What is in Death valley CA (Lakeside, Sonora: RV park, casino, food)

[retiree2011]

You must be young and adventurous. I was in Death Valley decades ago and it is very remote. Relatives of mine went a couple of years ago and looked as if it hasn't changed much. Good thing you like the heat. You are lucky the job provides housing and meals, but walking places might not be a option. You would have to keep hydrated and the sun can be fierce.

Maybe give it a try if you don't have any other job offers.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

OK, maybe I misinterpreted the statement in this article about the highest temp in the Sonoran desert, near the "tip of Mexico", whatever that means. I thought it meant in the US, near the Mex. border. But still, whether in the US or Mexico, it ties for first place with Death Valley for highest recorded temp.

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/sono...ate.htm‎

404 - Document Not Found

Head back to the home page.

The requested object or URL, /sonoran_desert_climate.htm‎ was not found on this server.
The link you followed is either outdated, inaccurate, or the server has been instructed not to let you have i

Yeah, I'm thinking the source isn't very credible. Even if this link did open, how come the "record" isn't known in the rest of the weather record community? I call BS.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Gentoo

Yeah, I'm thinking the source isn't very credible. Even if this link did open, how come the "record" isn't known in the rest of the weather record community? I call BS.

If the temp was recorded on the Mex. side of the border, that would explain why it doesn't show up on max. temp charts for the US. Just Google "record high temperatures, Sonoran Desert", or something similar. Did you not get the right page when you clicked "home page" on the "Page not found" notice?

I don't know why there would be surprise that Sonora could equal Death Valley for heat. The Sonoran desert kills.It's amazing what humans can adapt to. Native people used to farm the Sonoran desert.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by thisplacesucks

I think the largest town, depending upon where you are, would be Ridgecrest, CA. I believe the population is less than 20,000. It does not have a mall but I believe there is a Walmart. There is a movie theatre, grocery stores, very basic restaurants. The moderator of the San Bernardino/Riverside Counties forum once lived in Ridgecrest & wrote on the forum about it, you should check that out. There is also the town of Trona, my high school played them in football, they play on a dirt field! Trona is small, only a place to get gas & groceries & move on.

Ridgecrest is up to 30K now, been over 25K for at least the last decade. There is a regular (not super) Wal-Mart, a K-Mart, 2 Albertson's, and a Stater Bros. Maybe up to a dozen and a half hotels/motels. All of the chain fast-food except for Wendy's. Several inflated-priced gas stations.

You don't get anything in Trona except for the hell out. Gas is 50c more than in Ridgecrest, and any store would be general in type.

[volosong]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

OK, maybe I misinterpreted the statement in this article about the highest temp in the Sonoran desert, near the "tip of Mexico", whatever that means. I thought it meant in the US, near the Mex. border. But still, whether in the US or Mexico, it ties for first place with Death Valley for highest recorded temp.

www.blueplanetbiomes.org/sonoran_desert_climate.htm‎

Ruth4Truth, that web site, (i.e., Blue Planet Biomes), was written by students at an elementary school in 2003. Don't place your full faith in what it says. Of the five references that the author, "Daniel F.", lists in his bibliography, one is for a basic physical geography textbook, one does not have any meaningful discussion about temperature, (i.e., World Wildlife Foundation site), and three are the infamous "404 File not found" error. Those pages no longer exist.

Here's a link to the NCDC, (National Climatic Data Center), of NOAA, (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), about world record temperatures:

This Month in Climate History: Earth

- - -

vinings92, if you do go to work in Death Valley, be sure to protect yourself from the summer sun. A big, floppy hat will be most valuable. Suntan lotion too. A lot of insolation will bounce off the sand/rocks and reflect onto your skin.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by volosong

Here's a link to the NCDC, (National Climatic Data Center), of NOAA, (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), about world record temperatures:

This Month in Climate History: Earth

Cool. Very informative. Hooray for NOAA!

[MarciaMarshaMarcia]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

Ridgecrest is up to 30K now, been over 25K for at least the last decade. There is a regular (not super) Wal-Mart, a K-Mart, 2 Albertson's, and a Stater Bros. Maybe up to a dozen and a half hotels/motels. All of the chain fast-food except for Wendy's. Several inflated-priced gas stations.

You don't get anything in Trona except for the hell out. Gas is 50c more than in Ridgecrest, and any store would be general in type.

Thanks for the update. P.S., if you're crawling around the Panamints & need to fill the auxiliary tank on your 4WD, the gas station & convenience store in Trona is very handy.

[xeric]

Just wanted to chime in here as both a climate geek and somebody who has visited Death Valley quite a few times and whose brother lived and worked there for almost a decade.

First the summer heat. By just about any standard, Furnace Creek in Death Valley is the hottest place in the Western Hemisphere (and quite possibly the world) in the summer. It also holds the world's record for highest temperature every recorded (134 F) since the previous location in Libya (136F) was disqualified. How hot is it? The AVERAGE high and low temperatures for July are 116 F and 86.7 F. The last time I was there in the summer, it was 117 F at 7 PM. Compare that to other locations in the US that are considered hot spots (average July temperatures): Yuma, AZ at 105.5/73.9; Imperial, CA at 106.7/76.6; Lake Havasu City at 110.9/84.7; Phoenix at 105.2/80.5, Palm Springs at 108.2/75.2.

NOAA Climate Summaries | Western Regional Climate Center

This is not to say that the OP shouldn't take this opportunity. Rather I say "go for it". The isolation, and otherworldy quality to the place is amazing. You have to have a robust heat tolerance if you are there in the summer, but you'll be surprised at how lively Furnace Creek is even then (there tend to be more European and other foreign visitors in the summer and more people from the US in the winter). Also, the extremely hot section (in the summer - winters are warm to cool) is only one part of this vast park. Drive west or east and you'll quickly ascend to higher elevations. As for not having a car - it will limit you. This is a remote part of California, and you need a car to get to really be able to appreciate the area. But the majority of your coworkers will probably have an auto, so the "making friends" suggestion of one of the other posters is an option.

As fo malls, health clubs, and other things associated with cities - no there won't be any of that. Others have given you the distances to the nearest towns. And Furnace Creek is really just a hotel/resort, store, and restaurant (as well as the National Park Headquarters and main housing area for the NPS employees); not a town per se.

[Podo944]

You'll probably make friends with the other workers there, doing activities or going into Ridgecrest on a weekend on occasion.
Bring water where ever you go and that includes having a few water jugs in any car you are a passenger in.
Your new buddies may be from elsewhere too, and not used to desert heat, and not think about having water in their car, and if you break down on the road you'll be toast!

Not familiar with Death Valley, but lived briefly in Las Vegas as a kid and my brother lives in Redding where 110 degree summer days aren't uncommon.

So be careful, get water bottles, sunblock and a hat!

There...Mama Podo's had her say.

Good luck with your adventure!

[MarciaMarshaMarcia]

^^^Very good advice, never went to Death Valley, or any other desert locale, with less than 3 five-gallon water cans filled up. So many travelers, especially those from Europe, have no clue about how important this is. And yes, never underestimate Death Valley's heat...head out to the Racetrack (if you're a Death Valley-phile, you know where this is) with no h2o & never be heard from again...