Exploring anfractuous realities during the aureate moments of the slow and silent sunset . . .
Prithee, be wise, listen to this peccavi
I set the ground on fire
I danced as everything died.
I gathered all that was properly cooked
and ate it.
Now, I have sent the words forward
I lied.
I ate everything
I ate it all.
I must be on my way . . .
–
A Geothermal Oasis in the Mojave Desert
Tecopa Hot Springs is a natural wonder in the Mojave Desert, where underground forces heat groundwater and bring it to the surface. This small desert town in Inyo County, California, has long been a retreat for those seeking mineral-rich hot water’s relaxing and therapeutic effects. But why is the water hot, and what geological processes make these springs possible? The answer lies deep beneath the surface, where a combination of geothermal activity, faulting, and groundwater circulation work together to create this desert oasis.
The heat of Tecopa Hot Springs originates from the Earth’s natural geothermal gradient, which refers to how temperature increases with depth. In most places, the Earth’s temperature rises at 25 to 30 degrees Celsius per kilometer. However, heat from the Earth’s interior reaches the surface more efficiently in regions where the Earth’s crust is thinner, such as the Basin and Range Province surrounding Tecopa. These conditions allow groundwater that seeps deep underground to become significantly warmer than at the surface.
Another key factor in Tecopa’s hot springs is faulting. Faults crisscross the region, fractures in the Earth’s crust where movement occurs. These faults act as pathways, allowing surface water to trickle downward, sometimes traveling thousands of feet below the surface. As the water moves deeper, it encounters hot rock formations, absorbing heat before being pushed back up through fractures in the rock. This process, known as hydrothermal circulation, explains why the water at Tecopa emerges at high temperatures.
While no active volcanoes exist in Tecopa today, past volcanic activity in the region also heats the groundwater. Ancient magma chambers, which once fueled eruptions and left behind hot rock masses deep underground, continue to radiate heat, warming water as it percolates downward—the mineral content of the water results from the interaction between the groundwater and the surrounding rock formations.
The Amargosa River system, though mostly underground, further contributes to the presence of hot springs. This river follows fault lines and helps recharge groundwater, maintaining a steady flow of water that moves through the region’s complex network of fractures and underground reservoirs. Over time, this slow and steady process has kept the Tecopa Hot Springs active, providing a natural source of hot water even in the arid desert environment.
The springs at Tecopa are part of a more extensive geothermal system in the Mojave Desert, where similar processes create hot springs and hydrothermal features in other areas. The combination of thin crust, tectonic activity, deep groundwater flow, and remnants of ancient volcanic heat makes Tecopa one of the most accessible geothermal spots in the region. Visitors who soak in the warm waters may not see the underground forces at work, but they are experiencing a process that has shaped the desert landscape for countless years.
Tecopa Hot Springs is a natural geothermal oasis in the Mojave Desert, where underground heat warms groundwater, bringing it to the surface. The springs result from a thin crust, active faulting, and remnants of past volcanic heat. Water seeps deep underground absorbs heat and rises through fractures. This steady hydrothermal process has sustained the springs for centuries, creating a rare desert retreat with mineral-rich, naturally heated water.
The Brown-Parker Auto Company Garage in Goldfield, Nevada, is a historic structure dating back to the early 20th century, reflecting the town’s mining boom era. It was originally established by Munro Brown and Orlo Parker, becoming one of Nevada’s first Ford dealerships.
In 1917, Brown sold his share to Parker when he left to serve in World War I. The original building was destroyed in a fire in 1923 but was rebuilt in 1924. It continued to operate as an auto garage until 1989. Today, it is a notable stop on the Goldfield Historical Walking Tour, highlighting over 190 historical sites throughout the town. The garage is a reminder of Goldfield’s former prominence and the essential role that automobile services played in supporting the remote mining community.
Don’t try this at home . . . or anywhere else.
Barrel cacti are tough desert plants that have some pretty interesting survival tricks. They come in different types, but a couple of things are true for all of them. First, the taller ones tend to lean toward the south. Second, despite what you might see in movies, you should never try to drink water from them if you’re stuck in the desert.
The reason barrel cacti tilt south is all about the sun. For most of the year, the sun is more toward the southern part of the sky. The side of the cactus that faces the sun gets blasted with heat all day, which slows its growth compared to the shadier side. Over time, this uneven growth makes the cactus lean south. Some people even call them “compass cacti” because of this. While this might seem like a handy way to figure out directions, it’s not always reliable. Wind, terrain, and other factors can also influence the way a cactus grows, so it’s not a foolproof method for finding your way.
Another common myth is that you can drink the liquid inside a barrel cactus if you’re dying of thirst. In reality, that’s a terrible idea. First off, these cacti are covered in sharp spines and have a tough outer layer, so getting inside one is no easy task. The effort it takes to cut one open would make you sweat more, which is the last thing you want in a survival situation.
Even if you do manage to get to the liquid inside, drinking it is likely to make things worse. The juice of a barrel cactus isn’t clean water—it’s filled with bitter chemicals that can make you sick. Most people who drink it end up with horrible stomach problems, including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Losing fluids this way will dehydrate you even faster, which is the exact opposite of what you need in the desert. Instead of saving your life, drinking from a barrel cactus could actually make your situation more dangerous.
In short, barrel cacti are amazing desert plants, but they’re not a survival tool. Their southward lean is a cool way to see how they adapt to their environment, but it’s not a perfect compass. And no matter how thirsty you are, drinking their juice is nasty. The best way to survive in the desert is to be prepared, carry plenty of water, and know how to find sources of hydration. Appreciating the cactus for what it is—not what Hollywood says it is—can help you stay safe and respect the incredible plants of the desert.
Barrel cacti are well-adapted desert plants known for their ribbed bodies and spines. A notable trait is their tendency to lean southward, earning them the nickname “compass cactus.” While some believe barrel cacti can provide water in survival situations, this is a dangerous misconception.
Their tough exterior makes extracting liquid difficult, and the fluid inside contains harmful compounds that can cause severe dehydration through nausea and diarrhea. Unlike desert animals that can safely consume plant parts, humans cannot process its toxins. The best survival strategy is proper preparation, carrying enough water, and understanding the limits of natural resources.
twisting, folding, fans and fronds
bending, shaping birds of long
feathers and wildflowers to sing at dawn
fragments of words pronounced wrong
and, and, peaches, and, and, pears of the trees
odd spirits joining the red canaries
thrown wildly at shapes such as these
escaping into the gelatinous sky
wings frantically beating below clouds up high
from desert palms
as the mums (do)
in tedious pantomime
slow breathing in dull stupor
As grey Chrysanthemums (do)
in delicate repose
in diocesian convocation
seeking forgiveness
And Salvation
as the mums (do)
.
-wf
I have fallen asleep under my threadbare blanket
My dream begins in an austere land
Faraway, brass horns blow with the many winds
as the gold sun races by
And in the distance, slowly approaching,
the timpani drums beat louder with every breath
The clouds roll and roil in conflicting emotion
I find my feet have left the ground
I fly into the solace of being unremembered.
.
.
w.feller
Death Valley Ghost Towns Volume 2
Into the Jaws of Hell – Sutak, Tom
Jefferson Hunt (1804-1879) was born in Bracken County, Kentucky, son of John Hunt and Martha Jenkins. He arrived in Utah in 1847. He was married to Celia Mounts in 1823 and Martha Jane Nease in 1846.
Geology of Death Valley: Landforms, Crustal Extension, Geologic History, Road Guides
An Unnatural History of Death Valley
Death Valley History Revealed: Proceedings of the Sixth Death Valley Conference on History and Prehistory
Death Valley in ’49: An Autobiography of a Pioneer Who Survived the California Desert
Roadside Geology of Utah (Roadside Geology Series) affiliates.abebooks.com/KeDgra
Roy Rogers Cowboy Annual 1954 Alan Lester, Jessie Dalmar, Douglas Enefer ++ [Fair]
Roy Rogers Cowboy Annual 1952
King of the Cowboys, Queen of the West: Roy Rogers and Dale Evans (A Ray and Pat Browne Book)
The Cowboy and the Senorita : A Biography of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
Happy Trails: A Pictorial Celebration of the Life and Times of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
Roy Rogers: A Biography, Radio History, Television Career Chronicle, Discography, Filmography, Comicography, Merchandising and Adv
Happy Trails: The Story of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans [signed] [first edition]
Roy Rogers: A biography, radio history, tv career chronicle, discography.
Trigger : The Lives and Legend of Roy Rogers’ Palomino
Life of Roy Rogers
Gene Autry and Roy Rogers: America’s Two Favorite Singing Cowboys
Cowboy Princess: Life with My Parents Roy Rogers and Dale Evans [signed]
Roy Rogers Archives Volume 1 (v. 1)
The Best of Alex Toth and John Buscema Roy Rogers Comics
Roy Rogers And Dale Evans: It Was Always the Music
Roy Rogers: The Collected Daily and Sunday Newspaper Strips
King of the Cowboys, Queen of the West: Roy Rogers and Dale Evans (A Ray and Pat Browne Book)
Cool It or Lose It!: Dale Evans Rogers Raps With Youth
Happy Trails: The Story of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans [signed] [first edition]
Queen of the West: The Life and Times of Dale Evans
Cowboy Princess: Life with My Parents Roy Rogers and Dale Evans [signed]
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans: It Was Always the Music [first edition]
Death Valley in ’49 (California Legacy) (California Legacy Book)
In the winter of 1849, William Lewis Manly, a pioneer immigrant to California, and his companions blundered into Death Valley as they turned south from the Rockies in search of a quicker route to the gold fields. The group was stranded, and Manly and another man set out on foot to find help. Fourteen days later they wandered into Mission San Fernando. They returned to their companions with supplies and brought them out of Death Valley to safety.
Encouraged by his friends, Manly wrote his remarkable story, detailing his journey and rescue mission.
With an introduction by noted historian Patricia Limerick and freshly edited, indexed, and annotated in an unusually handsome edition, Death Valley in ’49 is both an important book–central to our understanding of early California–and, with its compelling narrative, a joy to read.
Hiking Death Valley National Park: 36 Day and Overnight Hikes (Regional Hiking Series)
$45.80 – TRADE – New
Hiking Death Valley National Park contains detailed information about 36 of the best day hikes and extended backpacking trips in the largest national park outside of Alaska. Supplemented with GPS-compatible maps, mile-by-mile directional cues, rich narratives, and beautiful photographs, this is the only book you’ll need for this land of extremes.
Hiking Death Valley National Park: 36 Day and Overnight Hikes (Regional Hiking Series)
$6.20 – TRADE – Used
Hiking Death Valley National Park contains detailed information about 36 of the best day hikes and extended backpacking trips in the largest national park outside of Alaska. Supplemented with GPS-compatible maps, mile-by-mile directional cues, rich narratives, and beautiful photographs, this is the only book you’ll need for this land of extremes.
These Canyons Are Full of Ghosts: The Last of the Death Valley Prospectors
Emmett C. Harder
$40.00 – TRADE – Used
Nowadays tourists from all over the world travel to Death Valley but most all of them never see the romantic and mysterious badlands, the south end of the valley. This area is off the beaten path, remote and dangerous! This book is about the gold hunters that loved to search the southern wastelands, the high hills and deep canyons, come hell or high water. It is about their last days, an era lost forever. The whole valley is off limits now for prospecting. No longer can you hear the distant sound of dynamite nor will you see men or women in tattered denim clothes, with pick and shovel, working their mining claims. However in these pages you can step back to when they were there, and share their excitement and share their dreams–and you will be sure to strike it rich!
Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse : Race to Death Valley
$10.48 – TRADE – Used
Today everyone knows Mickey Mouse as Disney’s cheerful ambassador. But back in the 1930s, Mickey gained fame as a rough-and-tumble, two-fisted epic hero! And Mickey’s greatest feats of derring-do were written and drawn by one of the greatest cartoonists of the 20th century ― Floyd Gottfredson. The premiere volume, Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse Vol. 1: “Race to Death Valley” features a dozen different adventures starring Mickey, his gal Minnie and her uncle Mortimer (not to be confused with Mickey’s rival in the animates shorts!), his pals Horace Horsecollar and Butch, the villainous Pegleg Pete, and the mysterious and shrouded Fox. Relive Mickey’s race to a gold mine with Pegleg Pete hot on his heels; Mickey’s life on the lam after being framed for bank robbery; even Mickey’s ringside battle with a hulking heavyweight champ! Now it’s time to rediscover the wild, unforgettable personality behind the icon: Floyd Gottfredson’s Mickey Mouse.
The Explorer’s Guide to Death Valley National Park, Third Edition
$39.82 – TRADE – New
Originally published in 1995, soon after Death Valley National Park became the fifty-third park in the US park system, The Explorer’s Guide to Death Valley National Park was the first complete guidebook available for this spectacular area. Now in its third edition, this is still the only book that includes all aspects of the park. Much more than just a guidebook, it covers the park’s cultural history, botany and zoology, hiking and biking opportunities, and more. Information is provided for all of Death Valley’s visitors, from first-time travelers just learning about the area to those who are returning for in-depth explorations. The book includes updated point-to-point logs for every road within and around the park, as well as more accurate maps than those in any other publication. With extensive input from National Park Service resource management, law enforcement, and interpretive personnel, as well as a thorough bibliography for suggested reading, The Explorer’s Guide to Death Valley National Park, Third Edition is the most up-to-date, accurate, and comprehensive guide available for this national treasure.
Explorer’s Guide to Death Valley National Park
$3.13 – TRADE – Used
Originally published in 1995, soon after Death Valley National Park became the fifty-third park in the US park system, The Explorer’s Guide to Death Valley National Park was the first complete guidebook available for this spectacular area. Now in its third edition, this is still the only book that includes all aspects of the park. Much more than just a guidebook, it covers the park’s cultural history, botany and zoology, hiking and biking opportunities, and more. Information is provided for all of Death Valley’s visitors, from first-time travelers just learning about the area to those who are returning for in-depth explorations. The book includes updated point-to-point logs for every road within and around the park, as well as more accurate maps than those in any other publication. With extensive input from National Park Service resource management, law enforcement, and interpretive personnel, as well as a thorough bibliography for suggested reading, The Explorer’s Guide to Death Valley National Park, Third Edition is the most up-to-date, accurate, and comprehensive guide available for this national treasure.
Death Valley (National Park Explorers)
$11.81 – TRADE – New
As summer vacation draws near, children (and adults) start dreaming ofthe next great adventure. Why not become National Park Explorers and discover the wonders contained in some of America’s most popular national parks? Each book in this new series highlights key landscape features, wildlife, and activities unique to the park, noting when is a particularly good time of year to visit. Abundant photographs will captivate the eye and entice each armchair adventurer to hop in the car or catch a plane to experience the park in all its scenic glory. A young explorer’s introduction to California and Nevada’s Death Valley National Park, covering its desert landscape, plants, animals such as desert tortoises, and activities such as bird-watching.
Death Valley (National Park Explorers)
$3.25 – TRADE – Used
As summer vacation draws near, children (and adults) start dreaming ofthe next great adventure. Why not become National Park Explorers and discover the wonders contained in some of America’s most popular national parks? Each book in this new series highlights key landscape features, wildlife, and activities unique to the park, noting when is a particularly good time of year to visit. Abundant photographs will captivate the eye and entice each armchair adventurer to hop in the car or catch a plane to experience the park in all its scenic glory. A young explorer’s introduction to California and Nevada’s Death Valley National Park, covering its desert landscape, plants, animals such as desert tortoises, and activities such as bird-watching.
Moon Death Valley National Park (Moon Handbooks)
$12.48 – TRADE – New
With sculpted sand dunes, crusted salt flats, and polished marble canyons, Death Valley is as close as you can get to another planet.This book tells you what you need to know to plan the perfect trip for you:· Strategies for how to get there, how long it will take, and where to stop along the way· Hikes to abandoned mining camps, remote ghost towns, and hidden springs· The most scenic backcountry roads in and around the park· The best places to pitch a tent, park your RV, or bed down indoors· Excursions beyond the park boundaries to offbeat sights like the Amargosa Opera House and the Trona Pinnacles
Moon Death Valley National Park (Moon Handbooks)
$7.48 – TRADE – Used
With sculpted sand dunes, crusted salt flats, and polished marble canyons, Death Valley is as close as you can get to another planet.This book tells you what you need to know to plan the perfect trip for you:· Strategies for how to get there, how long it will take, and where to stop along the way· Hikes to abandoned mining camps, remote ghost towns, and hidden springs· The most scenic backcountry roads in and around the park· The best places to pitch a tent, park your RV, or bed down indoors· Excursions beyond the park boundaries to offbeat sights like the Amargosa Opera House and the Trona Pinnacles
Moon Death Valley National Park (Second Edition) (Travel Guide)
$10.70 – TRADE – New
In stock ready to dispatch from the UK
Moon Death Valley National Park (Travel Guide)
$5.40 – TRADE – Used
Spine creases, wear to binding and pages from reading. May contain limited notes, underlining or highlighting that does affect the text. Possible ex library copy, will have the markings and stickers associated from the library. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included.
Emerge: Addiction: A Journey Through The Valley of the Shadow of Death
$26.91 – TRADE – New
Discover A Powerful way to Escape Addiction, Depression, & Substance Abuse.Addiction – It is with you 24/7 and the fear of it can be sickening. A part of a persons life that if kept hidden has the potential to be fatal. It can not be dismissed, it must be confronted and dealt with. This is a story of how addiction can be overcome.Author Robert A. Bullock takes you through his life, from early childhood, teenage years, and into early adulthood as he shares his story of triumph and pain.In “Emerge: Addiction- A Journey Through The Valley of the Shadow of Death” you will journey from addiction to recovery. In the process you will discover:-An early childhood drama- Painfull experience with racism- Stigma those with HIV face in the Church.- Personal growth and triumph as a teen.- College life and Early adulthood- A collapse in professional career and finances.- Spiral into depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.- Rock Bottom and the bounce back.- RedemptionDiscover the humanity in one man’s journey as he describes what circumstances helped to strengthen his faith in God and empathy for all those who struggle with addiciton.Robert A. Bullock is a co-founder of a nonprofit with the goal of helping others beat addiction and substance abuse. For additional resources to help you or a loved one beat addiction go to RobertABullock.net
The Explorer’s Guide to Death Valley National Park, Fourth Edition
$18.12 – TRADE – Used
Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Death Valley National Park Recreation Map (Tom Harrison Maps)
$19.09 – TRADE – New
All maps have color-coded symbols and trails, mileages between trail junctions, latitude/longitude, UTM grids, contour lines, vegetation, and elevations at trail junctions.Tom Harrison Maps is famous for the beauty and accuracy of its maps.
Death Valley National Park Recreation Map (Tom Harrison Maps)
$19.09 – TRADE – Used
All maps have color-coded symbols and trails, mileages between trail junctions, latitude/longitude, UTM grids, contour lines, vegetation, and elevations at trail junctions.Tom Harrison Maps is famous for the beauty and accuracy of its maps.
Death Valley Scotty Told Me
$9.99 – TRADE – Used
Light rubbing wear to cover, spine and page edges. Very minimal writing or notations in margins not affecting the text. Possible clean ex-library copy, with their stickers and or stamp(s).
Introduction to the Geology of Death Valley
Perhaps nowhere else on earth is geology better observed and studied than in Death Valley. The Valley may seem like a place where time has stood still for hundreds of millions of years, but the geologic story here is complex and reveals a land torn by great physical changes.
An introduction to the Geology of Death Valley by Michael Collier captures the drama of the processes that are constantly changing Death Valley’s landscape. He creatively weaves an account of Death Valley’s one-hundred-and-forty-year mining history into the one-and-a-half-billion-year geologic history of the Valley. Through these stories and his perceptive observations of a slowly evolving landscape, there emerges a fresh perspective on Death Valley.
Michael Collier describes flash floods which create broad, fan-shaped deposits of sand, gravel, and boulders; volcanoes blasting forth great volumes of ash that once blanketed the surrounding mountains and valleys; warm, shallow seas that extended over thousands of square miles. He describes a region rent by great earthquakes that pushed up mountain ranges and sand valleys; where thick sheets of solid rock have been pushed sideways for miles or gently slid down sloping mountain fronts; where the earth’s forces have folded, crushed, or moved great masses of rock. As he so well puts it, “The soil of Death Valley – tough scorched, and salt-ridden – has been very fertile for geologic thought.”
Commissioned by the Death Valley Natural History Association, Collier accomplished the goal of taking a complex, and sometimes controversial, geology and transforming it into a story, the essence of solid natural history writing.
Red Light Women of Death Valley (Hardback or Cased Book)
$24.77 – TRADE – New
From the 1870s to the turn of the century, while countless men gambled their fortunes in Death Valley’s mines, many bold women capitalized on the boom-and-bust lifestyle and established saloons and brothels. These lively ladies were clever entrepreneurs and fearless adventurers but also mothers, wives and respected members of their communities. Madam Lola Travis was one of the wealthiest single women in Inyo County in the 1870s. Known as “Diamond Tooth Lil,” Evelyn Hildegard was a poor immigrant girl who became a western legend. Local author and historian Robin Flinchum chronicles the lives of these women and many others who were unafraid to live outside the bounds of polite society and risk everything for a better future in the forbidding Death Valley desert.
Death Valley National Park: Coloring Adventure (Wild about Coloring)
$7.28 – TRADE – New
Death Valley National Park Coloring Adventure book is a day trip through the hottest, driest and lowest place in the United States. Ranger Larry will guide you through this bone-dry valley from 282 feet below sea level to the highest sand dunes in California. Filled with fun facts, wacky cartoon characters, real locations and wonderful wildlife pictures to color, this coloring book will spark the imagination of any child. And for some adults, it’s pure nostalgia. So no matter what your age, you can enjoy bringing Death Valley to life in your very own National Park Coloring Book. For ages 9 and up.