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 in which water is constantly flowing, like the one found at Montezuma’s Well in Arizona. Over the years, they have been used by travelers to cool off, as well as by storytellers to provide comic relief or a sinister twist in a tale when a hallucination leads to their downfall.
Speaking of the Well of Montezuma, this desert oasis first came to public attention in 1878 in an Arizona Handbook written by Richard J Hinton. But it may have been discussed in print long before that. In 1583, a Spaniard named Antonio de Espejo wrote about a ditch that ran from a pond to an abandoned town. Many believe that this was a description of the Well of Montezuma and the nearby castle of Montezuma. The well is a sinkhole in a cavern where more than a million gallons of water flow each day. So far, no one has been able to trace the source of the water that flows into this oasis.
Because of their image as a place of rest for travellers, oases have given their name to many places of rest or stopover. One of them is the Desert Oasis RV Park and Sand Dune Resort in Idaho. The park is open from May to mid-September. It has 72 campsites and miles and miles of sand dunes where people dune ride, snowmobile in the winter and explore the many caves that are close to the property.
The caves near the Desert Oasis RV Park are quite interesting in themselves. They are tubes formed by cooled lava. They snake underground for miles and miles, going where the lava might have flowed. A little known fact is that lava is a great insulator. So these caves are cool even on the hottest days of summer. Visitors are reminded to bring jackets.
Other popular recipients of the oasis name are hotels. One of them is the Sheraton Desert Oasis in Scottsdale, Arizona. It is located in the Sonoran desert, which provides a beautiful backdrop for the hotel. The area is not sterile. There are activities like rodeos and horse shows nearby, as well as art galleries and museums. And of course there is the desert to explore. But bring lots of water.
An oasis in the desert can be a lifesaver for someone traveling in the sun and over hot sands. It can also be a hotel, a park or a rest stop in the modern world.
