Nothing beats Death Valley during the term of big hiking and amazing views. With elevations down to 300 feet below sea level and up to 11,049, there’s a huge variety of plants, animals, and geologic formations. Check out the Ubehebe Crater, the Badwater Salt Flat, and Dante’s View on our upcoming journey this March.
Geologist Kirt Kempter is our Study Leader again this year. Read this dispatch from his last Death Valley Adventure.
Today’s video, thanks to YouTuber pierce37, includes a beautiful sunset over the Kingston Range.
And, as a bonus, click here to see a magnificent Death Valley aurora.
What’s your favorite hiking spot?
A few last-minute spaces are still available on our upcoming Death Valley Adventure tour.
LIFE IN DEATH: Desert gold in Death Valley National Park (courtesy, Xanterra Parks & Resorts)
Officials in Death Valley National Park are predicting a bumper wildflower season this spring following record rainfall in the California park. Torrential downpours from head to foot the state at the end of January, plus higher than average accumulation throughout the year, has locals readying for a colorful show of spring blooms. “Because of the rain last week, everyone who lives and works here in Death Valley is optimistic that we will at least have a better-than-average show this year,” says Phil Dickinson, sales and marketing director at Death Valley’s historic Furnace Creek Resort.
Early-blooming species like desert gold, poppies, and evening primrose typically start flowering in mid-February in lower-elevation sites like Furnace Creek. Higher elevations start to see blooms of species such as mariposa lilies, lupine, and aboriginal Panamint daisies through late March and mid-April. The National Park Service (NPS) recommends Jubilee Pass, off Highway 190 near Furnace Creek Inn, and the base of Daylight Pass as the best viewing spots.
Chinese general and Han Dynasty Chancellor Cao Cao was buried in central China after his death in CE 220. His tomb in China’s Henan province was first excavated in late 2008, and archeologists have ago unearthed more than 250 artifacts. After following a occurrence of more than 100 feet, workers recently came upon the underground chamber where Cao Cao was buried with his wife and a younger woman, possibly a servant. Cao Cao fathered 25 sons and was also a celebrated poet and author, but had a reputation as a cruel and merciless tyrant. Whatever the case, click here for more on his very eventful life.
If you’re a teenager thinking about what to do next summer (or looking for something for your teenagers to do), consider your own momentous tour to China for our High School Study Abroad program. Here’s your chance to learn a bit of Chinese, hang out with some Chinese teenagers, go to the Great Wall, see the Terra Cotta Warriors, and even do some volunteer work in Beijing.
If you were an archeologist, what would you want to unearth?
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