A desert oasis is generally a lush, water-rich area in the middle of the desert. It can be something as simple as a small pond filled with water after a rain, to a cavern into which water constantly flows such as is found at Montezuma’s Well in Arizona. Over the years they have been used by travelers to refresh themselves, as well as by story tellers to provide comic relief or a sinister turn in a tale when a hallucination leads to ruin.
Speaking of Montezuma’s Well, this desert oasis was first brought into the public attention in 1878 in a Handbook to Arizona written by Richard J Hinton. However, someone else wrote about it a long time before that. In 1583 a Spaniard named Antonio de Espejo wrote of ditch running from a pond to an abandoned pueblo. Some people believe this described Montezuma’s Well. The well is a sinkhole into a cavern where over a million gallons of water flows each day. The source of all this water is unknown.
Oases have lent their name to other places where people rest. The Desert Oasis RV Park and Sand Dune Resort is one of these. It opens for five months a year beginning in May. It has 72 campsites and miles and miles of sand dunes where people dune ride, snowmobile in the winter and explore the many caves found near the property.
The caves near the Desert Oasis RV Park have a remarkable origin. They are tubes formed from cooling lava. They snake underground for miles and miles, going wherever the lava was able to flow. A little known fact is that lava is a great insulator. So these caves are cool even on the hottest summer days. Take a sweater if you visit.
Oasis is also a popular name for hotels. One of these is in Scottsdale, Arizona – the Sheraton Desert Oasis. It’s located in the Sonoran Desert which provides a beautiful backdrop for the hotel. It’s hardly bereft of life. There are activities such as rodeos and horse shows nearby, as well as art galleries and museums. And of course there’s the desert to explore. Don’t forget to drink when you visit the desert.
A desert oasis can be a life saver for someone traveling under the hot sun and over the hot sands. It can also be a hotel, park, or rest stop in the modern world.
