You might want to have a nice big glass of cool water handy while you watch this episode of California’s Golden Parks from 2008. There’s not a whole lot of it to be found in these unique and beautiful — if dry — desert locations. The state’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has designated the Trona Pinnacles as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern. The Pinnacles are also not too far from the city of Ridgecrest; that name is familiar to me from the news, because it’s been the epicenter of a few earthquake clusters in recent years. I’ll admit that, thanks to the heat and arid nature of the place, this particular Golden Park isn’t one that I’m likely to visit. All the more reason to thank Huell for allowing me to discover this amazing part of the desert from the comfort of my air-conditioned house!

The Trona Pinnacles are one of the most unusual geological features in California. The unusual landscape consists of more than 500 tufa spires, some as high as 140 feet rising from a dry lake bed. The Pinnacles have been used as a backdrop for hundreds of movies and TV shows.

(Click on the linked image below to see the video.)