Gaspe!

photo by blackwell de (http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackwing_de/3892622427/), some rights reserved, (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en_CA)

Perce Rock, Gaspe Bay, Quebec.

There is only a four hour window at low tide for walking to Perce Rock (pronounced Percy Rock), unless you approach by sea. Take a ferry to Bonaventure island (and bird viewing) or kayak if your timing isn't right.

Only one of the original two arches is intact, the first having collapsed about 200 years ago.  Apparently it is a "living rock", with stones falling every few minutes, echoing as they splash into the bay or sharply resounding with impact on the exposed rock base. The wind and rain continue to erode and sculpt it as you stand on the narrow path or beneath the arch.   The remaining opening is approximately 50 feet high and 60 feet wide so there is still more than a 100 feet of rock towering above, but how long will it stand?   Time sneaks fragments, snakes into cracks awaiting a storm or surge that will pair with gravity to change this vista forever.   What view will you see by the time you arrive? 

Brimham Rocks, UK

 "Covering an area of over 1 square kilometre on Brimham Moor in Nidderdale these millstone grit stacks have been eroded by glaciation, wind and rain to produce many fantastic shapes."

© Copyright Penny Mayes and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence:  SE2065
 
I was not able to copy successfully the official licence link but for further information, please check http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1184  

Breathtaking balance.  My partner has added this destination to our list of "must see" locations for our trip to the UK, and I fullheartedly agree.  This is only one of fascinating rock formations over 50 acres at Brimham Moor in North Yorkshire, England.  For details on how they were formed, go to http://brimhamrocks.co.uk/geology.htm.

She has a fondness for bears, so I expect that the rock that caught her attention is the Dancing Bear, below.  Once again I will do my best to credit the photographer, but it may be hampered by my inability to copy some of the labels and links.

photo by Adam Jennison, downloaded at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dancing_bear_wiki.jpg
"This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License.
This licensing tag was added to this file as part of the GFDL licensing update. "
 

Antelope Canyons

While in Arizona, another must see are the North and South Antelope Canyons, Navaho Nation Parks.  These narrow slot canyons show yet again the marvelous textures and shapes that sandstone can yield.  Light beams and reflections both illuminate and caress the surfaces.

Catch the description and images at
http://www.navajonationparks.org/htm/antelopecanyon.htm

The photo below was taken by Farols Fotos and available at;
http://www.bestpicturegallery.com/Best_picture_gallery_Arizona_Antelope_Canyon.htm

(for scale, notice the other photographers)

The Wave

Rigid ripples, rich variants of reds, pinks, ochres and browns undulate in another rock formation that echoes licquid.  This time much closer to home, The Wave is
a sandstone formation on the slopes of the Coyote Buttes in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, just south of the Utah-Arizona border.

If you are lucky enough to get one of the 20 permits per day to access the area, this famous formation can be reached by hiking along narrow ridges and sweeping striated swells for approximately 3 miles (4.8 kilometers). For many, it is in full sun, climbing about 350 feet (107 meters) in altitude. The trek in is farther if you also want to see the other rock formations and dinosaur track fossils.  Water is mandatory and GPS skills strongly advised.

Hmmm.  Maybe we will be satisfied with photos.  Some great ones at http://www.cornforthimages.com/Galleries/Landscape/Arizona/Coyote%20Buttes.htm

Frozen Waterfalls

The hot springs in Pamukkale, Turkey are so rich in mineral salts that they appear to be laden with icicles.  The name means "Cotton Castle", and although far from soft, their dazzling white, sparkling cascades probably appear to be so from a distance. The entire mountain as well as a large part of the valley is covered with stepped basins ringed with solidified salts.

The thermal springs are around 33 degrees Celcius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) and saturated with calcium ozide and other minerals. As the water flows down the cliffs, it evaporates quickly, leaving the glistening stalactites.

Locals claim it will cure skin and eye conditions, as well as relieve asthma and rheumatism, so all the more reason to include this in the must see list.

Giant's Causeway

Near the top of my "Bucket List" and my travel itinery is Ireland.  I've been to England and Scotland, but have not yet made it to Wales or Ireland.  I love the sense of history in both countries, the verdant vistas, the stone work, the culture.

Keeping up the theme of rocks, a must see for me will be the Giants Causeway, 7 square miles of approximatley 40,000 hexigonal basalt stones of various heights.  Sixty million years ago, volcanic eruptions in what is now Northern Ireland formed this World Heritage site. When the lava cooled, it cracked, creating the distinctive columns.

Legend has another explanation:  An Irish giant, Finn McCool, a relatively small giant of  fifty two feet six inches, challenged his rival Benandonner in Scotland to a trial of strength, but they couldn't cross the Sea of Moyle.  Finn McCool threw stones in the water to make a path or causeway between Ireland and Scotland and was exhausted by this work.  Benandonner arrived while he was still sleeping.  Finn's wife saw him coming and knew that the Scot was much bigger than her husband, so she wrapped Finn up as if he was a baby  and showed the Scot  her "infant".  Benandonner was frightened by the size of the child and imagined its father Finn must be far too large and strong to challenge, so he ran back to Scotland, knocking down much of the causeway as he went in case Finn decided to follow him.

Well, I hope that I will be following him, as far as Antrim to see this some day.

Malaspina

Here is another image of Malaspina Galleries near my home.

The colour photo in the post about Kangaroo Island is looking out to the Georgia Strait and the Sunshine Coast. A lovely shot, but it does not show the scale.

This black and white vintage photo is looking back toward homes on Gabriola. 

Musing on photographs

It will be hard to give justice to the places on my list without photos, and since I have not yet been there, naturally I will only have access to photos from other people. 

There are some wonderful shots on the internet, but respecting copyright means that I can't post them here.   I may try getting permission from individuals, but most of the good shots are from professionals.

As I was looking for someone to contact about Kangaroo Island (and no, I did not find anyone I felt comfortable asking), I found a wonderful Flickr group that posts images of rock forms.  I was in heaven.  I had to be careful not to short out the computer as I stared in awe at the images, probably drooling.

So I joined the group.  I don't know if I will ever have any photos to contribute, but I will certainly be a regular visiter.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/rockforms/

Postscript.  I decided to include a free wallpaper image of Kangaroo Rocks and found someone willing to share their Malaspina Galleries photo, so added them to the previous post.

Kangaroo Island Remarkable Rocks

I love rocks, especially those with texture and contour, shaped by erosion or other forces of nature. The island I live on has wonderful sandstone formations, so I was delighted to see photos of the "Remarkable Rocks" on Kangaroo Island. It is the third largest island in Australia, known for it's white sand dunes and fauna. Kangaroos of course, but also koalas, wallabies, and "fairy penguins" as well as sheep. There is an impressive lighthouse but not a lot of human residents.

The island has a national park, caves, caverns and sink holes to explore. But it is the rocks that draw me. Pitted and sculpted by wind and water, these large sandstone rocks lean against each other or stand alone. The "wave" reminds me of the undercutting of the Malaspina Galleries on Gabriola, http://www.nickdoe.ca/pdfs/Webp27c.pdf, yet they are half a world away.

So google it for more information, or look for photo sites. There are lots of images.

http://bestofkangarooisland.com.au/southwest/index.html

Virtual Wanderlust

I have always enjoyed travelling, having visited 18 countires on three continents so far. But I also love Canada and BC, and have been spending more time (and money) lately on exploring and appreciating the wonders of where I live.

Recently I have been enjoying trying to solve the puzzles that are posted by John Moen at http://www.worldatlas.com/geoquiz/current.htm. I seldom get the right answer, and never soon enough to win the prize, but find myself thinking about both the riddles and the places I find in my research. I win when I learn something, and I want to keep a record of some of the amazing places I am reading about.

So this blog will be a way for me to track the places I would visit if I won the lottery, and for me to share them with my friends and anyone else interested.

I am not going there myself, so you will have to visit the sites I link to for the photos as I won't have the right to post those. Given the nature of the internet, links will probably change. When possible I will fix them, but at least you will get the description and hopefully, you can find the images or similar ones on your own from that.

I hope that you will enjoy learning about these places as much as I do.