Death Valley Ice

This is Badwater, the lowest point in North America.  As it’s in Death Valley, average temperature of extremely hot, it’s dry most of the time.

As with other dry lake beds, this one’s surface is mostly salt.  The strange thing about walking across it though, at least for us Midwestern boys, is that in most ways, it’s just like walking across ice.

No, it’s not slippery, and as you can tell from the t-shirt Erin has on, it’s not cold, but it’s like ice.  It’s got that coloring, the color of ice with a touch of snow on top of it.  It’s got bubbles, not real bubbles, I think, I don’t quite know how to define them in two words, but those areas, largish areas where there’s a bubble and if you step on it, it breaks.  It makes that sound that old ice makes, that slightly cracking sound with every step.

I found the whole time I walked across it, I was afraid I was going to fall into some freezing cold water and die, despite the 90 degree temps.

A very odd experience, but also very beautiful.

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Jul 03, 2010 | Categories:California, Erin, My Family, Nature, Portraits | Tags: Bad Water, Death Valley, Death Valley National Park, Salt, So called thoughts | Leave A Comment »