Death Valley

[E B]

is approximately 90 miles long and 30 miles wide. It is ridged with mountains on both sides and presented a formidable barrier to early settlers moving west by horse and wagon. It is the site of the lowest elevation in the US (282 feet below sea level) and has recorded the second highest temperature in the world of 134F (Libya has recorded a higher temperature.) July is it's hottest month with an average daytime high of 116.2F The weather forcast for today is a hazy sunlight and a temperature of 120F, similar to the conditions in which this image was captured. The floor of the vally varies, with small parts being sand dunes and much larger parts either hard baked dirt with a high stone content as in most deserts or else covered with a mineral layer of 0.5 to 2 inches thick, the result of the drying up of ancient seas. The mineral layer has a high concentration of alkalai salts and borax which led to early borax mining and the transport of the mineral material by the famous 20 mule teams pulling the two wagons of minerals and a water wagon. Under the mineral layer, which is an effective water seal, the ground is often moist with about the consistency of chocolate chip cookie dough where there is a spring within a half mile or so. There is water in the valley at several locations, but almost all of it is contaminated with minerals, mostly alkalai and sometimes arsenic, and unfit to drink. This image was taken near Badwater, the site of a spring of alkalai tainted water, at about 175 feet below sea level and overlooking a stretch of the mineral covered valley floor.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/TMAUR/Spring%20Trip%202005/P5090191s.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/TMAUR/Spring%20Trip%202005/P5090191b.jpg)


Camera: E-330
Lens: DZ 14-54mm zoom at 17mm
Shooting mode: P
Shutter speed: 1/350
Aperture: f8
Metering mode: Spot (Highlight)
ISO: 100

[tspore]

What a destitute place, Good showing of the emptiness.
you need to put all your places on a site....
Maybe ebtravels.com
And make it into a big slide show?
-Tony

[Luke]

That looks as if you went to the moon to take this shot.
Good thing your camera did not melt under these conditions.
Looks like a place to get lost and to be reduced to dust and bones . . .
Interesting, beautiful in a way and scary at the same time.
Luc

[E B]

Thank you. My pictures don't generally convey the travelogue beautiful type of image that is popular with slide shows.

[E B]

It certainly is a barren place, and a tad hot as well as I duly noted since I was tent camping there. I much prefer cooking in conditions like that instead of cooking in the rain though. Can't tell you how much I dislike cooking in the rain. The camera equipment held up well and I was using a wooden tripod so didn't burn my hands.

[Tony Finnerty]

Is that you out in the distance on that alkali flat, EB? This photo was taken in March 2005, during the phenomenal wildflower bloom:

http://flipperty.smugmug.com/photos/18444490-L.jpg

Our photos are probably looking in opposite directions. You can have the alkali flat in July. I'll be up the hill among the wildflowers in the cool spring.

[E B]

Hey, nice image. I was on the Nevada side looking west. I tried to get out there earlier in the year but I just couldn't adjust my schedule. I always seem to have that problem with Big Bend as well. I can only visit during the hottest part of the year.

[nightboss]

interesting photos but also for someone at the other end of the world, it is interesting to read something about the place as well ... thanks for taking the time to include that as well:smile:


regards

[E B]

Thank you. I like to study a little about my proposed subjects for my own edification and just naturally pass some of the information along if I think it might be of interest to someone elsewhere.

I enjoyed Sydney tremendously when I visited there. Hope to get back over there sometime. Meanwhile, we've got a lot of stuff over here that you might like to see and don't forget Canada as well. Banff and the neighboring parks are subperb.