Mesquite Flats, Death Valley

Sand dunes at Mesquite Flats

A beautiful Desert place to visit anytime other than Summer. I considered taking a teaching job in Shoshone, California just after I finished college in Las Vegas. Shoshone is a tiny desert town at the eastern gateway of Death Valley. After collaborating with my Mother, who lived with me following my divorce, we decided against it, and I wound up in Canon City, Colorado, instead. A mistake. Live and learn, and that I did, still doing it!
Frank

 

Sand dunes make beautiful photos as seen here.

 

Yes, they are starkly beautiful, aren't' they?

But I don't think I would want to live there.

 

I think it's amazing!! I wonder if they have those big sandstorms like the mid east has?

 

@Bess Barber
"Sandstorms" occur all over the Desert Southwest, some places worse than others, but actual dunes of sand are rare; the desert soil is mostly rock-strewn with a rather fine to coarse sandy material we call "soil", but it really supports plant life only amongst those plants acclimated to it.

Small funnel clouds of swirling dust often build up to heights of hundreds of feet swirling in a circular cone anywhere from only a few feet in diameter to hundreds of feet, these occurring in perfectly calm, dustless, clear air, and travelling along at a few miles per hour, as fast as a person might jog, while maintaining the inverted vunnel shape. I guess they are miniature Desert tornadoes. These things must have been common in ancient times, as the Desert Middle East calls them "haboobs", which I would guess Arabic.

In the summer, great amounts of moisture are drawn northward out of the Gulf of Mexico, and carried aloft as far as Canada; this is locally called the Monsoon. Humidity rises, as does the chance of rain. Occasionally, these movements of air take place in stupendously huge fashion, carrying dust clouds for many miles, often engulfing entire towns, as here, sweeping into Phoenix, Arizona:




Here is a typical Monsoon rainstorm taking place. Several miles wide, and moving slowly along, drenching rain can cause street flooding, poor driving conditions. This sort of sight was a total revelation to me, as havingh spent my first 30 years in Chicago, nothing like it can be seen in the Midwest.



Here are a few dust funnel clouds:




This one is quite large; they are locally called "Dust Devils".

 

Is this the place Zabriske Point was filmed?

Australia's timeless Kakadu national Park. Our indigenous people say their dreamtime starts here.