Grab a map, load up on water and choose your own adventure at Mojave National Preserve ... 9.6 million acres of Southern California desert, establishing 69 new wilderness areas, expanding Joshua Tree ...

A temperature of 134F (56.7C) was recorded in Death Valley in July 1913, and Kebili, Tunisia, is said to have hit 131F in July 1931, according to the World Meteorological Organization.