No matter how many photos or words I write, it won't do Mono Lake justice. This is a strange part of the country, a beautifully weird and exotic natural wonder that guys must visit to understand.

One of the sample pools at Mono Lake, Calif., with arsenic-fueled bacteria. This image relates to an article that appeared in the Aug. 15, 2008, issue of Science, published by AAAS. The study ...