Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island is known as the "Garden of the Gulf" and "Birthplace of the Confederation." It is the 104th largest island in the world, the 23rd largest in Canada. It's original name (given it by its earliest inhabitants, the Mi'kmaq people) was "Epekwitk," which means "Land Cradled on the Waves." I like that.It was discovered by Jacques Cartier in 1534. I came across it significantly later...some time in the late 1970s to early 1980s when I read L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables.Anne of Green Gables House

It was a fashionable retreat spot in the 19th century, particularly because of its rolling pastoral scenes and slow pace. Agriculture has been and remains its dominant industry (they are a major producer of seed potatoes), but tourism and fishing play major roles as well.People come from the world over to experience the world of Anne Shirley, to enjoy the beautiful vistas of farmland, and to walk on some pretty spectacular shoreline.
The only down side to visiting is that P.E.I. has the highest provincial sales tax rate in all of Canada (10% sales tax). So let's go, but let's buy our souveniers in a different province. :)

Mt. Etna

Jebel Utlamet - the Mountain of Fire as it was known in Arabic, is the largest active volcano in Europe. Muncibeddu, as it is known in the local dialect, is located on the eastern portion of the island of Sicily.There are cable cars and guides that will take you to the top so you can look at the craters (though naturally if the volcano is being particularly active, this service is suspended).There are four craters on top, and their eruptions are spectacular but rarely harmful. What you have to watch out for is the lava flows from fissures in the mountain's flanks. Still, despite the danger (or perhaps because of it?) there is something compelling about it; something that draws you to want to get one step closer to participate in the majesty."We do not what we ought; What we ought not, we do. And lean upon the thought that Chance will bring us through." Thus said Empedocles in approximately 430 BC before throwing himself into the crater atop Etna to prove that the gasses it emitted were sufficient to support his body weight. "Chance was unkind." (Think Sicily website)

Mt. Rushmore

When I was younger, I used to watch Hitchcock's "North by Northwest" and be amazed that they could crawl around on those giant faces. Each is 60 feet high. The carvings were initially supposed to be much bigger - they were planned to be from the waist up, but apparently funding ran out before the carving work did. The final tally: $989,992.32. (What do you suppose that thirty-two cents bought?)It took 14 years to build the monument, but while there were injuries, no one was actually killed during the construction. Mount Rushmore was originally known as Six Grandfathers by the Lakota Sioux (who still dispute the monument as the land was granted to them under the Treaty of Fort Laramie), but got renamed after a New York lawyer who visited the area.Teddy Roosevelt's head was the last one finished in 1939. In 1937 a bill was introduced to include Susan B. Anthony's head, but a rider on an appropriations bill cut off funding for this, so the number remained four.Thomas Jefferson's head was originally to be carved to the right of Washington's. However, after work was begun on it, they found the rock to be less stable than anticipated, so they dynamited what they had carved (blew his head clean off) and tucked him to the left instead. His face was dedicated in 1936.

Abraham Lincoln's head was dedicated in 1937. I find it intriguing that the sculptor (Gutzon Borglum) was a prominent member of the KKK and yet he acquiesced to including Lincoln's visage. I'm glad he did (though I suppose it had more to do with presidential pressure since Coolidge wanted Lincoln's face up there).





George Washington's was the first face dedicated, being done on July 4, 1934.

If there were bodies carved to scale, these men would stand 465 feet tall. No wonder Cary Grant could climb around on them! Being carved from the fine-grained granite of the Black Hills mountains, they are eroding at a rate of roughly 1 inch every 10,000 years, so I think I still have a chance to see them someday.

Eighty Mile Beach

Halfway between Broome and Port Hedland Australia is Eighty Mile Beach, a listed wetland and feeding ground for migratory birds, a prime fishing spot, a lovely camping area, and 80 miles of beach.At low tide, it's a prime spot for shell collecting. Of course, there are plenty of live specimens as well.Ghost Crab and Ghost Crab HolesPlovers and TattlersDoes anyone else think it odd that in a country where distance is measured in kilometers, this beach is measured in miles, or is that just me? Oh well, it's still gorgeous.

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is the 775 room residence of Britain's sovereigns (since 1837).The Queen's Guard stand sentry in front of both this palace and St. James Place. When the Queen is in residence, there are four guards, but when she is away from Buckingham Palace, there are only two.You always know the Queen is in residence by the flying of her royal standard. If this flag is flying, the Queen is inside.

Mount Kilimanjaro

On the border between Tanzania and Kenya, just south of the Equator, is the tallest mountain in Africa: Mount Kilimanjaro.Nobody actually knows for sure where the name came from. There are several theories, but each is flawed for various reasons. The name antedates the record of its etymology. It was known about anciently by traders and historians from as far away as China: there are records of a giant mountain inland from Zanzibar, but so far as anyone knows, it wasn't really explored until the mid 19th century.It's actually three volcanos, two of which are extinct. The remaining peak, the highest, though, is dormant with its magma 1,310 feet below the surface.The peak of Kilimanjaro is a "sky island" - a piece of land so high up as to be isolated from its surrounding land. It's actually considered an "easy" climb, but because it is so high up, many people get altitude sickness and some have even died from it. If you want to make this climb, take it easy, take it slow, and don't forget to take lots of pictures!

Revillagigedo Islands

Four Volcanic Islands, scattered in the Pacific west of Mexico, make up the island group named after Don Juan Vicente de Guemes, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo. They are also called "the Mexican Galapagos." The only inhabitants: a military garrison on the largest rock, housing about 250 people. There is no reliable source of fresh water on any of the islands.San Benedicto is the largest of the island group. It was first called Santo Tomas, but that changed with explorers "re" discovering it.San Benedicto
Socorro was originally called Innocentes. A second explorer "rediscovered" it and named it Isla Anublada (Cloudy Island), and then it was rediscovered again and renamed to Isla Socorro (after "Virgen del Perpetuo Socorro).Clarion is semiarid to arid throughout, but like all the islands in this archipelago, has a vibrant underwater profile. The Clarion Angelfish (a juvenile one in the picture - they lose the blue striping when the mature) is endemic to the region. Clarion was originally named Santa Rosa, but was rechristened after the name of the vessel commanded by the explorer that discovered it.Finally there is Roca Partida - broken rock. No name change for this volcanic chunk poking up out of the sea, no vegetation, the occasional shorebird, and only 3.5 acres in area.

It sounds quiet, doesn't it?