Rock in Motion

2011-11-25 Death Valley, Day 3 If you've heard of it before, you probably recognize this as a photo of the Racetrack. If you haven't, let me tell ya: The Racetrack is a mud playa in Death Valley National Park, where the rocks move. No one has ever seen it happen and no one has been able to prove how it happens, but the evidence is right there - huge rocks with long mud trails behind them. The theory is that when the playa gets wet, it gets slippery enough that high winds are able to push the rocks around. It's a truly amazing place and I enjoyed every minute that we spent there. The road to it is not easy. You need an SUV at the very least - a lot of people rent Jeeps to make the trip. It's a long trip, too - took us most of the day, and we left pretty darn early. Here's what the National Park Service Sign says: "The moving rocks are something of a mystery. Scientists theorize that when this ancient lake bed - or playa - gets wet, it becomes so slippery that winds can move rocks weighing 100 pounds or more. Others suggest that winds move the rocks only when ice helps them raft along a temporary lake surface." More Death Valley Photos - www.jawsnap.net/Travel/DeathValley2011 [last year] huh, a year ago we walked across lava flats...

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From One/Day Project, Year 4