My country's wonders...

It is a common thing to desire to see the exotic, and being far from home can add an element of that exotic nature to what you are experiencing when you travel. After backpacking through Europe for three months last summer, I've been feeling a lot of guilt about the fact that I have now seen much more than Europe than I have of my own country. I have very rarely traveled off of the east coast in the US. I know there is so much to see of this country, so I decided to do a little exploration into what I would like to see. I think I'll plan a road trip for some time in the near future... it sounds so much more simple than backpacks, buses, trains and different languages! Here are some of the wonders (some well-known, others not) of our country that I would love to experience some day:

"The Wave" is a landscape that lies at the border between Arizona and Utah. The formations are 190 million year old dunes that have hardened into rock. These are very little-known features, as very limited access is allowed. You have to apply for a permit to enter at least 3 months in advance, and it is a four mile hike to actually get there.

And of course... the Grand Canyon. I still haven't seen it. This would definitely be a stop on my tour.


2200 year old trees that can reach 380 meters in height?!? I'm so there.


All things Yellowstone: There are so many amazing features at Yellowstone National Park that I would love to see. To me, the most fascinating are those in which water is able to trickle down to the depths of the Earth where it become superheated and infused with carbon dioxide and limestone. The above pictures represent two of the consequences of this process. The hot springs are colorful due to the various forms of microorganisms living in the water. The picture above that is travertine formed by the infusion and then release of carbon dioxide and limestone once water reaches the surface once again. These travertine layers will continue to form as time goes by.

Yosemite Falls: the tallest waterfall in the US. It has shaped the landscape of the Sierra Nevada.

I think that the natural wonders of the United States are the ones that I would more likely travel to see. We have such a beautifully diverse landscape in this country, and many of its features are unique to this land. There are many cultural/architectural things I would like to see as well, but I know that land features amaze me much more than the things that can usually be replicated. We have only one Earth. I'm ready to plan my road trip of the US!

Urban Camoflauge

I recently stumbled upon this really interesting artist that focuses on camouflaging people in urban settings. These are much more intricate than the classic green and brown fatigues... It is much more difficult to disguise yourself and be "at one" with an urban scene. I think it would be really interesting to see art like this being done, mostly to see what other people's reactions to it are.


Urban Camouflage

I took a class called Earth Art last semester, and the professor did an interesting project for his Master's thesis in which he hung vintage white dresses in the woods in various different places. I think that the project itself was interesting, but one aspect of it that he left out that I think would have given it much more depth is how people reacted to it. It would really spook me to see the hanging white dresses at first, but after the initial shock it would be really intriguing, and I would want to investigate. I think that the interaction between people and art is a very dynamic part of any work of art, and personally, I think that for many projects it should be better documented.


Brad Birchett

Bog Bodies

Due to the unusual conditions of peat bogs in Northern Europe, Great Britain, and Ireland, bodies preserve remarkably well when they are laid to rest inside the bog. It preserves their skin and internal organs while the bone disintegrates. Consequently, we have unprecedented archaeological remains from the Iron Age. Strangely enough, most of the bog bodies that have been found show evidence of being killed or injured violently in a number of different ways. One of the bog bodies has had his nipples cut off, some are decapitated, some stabbed, some hanged. This may have been ritual for sacrifice or execution for a crime.

The most well-known and well-preserved of these is the Tollund Man who is thought to be over 2000 years old. His remains show that he was hanged to death; he is so well preserved that archaeologists have been able to determine that his last meal was a sort of vegetable seed porridge. His tissues were so well preserved that archaeologists were able to obtain a fingerprint from him, which has come to be one of the oldest fingerprints on record.



Link

Another interesting specimen from these bogs is the Yde girl from Stijfveen peat bog near the little village of Yde in the Netherlands. She was only 16 when she died from strangulation as a possible sacrifice victim. She was originally very well preserved, however, she deteriorated rapidly after excavation due to poor preservation technology at the time. Her body, hair and face were still intact enough for an archaeologist to complete a reconstruction of her face. There are many more specimens that remain, thanks to the wonderous preservation capabilities of the peat bogs in Northern Europe! Info from here.


Link

Architecture Goes Green!

My dad is a project manager for a construction company based in DC. He has recently been involved in the construction of a few buildings with green roofs. I think this is such a great way to utilize urban spaces to combat, even if in very miniscule ways, the issue of global warming and all the trees that are being lost daily. I looked into the different ways that environmental engineers are coming up with to convert urban spaces into "green" spaces, and I found some really cool and creative projects!


The two photos above are of a shop in Seoul, South Korea, and their idea was to incorporate nature into their retail space while also being environmentally friendly.

The link where I found the photos above




This is a building that has been proposed that would make it possible to farm in urban spaces. There are other examples of similar structures that have been proposed to serve the same function here.


This is an example of a green roof that is on top of the City Hall in Chicago. It all started here! This trend is very innovative and people's fascination with this type of architecture is raising awareness with an issue that is becoming of utmost importance on our Earth. These are beautiful oases in otherwise very un-green cities.