Thursday, June 10, 2010

Visit: Death Valley National Park!

By Mrs. Yollis


According to the Death Valley Ranger Guide:

During the1849 California gold rush a groups of pioneers decided, against the warning of their wagon master, to take a shorcut" across the unknown deserts of the West. Only one group member died in the valley, but as the party exited through Panamint Mountains, one man looked back and said, "goodbye, Death Valley."


Although the name is less than inviting, Death Valley is a beautiful place.

Take a look at some photos from a recent trip to this beautiful national park.


Have you ever visited Death Valley National Park?

What surprised you the most about this location?

5 comments:

  1. Dear Mrs Yollis,

    I was carried away by the beauty of Death Valley National Park and really amazed at what I saw!!!
    Thank you for the wonderful trip!

    Regards,
    Lyudmila

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dear Mrs Yollis,

    Your trip to Death Valley looked terrific! What wonderful photos you have!

    As I told you, I read that they run an "ultramarathon" through Death Valley. This race is 135 miles or 217km long! The temperature gets up to 130F or 55c! That is very very hot! I cannot believe that up to 90 people enter this race each year!

    I wonder if any of your students have visited Death Valley.

    I would love to see this amazing place one day!

    Your friend,
    Miss McGeady

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dear Mrs Yollis,
    thankyou for showing us your trip to Death Valley. I loved the photos you took. The colours were beautiful and it remained me of a famous painter Van Gogh. I reckon the name Death Valley does`nt sound right because it so beautiful it should be called another name
    best regards Bianca.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dear Mrs Yollis,
    thankyou for this breath taking post. We watched it as a family my husband, Bianca and I and were really impressed with its beauty and colour. I tend to agree with Bianca it really should not be called Death Valley because it is so beautiful.
    I am amazed how those beautiful flowers are able to grow and how those puff fish swim in such little water and as for the formation of the marble in the rocks with the swirl of colours working in the rock of marble it really is amazing.
    Thankyou for taking me on your trip to Death Valley
    from your friend down under AA.

    ReplyDelete
  5. @ Lyudmila,

    I, too, was carried away by the beauty. With a name like Death Valley, I didn't know what to expect. My husband and I got very lucky because the hot season starts in May. We had very mild temperatures, like in the 80s. A week later...it was 111˚! The flowers, the landforms, I was quite enchanted with the park!

    @ Miss McGeady,

    Thank you for the compliment about the photos. My husband took them.

    I cannot imagine even walking that distance, let alone running. It is an unusual place because the lowest point in North America and the highest point in the United States, Mt. Whitney, are only 76 miles (123 km) miles apart. The race doesn't go to the top of Whitney, but it goes to Whitney Portal (8,360 feet (2,550 m). I know...still... what a race!

    You asked if any of my students had been there before. No, I know very few people who have gone. Perhaps it's that name!

    @ Bianca,

    What a beautiful connection you made between the colors of the valley and Van Gogh. I reckon Van Gogh would like that thought!

    You are correct, Death Valley doesn't really suit it! However, the summers are truly unbearable. It holds the record for the hottest place in Northern Hemisphere. The record is: 134°F (56.7°C) at Furnace Creek on July 10, 1913.

    @ AA,

    We were very fortunate to see wild flowers and the pupfish. Most people go to Death Valley during the winter when the temperatures are better, but the flowers are not in bloom. The flowers were still popping in May, which is considered off season.

    It was a magical place!

    Sincerely,
    Mrs. Yollis

    ReplyDelete

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