s names. By the end, it was a band, tight-knit, dusty/salt-shoed, maybe a little sunburned, but full of inside jokes, shared glances and an unspoken agreement, these were the good times.
This isn’t just about a trip to the desert. It’s about the discovery of land, of each other, of self. Of how even the smallest detail, like the shimmer of a lizard or the silence of a slot canyon, can become a moment that sticks with you.
So, scroll through these images and see what we saw: the beauty, the weirdness, the stillness and the joy. And maybe, like us, you’ll realize you’re in the good times too.
