When the National Parks Service began to set aside America’s natural wonders, the first lands that were so honored were all out west. Of the initial ten parks, established between 1872 and 1916, the farthest east was in South Dakota. Understandably, the eastern half of the country wanted some of this action. Two of the earliest parks in that region … Read More
Geo-Joint: Civita di Bagnoregio – On Shaky Footing for a Long Time
Not long ago, the Geo-Joint went to Meteora, Greece, where some very daring monks took up residence on top of broad, tall pinnacles of limestone and sandstone, back in the 1300s. They built some impressive structures on high, which are still there for us to marvel at, and probably will be for some time to come. The limestone they built … Read More
Geo-Joint: El Salar de Uyuni and Bonneville – Worth Their Salt
When it comes to flatness on Earth, the surface of a calm lake is probably the optimal setting. You can witness the scene, and paddle a canoe across it, but you can’t go for a walk on it. Many landscapes in the Plains States or in Australia’s interior, or the deserts of Ethiopia, among others, feature some vast stretches of … Read More
Geo-Joint: The Hala’ib Triangle and the Land Nobody Wants
International borders often separate territory of great value and strategic importance between countries. Other times, they just run across vast stretches of wasteland. That doesn’t mean the lines aren’t still argued over. As with so many border disputes, the problem can start when an outside power sticks its nose into local business and declares an arbitrary boundary. Though all this … Read More
Geo-Joint: Clearcutting in the Kelp Forest
People don’t go to the beach to see the kelp. The sun, the sand, the cool water, the people-watching, and a host of sports and games are what they came for. The kelp is just in the way. In some coastal towns, the Beach Dept. does “beach grooming,” to rake up all that nasty, fly-attracting, funny green/brown stuff so you … Read More
9/11: America’s Heartache
September 11, 2001, started like any other day. Those with jobs went off to work. Children went to day care or headed off to school. People settled into their normal routines. Then, shortly after the start of the workday, news of what was happening live in New York City began to spread. People all over the country turned on their … Read More
Keenan’s Trip to Japan – Tokyo
Update #6 We have just recently returned from our trip to Japan, and I will tell you a bit about Tokyo. Tokyo is an amazingly huge city whose metropolitan area houses the equivalent of the population of California. It has a large assortment of things to do, and we did not even scratch the surface. On our first day in … Read More
Keenan’s Trip to Japan – Hakodate
Update #5 Hello, We have just recently left Hakodate, in Hokkaido, and plan to skip Sapporo due to the fact that it seems like there is not much to do there. However, Hakodate has been a wonderful place to stay and is quite an interesting city. Hakodate was the first Japanese-controlled city on the island of Hokkaido and thus has … Read More
Keenan’s Trip to Japan – Sendai
Update #4 Hello, Sendai was quite a change from the other places we have been. Instead of a backwater, Sendai is a large cosmopolitan city. It seemed more grounded than the other cities we have been to. Sendai, unlike any of the previous cities, felt like it was fairly wealthy with its large extravagant buildings and expensive stores. Sendai seemed … Read More
Geo-Joint: Taking the Measure of the Mountain
As Maps.com’s editor, I have to check a lot of map data for accuracy. Though names for streets and buildings often change, the currently accepted form is usually a settled affair. What you might think of as less variable are figures given for mountain heights. Of course, an earthquake here, or an eruption there might add a few inches or … Read More