The temperature in Death Valley this week is above 120 degrees, and rangers have advised park visitors to drink plenty of water, avoid excessive outdoor activity and, perhaps somewhat more surprising, don't fry eggs on the pavement, according to NBC News.
The number of broken egg shells, discarded egg cartons and leftover egg has reached the point that the park services has taken to Facebook to ask people to stop frying eggs, or at the very least, use a pan or tinfoil and dispose of the garbage after finishing.
"The Death Valley National Park maintenance crew has been busy cleaning up eggs cracked directly on the sidewalk, including egg cartons and shells strewn across the parking lot," says the Facebook post. "This is your national park, please put trash in the garbage or recycle bins provided and don't crack eggs on the sidewalks, or the Salt Playa at Badwater."
An employee of the national park posted a video of her experiment frying an egg on the sidewalk on YouTube in June. The clip has received over 81,000 views.
"It's just one more thing to do with a short staff and hot temperatures," Cheryl Chipman, the park spokesman, said. "It's really not appreciated."
The employee used a frying pan, but some visitors have been cracking the eggs directly onto the rocks or blacktop and not cleaning up the shells and cartons afterwards.
"The video set off a surge of [egg-frying], especially since we were nearing our record temperature," Chipman said. "I don't think we've seen the garbage strewn about that we did this time, which was a little disappointing."
There is a debate as to whether you can, or should, fry an egg on the sidewalk, but Chipman suggests a better way to deal with the heat. The park is holding a centennial celebration on Wednesday, which will include talks by meteorologists and park rangers who will be discussing why Death Valley gets so hot.
"It'll be a nice day for weather enthusiasts to learn about the place," Chipman said. "The temperature has dropped a little from a week or so ago and should be in the low 120's.
"Eggs will not be fried," she added.
The YouTube video posted by a park service employee.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
