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Deathly Hot:
January Avg: 18C (65F)
February Avg: 22C (72F)
March Avg: 27C (80F)
April Avg: 32C (90F)
May Avg: 37C (99F)
June Avg: 43C (109F)
July Avg: 46C (115F)
August Avg: 45C (113F)
September Avg: 41C (106F)
October Avg: 33C (92F)
November Avg: 24C (76F)
December Avg: 19C (66F)
Record High: 57C (134F)
When: July 1913
Did you know? Most deaths that occur in Death Valley are caused
by single car accidents.
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Even Lower Lowest Point of the Day |
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101 Ways To Die in Death Valley:
With a thirst for knowledge like ours, we can't help but go to the ranger talks. And
with an even greater thirst for the weird, wild and worm- eaten, this talk was for us.
Ranger Alan didn't exactly cover all 101 ways, but here are some of the highlights:
1. Single Car Accidents: Driving in Death Valley doesn't
give you much vegetation to look at, so before you know it, you're going 80 on a road meant
for 40. You glance at the sunset, tires go off the road, and bingo... you've just rolled in
your SUV.
2. Dehydration: Some dork decided to hike across the salt flats
in the middle of July. He didn't make it. Why? Because
when he started to shed items to make the trip easier, he dropped his water but kept his
video camera. They found him three days later,
baked through at 200 degrees. His skin was black and his bones were rattling around inside.
3. Rattlesnakes: There actually aren't many snakes in Death
Valley, at least none you couln't see because there's nowhere to hide. However, a man saw
one sunning itself and decided to pick it up. He got chomped. He didn't have a snake bite
kit with him, or a knife, so the Cut-N-Suck method was out of the question. Instead, he used
the Bite-N-Suck. That's right, he bit a chunk out of his own arm to suck out the poison.
An extremely informative chat about Death in the Valley. And, he did it
all with a smile!
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Only 2 More States to Go!
Bought Low, Sold High
Feb 21 -
Well, there's another point to cross off the old "-est" list. 280 feet below sea level
is quite a drive, especially when it's about 5000 feet up on either side of it. The
result? A good, hearty, steaming bowl of heat, year round.
The lowest point, actually, is 282 feet, but it's unmarked somewhere in the middle of the
salt flats. Besides, somebody dug a hole just behind the sign that's about two feet deep,
so what's the difference? If I dug a three foot hole, they'd just have to bring the survey
crews out there again. We'll stick with the sign, to save everyone the hassle.
With a name like Death Valley, we expected to be greeted by a desolate, inhospitable
wasteland of sand, salt and skeletons. What we got instead was a desolate, inhospitable
wasteland of sand, salt and skeletons, with a resort community smack in the middle of it.
It was like finidng an oasis in the Sahara, only instead of a cool pond of fresh, clean
water, there was a Starbucks hawking Poland Spring at $4.50 a bottle. We were glad for the
sake of humanity that the Devil's Golf Course was a clever name for a natural landform,
and not an actual golf course. Although, I'm sure "The Lowest Golf Course In America"
would bring the RVs in by the bucketful, and they probably had a driving range in the
resort for just such people.
This place had hotels, motels, restaurants, tennis courts, bike rentals, a laundromat,
a convenience store, a swimming pool, and anything else the average rich guy needs at
any given moment. Except Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, but I would guess that there's some
sort of price limit that Ben or Jerry stamps on the back, so they wouldn't be able to
charge $9.95 a pint like the no-name brand they were selling.
The Lowest General Store In America! (Notice I didn't say "Lowest Priced")
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I tell you, holy jumpin' jackups, Batman. You think just because they're the only
resource for food or gas for 90 miles in any direction, that they can charge whatever
they want? Well, yes, I guess they can. And they did.
Chips were four dollars. Coke was two. We felt like we were getting gringo-screwed all
over again, only this time we weren't even gringos! Well, I guess we were, but, everybody
was! Gringos shouldn't gringo-screw other gringos! It's not right!
And don't even get me started on gas. $1.96 per gallon, regular unleaded. Self serve,
even! If that's not highway robbery, I don't know what is. It would be cheaper to
kick the gas station attendant in the ass, get arrested on assault charges and post
bail for yourself once you get to the police station. At least you'll be in town then.
It really was ridiculous. They were charging more than Yellowstone, more than the Grand
Canyon, heck, in some cases, more than Disney! I guess that's what they mean when they
say location, location, location. You want the lowest point in America, you're going
to pay the highest prices in America.
If you ask me, I think they're trying to compensate for something.
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Today's Weather:
Draw your own conclusion
Which will reach 200 first? The parks pass or the trip day number? |
Sleeping Quarters |
Wild Rose Campground
We've moved to the free campground tonight. It's only 4000 ft. above sea level and ten degrees cooler!
Cost: Free!
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Bkfast:
| Campground Texas Springs Death Valley |
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K's Order: | Apple Oatmeal |
A's Order: | Coffee |
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Lunch:
| On The Road Badwater Death Valley |
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Both: | Leftover Pasta |
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Dinner:
| Campground Wild Rose Death Valley |
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K's Order: | Leftover Pasta |
A's Order: | Rice |
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