Last week during a camping trip, we did a nighttime kayak tour to see bioluminescent phytoplankton in the water of Hood Canal. Truly spectacular to see all the little guys light up as you paddle.
We hiked those trails when we lived in Portland.
Another place that is interesting is The Valley of 10,000 Smokes in Alaska. You hike down a trail to the lava/ash field which is 700 feet deep in places. It’s a desolate place with very little growing there. The Novarupta eruption in 1912 was the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century. Kodiak Island, 100 miles away, ended up with three feet of ash on the ground.
I was there. By accident.
Don’t Drive while Sleep Deprived, Boys and Girls!
To climb Devils Tower, I’m pretty sure a permit is required but I do know they allow climbing year round. They do request climbers avoid the month of June, but it’s a request and not a mandate.
What happens in June? Is that when the ETs make their annual return for fresh meat more intrepid earthling astro-adventurers?
That’s the month for religious celebrations for the Native Americans.
A Stuntman’s Jump: Parachutist Stranded for Days on Devils Tower | WyoHistory.org
Neat story about getting stranded on top of Devil’s Tower in 1941
Cool story, thanks for sharing it. It has a good picture of what the top of Devil’s Tower looks like. lt’s not a big crater, like I always thought (that wouldn’t make sense).
When it comes to giant rocks, Uluru is one of the giant-est. From my trip to Oz in 2005:
Meh. The entire 4 Corners region is made up rock like that.
Along time ago, I stopped for a few minutes near the Mystic Stone of the Savannah in Ghana:
The rock itself is not particularly stunning, but the culture beliefs around it are interesting.
Nutty Putty Cave ▲ 40.0976, -112.0371
➜ Nutty Putty Cave ▲ 40.0976, -112.0371 - Album on Imgur ■
Rest in Peace, John Edward Jones
Directions to the cave
(Directions to the cave, and some more photos, are in that imgur link.)
Elephant’s Perch, Sawtooth Wilderness, Idaho
About a seven mile hike from Redfish Lake, near Stanley. I first hiked there with my father in 1962, when I was 8. I’ve returned four times, mostly recently in 2006, when this picture was taken.
Here are some places that come to my mind:
The Amboy Crater is a volcano that last erupted about 10,000 years ago
and is a short hike from old Route 66. It is not a place to visit in the summer as
can reach 110°F (43°C). You can hike to the top of the volcano and down
into the inside of the crater.
Mono Lake has a very unique landscape. From the wierd shapes
of the tufa towers to the nearby volcanos it gave me a feeling of being
on another planet.
The Trona Pinnacles located in dry Searles Lake are another example of
tufa towers. It’s alien planet like landscape has been used in many science
fiction movies.
My brothers and I always joked that Pilot Mountain was a giant fossilized dinosaur turd.
Valley of Fire State Park (near Vegas) has some similar rock formations.
Inspired by this 2017 thread I made a pilgrimage to The Devils Basin on the northern California coast. Not that great of a photo, but it was taken right on the edge of a sheer drop off. These days I imagine a drone could get a much better perspective.
A really good place, especially on a hot sunny summer day and it really looks on fire.
Added: Black Canyon of the Gunnison in Colorado is a beautiful place.