One of my favourite experiences last year was visiting the Death Valley desert. There is something so amazing about the desert, a sense of bravado, a touch of daring do. It absolutely astounds me that things can survive, and even thrive, in this environment. I loved the desert because, even though it seems so bare, you can sense the strong presence of life.

Chris took this picture in August ’04:

Evidently, I was right to think this. Due to huge amounts of rain in California this year, the deserts in the area have been flooded with wild flower blooms whose seeds have been accumulating for years.

One of many pretty pictures from www.desertusa.com:

I wish I could go and see it myself, but alas, all I have is the Internet. This site has the nicest pictures I could find. And there is a nice little Quicktime 360 shot here.

* This reference is so obvious all I’ll say is that you’ve probably heard it on CHOM or some other commercial radio station.