In The Bleak Terrain Of The Desert, Can Be Found This:

Discussion in 'Science & Nature' started by Frank Sanoica, Apr 11, 2016.

  1. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    [​IMG]

    And, this:

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    The first: A view of a narrow portion of Lake Mohave, somewhere between the two great dams which tamed the unruly Colorado River, Hoover Dam, north of the picture location, and Davis Dam, south of it. The two dams are approximately 90 miles apart, situated, obviously, on the original route of the Colorado. Hoover was the first to be built to tame the river, which, in Springtime, was a raging, impassable barrier, in places several miles wide. In Fall and early Winter, it was docile, such that early Westward-bound settlers could cross it with horses and wagons somewhere down near Yuma, AZ, where it was very wide and shallow. Hoover Dam was completed during the Great Depression, and represented an absolute Engineering marvel. Davis Dam was completed much later, near nowhere, which became Bullhead City, about a mile south of the dam. Finished about 1953 or so, Davis employs 5 big turbogenerators to make electric power, driven by the water released through them. While Hoover is a concrete dam, enormous in it's aspect, Davis is simply an "earthen-dam", more fittingly called a "rock-fill" structure, nowhere near as high nor as staunch as Hoover. However, should Davis ever experience any structural difficulty, Hoover will hold back and prevent any catastrophic flood of water.

    As one drives through these desolate Southwestern Desert areas, the vastness and extreme distances between towns and cities obvious, to come upon a view such as that offered above, is totally unexpected, and the first time I wound around and down the twisting and turning roadway leading to Hoover Dam, and first seeing the mind-blowing view of Lake Mead, I can only say, I was moved to the extent that I would never forget, for the rest of my life, the effect. frank
     
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  2. Mari North

    Mari North Veteran Member
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    Very pretty, @Frank Sanoica ... such beauty in the midst of expected barrenness.
     
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  3. Gary Ridenour

    Gary Ridenour Veteran Member
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    wonder if they ever solved this ?? so strange

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  4. Bonnie Thomas

    Bonnie Thomas Veteran Member
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    Ever visit the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah? ... a nowhere land for sure.
     
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  5. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    The sliding rocks are to be found in Death Valley. The last theory I heard was that the desert "floor" is quite hard, sometimescalled "hardpan", that the strong winds of the desert actually slide the rocks over it.
     
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  6. Bonnie Thomas

    Bonnie Thomas Veteran Member
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    I was in Death Valley only once (1970's), and what I recall was that it wasn't all that strange, or what I expected at the time, like total desolation. ... There were hotels and restaurants to my amazement, and the heat wasn't oppressive. Was living in Phoenix at the time, so hot was everywhere. :)

    Fun Fact: The lowest point in North America is Death Valley's Badwater Basin: (something like 280 ft below sea level)



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    at night on the salt flats
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    Last edited: Apr 11, 2016
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  7. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    @Bonnie Thomas Very Nice, Bonnie! Also to be found in Death Valley is this:

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    Known as Scotty's Castle,
    "Hidden in the green oasis of Grapevine Canyon in far northern Death Valley, the Death Valley Ranch, or Scotty's Castle as it is more commonly known, is a window into the life and times of the Roaring '20s and Depression '30s. It was and is an engineer's dream home, a wealthy matron's vacation home and a man-of-mystery's hideout and getaway.

    Walter Scott, Death Valley Scotty, convinced everyone that he had built the castle with money from his rich secret mines in the area. Albert Mussey Johnson actually built the house as a vacation getaway for himself and his wife Bessie. Scotty was the mystery, the cowboy, and the entertainer, but he was also a friend. Albert was the brains and the money. Two men as different as night and day, from different worlds and with different visions - who shared a dream. " From: https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/historyculture/scottys-castle.htm

    I have taken the tour of Scotty's Castle several times, and was sorry to read it is closed currently, due to flood damage. Frank
     
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