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John Hollenhorst Reporting Has it been hot enough for you lately? Well, it's definitely NOT hot enough for one Salt Lake man, who gave up on Utah years ago and moved to one of the most remote and brutal environments on Earth.
To get to the home of Lee Greenwell, you drive two or three hours from the nearest pavement. He drives these roads himself on summer mornings, patrolling for anyone crazy enough to come out here. A car breakdown is big-time trouble.
Lee Greenwell: "This time of year you don't want to be out in the sun, mid-day. It can be life threatening. It will kill you."
In a place where temperatures can soar into the 120's, and it's above 100 five months a year, Greenwell drives home to a tiny oasis -- The Saline Valley Warm Springs. Greenwell shares it with rabbits, coyotes, rattlesnakes and scorpions. They're a favorite snack for Greenwell's pet lizard.
Lee Greenwell: "Because there's water here, and shade, this is where they all congregate."
For a quarter-century, Greenwell has been campground host for what he calls the hottest campground on Earth. The attraction is a collection of hot tubs.
Lee Greenwell: "They were put in in the late 60's by hippies and they've been improved on ever since, just by volunteers. There are some people that run around nude out here. You don't have to. It's clothing-optional."
The closest Park Rangers are hours away. Long ago they gave 'Lizard Lee' official volunteer status. They gave him a radio and an old Suzuki seized in a drug bust.
Terry Baldino,Death Valley National Park: "He plays a vital role in terms of being the eyes and ears of the park service in a very remote area."
His tiny trailer is refreshingly cool, thanks to a swamp cooler. Solar power is in plentiful supply.
Lee Greenwell: "Walking outside in the summer out here is like walking through a nuclear blast furnace. You're skin just burns."
Around here you have to get in the hot tub to cool off. Right now it's a frigid 95 degrees.
Greenwell used to own a motorcycle dealership in Salt Lake City, but he cashed out to pursue a life where almost no one else would live. He loves the heat because he likes being alone.
Lee Greenwell: "Very rarely do people come out in the summer. It's just too hot for them."
We left before the afternoon heated up. At 1 pm the thermometer showed 118. Greenwell was content in a hot tub, a man who enjoys his oasis the best, at its worst.
Full disclosure, here: Lee Greenwell is the brother of veteran KSL photographer BOB Greenwell, who shot that story. Bob loves heat too, but even he was happy to get out of Saline Valley alive.
