Weather
The desert and arid regions surrounding route 66 receive large amounts of sun exposure and have low humdity. This combined with the low amounts of yearly precipitation cause the heat to be very extreme. Snowfall is uncommon outside of the mountains in the region. Wind speeds are generally low in the region, but like any other region of the United States wind patterns often change and go to fairly large speeds.
Current Wind - http://hint.fm/wind/index.html
Current Temperature - http://www.wunderground.com/US/Region/US/2xTemperature.html
Current Wind - http://hint.fm/wind/index.html
Current Temperature - http://www.wunderground.com/US/Region/US/2xTemperature.html
Topography
While the majority of the region is desert, there are small forests and rivers scattered in between mountains and valleys. The southern end of the Rocky Mountains cut into the area which causes lack of rainfall as well as many plateaus and cliffs which are easily seen from route 66. The Rio Grande and the Rocky Mountains set the frame for the arid lands of the United States but are interrupted by the Colorado River. In between the Colorado River and Sierra Nevada is the bulk of the Mojave Desert.
Plant & Animal Life
The arid land of New Mexico and Arizona primarily consists grasses and shrubs scattered throughout the area but the variety of this life is fairly low. Aside from small insects and reptiles, the most notable animal life of this regions is the Mexican Gray Wolf. The Basin Desert of California and Nevada often show one type of bush for miles before showing any other so plant life in the area is very limited. The Mojave Desert hosts the lives of a variety of small trees and cacti as well as the Joshua Tree. Yucca trees are especially common throughout the area. The Sonoran Desert, while the hottest of these deserts, recieves the most rainfall of the four and therefore, has a much larger variety in life. While this life is still mostly small tress, cacti, shrubs, and grasses, there are much more of them throughout the area as well as some larger trees closer to streams..
People
The people of the Sonoran Desert were hunters and gatherers until they mastered the technique of irrigation from mountain runoff in order to irrigate fields. This technique spread throughout the desert which caused towns to appear throughout the desert. While they previously lived in pit homes, they began to build above-ground Adobe Homes. Named after the natives of the area, the Mojave Desert was originally home to roaming, foraging Indians. Later the desert was used to quickly get to California and eventually had a railroad line going through the desert. The Great Basin Desert was also home to hunters and gatherers that travel throughout the area.
While there are not many major towns in the deserts themselves, large cities have grown in valleys, near rivers, and at the bases of mountains where they can easily access water. The most notable of these cites are El Paso, TX, Albuquerque, NM, Flagstaff and Phoenix, AZ, Las Vegas, NV, and Palm Springs, CA.
While there are not many major towns in the deserts themselves, large cities have grown in valleys, near rivers, and at the bases of mountains where they can easily access water. The most notable of these cites are El Paso, TX, Albuquerque, NM, Flagstaff and Phoenix, AZ, Las Vegas, NV, and Palm Springs, CA.
