WET Death Valley

[Tin Can]

LAT

https://apple.news/ADsxZ-E4MSNKqLQOTGjhcEQ

[michael_los_angeles_photo]

Thanks for the link. Amazing!

[Drew Wiley]

Link won't work for me without a subscription.

[Mark J]

Nice opportunity for someone to get some rare shots.

[Drew Wiley]

I've been in Death Valley 3 times in my life when there was a 35 mile long shallow lake in it, and green grass and wildflowers on the otherwise bare clay slopes. But in terms of color palette, I actually prefer it barren. But it's nice to know that at least the paved road are reopening. An enormous amount of repair work has been going on after the effects of both the past winter and exceptional summer flash-flooding. The neighboring Owens Valley area was seriously affected too, though most roads are now back open, or at least accessible via detours. Some might never be open again.

A secondary factor is that a couple of big plots of sagebush have been set aside as "Wilderness Study" areas, but off-limits ones, with old dirt roads being deliberately ignored in terms of maintenance. One is between Manzanar and the mountains. These aren't highly scenic spots in themselves, like the Alabama Hills, and one might ask why they're potentially being set aside, especially with respect to cattle or sheep grazing. The logical inference is that this would allow a buffer zone for bighorn sheep to come down in winter, with less risk of contracting domestic sheep diseases. They are directly below the endangered and seasonally protected Mt Williamson and Dragon Peak herd designated ranges up above.

[Tin Can]

Now moving to desert your favorite photographer


https://www.youtube.com/live/n_4FRFGYxIw?si=QuDZFNLU7xT33TS3