Sunday, February 24, 2013

Trip to Death Valley



There are places, which impressed one for visiting. These are places one keeps in his memory for a long time. He will never forget. In visiting Milan, Italy, the South Alps seen from northern Milan was also something. South Alps stood like towering wall. It was breath-taking. New York City is different from any other cities in the world. Japanese compare it to Tokyo, but, it is different from Tokyo, in many ways.

Japan is a country with abundant water. Japanese never worry about water since it is there whenever they need it. As a Japanese, it was quite an impression to see and stand in the desert. Death Valley is one of the places, which is outstanding in the US.

According to the people who know deserts in Mid-east, they say they are more like dry soil not sand. Instead, people, who knows Sahara desert, says it is actually sand. The sand can come down between fingers, when one scoops up the sand. The desert of Death Valley is different from both of above categories, if one expects to see one of the above.

If one drives approaching Death Valley, he will notice that the scenery outside changes from green to brown, brown to almost no color. When he arrives Death Valley Park, he is standing in the world with no color but white and light brown.

First, one may wish to see the lowest point of Death Valley, "Bad Water Basin". Death Valley is dried seawater lake. Deep down on the ground, there still be water, and it sometimes come out to surface. Cowboys who found this water source trying to drink it and found it "Bad". This is why this place is called "Bad Water Basin". The white part of desert ground is salt. Ones impression will be; "it is sea of salt". When one takes a close look at the surface of the desert, it does not look like a view in this world. It is light brown dry and cracked.

There is a small fish living in the water stream wherever it is. There are rat kinds of animal who can live without drinking water for about 2 years. Is not it astonishing?

Is there any indication of living there? There are some murals discovered in one of the caves in the area. The mural was painted in Ice Age. They might have been painted before the lake is dried and formed Death Valley. There was no indication of living creature at all as far as one could see.

Death Valley has some unique records. It is the lowest altitude desert in the world. It located at an altitude of -282 ft sea level. Staying on the bottom of the Valley looking up a hill, one may see the signboard says "Sea Level". It has smallest precipitation in North America. It is 20mm a year. It marked highest temperature in North America, 120 degree F. One can visit Death Valley in winter. Still the temperature will be well over 85. It is vast and desolate place. Visitors can still feel the beauty in it.

How did this dry lake named "Death Valley"? It is simple but dreadful name. Many people may wonder how. In the Gold Rush period starting 1984, gold miners thought this valley a short cut to Gold Mine area in the west. The people who once went into the valley, had never come out, due to a harsh nature. The record shows that it was only one cart came out of the valley. One of the people said, "Good Bye, Death Valley". Then people started to call this place Death Valley.

This desert lies over 2 states, California and Nevada. The area became "National Park" in 1994 under Bill Clinton administration. It is now under Federal Management. The desert is desolate. It keeps some beauty. The beauty is almost noble. Maybe this impression came from the nature, which does not allow people to survive. The scenery amazes visitors. It is breath-taking. Still, when the bus started to move out from the valley, visitors could feel relieved.






Read this Article in EzineArticles.com:

http://EzineArticles.com/5267966






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