Death Valley (California)

There’s a reason this National Park is called “Death Valley” - it’s literally deadly. It holds the record for the hottest air temperature ever recorded: 134F (56.7C) on 13 July 1913. Besides the temperature extreme, Death Valley is also the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet (86 meters) below sea level, and it’s just 85 miles (136 km) away from Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous US with a peak at 14,505 feet (4,421 meters)! This postcard comes from our friends Greg and James who spent one of their birthdays there while the weather was a mild 118F (48C). Oof!