Death Valley, synonymous with our view of desolation, extreme heat, an extremely hot, barren wasteland.
Far from the truth.
Prior to Thanksgiving, our drive into the largest National Park in the lower 48 States, proved our early impressions very wrong indeed. After driving for several hours though rain, we stopped at the visitors center, where we learned that this weather anomaly had provided the area its’ annual rainfall in the last day. This precipitation, along with the cool temperatures, coated the surrounding mountains with a blanket of glistening, white snow - truly a spectacular sight to witness.
The starkness of the land makes one wonder how living organisms, whether man, beast, or insect can survive in the harsh, but not barren environment. We learned that there are even ponds of fish, that survive both the heat of summer and the cold of winter.
During our two days in the National Park, we explored several of the ‘must see’ areas, at times 282 feet below Sea Level, taking in the beauty of this wonder of nature.
Names like Badwater, Devils GolfCourse, Artist’s Palette, Dante’s View, Salt Creek Trail, and Mesquite Flat Dunes piqued our interest and we were not disappointed. The Harmony Borax Works trail, where Borax was hauled across this forsaken land by mule teams for refining elsewhere and made famous by "20 Mule Team Borax", an all natural laundry booster that helped lift stains and control colors - the best friend of homemakers in the last century,
Far from the truth.
Prior to Thanksgiving, our drive into the largest National Park in the lower 48 States, proved our early impressions very wrong indeed. After driving for several hours though rain, we stopped at the visitors center, where we learned that this weather anomaly had provided the area its’ annual rainfall in the last day. This precipitation, along with the cool temperatures, coated the surrounding mountains with a blanket of glistening, white snow - truly a spectacular sight to witness.
The starkness of the land makes one wonder how living organisms, whether man, beast, or insect can survive in the harsh, but not barren environment. We learned that there are even ponds of fish, that survive both the heat of summer and the cold of winter.
During our two days in the National Park, we explored several of the ‘must see’ areas, at times 282 feet below Sea Level, taking in the beauty of this wonder of nature.
Names like Badwater, Devils GolfCourse, Artist’s Palette, Dante’s View, Salt Creek Trail, and Mesquite Flat Dunes piqued our interest and we were not disappointed. The Harmony Borax Works trail, where Borax was hauled across this forsaken land by mule teams for refining elsewhere and made famous by "20 Mule Team Borax", an all natural laundry booster that helped lift stains and control colors - the best friend of homemakers in the last century,
BADWATER
DEVIL'S GOLFCOURSE
ARTIST'S PALETTE
DANTE'S VIEW
JOSHUA TREES IN THE SNOW - MOHAVE DESERT