[ 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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[ By Steph in Geography & Travel. ]
Summer’s sweltering heat is just weeks away, and if you’re already daydreaming about stunningly scenic swimming pools in exotic locales, there’s no inspiration like these 15 cool pools around the world. From the world’s largest man-made pool in Chile to cliffside infinity pools overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, these swimming spots are among the world’s most beautiful.
Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Singapore
When most people envision a pool with an incredibly scenic view, they most likely think of tropical beaches, not skyscrapers – yet there’s no denying that the scenery at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel pool is absolutely breathtaking. Not only is this nearly 500-foot-long pool set into a rooftop skypark, 679 feet above the ground, but it’s an infinity pool, giving swimmers the feeling that they could swim right off the edge of the building. The pool looks out onto one of the world’s most modern cities, which is brilliantly illuminated once the sun goes down.
Bondi Icebergs, Sydney, Australia
Can’t decide between a peaceful swim in an enclosed pool or a romp in the ocean surf? You can have both at the incredible saltwater pool at Bondi Icebergs. The ocean waves break right into the pool. Unlike most of the other swimming pools on this list, Icebergs is open to the general public for a nominal fee.
Ubud Hanging Gardens, Bali, Indonesia
Not only does each villa at the Ubud Hanging Gardens Hotel in Bali have its own private infinity pool, but some guests get lucky enough to snag a room with a pool positioned directly over the main infinity pool for an experience unlike any other. From any of these pools, you can gaze into the jungle at monkeys and wild birds – not to mention a Balinese temple.
Conrad Rangali Islands, Maldives
What’s not to love about this gorgeous infinity pool at the Conrad Rangali Islands hotel in Maldives? Lounging on a chaise placed on a special platform in the pool, all you can see is sparkling, clear blue waters.
Kempinski Hotel Ishtar, Dead Sea, Jordan
Literally the lowest point on earth at 1,300 feet below sea level, the north end of the Dead Sea is a beautiful place, and the Kempinksi Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea is the ideal home base from which to explore it – particularly due to its collection of serene pools and lagoons overlooking the sea.
Evason Phuket, Thailand
It’s difficult to imagine anything that could make this image of the adults-only infinity pool at the Evason Phuket Resort look more like paradise (except maybe a frozen organic daiquiri). Surrounded by 64 acres of tropical parklands and gardens, the Evason pool overlooks clear blue waters with a grassy island in the distance.
Hayman Great Barrier Reef Resort, Queensland, Australia
Seven times larger than an Olympic swimming pool, the pool bar at the Hayman Great Barrier Reef Resort in Australia is practically a small sea unto itself. Actually, it’s a pool-within-a-pool; the smaller central pool is freshwater and heated while the outer lagoon-like pool is as salty as the sea that lies just steps from the hotel. Four boardwalk bridges connect this little slice of paradise to the hotel.
Intercontinental Hotel, Hong Kong
Another rooftop pool with a prime city view is the infinity pool at Hong Kong’s Intercontinental Hotel.
Hotel Caruso, Ravello, Italy
Renowned for its spectacular rocky cliffs overlooking the sparkling Mediterranean Sea, Italy’s Amalfi Coast is one of the most beautiful places in the world. At Hotel Caruso in Ravello, guests can enjoy these views from a heated infinity pool on a clifftop 1,000 feet above sea level. The modern pool is a stunning contrast beside the historic 11th century hotel, a former palazzo.
Golden Triangle Resort, Chiang Rai, Thailand
High above the Mekong River where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet is this elegant free-form infinity pool that seems to spill out onto the tropical vegetation that surrounds it.
San Alfonso Del Mar, Chile
The San Alfonso Del Mar isn’t just one of the most beautiful pools in Chile – it’s the largest pool in the world, measuring more than half a mile in length and reaching 115 feet deep (an amazing 11 stories!). The 66 million gallons of water needed to fill this mind-boggling pool come straight from the adjacent Pacific Ocean. It costs $4 million a year just to keep it clean.
Hotel Joule, Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas is home to a stunning cantilevered rooftop pool, which not only juts out eight feet from the 10-story Hotel Joule, but features a glass end wall.
Rio Calma, Fuerteventura, Spain
The Canary Islands look even more magical when you’re enjoying the salt lagoon at the Rio Calma Hotel in Fuerteventura. The lagoon looks out over the white sand beaches that border the Atlantic Ocean.
Cavo Tagoo, Mykonos, Greece
Gaze out at the iconic all-white architecture of Mykonos from the still, soothing waters of your own private infinity pool at the Cavo Tagoo Hotel. A number of rooms at the Cavo Tagoo have their own pools including the ultra-luxurious 2-bedroom Golden Villa, where the private walled infinity pool – secluded from view of other guests – offers a full sea view and blends right into the horizon.
Gellert Baths, Budapest, Hungary
Most interiors as beautiful as this are cathedrals, where it’s not exactly polite to lay on your back and stare up at the ceiling. In this case, however, leisurely gazing is not just appropriate but encouraged. Even in a country known for its luxurious spas, the Gellert thermal baths, built around natural mineral hot springs in an early-20th-century Art Noveau complex, are an amazing sight. The water in this pool, located in the main hall, is actually effervescent for an even more unique experience.
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My daughter Kate loves horses, her violin and, above all else, her friends. She also happens to have been born with dwarfism, a condition that makes her smaller than other kids. She will always be smaller. Kate’s fine with that. She doesn’t give it much thought, really. But I’ve become increasingly full of dread that her generation of mean girls will eventually stop accepting her for who she is, seize upon her obvious difference and just destroy her.
Kate goes to a school in St. Paul that teaches grades 1 through 8 (she’s a second grader), and when I was there for a parent-teacher conference a few months ago, I noticed the older girls traveling in packs, whispering, laughing with mockery at whichever poor victim they were savaging at the time. I didn’t know these girls, but I didn’t like them.
Next afternoon, I was riding the No. 63 bus home from work. At the stop after mine, five pretty, well-dressed teenage girls got on and sat right behind me. I wished I hadn’t forgotten my headphones that day because I didn’t want to hear the horrible things these girls were inevitably about to say. They talked nonstop.
“Hey, is it O.K. if Rachel comes with us on Friday?”
“O.K. But I don’t think I know her. Do I?”
“She’s my friend from that summer program. She’s really funny, I think you’d like her.”
“Great! I’m looking forward to meeting her!”
It seemed to me they actually talked like this. Flattering descriptions and anecdotes about Rachel followed. Miraculously, this conversation was conducted without sarcasm. Was I missing something? Wasn’t Rachel going to be ripped for being five pounds overweight or wearing the wrong shoes? I didn’t turn around, but I leaned back and listened closer.
“Sometimes I don’t think I’m as racially sensitive as I should be.”
“Well, we all have to work on that. But it’s a huge step to recognize it.”
“Thanks!”
Down North Smith we rode, past the hospital, up Grand. The girls talked in overlapping bursts and lots of sentence fragments, a little too loudly, but everything was friendly and positive. These weren’t mean girls. These were nice girls. As we passed over the freeway, I capitalized the Nice Girls in my mind to give them a title, to make them a team in the hope they would stay together. I needed them around when Kate got older. Maybe she could join them! Maybe they could get jackets made!
Read more….
Beth
Often we think our problems are infinitely complex and unsolvable. But did you ever think the solution is only a gesture away? A movement away? An inch away?
Walk away from your desk (well read this first!), move around your office or room. Go outside, take a deep breath. Better yet, take a walk.
Our problems can gather weight the more we sit and mull. Often they need some air, some lightness, some movement.
So if you’re feeling stuck, try a little experiment today: just move. Get up and move around. Stretch, breathe, give your mind a break.
Now this is the important part: when you sit back down to work, notice any differences.
It’s important to break routines in order to break open answers!
Listen to Bob Marley’s Get up, Stand Up
Beth
