Wednesday, 27 June 2012

It's Hot In Death Valley!

Dead Valley National Park is the driest, hottest, and lowest place in North America. We experienced the hottest temperatures in the country. In this place mobile phone & GPS won't work and you may not know where you are. The only thing you can hear is the ringing in your ears.
But none of that would stop us from exploring this amazing piece of land!

On July 13, 1913 Death Valley recorded a temperature of 57 deg. C.

Zabriskie Point in Death Valley
Zabriskie Point: Surrounded by a maze of wildly eroded and vibrantly colored badlands, this spectacular view is one of the park's most famous. Zabriskie Point is a popular sunrise and sunset viewing location. The viewpoint is a short walk uphill from the parking area.
Kasia in Golden Canyon
Devil's Golf Course in Death Valley




























Devil's Golf Course: Immense area of rock salt eroded by wind and rain into jagged spires. So incredibly serrated that "only the devil could play golf on such rough links". The unpaved road leading to it is a bit scary!
Jagged pinnacles of salt formations originated from a 2000 year-old lake that once covered this region. Flowing water washes dissolved materials into the valley that crystalise into salty peaks.
Badwater: Lowest point in North America, Badwater Basin is a surreal of vast salt flats. A temporary lake may form here after heavy rainstorms. We had to limit time on hot salt flats and drink plenty of water!
85.5 meters below sea level.
Badwater Basin in Death Valley.

Salt, not snow covers the floor of Badwater Basin. The high salt content makes plantlife impossible in the area, and gives the area an unearthly landscape.

Artist Drive: Scenic loop drive through multi-colored volcanic and sedimentary hills. Artist's Palette is especially photogenic in late afternoon light. The 9-mile (14.5km) paved road is one-way.
Artistic Drive

Artistic Drive

Artistic Drive

Artistic Drive

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes: Undulating dunes move in waves across a vast sea of sand at Death Valley's Mesquite Flat. Wind shapes and reshapes the surface of the land continuously- first piling up, then blowing away the loose dust and sand.

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes.

Dolina Smierci zwana rezerwatem piekielnego zaru jest domem wypalonych sloncem pustkowi, nagich skal, wedrujacych wydm i wszechobecnej soli. To najgoretsze, najsuchsze i najnizej polozone miejsce w Ameryce Polnocnej - 85,5 mtr ponizej poziomu morza.
Niegdys w dolinie istnialo plytkie slone jezioro po ktorym pozostaly niesamowite formacje solne o fantastycznych ksztaltach. Na "Diabelskim Polu Golfowym" (Devil's Golf Course) widac rozlegly fragment dawnego dna jeziora, pokryty brylami ziemi i soli o ostrych krawedziach.
Natomiast dno depresji Badwater (Badwater Basin) zalegaja szesciokatne platy solne o bokach nawet to dwoch metrow dlugosci.
Podobnie pozostaloscia dawnego dna sa zerodowane barwne skaly, ktorymi wiedzie turystyczna petla Artists Drive.
Latem Dolina Smierci przypomina "pielko" z temperaturami powyzej 45-50 stopni Celsjusza. W 1913 roku zarejestrowano najwyzsza temperature na polkuli zachodniej: 57 stopni Celsjusza.
Zapezpieczone w wode i zapasowe kolo odwiedzilysmy najdalsze zakatki tej diabelskiej doliny. Nie moglysmy pominac wspanialego punktu widokowego zwanego Zabriskie Point. Widac z niego rozlegla panorame Doliny Smierci i otaczajacych ja gor. Naszym ostatnim punktem na mapie byly piaskowe wydmy Sand Dunes, ktore nieustannie przesuwa wiatr, choc niektorzy wierza iz to sprawka mocy, ktore wypelniaja ta tajemnicza doline.