Badwater

The Salt Flats provide some of the most bizarre formations anywhere in Death Valley. When I walk out onto them, they stretch away in every direction - making me feel as though I am on some lonely planet far away. Badwater is the lowest point in North America... 282 feet below sea level - and when it rains, water collects here. However, according to Wikipedia, Death Valley's "1.9 inch average rainfall is overwhelmed by a 150-inch annual evaporation rate..." (WOW!) These strange hexagonal patterns are formed as the water evaporates - leaving crystallized salt behind.

I've been to these flats in Death Valley several times, and I am awed by it every time.