The Raw Allure of Deserts   Leave a comment

 

I have travelled through a few deserts in my limited travels.  And I have always experienced a feeling of space and openness in these dry and sunny landscapes.  Deserts are usually flat and therefore one can see for miles.  And there are not a lot of people to get in your way.  The flora is so distinct and odd that if you look closely at it the colours are striking.  The critters in the desert are not spotted easily, and this is good because many are poisonous and overall outright dastardly creatures.

When I travelled in the deserts of the southwest U.S. I scanned the ground like a city vagrant when I left the car.  Never know where a rattler or scorpion could be lurking.  But I was always amazed at the feeling I felt of freedom and space.  While passing through the Utah salt flats the level feature of the terrain was astounding.  It looked like a giant parking lot as far as the eye could see.  I guess that is why they race for the world land speed records there.

Many people find deserts to be desolate and bland.  But I think deserts are a great land feature that add tremendous diversity to the geography of the world.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Namibia

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Painted Desert Utah

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

 Oasis in Libya

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Mojave desert California

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Namibian desert

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Australia

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

White Sands New Mexico

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Namibia

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Nazca Desert Peru

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Judaean Desert and the Dead Sea

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Utah Salt Flats

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Giant sand dunes of the Namibian Desert

Posted January 19, 2012 by markosun in Geography, Nature

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