Mostly Pictures

From our motel we drove to Badwater Lake, which has the lowest land in the western hemisphere. What you see on the ground is water, and lots of table salt. The white stuff on top the mountain peaks, though, is snow.

The salt is so white it looks like snow. But it's warm, and the air is so dry you feel it suck the moisture from your skin. Below is the sign stating that the ground is 282 feet below sea level.

Looking north, toward the Devil's Golf Course. The lake that used to be here ran north and south.

Water is either on the surface or just below the surface. But the truth is that water can be found anywhere in Death Valley by digging. The water tends to be salty, but there's plenty for showering and drinking. The motels have swimming pools.

The block of white letters on the side of the mountain below marks sea level, 282 feet above the ground.

We didn't look closely but, according to park experts a "tiny Badwater snail manages to survive in the salty water and a few plants--pickleweed, salt grass, iodine bush" live next to the water.

The white stuff looks like snow even after clicking on a picture for a larger view.