Finding a Mediterranean climate characterised by warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters, they successfully planted their own vines and have kept the valley dry grown (ie no irrigation zone) for more than 150 years.

BBC: Beyond the vines in Australia��s Barossa Valley

For example, scientists investigate the hyper-dry environments found in Antarctica (but there is still a lot of water, compared with Mars) or Death Valley (dry enough, but much hotter than Mars).

CNN: Curiosity opening Martian frontier?

The forecast for the weekend ahead in south-east England is for more dry weather in the Thames Valley.

BBC: Flooding problems continue for homes by River Thames

One of my favorites in the "interesting but not intellectually taxing" category is Vouvray, the dry, minerally white from the Loire Valley that's delicious when young but amazing with a few years' age, particularly made by great producers like Domaine Huet and Jacky Blot.

WSJ: Houseguest Wine: Yes to Albari?o, No to Malbec | On Wine by Lettie Teague

Every year, the valley's winemakers await the long, hot, dry days of the southern hemisphere summer that increases the sugar content and intensifies the flavor of the grapes.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Down the road from the park visitor center at Furnace Creek is Death Valley Elementary school, a flat-roofed building beside a dry streambed, which blends easily into the gray-brown landscape.

NPR: Students Blossom in the Desert