Death Valley (California)

Do I need to say that Death Valley is in California or is that common knowledge? Nevertheless, I’ve never visited! This comes from a very lovely family of friends who hosted us for a delicious taco dinner last month. I think this was their second-to-last camping trip of the season, so I’m a bit envious of their visit.

I was just remarking to Andy last night about how amazing California is - a state of true extremes! Death Valley is the lowest point in North America (282 feet/86 meters below sea level). Just 84 miles/136 km away is Tumanguya (Mt. Whitney), which is the highest point in the continental US at 14,505 ft/4,421 m! Death Valley is also the site of the highest recorded temperature on earth (134°F/56.7°C on July 10, 1913)! Not very far away is the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, home to Methuselah, the oldest living non-clonal being on the planet (4,853 years old)! Nearby, you can find groves of the giant redwood, the largest living trees on the planet. These are not that far from the coast redwood, a species that includes the tallest known living tree at 380 ft/115 m (which is taller than the Statue of Liberty, including the base)! What an incredible state I am fortunate to live in!