We broke the all time record for rain this winter, here in Southern California. One of the fringe benefits can be seen right now in Death Valley, about 300 miles east of Los Angeles. The desert received an abundance of water, too, three times its normal 2 inches for the year, and the wildflowers have bloomed like they never have before, at least not since they kept records for the the past hundred years or so. The hottest and driest place in North America has been temporarily transformed into a spectacular garden of flowers.

A park ... (more)