Death Valley

[NYatKNIGHT]

Here's a few photos of Death Valley that I took on an excursion during a recent trip to Vegas. All that rain and flooding that southern California and the southwest has been getting has apparently translated into the biggest desert bloom in 100 years and a lake at the bottom of Death Valley. The last few photos are in the normally arid salt flats.

[kmistic]

amazing!

[Dennis]

great pics! it dosnt look so 'dead'

[ablarc]

Amazing indeed.

From below sea level in America's hottest place you can see the snow-capped peaks of Mt. Whitney, highest point in the 48 states.

[MidtownGuy]

really spectacular!

[OmegaNYC]

Ahhh, Death Valley. I have a friend who lives in Bakersfield, CA, and she tells me it gets HOT over there in the summer (well over 120 degrees.) I will love to visit there. (Just not in the summer )

[NewYorkJets]

Amazing.

I wonder how hot that water is.

[ablarc]

Originally Posted by NewYorkJets

I wonder how hot that water is.

And how salty? Is it poisonous?

[lofter1]

Surviving Summer in Death Valley
http://www.desertusa.com/mag98/june/stories/dvheat.html

The extremes of summer in Death Valley pose the ultimate test of survival for wildlife. Animals must have special adaptations of both their bodies and their habits to thrive in the severe climate. The Kangaroo Rat, Sidewinder and Pupfish are among the most successful, but each in their own unique way.

Desert Pupfish

The tiny Pupfish found in Salt Creek on Death Valley's arid floor are also ectothermic, yet they cannot escape the high temperatures of solar-heated pools. Pupfish are among the most heat tolerant of all fishes. They have been known to survive in water temperatures of 112 degrees F.



Some Pupfish species in the Death Valley area actually live in hot springs. The Pupfish of Salt Creek are so adapted to warm water, they must burrow into the mud and become dormant when the shallow stream becomes cold in the winter.

Another obstacle these fish face is high salinity. Pupfish can survive in water 2 to 3 times saltier than sea water. When Salt Creek evaporates in the summer, the dissolved salts become even more concentrated. Fish living in fresh water can absorb water through their body by osmosis, but Pupfish and other salt water fish must drink to get their necessary water. Excess salts are then excreted through their kidneys and gills.

Humans

Human beings must also drink water, but our bodies can only process fresh water. People perspire, allowing the evaporating water to pull the heat away from our bodies, but then we must replace the lost water. Our activity can also be timed to avoid the hottest part of the day. We may share some habits with desert wildlife to beat the heat and dryness, but our real success comes from our ability to change our surroundings to meet our needs.

Timbisha Shoshone, the Native American people who have lived in Death Valley for centuries, did the most logical thing when summer arrived -- they left for higher and cooler country. In the early history of the valley, almost everyone else followed their example. Only a few hardy souls stayed behind to face the intense heat of summer. Miners working the Keane Wonder Mine in 1908 complained that even eating became difficult; the silverware was too hot to handle. Original caretakers of the Greenland Ranch at Furnace Creek slept in the irrigation ditches and devised a water-wheel powered fan to cool themselves Today, with electric air conditioners and evaporative coolers, we human beings can find shelter from Death Valley's heat.

Technology has now brought an influx of summer visitors never before known to this area. During your visit, keep in mind that only an artificial shelter allows you to be here in relative comfort. You are not as physically adapted to survive in Death Valley's summer as its wildlife residents.

S.C.R.

The most deadly the most dangerous thing in Death Valley National Park! It is not the sun, it is not the snakes, it is not the heat. It is the Single Car Rollover. Our roads date from the 1930s. To drive these narrow twisting gravel- sided roads at 70, 80, or 90 miles per hour is a death wish. Caution! The SCR kills more people in Death Valley than all other dangers combined.

[squashed]

Originally Posted by ablarc

Amazing indeed.

From below sea level in America's hottest place you can see the snow-capped peaks of Mt. Whitney, highest point in the 48 states.

Just a FYI since I live 40 miles from Mt whitney, that is indeed NOT the snow capped peaks of Mt Whitney. You cannot see Mt Whitney from Death Valley. Infact , thats not even the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the pictures. That is part of the White Mountain range.