The name and the stark image it invokes in our minds are contrary to the real beauty of Death Valley National Park. Stunning vistas, rugged mountains and colorful foothills surround the valley that boasts the record for the hottest temperature on earth, 134 degrees on July 10, 1913.

I spent two days in the valley, staying in Stovepipe Wells, battling extremes brought on by a heat wave that took temperatures well over 125 degrees while I was there; never the less the sites in the park more than justified the effort.