Monday, January 20, 2014
Monday, January 7, 2013
Nature Miracle: The Grand Canyon National Park
Still, we’ve tried our best to discern what the absolute must-see sights are for you when experiencing Grand Canyon National Park.
SOUTH RIM
ALONG DESERT VIEW ROAD:
Typically the most popular, first-time views of Grand Canyon occur at either Mather Point or Yavapai Point. Mather Point is situated at just over 7,000 feet elevation and is named after the park’s first superintendent, Stephen Mather. Visitors will be awe-struck by the view before them. Far below your view is Phantom Ranch, at the canyon’s base.
Yavapai Point affords panoramic views of Havasupai Point to the west and Desert View to the east. If the stunning views aren’t enough, enjoy a ranger talk and/or walk beginning at this point each day. Be sure to enjoy the interpretation provided by Yavapai Observation Station, including three-dimensional geological displays, photographs, and interpretive panels which allow park visitors to see and understand the intriguing geologic story the Grand Canyon has to tell. Gain a better understanding about the canyon’s exposed rock layers, the uplift of the Colorado Plateau and the carving of the Grand Canyon.
Desert View. To see this spectacular vantage of the Grand Canyon, leave Grand Canyon Village and follow the canyon rim east for 26 miles to Desert View, which is situated at the East Entrance to Grand Canyon National Park. Along the way be sure to stop and take in the sights and views at the following overlooks.
Yaki Point. During peak tourism season, the Yaki Point Road and Kaibab Trail Parking Lot are closed to private vehicle traffic. Access is by shuttle bus only. At Yaki Point, enjoy yet another stunning panoramic view of the Grand Canyon from the south rim.
Grandview Point. Well the name certainly says it all when it comes to this must-see sight. Situated at just below 7,500 feet, this is probably the most grand view of Grand Canyon. You’ll see prominent buttes including Rama Shrine, Krishna Shine, Vishnu Shrine and Shiva Temple, and you’ll glimpse a tiny stretch of the Colorado River far below as well.
Moran Point. Named for famous painter Thomas Moran, the views from this overlook will not disappoint. Enjoy views of the expansion Grand Canyon, which are directly south of Cape Royal, situated on the North Rim.
Lipan Point. This sight is accessed by taking a short spur road about a mile north of the main scenic drive along the South Rim. This vantage offers almost a 360-degree panorama.
Desert View Watchtower. Constructed in 1932 as a replica of a prehistoric Indian tower, the Desert View Watchtower commands a magnificent view of the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert to the east and the San Francisco Peaks to the south. Mary Colter’s goal was to build a tower that would provide the widest view possible of Grand Canyon while keeping harmony with its natural surroundings. She succeeded. The Watchtower first opened in 1933 and is at the eastern-most point of the Grand Canyon’s South Rim. The watchtower is made of stone, and Colter’s masonry mastery creates a visual depth that is unmatched. This seventy-foot tower is the highest point on the South Rim and its interior walls of the tower feature murals by Hopi artist Fred Kabotie.
GRAND CANYON VILLAGE
El Tovar Hotel. This is the premier lodging option on the Grand Canyon’s South Rim, and given its history, it’s a sight to see. Built in 1905 and renovated a few years ago, the El Tovar is perched on the rim offering grand views and elegant charm. The historic hotel features a fine dining room (open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner), lounge and curio shop with newsstand. El Tovar offers its guests Concierge, turn-down and room service, and is a Registered National Historic Landmark. Stop in to take a step back in time while marveling at this historic hotel.
ALONG WEST END OF SOUTH RIM:
Hermit’s Rest. Visitors can choose among nine overlooks to take in the various breathtaking views of the Grand Canyon while traveling the west end of the South Rim on Hermit’s Road. Most of the Hermit’s Road experience is due to its historic significance. The road was designed in 1934-35 by the Bureau of Public Roads, and the National Park Service. (From March through November, this road can be accessed by shuttle bus only). Visitors can easily take in the stunning vistas this road affords access to. Exceptional sights to include while enjoying the shuttle along Hermit’s Road include Hopi, Maricopa and Pima points. A highlight will be taking in The Abyss, which drops some 3,000 feet. There is no better name for this vantage! From the Abyss, visitors can see the Tonto Plateau, as well as the Colorado River, far below.
ALONG NORTH RIM:
There are two sights along the North Rim that should absolutely be included on your Grand Canyon North Rim travel itinerary: Cape Royal and Point Imperial. Cape Royal is situated at almost 8,000 feet and is the southernmost vantage on the North Rim. Cape Royal is spectacular and provides the closest thing to a total panoramic view of the Grand Canyon. Point Imperial is the highest overlook in the Grand Canyon, situated at almost 9,000 feet! It’s yet one more spectacular view for visitors to see.
GRAND CANYON WEST
The Grand Canyon Skywalk is not located near the South or North Rim. Rather, it is located at Grand Canyon West, an area owned by the Hualapai Tribe. The Grand Canyon Skywalk is a horseshoe-shaped walkway that extends almost 70 feet out into the Grand Canyon. Visitors on the Skywalk, which has a clear, 4-inch-thick glass bottom, peer over the railing, or down through their stance to see the Canyon and all of its 4,000 feet of vertical abyss.
HAVASU FALLS
ALONG DESERT VIEW ROAD:
Typically the most popular, first-time views of Grand Canyon occur at either Mather Point or Yavapai Point. Mather Point is situated at just over 7,000 feet elevation and is named after the park’s first superintendent, Stephen Mather. Visitors will be awe-struck by the view before them. Far below your view is Phantom Ranch, at the canyon’s base.
Yavapai Point affords panoramic views of Havasupai Point to the west and Desert View to the east. If the stunning views aren’t enough, enjoy a ranger talk and/or walk beginning at this point each day. Be sure to enjoy the interpretation provided by Yavapai Observation Station, including three-dimensional geological displays, photographs, and interpretive panels which allow park visitors to see and understand the intriguing geologic story the Grand Canyon has to tell. Gain a better understanding about the canyon’s exposed rock layers, the uplift of the Colorado Plateau and the carving of the Grand Canyon.
Desert View. To see this spectacular vantage of the Grand Canyon, leave Grand Canyon Village and follow the canyon rim east for 26 miles to Desert View, which is situated at the East Entrance to Grand Canyon National Park. Along the way be sure to stop and take in the sights and views at the following overlooks.
Yaki Point. During peak tourism season, the Yaki Point Road and Kaibab Trail Parking Lot are closed to private vehicle traffic. Access is by shuttle bus only. At Yaki Point, enjoy yet another stunning panoramic view of the Grand Canyon from the south rim.
Grandview Point. Well the name certainly says it all when it comes to this must-see sight. Situated at just below 7,500 feet, this is probably the most grand view of Grand Canyon. You’ll see prominent buttes including Rama Shrine, Krishna Shine, Vishnu Shrine and Shiva Temple, and you’ll glimpse a tiny stretch of the Colorado River far below as well.
Moran Point. Named for famous painter Thomas Moran, the views from this overlook will not disappoint. Enjoy views of the expansion Grand Canyon, which are directly south of Cape Royal, situated on the North Rim.
Lipan Point. This sight is accessed by taking a short spur road about a mile north of the main scenic drive along the South Rim. This vantage offers almost a 360-degree panorama.
Desert View Watchtower. Constructed in 1932 as a replica of a prehistoric Indian tower, the Desert View Watchtower commands a magnificent view of the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert to the east and the San Francisco Peaks to the south. Mary Colter’s goal was to build a tower that would provide the widest view possible of Grand Canyon while keeping harmony with its natural surroundings. She succeeded. The Watchtower first opened in 1933 and is at the eastern-most point of the Grand Canyon’s South Rim. The watchtower is made of stone, and Colter’s masonry mastery creates a visual depth that is unmatched. This seventy-foot tower is the highest point on the South Rim and its interior walls of the tower feature murals by Hopi artist Fred Kabotie.
GRAND CANYON VILLAGE
El Tovar Hotel. This is the premier lodging option on the Grand Canyon’s South Rim, and given its history, it’s a sight to see. Built in 1905 and renovated a few years ago, the El Tovar is perched on the rim offering grand views and elegant charm. The historic hotel features a fine dining room (open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner), lounge and curio shop with newsstand. El Tovar offers its guests Concierge, turn-down and room service, and is a Registered National Historic Landmark. Stop in to take a step back in time while marveling at this historic hotel.
ALONG WEST END OF SOUTH RIM:
Hermit’s Rest. Visitors can choose among nine overlooks to take in the various breathtaking views of the Grand Canyon while traveling the west end of the South Rim on Hermit’s Road. Most of the Hermit’s Road experience is due to its historic significance. The road was designed in 1934-35 by the Bureau of Public Roads, and the National Park Service. (From March through November, this road can be accessed by shuttle bus only). Visitors can easily take in the stunning vistas this road affords access to. Exceptional sights to include while enjoying the shuttle along Hermit’s Road include Hopi, Maricopa and Pima points. A highlight will be taking in The Abyss, which drops some 3,000 feet. There is no better name for this vantage! From the Abyss, visitors can see the Tonto Plateau, as well as the Colorado River, far below.
ALONG NORTH RIM:
There are two sights along the North Rim that should absolutely be included on your Grand Canyon North Rim travel itinerary: Cape Royal and Point Imperial. Cape Royal is situated at almost 8,000 feet and is the southernmost vantage on the North Rim. Cape Royal is spectacular and provides the closest thing to a total panoramic view of the Grand Canyon. Point Imperial is the highest overlook in the Grand Canyon, situated at almost 9,000 feet! It’s yet one more spectacular view for visitors to see.
GRAND CANYON WEST
The Grand Canyon Skywalk is not located near the South or North Rim. Rather, it is located at Grand Canyon West, an area owned by the Hualapai Tribe. The Grand Canyon Skywalk is a horseshoe-shaped walkway that extends almost 70 feet out into the Grand Canyon. Visitors on the Skywalk, which has a clear, 4-inch-thick glass bottom, peer over the railing, or down through their stance to see the Canyon and all of its 4,000 feet of vertical abyss.
HAVASU FALLS
Havasu Falls is one of the most photographed waterfalls in the world. Ask anyone who has been there, or look at a photo of video of the waterfall and surrounding area and it’s likely you’ll believe it’s one of the most beautiful images to behold in the United State. The blue-green, 100-foot-high waterfall plunges into a series of pools, which make for phenomenal swimming holes. NOTE: Great experiences come to those willing to hike? and sometimes long distances. Havasu Falls is enjoyed following a 10-mile hike from the trailhead, situated on Hualapai Hilltop. But non-hikers don’t fret: you can opt for a guided horseback ride, or a mule trip, arranged with the tribe on the Hualapai Reservation. To get to the trailhead to Havasu Falls, plus three other waterfalls, it’s a little more than a 60-mile drive north of Historic Route 66.
The Masterpieces You Have to See in Paris' Louvre Art Museum
The Mona Lisa, The Venus de Milo, The Winged Victory of Samothrace. The collection in the Louvre Museum in Paris is an Art History 101 checklist. And yes, you must see the works in person. No photograph or Web site has the same impact as standing dwarfed before the myriad intricacies of Renaissance painter Paolo Veronese's 22-foot-tall Wedding Feast at Cana. But a pick-and-choose tour of famous masterpieces ignores the full scope of the collection. Begun by King François I in 1546, the 35,000 pieces are a narrative of artistic vision from antiquity through the mid-19th century.
The Louvre is the grand daddy of public art museums. In 1793 the medieval fortress-turned-royal palace was opened to all the people by order of the French Revolutionary government. Fostered later by Napoleon, who understood the propaganda value of a collection of world masterpieces, it was also a center for the education of artists. "The Louvre was the inspiration for other art museums," says Andrew McClellan, author of Inventing the Louvre and a professor of art history and museum studies at Tufts University. "It is the quintessential example of the museum idea: that you can go into one place and confront the surviving products of distant cultures and the finest things that have ever been made."
So how to take it all in? "The only way to do it is to go back repeatedly," counsels McClellan, who estimates he's visited about 75 times. In the words of Paul Cézanne, "Keep good company—that is, go to the Louvre."
Source: Smithsonianmag.com
Egypt's Amazing Pyramids of Giza
The Pyramids of Giza rise from the west bank of the Nile River almost as an act of defiance, perfectly symmetrical behemoths imposed upon a flat, barren landscape. The Great Pyramid—the oldest, largest and most famous of the monuments—is the last of the ancient world's "seven wonders" still standing. Built 4,500 years ago as a tomb for the fourth dynasty pharaoh Khufu, it once stood 481 feet high. Because thieves (who robbed the burial chambers) stripped the pyramids of their outer casings of polished white limestone, they no longer reach their original heights. Today the Great Pyramid stands at 450 feet.
Precisely how the Egyptians built these colossal structures is still a matter of debate. To construct the Great Pyramid, workers had to cut, haul and assemble 2.3 million limestone blocks, weighing on average more than two tons. Contrary to the long-held belief that the workers were slaves, Egyptologists now believe the pyramids were ancient public works projects (which, unlike modern public works projects, actually got finished).
Erected as a vanity effort by a ruthless pharaoh, the pyramids remain first and foremost a monument to the ingenuity of a remarkable civilization. As Jean-Pierre Houdin, a French architect who has studied the Great Pyramid for almost a decade, observes, "You don't build such a mountain of stones with so few people this size unless you have reached a very high level of knowledge in many sciences."
Source: Smithsonianmag.com
The Rock Walls of Mesa Verde
Mesa Verde's cliff dwellings are a little crumbly in places, and looters took away most of the pottery and baskets a century ago. But as you explore the southwestern Colorado national park, it's easy to imagine the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo Indians who built these cliff houses 800 years ago.
Ancestral Puebloans grew squash, corn and beans on the mesa and lived in simpler pit houses as early as A.D. 600. They began building cliff houses in the 1200s: multistory structures of sandstone bricks and mortar, tucked into deep rock alcoves.
The building boom occurred during a time of plenty. Archaeological research reveals that the first cliff dwellers ate deer and bighorn sheep and had tall, straight timbers for their roofs. Then came the lean years, according to park ranger Paul Ferrell. People hunted out the big game and deforested the mesa. In 1276 a 23-year drought began. The Ancestral Puebloans abandoned the site by 1300.
Cowboys found the cliff dwellings in the 1880s and subsequent explorers plundered them—until much of the mesa was turned into a national park in 1906. That protection, plus the arid climate and the shelter from overhanging rocks, beautifully preserved the cliff dwellings as well as artwork chiseled into cliff faces.
If you're not too bothered by climbing steep ladders or crawling through tunnels, you can tour several of the sites, including the largest cliff dwelling in North America. In some dwellings you can still see ceilings blackened by hearth smoke.
Source: Smithsonianmag.com
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