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Bombay Beach Rediscovered
Destination for Photographers, Movie Makers and Artists
Bombay Beach is located in Imperial County, California, on the eastern shore of the Salton Sea. The city has a small population of only about 200 people. At 225 feet below sea level, it’s the lowest city in the world if judged by elevation. The city was conceived as a resort town for the wealthy in the late 1940s and 50s. Bombay Beach however, declined to a curious assemblage of the leftover detritus of a human habitation long gone, a retreating beach, and a sense of profound isolation. Read more…
Bodie State Historic Park
California Gold Mining Ghost Town
In Bodie, more than 170 buildings are protected in a state of “arrested decay” on more than 1,000 remote acres, administered by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. In its heyday around 1879, Bodie boasted a population of about 10,000 and was second to none for wickedness, badmen, and “the worst climate out of doors.” One little girl, whose family was taking her to the remote and infamous town, wrote in her diary: “Goodbye God, I’m going to Bodie.” This phrase came to be known throughout the west. Read more…
Tale of Two Inconspicuous Giants
King Clone and the Blackhawk Landslide
Imagine the Mojave Desert nearly 12,000 years ago. It was a wetter place but the Ice Age was just coming to an end and many animals were becoming extinct. Mammoths, mastadons, saber tooth cats, giant ground sloths and other animals would soon be wiped off of the face of the earth. At this time one small creosote bush sprouted up through the desert floor and began spreading its mighty roots into the earth; this creosote bush would later be known as King Clone. Read more…
The Mojave Desert
Driest Desert in the US
The Mojave Desert occupies approximately 43,750 square miles and is considered the smallest and driest desert in the United States. A majority of the Mojave Desert is located in southeastern California and southern Nevada, with smaller portions in Utah and Arizona. It’s famous for having the hottest air temperature and surface temperature recorded on earth and the lowest elevation in North America. Read more…
DesertUSA is a guide to the American Southwest. Our stories feature topics ranging from rockhounding and boating to desert parks and unique points of interest. DesertUSA’s content includes in depth information about the natural history of the desert regions of the United States.
News
- Santa Fe Trail Turns 200, National Park Service Commemorates
- NPS Requests Public Input on the Strawberry Creek Fire – Watershed Restoration and Stabilization Project at Great Basin NP
- Caltrans and NPS Retrofit Project Helps Wildlife Cross Highway 118
- Missing Campers in Death Valley
- Mesa Verde National Park Certified as 100th International Dark Sky Park
- Grand Canyon Re-Opens East Gate
- Fuel Service Restored at Dangling Rope Marina
DesertUSA has received so many requests for Prickly Pear recipes and ingredients that we have decided to stock our store with Prickly Pear Syrup, nectar and related products.
Prickly Pear Drink Recipes & Prickly Pear Syrup Products
Buy Prickly Pear Syrup 35 oz.
Buy Prickly Pear Syrup 1 Gallon.
If you’re looking for a fun thing to do with your kids, check out our “Break-at-Home” geode kits. This hands on rockhounding experience is a great way for kids to learn about geology, how geodes are formed and to experience the excitement of discovery when they break one open. Learn more about “Break-at-Home” geodes.
An adventure through time. Explore the route used by pioneers on their way to California. The Mojave Road lets your SUV act as a time machine, guiding you on a trail that stretches for 138 miles through country virtually unchanged since prehistoric times. Learn more about the Mojave Road Guide by Dennis Casebier.
