Badwater

Road Trip ~ eastern Sierras ~ Death Valley

The eastern Sierras are full of strange and wondrous vistas, but nothing tops the diverse bizarre and fascinating topography and geology of Death Valley.  Not only is it famous for its intense heat, it's also known for the unique ability of being at a dry, landlocked spot 282 feet below sea level directly across an 11,000 foot mountain ~ the only place in the world that the scene takes place.  Badwater.  What was formerly a lake is now a barren landscape that looks more like a moonscape than a dried out lake bed.  Yet ironically, in Spring, underground fresh water rises to form a very salty but inhabitable creek, inhabitable that is for a few select creatures who are perfectly suited for this saline environment.  

It's rather eerie to be standing on dry land at 282 feet below sea level, a fact that is emphasized by a sign on the hillside way above my head marking actual sea level.  It's even more bizarre to walk out onto the blinding white salt flats to get a close-up look at the massive crystals that make up this landscape.  The heat is palatable even in Spring.  The winds are strong and relentless.

Exquisite.  Deadly.  Fascinating.