There's hot and then there's Death Valley hot!

It’s funny, but if you live in Wales you take rain for granted. It’s what makes our land green and fertile and often washes out our summers.



A couple of weeks ago, Julie and I visited Death Valley nestling on the California & Nevada border. Famous for having the 2nd highest recorded temperature of 134F in 1913, the Valley is one of the hottest places on Earth.



As we entered the park and saw this roadsign, not one I've ever seen before, I had to switch the windscreen wipers on! OK it was only for about 2 minutes and it wasn’t a heavy rainfall, but it WAS raining and in a place that receives less than 2 inches per year, that was something special to witness. It actually stayed cloudy for about an hour after the rain and we took advantage of the slightly cooler climate to drive up to Mosaic Canyon and explore part of it on foot.



Breeding rattlesnakes tend to make my wife less than enthusiastic about nature and we returned to the car! As we did, the cloud broke and we could immediately feel an intense rise in the temperature to around the 100F mark. It got even hotter during the afternoon and remained sweltering way after 9pm when we left the park, delighting this particular local resident.



I can only wonder in amazement at the grit and tenacity of those who worked the 20 Mule Team in the 1880s, carrying Borax out of the Valley on its journey around the globe or the 49ers who at Burned Wagons Point, did exactly that and then dried the meat of some oxen and, with surviving animals, struggled westward on foot seeking their fortune.

The memory of our visit will remain with me for life, a stark example of the power of nature mixed with a tremendous sense of solitude, but not always victorious over the human spirit.


nick