| Lush oases harbor tiny fish and refuge for wildlife and humans | Yet, each extreme has a striking contrast |
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| In July 2013, it last reached 129F | Indeed, if Sunday's temperature is found to be valid--and assuming Chris Burt's exhaustive work is correct--then we have a new global heat record on our hands |
| Hottest, Driest, and Lowest National Park In this below-sea-level basin, steady drought and record summer heat make Death Valley a land of extremes | Towering peaks are frosted with winter snow |
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| Rare rainstorms bring vast fields of wildflowers |