Driest, hottest, lowest

Photo essay: Death Valley National Park

by yolanda
10-Apr-2010
 
In early April, I left Los Angeles' trademark traffic jams, air pollution, light pollution, and noise pollution; spent five days in picturesque Death Valley National Park. In Death Valley, the "noise pollution" we have is the singing of the birds and occasionally howling of the wind. The "air pollution" we have is the smell of camp-fires. There is no traffic jam 'cause Death Valley is more than two times the size of Delaware with 700,000 visitors a year. You can see the Milky Way (I am not talking about the candy bar) 'cause there are no city lights in the wilderness. Death Valley is the largest national park in Continental USA and also the driest, hottest, and the lowest! Death Valley is one of my favorite National Parks among the 30 National parks I have visited so far. This is my 4th trip to Death Valley in more than a decade, but I still enjoyed it very much!
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yolanda

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by yolanda on

Hi! Obama,

   You always cracked me up...LOL! To make a long story short, I am nobody here......you know way more than me.....I am not a botanist...

take care!


obama

Merci Yolanda jon! I feel like I am getting online class from U!

by obama on

is there any tests that I need to take in order to get credit? I think your teaching is more for me than my son. may be we should take you along in order to have a complete course. Are you botanic scholar? You sound very knowledgable in this subject.

I went to yellowstone many years ago where at night I encountered a grizzly bear at the glacier park whille I was sleep in my tent! Boy I was lucky! It was awesome. I love the nature. In fact, in my youth, I almost dropped out of engineering in order to become a national park ranger, or go to peace corp, but I didn't have my US citizenship yet. So there i ended up going to school for 7 more years. 

Ok, I have to bailout since I want to write a blog about the sanctions. Thanks again! Nice chatting with you Yolanda jon! 


yolanda

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by yolanda on

Hi! Obama,

     LOL! You cracked me up......I use the shampoo from 99 cent store! Please don't forget to tell your son that all the yellow wildflowers in Death Valley are phototropic......the flowers follow the direction of the sun all day long....

be very honest with you...plan your trip ahead of time.....get some camp-fire logs...marshmellow......make your trip fun and educational.....you won't get any opposition in the future....your son will enjoy the trip.....at the same time, you can make your son very smart & enjoy learning.....later when he goes to 6th grade....everything will be so easy.......

    When you are in Death Valley....ask your son to touch the lava rock....see the pores in the lava...tell him that when volcano erupts....the gas creates all the pores and holes in the lava rocks.....remember to take a picture in front of the lava "mushroom rock"

//iranian.com/main/image/103581

The "mushroom rock" is just off the main road.....you won't miss it....

After Death Valley, if you want to take your family to Yellowstone.....it is another volcano-related park....the whole park sits on top of a volcano....of course, it is not going to erupt now, you don't need to mark your calendar....it will erupt within a billion year.....:O)


obama

Merci Yolanda jon! You are so nice and kind!

by obama on

Thanks for all the explanations. You were doing good till you got to photosynthesis. You see I never studied biology. i guess I have now to google it.

It appears that you are not latino since you look and dressed like a woman! a woman would be latina (You know latino is a male!)

Re sense of humor. Life is all about living the moment. Everything is as serious as we make it out to be. We are in journey, so we'd better enjoy it while we have our health. Have fun. you laugh at the world, and the world would laugh at you!

BTW you have very fine and shiny hair. what kind of shampoo do you use? Never mind, just teasing. See you at the Shekarchi!

you my avatar, actually was as strong as Rostam with a great sense of humor. I met him in Sanadaj (kordestan) 2 years ago!

cheers!


Monda

Thanks for the heads up on reservation

by Monda on

Yolanda jan I will take your word about accommodations. And I will share my photos if they turn out as nice as yours.


yolanda

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by yolanda on

Hi Obama,

     Sorry to respond to you late.......I always want to laugh when I see your avatar..LOL!..you must have a great sense of humor....your post is funny!

  If you go to Death valley with your family, I am sure that it will be fun and educational......you can teach your son a lot of stuff......for California 6th graders, they need to learn Earth Science including volcano, earthquake and tsunami...there is a volcano crater in Death valley, you can take him to hike down to the bottom of crater and take a picture.....later brag about it!

  There is a huge area of white salt flats on the Death Valley floor....you can teach your son that "evaporation" exposed the salt in the lake....6th graders need to learn water cycle also(evaporation, condensation, and precipitation). There are a lot of lava rocks in Death Valley....you can tell your son that "erosion" and "weathering" has turned the lava flats into broken lava rocks....if you see wildflowers....tell him about the photosynthesis......

This ranger show slide is also in 6th grade Earth science textbook: plate tectonics:

//iranian.com/main/image/103578

I am positive that you will have a great time there!

I saw "Yolanda" in a Spanish soap opera when I was in Hawaii....."Yolanda" sounds feminine, I like it.......but I am not Latino and I can't speak Spanish either.....it is my middle name....

Please take care!


yolanda

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by yolanda on

Hi Monda,

       I just want to say it one more time that you won't be disappointed.....if you come to Death Valley, Please do a photo essay (again) 'cause I am a big aficionado of Death Valley....I can't never have enough of Death Valley......if you want to do tent camping or stay in a lodge.....please make a reservation 2-3 months before you go.....'cause Death Valley is quite popular!


yolanda

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by yolanda on

Hey! khaleh mosheh,

   Welcome back! I think in summer time that Death Valley can be hotter than Yazd. If you visit Death Valley, you won't be disappointed...if you are, I will give you the money back! LOL! I am very confident!

Best wishes!


khaleh mosheh

Hi Yolanda

by khaleh mosheh on

Its a great blog- the climate seems a little like some parts of Iran.

Hope to visit the place one day.

 

best wishes 


Monda

Dear Yolanda, I will make the time to go

by Monda on

For the past 20 years I was faced with the problem of reserving vacations for the summer.  But that format is changing, so next spring in Death Valley is a definite maybe.  In any case, I will refer back to your photo essay when I'm ready to go.  Thanks again for your wonderful job with the photo captions.


obama

Merci Yolanda! Those were very good tips! I will!

by obama on

At least we got to know the back of your head. Nice hair!

Yolanda, how did you come up with this name? It is beautiful, I must say.


yolanda

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by yolanda on

 

 

Hi! DK,

    Thank you for your compliment and thank you for stopping by my humble blog!

Hi! Natalia,

   I heard there are Big Bend and Alamo in Texas. You probably visited them already. If I have a chance, I will visit there. You seem to enjoy writing poems and making videos very much. That is great! Don't forget to share your creations with your students. Please start to think about publishing your poems. PT's poetry book is available on Amazon now...it is exciting....your future book will be the next one.....I will definitely buy 2 copies: one for myself, the 2nd copy, I will donate it to a school library....we have a lot of Latinos here at the local school districts....I am sure they will be inspired by your poems, other writings, and the way you are proud of your heritage.......Look forward to your next blog!

Take care!

P.S.    I just want to let you know that I can't write poems nor making videos.....I am absolutely clueless.....you are way ahead of me....


Latina

Next poem

by Latina on

Yolanda,

 The next poem is ready but I still need to work on the recording. I will do as you adviced and post the poem along with the recording.

 Thank you once again for all your valuable input. :o)


Latina

wonderful

by Latina on

Yolanda,

Thank you for sharing with us your journey. I really enjoyed all the wonderful photos.

 Best


Darius Kadivar

Zendeh Bashi yolanda Jaan

by Darius Kadivar on

Lovely Photoessay.

Loved it !


yolanda

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by yolanda on

Hi! MM,

  I bookmarked the video link you posted. Thank you! I watched a Death Valley video on TV a couple of months ago...I always wanted to watch it again.....Death Valley sounds scary, but super-fascinating!

thanks,


yolanda

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by yolanda on

Dear Emrooz,

    Hi! Your post is so beautiful! You are a great writer, very philosophical and analytical! I wish my English was as good as yours!

Thank you!! Take care!


yolanda

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by yolanda on

Hi iran_zameen,

     Death Valley and Yellowstone are my favorite parks.....I recorded a lot of videos in Yellowstone, but it was freezing cold in Yellowstone...I saw pictures of Thailand, it is indeed beautiful.....my grandpa lived in Thailand for many years, but when he was still alive, I was a poor student and did not have money to travel.....if I have $$$, I will visit Iran 1st... :O)

Thanks,


yolanda

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by yolanda on

Hi Obama,

    Yes, the flowers will be there...you and your family should go...Death Valley also has tennis court, volleyball court, swimming pool, horse-back riding ($45 per person).....there is a steak-house....restaurants.....gift shops......Wi-Fi in the visitor center.....they also have junior ranger program, little kids can earn junior range badge....

You keep changing your avatars, LOL! so which one is you? the current version or the previous version? I have to say that Iranians are brave......I am just a big coward!! I can't put my photo here...:O)

P.S.   "Jubilee Pass" has the best wildflowers....I found 10 species there... It is like a paradise on earth!


MM

Thanks a lot Yolanda - very nice tour/pictures

by MM on

PBS also had a special on Death Valley because of the retirement of one of the rangers who spent a week going from the highest point to the lowest point in Death Valley.  Very complimentary to your pictures.

//www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/deathvalley/index.html

 


Emrooz

Dear Yolanda

by Emrooz on

Dear Yolanda,

Thank you for this beautiful photo essay and the detailed captions.  

I felt as if I was there in the desert walking along the path you were treading...  and I was both the dainty flowers in the dessert, and in contrast, also the overbearing harshness of the rugged land -comparable to the body and soul.  As if nature is replaying itself to show life, endurance and hidden reason.


iran_zameen

nice pictures-

by iran_zameen on

the pictures are great. they remind me of the time i went to Yellow Stone.

I don't go out to these nature sites no more, because they expose the loneliness of humans in the vast world we live in.

i prefer instead to visit more populous areas like the parks in Thailand where you feel the human vibe.


yolanda

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by yolanda on

Hi! Sid Sarshar,

     Thank you for stopping by....actually the real things are way better than the pictures.....when you touch the 800 million years old marble.....you feel totally different.....the marble wall feels cool, smooth, and shimmering.....it is just awesome!

Please take care!


obama

Beautiful photo tour! Loved it Yolanda! Now, I have to go there!

by obama on

I always wondered how it really looked like even though I had see the documentary on PBS. You did an excellent job of showing the rare flowers. Are they going to be there in 10 days? Anytime I go my house in Vegas, I think of diverting to death valley, but I run into opposition in the car. Now, after seeing your photos I am determined to go there. Thank you very much Yolanda! I hope I am not scaring you off with my new photo!


default

I don't need to go there anymore

by Sid Sarshar on

Yolanda,

I like this essay.  My favorites are the flower and the marble canyon shots.  You make a great tour guide, did you know that?  You pay attention to the details.  Thanks for the ride.

Sid.


Red Wine

:=)

by Red Wine on

I made a poster for you ... Check please your e-mail .


yolanda

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by yolanda on

Hi RW,

    It is so kind of you!! Either 71 or 73 is my favorite!

Thank you in advance!


Red Wine

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by Red Wine on

Which one of them are your favorite for making a poster ?


yolanda

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by yolanda on

Hi Ramona,

   Thank you for your post! I just want to say that Death Valley is super beautiful and I have a feeling it is way more beautiful than Saudi Arabia's desert. I think I got distracted by the pretty stuff there.....of course, I felt really close to the Mother Nature there and did reflect on my life....I really like your "Religion of love" blog...I keep going back....I will definitely visit your blog again!

Take care!


yolanda

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by yolanda on

Hi! Azadeh Azad,

   It is true that I love IC...:O) I am glad that you laughed......I always look opportunity to laugh....I look forward to your next poem, cartoon, article, or photo essay!

Thank you for your gracious post!