Max Out: science fiction

Who's maxed out? That was always the question, when preparing to send explorers out into the Sahel, as they'd nicknamed the purple sand and azure sky with brilliant yellow clumps of vegetation floating above the ground and sometimes sinking low enough to be nabbed by the prodigious jumping populace of the desert. The problem was, it was all mildly hallucinogenic. This made it fun, and it made people want to go adventuring, because the filters didn't catch whatever-it-was, and so it was like going on a mild trip, while still gathering scientific data and being useful. All very official. The problem came when you maxed out--


Inspiration: "Who's Maxed Out Yet? Giving is Imminent!" email from CONvergence.
Story Potential: Medium.
Notes: I like this. It is charming. It is oldskool SF. Unfortunately, it is also a particular kind of ridiculous oldskool SF that doesn't really sell well these days.