Vertical Parking Lots: Brilliant Urban Bike Hanger System

Sick of hunting for a space to park your bike? This brilliant concept utilizes unused vertical urban areas (and some people power) to create plenty of parking.
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UNESCO To Add 10 New Natural World Heritage Properties

[ By Steve in Geography & Travel & Nature & Ecosystems & News & Politics. ]

The 35th session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee will meet in Paris from June 19 through June 29 of 2011. Under consideration for inclusion on the UN agency’s World Heritage List are 10 new natural sites. A look at each of these 10 wonders of nature illustrates why they deserve inclusion, appreciation and protection.

Ningaloo Coast, Australia

(images via: Will Go To, Australia.com and Absolutely Australia)

Eastern Australia has the Great Barrier Reef but on Oz’s opposite shore, the remote Ningaloo Coast gives the country’s most famous ecological showpiece a real run for its money. Hugging Western Australia’s shore for 260 km (160 miles), the Ningaloo Coast is one of the world’s largest fringing reefs and much of it is surprisingly accessible, lying as close as 100 meters (330 ft) to land.

(image via: ECObytes)

Hundreds of other species of tropical fish patrol the reef along with whale sharks, humpback whales and rare sea turtle species. Snorkelers and glass-bottom boaters can take in one of the sea’s great spectacles in March and April as billions of coral organisms come together (as it were) in a mass spawning.

Pendjari National Park, Benin

(images via: Yukiba, AnyNation.com and Viamigo)

Pendjari National Park boasts an astonishing diversity of wildlife from elephants and lions to monkeys and hippos, but the area is best known for its abundance of rare and beautiful birds. Located in Benin’s rugged and isolated northwest, Pendjari National Park is one of Africa’s most scenic destinations combining cliffs, jungles, rivers and grasslands.

(images via: Simba Safari Camps, Travel iHub and TravelPod)

Pendjari National Park covers an area of 2,755 square kilometers (1,064 sq miles) and its isolation has so far kept it relatively unaffected by human intrusion. The government of Benin has worked with authorities in neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger to create the WAP (W-Arli-Pendjari) park complex. By working together and downplaying rigid national boundaries, the three governments have allowed the region’s native creatures to thrive.

Wudalianchi National Park, China

(images via: CNTV, National Park of China, ShowChina and Cultural China)

Wudalianchi National Park, located in China’s northeastern province of Heilongjiang, is an otherworldly landscape formed by China’s youngest volcanoes. Wudalianchi, which translates to “Five Interconnected Lakes,” was formed approximately 60,000 years ago when a group of erupting volcanoes transformed the region’s landscape and water drainage patterns.

(image via: Radio86)

Wudalianchi National Park includes a number of large caves and oddly shaped lakes whose waters are tinted a variety of exotic hues. The park also features China’s largest cold mineral water recuperating center but environmentalists worry that increased tourism may harm the area’s fragile ecosystem.

Ancient Beech Forests of Germany

(images via: Mueritz-Nationalpark, TradeBit and SuperStock)

The name Buchenwald carries ominous baggage dating back to the darkest days of World War II but its literal translation – Beech Forest – merely describes some of Germany’s most breathtakingly beautiful scenery. The remaining ancient Red Beech forests have managed to preserve a little primeval ecology within shouting distance of the country’s urban and suburban centers. As a destination for those desiring some peace and quiet within comfortable walking distance, these stately, silent forests are unmatched.

(image via: Letters Home)

In Roman times, vast forests of Red Beech trees covered much of “Germania” but over the centuries most of the forests have been cleared for farming and for their wood resources. Only a few stands of Red Beech over 200 years old exist in Germany today.

Western Ghats, India

(images via: Art.Co.UK, MapsOf.net and Frans Lanting Stock)

The Western Ghats are a chain of steep, eroded cliffs and mountains that line much of India’s southwestern coast. It is thought that the cliffs mark the point where, tens of millions of years ago, India and the island of Madagascar split from one another. At that time the cliffs towered over 300 meters (1,000 ft) tall but since that time they have been weathered by wind & water and transformed by repeated episodes of volcanism.

(image via: How Volcanoes Work)

The Western Ghats are an ecological hotspot that boasts up to 140 endemic species of amphibians alone. Human pressure on the forests is unrelenting, however – in Sri Lanka, it’s estimated that only 1.5 percent of the Western Ghats’ original forest cover remains.

Hara Protected Area, Iran

(images via: Gardesh yaran and Abad)

If you thought Iran was a nation of deserts and sand, then you haven’t heard of the Hara Protected Area. Found along the country’s southern coast bordering the Arabian Sea, the region features some of the world’s remaining mangrove forests and an astonishing number of bird species for whom the region is a vital stop on long migration routes.

(image via: Gardesh Yaran)

The specific type of mangrove commonly found in the Hara Protected Area is Avicennia Marina, a tree that is uniquely adapted to growing in salt water and which can grow up to 8 meters (over 26 ft) tall. The government of Iran already restricts the types of commercial activity allowed in the Hara Protected Area but bestowing the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site on this essential ecosystem will certainly help preserve it.

Ogasawara Islands, Japan

(images via: Eric Cheng, Wikipedia and Japan Hotspot)

Formerly known as the Bonin Islands, Japan’s Ogasawara Islands can be reached only via a 25-hour boat trip – a fact that has undoubtedly helped preserve their near-pristine ecological status. This far-flung archipelago of over 30 subtropical and tropical islands combines rare and in some cases unique land flora and fauna with some of the world’s most diverse ocean reef communities.

(image via: Ippei + Janine)

The Ogasawara Islands weren’t always as isolated as they are today. In World War II some of the islands were bloody battlegrounds, especially Chichi Jima, the latter being where former U.S. president George H. W. Bush bailed out of his damaged airplane and was rescued by an American submarine.

Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley, Kenya

(images via: The World Race, Stern, TripAdvisor and Haven Nature Camp)

The Kenya Lake System includes three separate “soda” lakes that are connected via sub-surface seepage. Like many of the Great Rift Valley Lakes, these lakes are mainly alkaline and infused with algae.

(image via: Arsa54)

Though Lake Natron in Tanzania (above) is perhaps the most famous of the Great Rift Valley lakes thanks to its often lurid pink coloration, the lakes of the Kenya Lake System (Lake Elementaita, Lake Nakuru, and Lake Bogoria) have earned special attention from the UNESCO committee due to the fact that their waters and the shrimp & algae living in them sustain as much as 75 percent of the world’s Lesser Flamingos.

Trinational Sangha: Congo, Cameroon, CAR

(images via: Congo Apes, Doli Lodge and Middle Africa)

The Dzanga-Sangha Complex of Protected Areas consists of a huge 4,589 sq km (1,772 sq mi) block of dense rainforest located in the triangular southwestern tip of the Central African Republic. Along with adjoining parks and protected areas in neighboring Cameroon and the Republic of Congo, the Trinational Sangha is home to significant populations of African Forest Elephants, Gorillas and Chimpanzees.

(image via: Middle Africa)

Though commercial logging took place within the area in the 1970s and 1980s, a concerted international effort has succeeded in closing the area to all human activity with the exception of subsistence hunting, tourism and scientific research.

Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, Viet Nam

(images via: Visa for Vietnam, SinhCafe, Vietnam Tours and Vietnam Travel)

Among the 10 natural properties under consideration for World Heritage Site status at the 35th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee is Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park in Vietnam. The park is the only site to be nominated under new criteria, though the park was previously granted World Heritage Site status by virtue of its geological values and not its copious wildlife.

(image via: Bayou Renaissance Man)

Located in Quang Binh Province, north-central Vietnam, Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park is situated in one of the world’s two largest karst regions. The park includes over 70 km (43.5 miles) of interconnected caves and grottos of which less than 1/3 have been explored. The world’s largest cave, Son Doong Cave, was discovered in April 2009 by British cave explorers of the British Caving Association. As exploration of the cave system continues, it’s probable that even more notable discoveries will be announced.

(image via: Vrindavan Today)

At press time, 911 properties of “outstanding universal value” in 151 different nations have been listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites, and 180 of these are natural properties. Though limited in their ability to oversee these sites and enforce their “hands off” status, UNESCO at least does the world a service by bringing these natural wonders to our notice. Joni Mitchell once sang, “you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone,” but maybe by knowing what we’ve got today, we can help ensure they won’t be gone tomorrow.

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Tagged: africa, country, geography & travel, japan, kenya, nature, tanzania, travel

Hard Boiled Wonderland: New Mexico’s Bisti Egg Garden

June 14, 2011 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments 

[ By Steve in Geography & Travel & History & Trivia & Nature & Ecosystems. ]

The Bisti Egg Garden is an unusual, atypical and accessible rock formation located in the Bisti Wilderness Area near Farmington, New Mexico. Though other famous rock formations have achieved fame for their size and scenic beauty, the Bisti Egg Garden proves that even in geology, good things come in small packages.

Sunny Sides Up

(images via: Gleb Tarassenko and R H Hawkins)

The Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Arches National Park… just some of the big & bold geological wonders famed for their striking size as much as their scenic beauty. Not all of Nature’s rock stars play for the larger-than-life award, however. Take the Bisti Egg Garden, for instance. Tucked away in the little known Bisti Wilderness Area near Farmington in northwest New Mexico, this odd yet awesome example of selective erosion tells a big story in just a few words.

(image via: Adam Schallau)

Tucked away in the southwest’s eerie and enigmatic Four Corners region, the Bisti Egg Garden itself exists under a slight cloud of confusion. For one, it’s been called the Crack Eggs or the Egg Factory. As well, the formation can be found in the Bisti Badlands which themselves are located in the official Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness area.

(images via: Reise Blog & Travel News and Isabel Synnatschke)

The name Bisti (pronounced “Bis-tie”) is derived from the language of the Navajo who used it to describe “a large area of shale hills.” The Navajo’s geology happened to be spot on, as the 38,305 acre Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness predominantly features Kirtland Shale and various sedimentary rocks of the Fruitland Formation. When you add seams of coal into the mix, the result is a bizarre, multicolored landscape of arches, hoodoos and curiously shaped rocks like those found in the Bisti Badlands and the nearby Ah-shi-sle-pah Wilderness Study Area.

(images via: Scott Bacon)

Where there’s eggs, there’s gotta be some bacon…. Scott Bacon, to be exact! Bacon, who visited the Bisti Egg Garden last year and returned to post the stunning photos shown (in part) above, provides the following commentary to complement his imagery: “At first glance, the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness in Northwest New Mexico is just a dry, barren and harsh landscape – the very definition of badlands. But a little exploration reveals innumerable treasures for both the mind and eye. It’s a photographer’s paradise, with interesting forms and unique features. With some planning, you can visit the highlights in a couple days. But you could easily spend several weeks, or more, exploring the vast eroded washes.”

Scrambled Ages

(images via: MikeJonesPhoto and Ozyman)

The rock strata we now call the Kirtland and Fruitland Formations date from the Late Cretaceous period when the great inland sea that divided North America into western and eastern halves was slowly drying up. As such, most of the rocks formed in the area were originally mud, clay and other sediments later overlain by windblown sand.

(image via: Gr8sublime)

Thin seams of coal (above) add contrast to the layers of rock exposed today after millions of years of weathering and erosion. Though the “eggs” of the Bisti Egg Garden contain no coal, the combination of different types of sedimentary rock with varying degrees of hardness allows for a uniquely beautiful cameo effect as these boulders slowly erode from the outside in.

(images via: Misty Beier)

What do people think of when they first set eyes on the cracked eggs of the Bisti Egg Garden? One ominous thought might be: “where’s the beast that laid them?” Indeed, the area’s formerly warm and wet prehistory makes it a fossil-hunter’s paradise today. Petrified wood and dinosaur bones are not at all uncommon in the Bisti Badlands though no actual dinosaur eggs have been found. Misty Beier documents some of the area’s fossil wealth in her photobook, Exploring Bisti Badlands: Bisti Wilderness Area in San Juan Basin of New Mexico, some images from which are shown above.

(images via: Ozyman)

Photoartist QQ Li, who goes under the name Ozyman, offers us the intriguing series of images above. Depending upon the ambient lighting at the Bisti Egg Garden, these ancient yet evolving objects take on a variety of attributes from petrified sea turtles to gargantuan cocoons to, well, an egg breakfast left unattended by the local giants.

(image via: Gr8sublime)

The images above show off the differential effects of weathering upon the rocks of the Bisti Egg Garden. Even though all of the rocks are sedimentary and none are especially hard (as rocks go), slight variations in weather resistance loom large over the passage of time – in this case, tens of millions of years.

Get Crackin’

(images via: Scott Fricke Photography and A Little Adventure)

New Mexico has been crowded out of the limelight to some respect by the “heavy hitters” of southwest scenery, Arizona and Utah. Keep in mind, though, that along with Colorado you’ve got the Four Corners and more natural beauty than you can shake a stick at… and just try finding a stick!

(images via: A Little Adventure)

Maybe we spoke too soon: Arizona’s Petrified Forest hasn’t got a monopoly on mineralized wood. Anyone hiking out to see the Bisti Egg Garden will witness some spectacular specimens of fossilized logs tall enough to shed shade on a T Rex. By the way, campers, before you try starting a cookfire be advised that petrified wood doesn’t burn.

(images via: A Little Adventure, Kevin Shieh and Ray Mathis)

Oh, that T Rex we mentioned? It’s not unreasonable to think he or she was keeping one eye on the nest and another out for lunch. Now while the rounded rocks of what some like to call “The Nursery” only look like enormous eggs, one’s imagination can run wild in the desert after a long day on the trail.

(image via: Tom Bullock)

The Garden of Eden it ain’t, but the Bisti Egg Garden has its own set of temptations and rewards for those who take the time to view it up close & personal. No need to worry about any apples, either, but it would be wise to watch out for snakes.

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Rock Star: Trekking To California’s Vasquez Rocks Park

June 7, 2011 by admin · View Comments 

[ By Steve in Geography & Travel & History & Trivia & Uncategorized. ]

That tilted rock formation… now where have I seen that before? On TV and in the movies, most likely. Vasquez Rocks Park, just north of Los Angeles, California, has been a favorite “otherworldly” film location for many decades. This slightly slanted look at Vasquez Rocks promises, as the Gorn from Star Trek’s “Arena” episode once did, to be merciful and quick.

Bandito’s Bolthole

(image via: TrekEarth)

Heading out along the Antelope Valley Freeway north of Los Angeles, motorists can be forgiven for letting their eyes wander off the road if only for a moment. A moment is really all one needs for the distinctive sharp angles and eroded striations of Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park to trigger a flood of movie and TV memories.

(images via: Urban Overgrowth and DukeWayne.com)

Located near Agua Dulce between the Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys, Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park (to give it its official name) sprawls over 3 square kilometers (905 acres) of rugged – some might even say “tortured” – hardscrabble rocky land that looks to be the ideal hideout for a rustler on the lam or a Mexican bandito pursued by state-commissioned posses.

(images via: Photoacumen, John Kenneth Muir and UpTake)

The latter is true, actually – one Tiburcio Vásquez (for whom the rocks were named) used the jagged formations as one of his many boltholes. Vásquez, who was considered to be California’s most notorious bandit of the late nineteenth century, went on a 20-year-long reign of terror that featured horse rustling, prison breaks, robberies and burglaries.

(images via: Forest Theater Guild and Fanatique.net)

Vásquez was finally caught in 1874 and was executed by hanging early the next year. To the very end he proclaimed his innocence and constant desire to stand up for the rights of Hispanic Californians. Some say Tiburcio Vásquez was the inspiration for the fictional literary and cinema swordsman Zorro. Besides Vasquez Rocks, his name graces the Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center with 6 locations from Union City north to Hayward, CA.

Fault-y Towers

(images via: Eleven Shadows and MSSL)

Tiburcio Vásquez’ reign of terror shook the lives of southern Californians, so it’s an appropriate coincidence that Vasquez Rocks are a byproduct of a much older life-shaker, the San Andreas Fault.

(image via: HeroComm)

The inexorable grinding action along the faultline over countless thousands of years has resulted in slabs of 25-million year old striated sedimentary layers at Vasquez Rocks being shifted away from horizontal, in some cases at acute angles.

(image via: Stephen Ponting)

Erosion has been minimal in the region’s arid climate and, if anything, weathering has narrowed the upper reaches of the rock formations making them appear even sharper. Today some of the slabs are inclined at up to 50 degrees and their summits jut more than 150 feet (45 m) high.

Rock & Roll ‘Em!

(images via: Mysterious Island Design, Eleven Shadows and The World of Ward)

Have Vasquez Rocks gone Hollywood? Well yes, yes they have! The timeless, otherworldly landscape of Vasquez Rocks – not to mention their convenient nearness – immediately attracted Hollywood’s budding film industry who saw the distinctive terrain as being the perfect stand-in for the surfaces of other planets. Click here to view an exhaustive listing of the many productions that have featured Vasquez Rocks.

(images via: Bonanza Boomers and UpTake)

Classic Western TV shows like Bonanza would occasionally put Vasquez Rocks at center stage. In one memorable episode from late 1964 titled “Between Heaven and Earth”, Little Joe Cartwright (above) loses his rifle while climbing “Eagles Peak” and finds he has a fear of heights.

(images via: John Kenneth Muir, Kirk’s Homepage and Eleven Shadows)

Sci-fi films and television shows of the Fifties and Sixties glommed onto Vasquez Rocks like a mongoose on a rattler… or like a Gorn on a certain Federation Starship Captain who does not need to be named. Aw heck, it’s James Tiberius Kirk of course, an actor so intimately associated with Vasquez Rocks the penultimate peak has been dubbed “Kirk’s Rock” in his honor.

(images via: WN.com and The World of Ward)

Star Trek: The Original Series’ producers may have had their tongues in their cheeks regarding the use – some say, overuse – of Vasquez Rocks as a locale. Maybe they were just trying to stay within budget. In any case, Vasquez Rocks’ unmistakable profile figured prominently in both the “WN.com”>Arena” episode and the Futurama parody of it around 30 years later.

Here’s a video immortalizing what might be the Worst. Fight Scene. EVAR… starring William Shatner, the Gorn, Vasquez Rocks and a large papier-mâché boulder:

Worst Fight Scene Ever, via Yaemes

(images via: Eleven Shadows, Down In Front and T Hoffarth)

When it came time for director J.J. Abrams and production designer Scott Chambliss to select locations for 2009′s prequel film Star Trek, Vasquez Rocks wasn’t forgotten. Far from it, in fact, as the formation is used (albeit CGI-enhanced) in a number of scenes meant to depict sites on Spock’s home world, the planet Vulcan.

(image via: Laurie’s Wild West)

Among many, many other productions of note, 1974′s Blazing Saddles included scenes shot at or near Vasquez Rocks – the 2D fake town of Rock Ridge was built in the valley just below the rock formation.

Art Rock

(image via: Mysterious Island Design)

The repeated incidental injection of Vasquez Rocks into pop culture has endowed the formation with a unique cachet. By virtue of widespread recognition on screens both large and small, Vasquez Rocks seems to have acquired a larger than life prominence.

(images via: Eleven Shadows and CalArts)

Much like the actors featured in innumerable scenes with the iconic tilted rock formation, Vasquez Rocks’ familiarity allows the location to be used, reused and reused yet again while “playing” the part of any location the production crew desires. If some day an inanimate object is granted a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, by all rights the honor should go to Vasquez Rocks.

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Tagged: eleven-shadows, facebook, geography, geography & travel, geology, history, history & trivia, hollywood, inspiration, location, movies, planets, travel, trivia, vasquez-rocks

Blue Holes to Infinity Falls: 13 Natural Swimming Pools

June 6, 2011 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments 

[ By Steph in Geography & Travel & Nature & Ecosystems. ]

As the mercury rises it’s hard not to daydream about taking a dip in the cool, crystal-clear blue-green waters of some imagined paradise. These photos of 13 absolutely incredible natural swimming spots around the world, from a deadly pool atop 360-foot falls to a mirage-like oasis in the desert of Arizona, will have you booking a flight or at least searching for a cool swimming hole close to home.

Devil’s Pool, Victoria Falls, Zambia

(images via: oddity central)

Is the Devil’s Pool the most dangerous pool in the world? Some say yes, considering that it lies on the edge of Victoria Falls – and if you accidentally went over the side, there would be a long 360-foot drop before you reached the rocky base of the falls. That doesn’t stop people from swimming there – or parents from bringing their young children to catch a glimpse of the view from the cool waters. The images are so fantastic, people tend to think they’re faked. Swimming is only possible from September to December, when the river is low enough not to sweep people right over the falls, but at least one person does die every year.

Tat Kuang Si Waterfall, Luang Prabang, Laos

(images via: manymoonhoneymoon, yeowatzup)

Clear and beautifully blue-green, the waters of the Tat Kuang Si Waterfall in Luang Prabang, Laos are enticing, especially in the Laotian heat. You can either swim at the base or climb to the top and lounge in a swimming hole between tiers of the falls. The Tat Kuant Si Waterfall is located in a national park along the Mekong River,

Dean’s Blue Hole, Bahamas

(images via: national geographic, discover-eleuthera-bahamas.com)

Is this 1,000-foot-wide, almost perfectly round ‘blue hole’ in the Caribbean astounding or what? Especially when you learn that it’s 400 feet deep. Dean’s Blue Hole, located about 60 miles from Belize City, is the opening to what was once a dry cave during the Ice Age, which flooded when the ice melted and the sea level rose. It’s a favored spot for free divers, who plunge to great depths with no more equipment than their own two lungs.

Blue Lagoon, Iceland

(images via: wikimedia commons)

Pleasantly warm at temperatures between 98 and 102 degrees Fahrenheit, Iceland’s Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spring, attracts thousands of bathers every year. The water is rich in minerals like silica and sulfur, reputed to help some skin ailments. The lagoon is actually fed by a nearby geothermal power plant; the water comes up from the ground near a lava flow and is used to power turbines before it ends up in the pool.

Ginnie Springs, Florida

(images via: city-data.com, oceansportsinternational.com)

Stunningly clear, refreshingly cold and full of vast underwater cave systems, Ginnie Springs is one of the most visually spectacular natural swimming spots in Florida. Found in a privately-owned park along the Santa Fe River in the town of High Springs, this collection of seven springs offers activities like tubing, snorkeling, scuba diving and cave diving. Jacques Cousteau reportedly called the water deep in the springs the clearest in the world. This spot is definitely bustling with visitors practically year-round, and it’s easy to see why.

Yangbajain Hot Springs, Tibet

(images via: j2trip.com, supertightstuff.com)

Even in the middle of winter, the water at Yangbajain Hot Springs in Tibet is 70 degrees. Just like Iceland’s Blue Lagoon, this pool is fed by natural hot springs which are harnessed to produce geothermal power, which provides much of the energy used by the capital city Lhasa.

Little River Canyon, Alabama

(images via: swimmingholes.org)

Within the deepest canyon east of the Mississippi River is the Little River, which plunges into the canyon and then meanders through it for 12 miles, offering up a number of beautiful swimming holes that are popular with locals in the heat of summer. Swimmers jump off sandstone rocks into the water both at the base of the falls and an area on the canyon floor known as ‘Hippie Hole’.

Havasu Falls, Supai, Arizona

(images via: wikimedia commons)

This is definitely an oasis in the desert, and if you were lost enough to stumble upon it and think it were a mirage, you’d have well earned a dip in the aqua waters of Arizona’s Havasu Falls. Located on the Havasupai Indian Reservation just south of the Grand Canyon National Park, Havasu Falls is only accessible by helicopter or a ten-mile hike attended by pack mules. Havasu Creek is fed by a spring, so the water remains at a steady level and is 70 degrees year-round.

Mabinay Spring, Negros Oriental, Philippines

(images via: waysabel, luis llanera)

On the island of Negros Oriental in the Philippines is Mabinay Spring, a shady spring-fed lake surrounded by ancient trees. With free admission and easy accessibility, the cool spring is understandably popular with local residents and visitors alike.

Sliding Rock, Brevard, North Carolina

(images via: parke ladd, mountain moose)

Zoom down 60 feet of smooth rock into an icy-cold mountain-fed swimming hole at Sliding Rock, located off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Brevard, North Carolina. A long-popular ‘natural water park’ for locals, stairs and a handrail leading to the top have been added in recent years and lifeguards keep watch during the summer for safety. The pool at the bottom is 6-7 feet deep.

Natural Saltwater Swimming Pools, Azores

(images via: wicked good travel tips, panaramio, azores whales, holiday-rentals.co.uk)

Hemmed in by rocks, natural saltwater swimming pools have formed all along the coasts of the Azores archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. Some of the pools are nothing more than that, while others have been given concrete walls, steps and handrails to make them official. The pools allow all the joys of swimming in the ocean, but none of the violent waves that can make laying back and relaxing a little difficult.

Jellyfish Lake, Palau

(images via: echeng, Sky Chick Adventures, National Geographic, meremail, National Geographic, National Geographic)

Over 12,000 years ago in the island nation of Palau, jellyfish were trapped inside a cove when a rock island joined with the mainland, and over time, the body of water became a marine lake. This lake basically turned into jellyfish heaven, a safe place with few predators where the marine creatures could multiply freely – and that they most certainly did. More than 10 million of them occupy Jellyfish Lake, and the best part (for us, at least) is that their ability to sting went away as it was unneeded, so humans can safely swim among them.

Zacaton Cenote, Mexico

(images via: geology.com, flatrock.org.nz)

The world’s deepest water-filled sinkhole reaches an amazing 1,112 feet into the earth. Fed by a freshwater thermal spring, Zacatón Cenote measures over 328 feet across and is a notable diving site and was explored robotically by NASA to determine the depth. It’s unclear whether it’s actually possible to get to this epic swimming hole and take a dip, but we can dream, can’t we?

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All Along the Watchtowers: 18 Tourist Lookouts of Europe

May 30, 2011 by admin · View Comments 

[ By Steph in Art & Design & Geography & Travel. ]

There’s nothing like leaning over a railing, hundreds of feet in the air, to feel the thrill of dizzying heights and gaze at a city from the viewpoint of a bird. Mostly modern (with a couple of classics thrown in), these 18 tourist lookouts and towers, from Norway to the Czech Republic, provide an incomparable way to experience cities and natural settings alike.

London Eye on the Thames, England

(images via: wikimedia commons)

Europe’s tallest ferris wheel is also one of the coolest ways to catch a view of London. The London Eye, located on the Thames River, is 443 feet tall and is described by the operators as “the world’s tallest cantilevered observation wheel.” It features 32 air-conditioned passenger pods, and full revolution takes about thirty minutes.

Bahnorama Tower, Vienna, Austria

(images via: wombats-hostels.com, tixik)

The highest walkable wooden tower in Europe can be found in a lesser-traveled section of Vienna. The Bahnorama is a temporary exhibit allowing tourists to get a look at construction of a new train station, but that’s not all you can see – at nearly 219 feet in the air, you can get a fantastic panoramic view of the entire city. You don’t actually have to walk up; there are all-glass lifts that take you to the top in 40 seconds. There’s a cafe at ground level serving breakfast, lunch, beer and wine.

Observation Tower, River Mur, Austria

(images via: abitare.it)

Two polygonal helicoid stairs swirl around each other to a height of 90 feet in this stunning observation tower overlooking the River Mur in Austria. Designed by Terrain: Loenart & Mayr, the tower has a black steel cage and a number of cables and rods to keep it safe in winds or heavy usage.

Bostoren Tower, Putten, The Netherlands

(images via: eikongraphia)

The stunning Bostoren tower by SeARCH architects mimics the colors of the forest in brown, green and copper with a spiraling stair and several cantilevered decks. Just below the bowl-like observation deck that tops the tower is a small screened room with a net floor that lets you look down at the ground below. The tower overlooks the small town of Putten in The Netherlands.

Four Stunning ‘Uitkijktoren’ Towers, The Netherlands

(images via: klaas5)

These images were collected (with little additional information provided) by Utrecht architect Klaas Vermaas, depicting observation towers in The Netherlands and Germany. The towers are located in the following towns (clockwise from top left): Utrecht, The Netherlands; Breda, The Netherlands; Inden, Germany and the Fochteloerveen nature reserve in The Netherlands. Of the German tower Vermaas says: “The Indenmann is a 45m high observation tower overlooking a huge strip-mining operation. It’s in the German Ruhrgebiet near the town of Inden. It was designed by the Dutch Maurer Associated Architects. Not for people suffering from vertigo. It’s all open steel grate foors [sic] and cantilevers!”

TV Tower, Munich, Germany

(images via: ariaski, jasminejennyjen, emdees)

Among the tallest towers in the world, the TV Tower in Munich, known in German as the ‘Olympiaturm‘, is an amazing 954.72 feet tall. In addition to broadcasting analog FM and digital radio and television, the tower features a revolving restaurant that seats 230 people. A full revolution takes 53 minutes.

Korkeasaari Island Lookout Tower, Helsinki, Finland

(images via: coolboom)

Located on a cliff on Korkeasaari Island in Finland, this lookout tower made of wood battens has an organic form inspired by the natural setting, in between a birch grove and the sea. Bolted together with over 600 joints, the tower overlooks both its immediate natural environment and the bustling city of Helsinki.

Trollstigen Overlook, Norway

(images via: pixdaus, channelbeta)

Reiulf Ramstad Architects of Norway designed this overlook in Romsdalen, which provides a view of the Geiranger Fjord, as part of the Trollstigen National Tourist Route Project. Completely inaccessible in winter, the site is only open in summertime. With copper walls, a white platform and an all-glass cap to the cantilevered portion of the overlook, the structure was made to complement its natural surroundings.

Landscape Promontory, Switzerland

(images via: etienne deffinis, architonic)

Designed by Paolo Burgi, Landscape Promontory is a suspended metal platform that almost looks like an insanely oversized, modern version of a carnival ride – except that it (thankfully) doesn’t move. The viewing platform extends out from Cardada mountain in Switzerland and is marked with symbols and explanations that tell of local history and literature.

Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy

(images via: wikimedia commons)

Who could forget the Leaning Tower of Pisa? Though certainly not modern nor originally built as an overlook, the tower – which was closed for over a decade while engineers worked to strengthen it – is once again open to tourists. The tower is over 183 feet tall and was built starting in the year 1173. The recent restoration, which was completed in 2001, will allow it to remain standing for at least another two centuries.

Aurland Lookout, Norway

(images via: todd saunders)

From WebUrbanist: “You know that stomach-clutching, heart-in-your-throat sensation you get on roller coasters just as you’re coming up to the edge of a terrifyingly steep drop? That moment is drawn out indefinitely at the Aurland Lookout in Norway, a stunning wooden overlook that puts nothing but a sheet of plate glass between you and the countryside below. Designed by Todd Saunders & Tommie Wilhelmsen, the minimalist structure celebrates the region’s natural beauty and exemplifies its spare, modern design sense.”

Nebra Ark Observation Tower, Germany

(images via: dailytonic.com)

This observation Tower is located beside the Nebra Ark multimedia visitor center, which stands near the site where the Nebra Sky Disc was found. The bronze disc is the oldest known visual representation of the cosmos. The tower, which leans slightly to one side, was designed by Holzer Kobler Architekturen as the pointer of a giant sundial.

Petřín Lookout Tower, Prague, Czech Republic

(images via: dale harvey, mediafury)

If this tower looks familiar to you, that’s probably because it’s extremely similar in design to another very famous lookout tower located on the other side of Europe. The183-foot-tall Petřín stands atop a hill to provide an amazing view of the city of Prague. Built in 1891, the tower features two observation platforms that can be accessed by lift or stairs. Once used for radio and television transmission, it is now solely a lookout tower for tourists.

Science Park Observation Tower, Granada, Spain

(images via: picasaweb)

No, you’re not imagining it – those are giant ants on the side of that tower. This quirky structure stands on the grounds of Granada’s Science Museum which houses scientific experiments on meteorology, geography and astronomy. 164 feet high, the tower also provides a beautiful view of the city.

The Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

(images via: wikimedia commons)

Perhaps the most iconic lookout tower in the world, let alone Europe, the Eiffel Tower is an unforgettable part of the Paris skyline as well as the best place to see the city in all its glory. Standing 1,063 feet tall on four latticed iron ‘legs’, the Eiffel Tower was not popular at first with city residents, who thought that its shape was intentionally provocative; however, its design was based on engineering concerns to stand up to strong winds. It’s painted three different colors so that it maintains a uniform appearance from the ground. Originally featuring a very narrow set of spiral stairs, the tower now has several large elevators. It is the single most visited paid monument in the world.

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Got Vertigo? Terrifying Towers & Glass Balconies

Afraid of heights? Even the photos of some of these insanely tall towers, lookouts and glass balconies will make your head swim.
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Filed Under: Green Things
Tagged: architecture, art & design, austria, czech-republic, design, europe, geography, geography & travel, green, lookouts, netherlands, norway, photos, tourism

Sole Survivor: How 1 Japanese Town Resisted the Tsunami

May 27, 2011 by admin · View Comments 

[ By Steph in Geography & Travel & History & Trivia & News & Politics. ]

It’s ugly. It’s huge. It cost $30 million. But the 51-foot-tall floodgate that was long considered a “mayor’s folly” saved the village of Fudai, Japan from destruction on March 11th 2011, the day an earthquake and tsunami destroyed much of the nation and left 25,000 people missing or dead. All but one resident of the town survived thanks to this unattractive hunk of 1970′s architecture.

Fudai is a mountainous community located in the hard-hit Iwate Prefecture. While other towns in the prefecture, like Rikuzentakata, below, were practically wiped off the map by the nearly 80-foot-high waves that came barreling in from the ocean, Fudai was mostly untouched. Today, it looks much the same as it did on March 10th, a sharp contrast to the hellish scenes that surround it. If it weren’t for a stubborn mayor haunted by the scenes of death he had witnessed decades before, the outcome for Fudai would have been very different.

(image via: ehnmark)

Kotaku Wamura, who served 10 terms starting just after World War II, had pushed for the floodgate project in fear of a repeat of the 1933 tsunami that killed 439 of the town’s residents and destroyed hundreds of homes. After building a 51-foot seawall to protect homes behind the fishing port, he wanted a floodgate just as tall for the cove where the Fudai River empties into the sea, where most of the community was located. Construction began in 1972 despite the misgivings of city council members, who were concerned about its behemoth size.

(top and above image via: seattle pi)

Wamura died in 1997, but since the tsunami, villagers have been visiting his grave in tribute. His words to village employees at the time of his retirement in 1987 have now taken on a new meaning: “”Even if you encounter opposition, have conviction and finish what you start. In the end, people will understand.”

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From Ghost Town to Green Town: Rebirth Of Greensburg, Kansas

When a massive tornado leveled the small town of Greensburg KS, no one knew how the town would recover - until residents decided to go completely green.
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Filed Under: Green Things
Tagged: architecture, climate change, earthquakes, fudai, geography & travel, green, history, history & trivia, kansas, natural disasters, ocean, retirement, time, trivia

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