The Mojave Desert is a a vast desert in eastern California and far western Arizona. The desert stretches out in a vast swath of dry mountains and valleys north of the San Gabriel mountains and San Bernadino mountains and east of the Sierras. The area is filled with dry lakebeds, joshua trees, and a dry river called the Mojave River. Death Valley is located here, the lowest and hottest place in North America. Death Valley once recorded a temperature of 134 degrees, only a few degrees cooler than the hottest ever recorded in the Sahara. In the winter the Mojave is rather cold; the mountains and high valleys even get snow. In the summer, obviously, it is brutally hot. In the spring and fall it is very windy. The desert is a land of extremes, extremely harsh if you're unprepared. It is also extremely beautiful in its stark way. The first time you see the desert, you will probably think it is dead and ugly. But go there a few times and you will begin to notice things.. the flit of a lizard on a rock, the intricate wind-crafted patterns in a sand dune, the soft flicker of lightning on the horizon. In the afternoon in the summer, thunderstorms often form, more lightning than rain. Once the sun sets, the horizons flicker with light. I encourage anyone who gets the chance to spend time in the desert.. not lancaster but in the real desert, where you cant see a single man-made light. It's completely amazing... and will totally change your perspective. You can't feel like the most important thing in the universe if you spend any time in the desert...