Death Valley // (c) 2010 John Bruckman / Flickr.com
If you're into world records and that sort of thing, you've probably heard that Death Valley just celebrated the 100th anniversary of the hottest day ever. On July 10, 1913, the temperature in the valley reached 134 degrees, which is the highest-known air temperature ever recorded on earth.
So how did the National Park celebrate? By watching the thermometer climb, of course. On June 30, 2013, the park temperature reached 129 degrees which, while shy of the overall world record, did become the hottest temperature ever recorded in June in the United States.
The L.A. Times is reporting that a small crowd even gathered to watch the official thermometer, in hopes of being present if a new world record was set.
With heat this extreme, it was only a matter of time until someone decided to test the old cliche, "it's hot enough to fry an egg."
In this case, an employee of Death Valley National Park made a video where she put an egg in a frying pan that had been sitting in the sun for several hours and, a few minutes later, the egg did indeed turn white.
The experiment has become a victim of the law of unintended consequences, however, as the park is now finding itself littered with egg shells and slimy messes, as visitors try to recreate the experiment, without the frying pan.
They've just been dropping the eggs on rocks and on the pavement, while leaving behind the egg shells and even the cartons.
The problem is so significant that Death Valley National Park has made a public plea on its Facebook page, reiterating a statement made in the original video, to please use a container or tin foil when trying this test, and to not crack eggs in the park and leave their remains behind.
If you're like me, it's a moot point, because there's no way in heck I'm getting anywhere close to a place where the area golf course closes in the middle of the day due to "extreme heat." Record-breaking heat? No thank you. (If your ideal vacation involves supreme heat, check out our recent article on Sizzling Hot Hotels.)
In the meantime, though, remember that just because it's hot enough to fry an egg, that doesn't mean you should.
