Low watermark

Six inches of rain have dumped on Death Valley National Park since July (2 inches is normal), leaving the nation’s low point a momentary liquid landmark. It’s still a rugged 282-foot climb to get from the Badwater Basin (the puddle seen above) to an altimeter payoff that can leave yardstick-craving Type AAAs exasperated: sea level, where a sign looks puny embedded in the rocky cliffs.