This place is all about Mother Nature. The geology is grandiose; plates tipping with mountains rising (snow capped Telescope Peak) and the lakebed getting ever lower. Since it was formed through that geology rather than erosion, it is a basin not a valley. Rock of every color and type. Thousands of washes with their alluvial fans (my favorite geology term from here); and canyons with walls as smooth as glass and others so rough they would take off hide if you brush the walls. There is volcanic stuff too with a 500 foot deep cinder cone plus two sand dune fields.
Just like we all always hear, surface water is nearly absent. We hiked to a canyon waterfall though. It was a beautiful hike with half dozen creek crossings. We both managed to get there and back without muddying more than the soles of our shoes. It is bizarre finding that much water midst the huge dry lakebeds. Making that seem even more bizarre, as we drove back to camp we were caught up in a huge dust storm off the flatlands. Weird!