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Posts Tagged ‘festivals’

The Old Man of the Mountains, The Profile

March 21st, 2009 No comments

In New Hampshire, there existed once a legendary profile of an old man’s face set on the cliff edge of Cannon Mountain in the White Mountains, New Hampshire, USA. It was the Old Man of the Mountain, the Face, or the Profile. Now, it is but a legend, with only pictures to prove of its proud existence. The Old Man’s life had ended on May 3, 2003.

When did it all start? The earliest known discovery of a mountain with a stone face was around the 16th century, when a Native American legend spoke of it. The rock was said to have been sculpted by the Ice Age, which happened around the 17th millennium BC (per wiki research). Credit was claimed by surveyors working around Franconia Notch for its discovery.

The Old Man of the Mountains was made famous by statesman Daniel Webster’s statement that “Men hang out their signs indicative of their respective trades; shoe makers hang out a gigantic shoe, jewelers a monster watch, and the dentist hangs out a gold tooth; but up in the Mountains of New Hampshire, God Almighty has hung out a sign to show that there He makes men.” And what a statement it was.

The old man’s ‘face’ was made into New Hampshire’s state emblem ever since the mid-1940′s. It was placed into the state’s license plate, highway-route signs and even at the back of New Hampshire’s Statehood Quarter. The profile was viewable from along Interstate 93, inside Franconia Notch State Park.

Preservation attempts had been made to save the Old Man of the Mountains from impending collapse, using cables and spikes. But nature had caught up, as well as freezing and thawing had cracked the foundations. May 3, 2003 had marked its death and disappearance. The state mourned, and everyone had felt the loss. Commemorative efforts are now in place to preserve its memory.

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Maryland in a Nutshell Part 1

March 14th, 2009 No comments

Maryland is one of the states located near, or in, the Mid Atlantic region in the United States. It borders the states of the District of Columbia, West Virginia and Virginia to the west and the south, the state of Delaware to the east, and the state of Pennsylvania to the north. Originally, it was under the territory of the Chesapeake Colonies, a territory well known for growing tobacco plants using slave labor back in the early days.

In history, the state of Maryland was the seventh to ratify the Constitution of the United States and thus has earned two nicknames, the Old Line State for one, and the Free State for another. Maryland’s tendency for advancement has enabled it to spring forth in leading the way for biotechnology.

This inclination had caused a lot of biotechnological firms in its real to grow. Maryland is know to have at least, over three hundred and fifty biotechnological firms, institutions and research labs, considering it as the third largest of scientific clusters in the whole country. This had encouraged the growth of several more institutions over the years, and these institutions had prospered, and had made well off of its investment in Maryland.

Some of the institutions that can be found in Maryland are the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Food and Drug Administration, Human Genome Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, John Hopkins University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Maryland’s topography is very varied, oftentimes being labeled as a miniature America. Mini deserts in the representation of sand dunes that roll into the sea, being held together by sea grass and beach weeds, marshlands in the lower areas teeming with endemic plants and wildlife, whether migratory or not, oak forests lush, tall and ancient in the regions of Piedmont and pine that grows dot the mountains in the east.

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Calistoga Geyser – California’s Old Faithful

March 13th, 2009 No comments

The Geyser of Calistoga, dubbed the Old Faithful of California had been faithfully belching out steam and scalding vapor ever since man had first witnessed this miniature wonder of the world.

Geysers act like heat driven fountains. You have an underground river (cool or not, its still the same) that touches super hot rocks (usually from a magma source). The ensuing pressure from the steam and superheated water causes the whole thing to shoot up via a small nozzle-like feature from the ground. And this is how geysers happen.

California’s Old Faithful is one of the three geysers in the world that have an internal clock inside of them. They are able to shoot out their deadly steam at timed intervals (this one has a set interval of 45 minutes, while the one in Yellow Stone had an interval of 80 minutes). Magma location, precipitation and the stream that flows into the chamber (an earthquake might break or improve the fountain’s height and length of gushing).

The geyser has its own park, is fenced off to protect the public and to at least get some profit. The geyser has been marked as a must-see attraction when passing by the Napa Valley. Most of the visitors that came here to see and taste the wine, often make a stop here to enjoy the sight of a large, gushy, geyser.

In a nearby sectio, there are llamas and fainting goats to keep you company if you had the bad luck of entering the park just as the geyser had stopped gushing. 45 minutes of boredom is hard. And when you do hit the 45 minute mark, you have 20 seconds to enjoy the buzzy, aerial hydro-ejaculation. Miss it, and 45 minutes of anguish again. Droll.

The performance time of the geyser today has been influenced by the drought. Hopefully, with the rainy season, we could gain a few more seconds with the geyser’s gushy-gushy.

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Naturist Beach in New Jersey

March 12th, 2009 No comments

Gunnison Beach is found in Monmouth County, New Jersey and is a part of the Sandy Hook unit for the Gateway National Recreation Area. It is also the only legal nude beach in the whole state of New Jersey.

The beach was named after the Gunnison battery, a fort used to protect the New York Harbor during war times. The remains of the fort can still be seen, albeit not available for tourist use (they could still be pretty dangerous). The fort was part of present Fort Hancock, but was then made for a Nike missile defense installation. It was converted into a beach where the soldiers swam in the nude.

By the end of the 19th century, New Jersey had passed a ruling that prohibited all types of nudist and naturist activity in other activities on state beaches or municipal beaches. Gunnison beach remains to be the only legal nude beach in everywhere else. It is a clothing-optional beach however. This means that naturism is not compulsory, but one may opt to wear something. Be warned that most nudists would take this as an offense however, although the lot would just wave it off as modesty

The clothing optional beach offers a great view of Lower Manhattan and of the Verrazano Narrows. The beach is a sight to see (perverts stay away) during the summer months. At least five thousand come to see and congregate in these bathing grounds.

Gunnison Beach observes the usual rules of beaches. Trash is carry in-carry home. Means, you bring your trash with you. No littering, and no leaving of things behind. Glass containers are strictly prohibited, and alcohol is allowed, though one should drink moderately. Photos require permission from those in the photo. No lewd behavior should be displayed and respect local laws as well. Politeness is compulsory, and aggression be avoided in all levels.

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The Old West in Colorado

March 4th, 2009 No comments

Ever wanted to go back to the Ol’ West and experience what it was like during the time of gun duels, cowboy hats and ‘purdy’ salons? Then come to the ol’ frontier town of Buckskin Joe! Where guns and hats rule the arid area, and where the past meets the present, all in one place!

The whole area is themed during the time of the Wild West. You have railways, gun fights, gift shops (okay, so this one ain’t that Wild yet) and a town of terror. The town of terror is probably the most famous of the attractions, bringing in at least most of the visitors into the area.

The railway dubbed the ‘Royal Gorge Scenic Railway’ was created in 1957 by the local Canon City Entrepreneur, for use in the gorge. 50 years thereafter, it still is the most used and most affordable way to travel around the area. The trains run over wooden trestles, with power able to carry at least six cars behind it.

The frontier town itself is one big attraction in itself. Everyday, at least a few ‘gunfights’ occur, which adds to the authenticity. The buildings aren’t to be shy about either, they have that realism that screams ‘Wild!’ It’s all spirit!

The town boasts it’s specialty when it comes to food. Buffalo burgers! Honestly, one could never say they’ve been here unless they have had a taste of the town’s other ‘red meat’. They really don’t have a big size for the burger’s meat, but the taste is filling and the meat isn’t half-bad. The buffalo may not appeal for most people, so they also have meatless buffalo burgers for the vegans and those who just want a light feeling of what the essence of buffalo is all about.

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