美国死谷国家公园(Death Valley National Park)传说是外星人降临地球的所在，它位于加州、内华达和犹他州交界的大沙漠里。1849年加州发现黄金后，全美迅速掀起淘金热，此后有人从死谷脱险而出，说了句Good bye Death Valley。

       1924年，富翁Albert Johnson在海拔最低点死谷，耗资250多万美元建成这个苏格兰风格的豪宅，当时他意欲因此建立自己的独立王国，而最后Scotty's Castle徒然成为一个奇妙的产业而已。

       难以想象当年化那么多钱，抓无数劳力，为在美国西部大沙漠里建立如此富丽堂皇的建筑！

       富豪对整个建筑安全的防护设计很独到(今日第2张)：从里面开枪，子弹冲击到墙上的装置后，会自动飞射到门外左右两边，击倒入侵者！

Death Valley Ranch (本段文字来源网络)：   Flambouyant, smooth-talking, and slick, Death Valley Scotty convinced millionaire Albert Johnson to build an estate out in Death Valley. In 1924, construction began on a Moorish-style mansion that was intended to be the winter home of the Johnsons but, Scotty enthusiastically led many to believe that it was his personal domain. Costing over $2.5 million, the innovative "castle" was never completed.

       豪宅内总是不乏艺术品和摆设，哈哈哈人类大同：

       富翁过世后，山顶树立了永久的十字架(下张右上)，因为生前他说“我在天上也要看顾着这片家园”：

       当年的Ashford mill ruins(磨坊遗址)：

       死谷全年温度变化很大，1913年7月10日达到有史以来最高温度56.7℃。

       旅游死谷不要走马观花，请尽可能到旅馆住宿：

       附近是死谷非同寻常的高尔夫球场Furnace Creek Golf Course，在广阔的干湖床上，奇形怪状的盐结晶体象锯齿般组合而成。这里海拔高度低于214，是地球上最低的高尔夫球场！

(本段文字来源网络)：   The Devil’s Golf Course is a curious assemblage of crystalline salt shapes spread over a large swath of the Death Valley salt pan. This saltpan, which is the lowest point in Death Valley National Park, and indeed the western hemisphere, holds a small amount of subsurface moisture. This water is extremely salty and briny, a result of the accumulation of minerals that were left behind when the 30-foot-deep Holocene-era lake disappeared (the accumulation continues with each year’s winter rains). Capillary action draws the subsurface moisture upward. As the water evaporates, it leaves behind salt crystals that form myriad fantastic shapes. The growth is quite slow, perhaps as little as one inch every 35 years. Wind friction and seasonal flooding of the area during winter storms erodes or reshapes the salt crystal forms, and the process continues.

       死谷景点之一Zabriskie Point：

       这是沙漠里生存的鱼类：

死谷 (DeathValley)网站：      http://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm

       景区售票亭：

✿    此刻，非常想念老伍夫妇，希望我们很快再见。谢谢你们传达死谷动人气息：

✿    今天起床看到入冬以来第二场小雪景。上午还收到《中国XX》杂志某编来信，“Anne：你好，在新浪上看到了你的博客，讲述了很多你在美国的见闻。我们杂志有个海外生活栏目，专门讲述女性在国外的所见所闻，遂想和您联系下，沟通下选题，是否能做我杂志的特约撰稿人。”

Never say goodbye bye