Zabriskie Point, Death Valley. At dawn, two photographers are waiting for the 'Rapture'. Or maybe they were just waiting for the rising sun to illuminate the amazing geological formations found in Death Valley. At 6:30 am the temperature is a pleasant 70 degrees, but just a few hours later it will quickly rise to a toasty 100 degrees, but relative humidity is very low, so even the most extreme temperatures are easily bearable. Zabriskie Point is best seen during the early morning hours when the first sun rays graze the labyrinth of the rocky landscape.
Death Valley is a treasure trove for geologists, such as the group from Brooklyn College I met at Dante's View, led by Dr. Wayne Powell, Professor and Chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, seen in the picture at the far right. Even though Dante was never able to enjoy this outer-worldly view, I suspect he would have gladly endorsed it.