Mar 25 2005

Death Valley Lives!

by Megan Edwards
Desert sand verbenaDesert sand verbena

Although Death Valley has a reputation for being one of the most arid spots on the planet, this year it doesn’t even come close. So far this season, the valley has had over six inches of rain. That may not sound like a huge amount to someone from Seattle, but that much water in the desert goes a very long way. Serious flooding washed out Highway 190 between Pahrump and the valley last year, and it’s still closed. Many of the scenic drives inside the park remain impassable. You can’t even get to Zabriskie Point.

Fortunately, there’s a lovely up side to all the dampness. The rains managed to fall at just the right moments to allow an array of rarely seen wildflowers to germinate, sprout, and blossom. It may lie in the shadow of the Funeral Mountains, but Death Valley is gloriously alive.

Although photographs can’t begin to do justice to the carpets of flowers on the slopes near Badwater or capture the feeling of wading waist high through a field of Desert Gold, I was happy with how my digital camera performed. I was also glad I had just invested in a new one-gigabyte memory card, because I ended up snapping far more pictures than I ever dreamed I would — well over 200.

Desert goldDesert gold

Death Valley’s once-in-a-century wildflower extravaganza is still going on. To say it’s worth a visit is an understatement. This year, it’s worth a pilgrimage.
Here are some online resources about Death Valley and wildflowers:

Death Valley Wildflower Report — Photographs of just about every plant now blooming in the valley
Nevada Wildflower Reports
University of California, Berkeley Photo index of 52,290 images — An awesome resource for identifying wildflowers
Death Valley National Park — Official site
Scenic Drive in Death Valley
My Stay at the Furnace Creek Inn

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