P045

vvPassage 45   Death Valley: A Beautiful but Dangerous Place

Death Valley is a land of beautiful but dangerous extremes. There are mountains that reach more than three thousand meters into the sky. There is a place called Badwater that is the lowest area of land in the Western Hemisphere. If there were water there, it would be eighty-six meters below the level of the ocean.

Death Valley can be dangerously cold during the winter months. Storms in the mountains can produce sudden flooding on the floor of the Valley. The extreme heat in summer has killed people in the past. It will continue to kill those who do not honor this extreme climate. Death Valley does not forgive those who are not careful.

It is a good example of the violence of nature. However t it would be wrong to think that nothing lives there. The Valley is full of life. Wild flowers grow very quickly after a little rain. Birds, snakes and other animals always enjoy their stay. (159 words)