Death Valley, the hottest and driest place in North America, is making waves—literally. After record-breaking rains flooded California’s desert landscape, Lake Manly has reemerged in Badwater Basin, transforming the iconic salt flats into a temporary oasis perfect for kayaking. 🚣♂️
Park Ranger Nichole Andler called the phenomenon \"extremely uncommon,\" noting the basin has received over double its annual rainfall in just six months. What’s usually a blinding white salt flat is now a shimmering lake up to 0.3 meters deep, stretching nearly 10 kilometers long. \"If it's not once-in-a-lifetime, it's nearly,\" she said.
Visitors like Heather and Bob Gang seized the chance to paddle where they once stood on bone-dry ground. \"It’s good to see little kids enjoying something totally unique,\" Bob shared, after giving a young girl a kayak ride. Meanwhile, locals Trudell Artiglere and Sheri Dee Hopper joked their salt-crusted kayaks looked like \"glazed donuts\" by day’s end. 🍩
But hurry—the lake could vanish by April. Scientists say climate change might make such events less predictable, but for now, Death Valley’s surreal waters are a reminder of nature’s wild surprises. 🌵💦
