Death Valley, A 'mustsee' Place

Naturally, we love Death Valley. We love itsand nearby ocean currents. All these factors
wonderful beauty with spectacular sunsets,added up together created the circumstance to
colorful and exotic rocks & canyons, thosereach such a high temperature' (from The Physics
amazing dunes, the unthinkable adaptability ofFactbook).
desert basin wildlife, and that mysterious andIn terms of altitude, the lowest elevation in the
vibrating silence.Western Hemisphere is in Death Valley. Generally,
In Death Valley you can see the earth's originalthe lower the elevation, the higher the
naked and bare surface, in its pure andtemperature. Badwater, in the south central part
elementary shapes. It is a place from where lifeof Death Valley, is 282 ft (86 m) below sea level,
has moved.the lowest point in the Americas. In terms of
Death Valley was named by gold seekers whotopography, Death Valley is a harsh desert with
tried to cross this desolate region in 1849 on theiran average of 5 cm of rain a year. There are no
way to the California gold fields. They realizednearby bodies of water, thus, no ocean currents.
soon that they have to battle severely if theyAnd how did this valley evolve? During the
want something. Many of them had a long andPleistocene era, the floor of Death Valley was
agonizing death from dehydration in the desert.once a lake. Lake Manly stretched for a hundred
Death Valley is a land of extremes. It is themiles, and was as deep as 600 ft.
hottest, driest, lowest. Temperatures in the ValleyToday it is a tourist attraction: two museums, 10
can range from up to 130°F (54 °C) incampgrounds, two resort hotels, a motel, and a
the day in the summer, to below freezing at nighttrailer park indicates 'vivid' life here. Death Valley
in the winter. This is among the widestNational Park include the Funeral Mountains, Coffin
temperature spreads in North America. But why isPeak, Hell's Gate, Starvation Canyon and Dead
that?Man Pass - this is clearly a place with a bad
'The temperature of a certain area depends uponhistory, reflecting the troubles and misfortunes
a set of conditions that are called climate controls.endured by the pioneers who first traversed,
These controls include latitude, altitude,inhabited and mined the region during the end of
topography, distance from large bodies of water,the last century.