The valley was an alternate route to CA during the gold rush. There were borax mines in the valley from the late 1800s, so a lot of the names date back to then.
Almost literally in this case!
I would say that overestimating your ability to swim is a lot more defensible than going to a place called "Death Valley" and being surprised when your health is at risk.
That's a very astute observation, haha. We truly do feel as a species that we've fully conquered the world… and yet we most certainly did not do that as individuals.
Oh wow I didn't know this was a thing. I'll have to adjust, I wanted to go when it was flooded earlier this year. Unfortunately I hear that that happens once every few years so I doubt it'll flood again next year for me to visit.Everyone I know goes in the spring to see the flower blooms.
It's not a trip I've made for myself yet, but I want to.
Nah these guys had actual cameras with some pretty big lenses. Obviously I don't know the full technical setup but they didn't have cellphone cameras which is the worst part about this. I was more than happy with my cellphone pics lol
Flip Flops are just slippers you hold onto with your big toe
I just went there. South Rim is disgusting with tourists but if you go in the evening then it's not bad since all the busses have to leave lol
The key to doing DV in the summer is that there's a lot of the park 1000-3000 ft above sea level that is considerably cooler than the max at Furnace Creek/Badwater, so you can visit those areas, like Ubehebe Crater or the Wildrose/Panament Valley areas during the midday hours, then do the valley basin starting after 4pm or so. Maybe stopping by at the visitor center middle of the day for obligatory temperature sign photo.
Some of us went to the tramway and it was like night and day. It was beautiful weather.
I got an education about heat this year. I live in Vegas. Grew up in Maryland. Spent the past 20 years in Cali. When Cali gets hot, 85-90 is uncomfortable but bearable. When MD gets hot and HUMID, 90-95 with that humidity feels like you're walking around in a sauna and the stickiness never goes away. You roll down the windows and hope for the best. Vegas is a different thing altogether. The sun HURTS out here. The heat ABSORBS into to your clothes, so it feels like it EMANATES from whatever you're wearing. It's no exaggeration to say that it feels like opening an oven door. And the pavement? When we had those 118-120 degree days? You stay INSIDE. It's health hazard to walk around outside otherwise. This is the only place I've lived when I was close to having a heatstroke.
