(4 Mar 2016) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus050004
(NATS)
ACROSS THIS CALIFORNIA DESERT.. A GOLD BOOM.
THE KIND THAT’S RICH IN SENSES, NOT DOLLARS.
UPSOUND (English): “Are there bugs on it? … No? Smell it. Does it smell?”
MILLIONS OF BRIGHT YELLOW WILDFLOWERS CALLED ‘DESERT GOLD’ ARE CARPETING DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK ….
…. A STUNNING ‘SUPER BLOOM’ THAT HAPPENS ABOUT ONCE A DECADE IN ONE OF THE HOTTEST -- AND DRIEST -- PLACES IN THE WORLD.
THE RESULT OF RARE FALL STORMS THAT DUMPED MORE RAIN IN TWO WEEKS THAN NORMALLY FALLS IN TWO YEARS.
SOUNDBITE (English), Abby Wines, Death Valley National Park Ranger
“Usually there are a few of them around but the last time there were blankets of color like this was in the year 2005 and the last year before that was 1998.”
DEATH VALLEY BEST KNOWN FOR BEING THE LOWEST POINT IN NORTH AMERICA AT 282 FEET BELOW SEA LEVEL …
NOW A SHOWCASE FOR A DIFFERENT KIND OF WONDER …
TOURISTS SOAKING UP THE COLORS.
(NATS)
DONNA SPINELLA OF ROCHESTER, NY CAME WITH FRIENDS FROM NEVADA TO SEE NATURE’S PAINTBRUSH.
(NATS)
SOUNDBITE (English), Donna Spinella, tourist
“There is a sense of the vastness of the beauty – and not just the beauty of an individual flower, but this collective beauty that is very hard to imagine in a small setting like a garden or something like that.”
LESS SHOWY -- BUT EQUALLY BEAUTIFUL --- A SUPPORTING CAST THAT INCLUDES...
PURPLE PHACELIA …
DESERT FIVE-SPOT …
THE DELICATE WHITE GRAVEL GHOST …
AND SEVERAL VARIETIES OF DESERT PRIMROSES.
(NATS)
BUT LIKE MOST GOOD THINGS, THIS TREAT WON’T LAST.
THE FLOWERS WILL PEAK IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.
SOUNDBITE (English), Jim Neibergall, tourist
“We thought we’d better get over here. Who knows what 10 years is going to bring? … You know, you don’t want to take a chance on something like that.”
(NATS)
A RARE DISPLAY …
… WITH A LIMITED RUN.
GILLIAN FLACCUS, ASSOCIATED PRESS, DEATH VALLEY, CALIFORNIA
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