Death Valley and its oasis

I took this photo in Death Valley, California. It looks desolate, and it is. It can get as hot as 130 degrees in Death Valley in the summer. I have been there when it was 122 degrees. That was something else. Death Valley is a national park these days and one of my favorite places. I usually camp at the Furnace Creek oasis. If I had turned my camera the other direction from where it points in this photo, you would see the oasis. There are thousands of palm trees. Cool spring water gushes from the earth: look carefully and you may see tiny pupfish swimming. Don't bring your fishing pole: the pupfish are maybe an inch long. Furnace Creek has three campgrounds: one is a giant gravel parking lot for RVs only. The oasis also has a tavern, museum, gas station, visitor center, a couple of restaurants, a swimming pool, small airport, and "the world's lowest golf course." It's a beautiful green course thanks to all the spring water. In the summer you can play for free (if you can tolerate the heat). But watch out for coyotes, which rest on the cool green grass. I have been visiting Death Valley since I was a kid. The big difference between now and the olden days is that TV signals didn't reach there back then. You really felt far from civilization. Then about 15 years ago, Death Valley got a satellite dish and all of a sudden you could watch 500 channels. Now, it doesn't feel so far away.