Above is this weeks free desktop.  Back this week to an extremely interesting, and yes, quite beautiful park in southern California, Death Valley National Park.  I'm sure when most people think of Death Valley, beautiful not usually a word which comes to mind, hot and dry are two much more likely choices.  As one of the hottest places on earth with summer averages being well over 100 degrees (record high of 134 degrees) and the average rainfall being under 2 inches, hot and dry are very acurate, but so is beautiful.  This is truly is a stark, foreboding landscape that lends itself easily to a negative perspective, but with the right currumstances (early in the day or late in the evening) the colors which seem faded by the daytime sun (it's bright, real bright) could expose themselves creating a very different experience.  This weeks shot is from Highway 178 on our way down to Bad Water (at 282 feet below sea level, Bad Water is the lowest place in the Western Hemisphere).  You are looking east toward some of the multi-hued hills one can experience on the 9 mile scenic loop called Artist's Drive.  To me, Death Valley is well worth the trip required to get to it, and if you can, plan on getting here early in the day or to view a sunset. (;