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“Hotdog Stand”: 50 Unusual And Bizarre Discoveries That Stunned Desert Explorers
Deserts are probably one of the harshest environments out there. With very little water and often extreme temperatures, they certainly aren’t places many ordinary people want to explore. Or are they?
You might be surprised to hear this, but today more than one billion people (yes, “billion” with a b) live in and around deserts. The reasons for that are a few, the most important of them being the fact that humans are simply very adaptable. We have figured out ways to survive and even thrive in places where very few animals can. Dubai, Casablanca, Phoenix, and Las Vegas are all desert cities with thousands of people enjoying their everyday lives.
Still, that doesn’t make the uninhabited parts of deserts any less menacing. Especially with all the weird things people come across there—such as the ones on this list. Scroll down to see the oddities that people have captured while out in the desert.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
A Desert Rose In Yemen
Hiking in the desert is probably one of the weirder pastimes that people willingly subject themselves to. It sounds uncomfortable, dangerous, and totally not worth it. Nonetheless, there are many enthusiasts out there. And, unsurprisingly, some of them get lost in the wilderness once in a while.
A lot of the times, this happens to people that get comfortable with danger and forget how treacherous nature can be. This is what happened to Ed Rosenthal who, one fine day in September 2010, decided to go on his usual 4-mile hike. He’d done it plenty of times, so he only took a small bottle of water with him and went on his merry way.
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#2
Libyan Desert Glass
#3
10,000-Year-Old Giraffe Engravings In The Sahara Desert
During the hike though, Ed decided to take a little detour to explore the canyons. The views were beautiful and he was enjoying it until he realized the sun is setting and he has no clue how to get home. Whoopsie-daisy!
The man decided to stay put and not wander anywhere else in case he got even more lost. A couple days passed and he was parched, so he started praying for rain. Miraculously, his prayers were answered and he made attempts to get people’s attention with fire, but even then there was no sign of anyone around. That was not until the sixth day when the helicopter that was looking for him spotted Ed on the Canyon floor.
After a few days in the hospital, Ed recovered. Unsurprisingly, he swore off hiking in that area ever again.
#4
Swirling Patterns In Rock, Nevada Desert
#5
Found This Little Guy Abandoned In The Desert
#6
Rare Super Blooms In The Desert Of Joshua Tree, CA
Accidentally getting lost is one thing. But going to the desert to run 155 miles in extreme conditions is on a completely new level of dangerous. But, surprise, surprise, people do that every year.
#7
Found A Wild Watermelon Plant In The Sahara Desert
#8
Bobcat Sitting On Top Of 40-Foot-Tall Cactus In The Arizona Desert After Being Chased By A Mountain Lion
#9
Walking Mesquite In The Sonoran Desert
Marathon des Sables is a 9-day long race that happens in the southern Moroccan Sahara. People pay thousands of dollars to participate in what’s called a “self-sufficient adventure.” This means every runner has to carry all their own supplies for the whole week with them. The only thing they get at the rest stations is water and a place to sleep. Sounds enticing?
#10
An Old Man I Met In The Desert Of California
#11
Found A Rabbit Abandoned In The Desert, Taped In A Cereal Box
#12
Million-Years-Old Whale Fossil Found In The Sahara Desert
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 2 years ago
This is why people in the 19th century realized that the world is not static and changes over time. They kept finding things like this and realized that Noah's flood made no sense.
Well, for Italian policeman and former Olympian Mauro Prosperi, it sounded like something he’d enjoy. So, back in 1994, he went there and was one of the fastest people out there until he was met by a sandstorm which threw him off course. He started running in the wrong direction and kept at it for a while until he realized he was probably mistaken.
#13
This Is Wonderstone. A Natural Rock Found In The Desert Of Utah
Sharon Peters 2 years ago
Opal and Gold mines available to the public (for a fee) just outside of Las Vegas. Please leave the strip if you ever visit, so much more to see/do
#14
A Desert Oasis In Peru
#15
The Odd Yareta Plant, Grows In Chile In One Of The Driest Deserts In The World
Prosperi didn’t lose his spirit, though, he kept at it. He walked until he found a shrine. Inside, there were bats that he ate for both water and food. He “set up camp” in the shrine, hoping to find a way out, but after another sandstorm hit, he thought he’s done for. So, he decided to end his life by cutting his wrists. However, he was so dehydrated, his wounds clotted pretty much instantly. For him, it was a sign to carry on.
#16
This Shrine To Dogs That Have Passed, Stuck Randomly In A Desert Wash
#17
Ships Of The Desert
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 2 years ago
The Aral Sea. It's in Kazakhstan. It was the fourth largest lake in the the world but the USSR diverted water for irrigation and it dried up. Feel free to tell me that humans can't change the climate after we turned a massive lake into a literal desert.
#18
A Wet Road I Found In The Desert
So, Prosperi started walking towards the clouds. He drank his urine and ate everything he could find: ants, mice, snakes, and leaves. Eventually, he saw something moving in the distance. It was a herd of goats with a little girl. After nine and a half days, he finally found people.
#19
Found "The Final Countdown" By Europe Cassette Tape In The Desert
#20
Some Iron Filings That We Collected With A Magnet Out In The Mohave Desert
#21
A Prada Store In The West Texas Desert That Is Never Open For Business
StPaul9 2 years ago
Prada Marfa, by Elmgreen and Dragset in Texas. 'Opened' 2005, it is designed to slowly deteriorate, a statement on our temporary luxuries. Located in Texas, it has been shot at, graffitied and basically man is helping it get wrecked. People are stealing from it and that's totally the point.
He returned to Italy soon after, where he promised to come back and complete the marathon. Which, of course, he did in 1997. And then, nine more times, the last one being in 2017 when he was 62 years old. What a legend!
#22
Abandoned Star Wars' Set In The Tunisian Desert
#23
Found This Skull While Out Riding My Quad In The Arizona Desert Today
#24
Hotdog Stand In The Middle Of The Desert
All in all, deserts are dangerous, so be safe out there. Better yet, don’t go hiking on your own. And make sure to grab a camera in case you spot any oddities that are similar to the ones on this list.
#25
Abandoned Train Tracks In California
It was a 11-mile hike in a super cold windy desert but there were amazing tunnels and bridges everywhere it was definitely worth it to see what happens over time.
SkyBlueandBlack 2 years ago
Goat Canyon Trestle. It's in the Anza-Borrego in San Diego County.
#26
A Train Sits Abandoned In The Arabian Desert Nearly 100 Years After Being Ambushed By T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence Of Arabia) And His Infamous Rebels
#27
Stumbled Upon A Strange Doorway While Hiking In The High Desert Today
#28
This Salt Mine Trench In The Mohave Desert
Sharon Peters 2 years ago
Mojave/Mohave, depends on if you're in AZ v. CA or NV or near one of the native tribes' land, all the same desert
#29
Button To Save People From Crossing The Desert From Mexico
Rostit. . 2 years ago
most americans dont understand how dangerous that trek is. I suspect if they did, they would let the folks in who actually survived. The amount of dead people out there is insane. I knew a guy who did it 4 times. First time when he was 14. Last time when he was 19. He said he saw people die on the hike the second time he did it. He's legal now.
#30
I Did Not Just Find Al Capone’s Old Hideout In The Desert. I Just Skated Al Capone’s Old Pool? I️ Love Living In My Van
#31
House Abandoned And Retaken By The Desert In California
#32
Obelisk In The Desert, USA, UT
#33
Desert Finds
#34
Abandoned Cinema In The Egyptian Desert. The End Of The World Cinema
#35
These Mud Cracks In The Mojave Desert Were Pretty Cool
The CareTaker 2 years ago
I loved when this happened in my backyard {much much smaller scale} it was so much fun to pick them up gently and then very softly with a soft rock "shave" and smooth the mud, you could then "paint" on it with water, or scratch stuff that looked like "runes" into it, it was one of the huge things we did when we roleplayed as lil kids, to the point that we would make huge pads of mud to dry out like this, I still like to pick up random lil mud "plates" like this to leave lil messages in them so people can find them when i go out
#36
Dozens Of People Have Left Frogs Near The Mojave Road In The Middle Of The Mojave Desert
#37
Staircase In The Desert Outside Las Vegas
#39
An Outdoor Sculpture Of A Specter And A Bicycle In The Desert
#40
A Village In The Middle Of A Desert. By Far, One Of The Coolest Places I've Ever Seen
Multa Nocte 2 years ago
It would be a far nicer picture if that blonde woman would get out of the way.
#41
An Old Abandoned Miner Town Graveyard, That Is Bigger Than The Actual Town. In The Middle Of The Atacama Desert
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 2 years ago
Atacama Desert in Northern Chile. One of the driest places in the world.
#42
Chinese Lion Statue On The Side Of The Road In The Middle Of The Mojave Desert
#43
Ancient Rock Art I Found In The Desert In Israel: Hunter And Ibex
Eric Williams 2 years ago
Cecil! you can't use a blowgun on an Ibex! Remember what happened last time?
#44
Off-Road And Hiking To Utah Monolith
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 2 years ago
Oh man I forgot about these things. They never figured out who was behind them IIRC.
#45
My Friend Traveled To Egypt And Found This Crazy Awesome-Looking Object In The Middle Of The Desert. Meteorite?
#46
Found In The Nevada Desert
Rob Chapman 2 years ago
And then, one day, the Scooby Gang's adventures abruptly came to an end.
#47
The Remains Of A Piano Found Miles Into The Middle Of The Desert
Persephone 2 years ago
Settlers often dumped their heavy belongings when they realized just how treacherous the trail was thru the west.
#48
I Found A Notebook At A Burnt-Down House In The Desert
not_at_school ;) 2 years ago
that looks like some sort of cult book lol. just in time for spooky season
#49
I Stumbled Upon This Tombstone Out In The Desert
#50
Really Tall Mailbox In The Desert
#51
Atacama Desert Clothing Dump. Some Clothes Were Never Used And Still Have Tags On Them
#53
Unexpected Sight At A Crossroads In Death Valley
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 2 years ago
What kind of vampire got buried at this crossroads? Must have been a teetotaler.
#54
Ships Abandoned In The Desert That Was Once The Aral Sea
#55
Found This In The Desert Near The Great Pyramids Of Giza
#56
There's A Hobby Horse Off Of A Dirt Road In The Middle Of The Arizona Desert
#57
Abandoned House In The Desert Of Utah
#58
Out Deep On A Desert Hike, I Found A Secret Spot Someone Has Been Returning To For A While
#59
Random Piece Of Street In The Middle Of The Desert
#60
The Erosion On This Sand Dune Has Left The Fence Post Suspended Above The Sand
Anime dude101 2 years ago
The force is strong in you, little pole but you have much to learn. Teach you, I will
#61
Abandoned Shack In Mojave Desert, CA
#62
Abandoned Helicopter - Mojave Desert
#63
Three Half-Days Of Driving And Cycling In The Southern Utah Desert Paid Off. I Found The Dilapidated Building
#64
Spiral Made Out Of Rocks In The Desert
#65
Desert Roses, Near Dammam, KSA
#66
Old Taco Bell Express In The Desert
#67
Jar Of Pickles Bleached White By The Sun, Found In The Desert
#69
This Bizarre Art Project In The Desert, 40 Miles Outside Of Las Vegas. People For Scale
#70
Abandoned House In Mojave Desert
#72
I Discovered An Old Car Graveyard In The Arizona Desert
#73
A Renaissance Era Shipwreck In The Middle Of The Desert Dunes
#75
Stopped At A Traffic Light, And Noticed Someone Carved A Question On A Sand Dune
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What do you think ?
Appalachian Panda 2 years ago
Thank you, BP. This is the sort of fun and interesting stuff we want to see on here. Not the articles that are trying to encourage us to buy worthless garbage on Amaz0n.
SkyBlueandBlack 2 years ago
Yes, there's a bunch of weird s**t in the Mojave. That's because there's a bunch of really strange people in the Mojave.
Susie Elle 2 years ago
If I had the opportunity, I'd take a year to explore the US and Canada.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/eerie-fascinating-pictures-kolmanskop-desert-diamond-ghost-town
Load More Replies... Appalachian Panda 2 years ago
Thank you, BP. This is the sort of fun and interesting stuff we want to see on here. Not the articles that are trying to encourage us to buy worthless garbage on Amaz0n.
SkyBlueandBlack 2 years ago
Yes, there's a bunch of weird s**t in the Mojave. That's because there's a bunch of really strange people in the Mojave.
Susie Elle 2 years ago
If I had the opportunity, I'd take a year to explore the US and Canada.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/eerie-fascinating-pictures-kolmanskop-desert-diamond-ghost-town
Load More Replies...
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