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In this seventh episode of The Amazing Race Season 38 (U.S. Edition), teams travelled eastward from the southern Croatian city of Split — the second most populated city (after Zagreb) in CROATIA 🇭🇷 — to the southern Romanian city of Bucharest, the capital and the most populated city of ROMANIA 🇷🇴. Natalie and Stephanie — known as the “Yin Yang Sissies” according to Natalie — were the last team to depart from Croatia since they finished second to last in the previous episode. Teams arrived in Romania and slept overnight in bunk beds to do a thrilling and height-defying “Who’s Ready to Jump in the Race?” Roadblock. They achieved the highest skydive in Amazing Race history at 13,000 feet!
Teams flew from Croatia and arrived in Bucharest.
After landing in a grassy field and relishing the amazing experience they just had, teams went to a sheep farm to meet shepherds known locally as ciobhani. Teams were tasked with moving five sheep from one pen to another. This was occasionally difficult because the sheep had a herd mentality; teams tried to move one or two sheep without the whole herd following. Eric and Tucker successfully completed this task in relatively little time. Teams later built a floating pontoon raft by attaching empty blue water jugs to the bottom. They navigated the craft south of Bucharest through Delta Neajlovului and arrived at the Detour challenge.
For the Detour task, teams chose either “Brick Builder” or “Mask Maker” — both located northeast of the delta near the Debarcader Lebǎda canoe and kayak rental service. In “Brick Builder”, teams formed ten bricks using a mixture of water, straw, and mud manure! Teams were definitely grossed out by having to shovel manure then forming said manure into sloppy, gooey bricks. Some of the manure conveniently landed on their shirts! Taylor joked about being “Miss Congeniality” to later becoming a “manure shoveler”. In the relatively tidy “Mask Maker” challenge, teams tried to replicate a winter mask purportedly said to ward off evil. This task required precision, craftiness, and sewing abilities, but at least did not require poop!
Teams crafted a floating pontoon raft and navigated it through Delta Neajlovului located about 9 miles (14.5 kilometers) south of Bucharest and closer to the border with BULGARIA 🇧🇬.
With mixed success, teams accomplished the Detour and then arrived at the King Carol I Park (Parcul Carol) Pit Stop. The expansive 89-acre park is situated in the south side of Bucharest; use the top map above to locate Parcul Carol below the Sectorul 4 label. Amusingly, two locals were dressed in brown bear costumes and danced in homage of bears — which are rare in some European countries. For the fourth time in a row, Eric and Tucker arrived first at the Pit Stop! They won $5,000 each. Jag and Jas (with unused Express Pass) arrived second, followed by Adam and Joseph in third, Kyland and Taylor (also with unused Express Pass) in fourth, Chelsie and Jack in fifth, Izzy and Paige in sixth, and Natalie and Stephanie in last. The “Yin Yang Sissies” were eliminated from the The Amazing Race.
First of all, I want to express my thoughts and well wishes for everyone in JAMAICA 🇯🇲, HAITI 🇭🇹, CUBA 🇨🇺, and other places in the Caribbean dealing with Hurricane Melissa and its destructive aftermath.
In the sixth episode of The Amazing Race Season 38 (U.S. Edition), teams drove a manual stick-shift vehicle northwest from Dubrovnik, CROATIA 🇭🇷 (HRVATSKA) to the town of Trsteno. Here, they visited the Trsteno Arboretum featuring trees that are over 500 years old. 🌳 Teams found a clue near the arboretum’s Neptune statue then drove further northwest along the Adriatic Sea coastline to the partially walled town of Ston. They encountered the “Bag It Up” versus “Pull It Up” Detour challenge. In “Bag It Up”, teams filled ten bags of local raw salt — each bag weighing slightly over 20 pounds each. In “Pull It Up”, teams visited a major oyster harvesting area known as Mali Ston Bay. They rowed a boat to find buoys with oysters attached; the teams then gave those oysters to a local restaurant known as Bota Sare. 🦪
Overview map of Trsteno — a town northwest of Dubrovnik and known for its arboretum
Remaining in the town of Ston, teams visited Park Komarda for the “Who Knows Their Way Around Croatia?” Roadblock. 🚧 With the navigational help of a 3D relief map of Ston, a member of each team visited several locations throughout the town to find and remember Croatian (Hrvatskan) facts. These facts involve multiple topics: letters not featured in the Croatian alphabet (Q, W, X, and Y), one of the several mottoes of Croatia (“As long as there is heart, there is Croatia”), highest mountain in Croatia at 6,007 feet* (Dinara), famous poet in Croatia (Ivan Gundulić), original length of the Walls of Ston (22,965 feet*), the date when Parliament proclaimed independence from Yugoslavia (June 25th, 1991), first king of Croatia (King Tomislav) 👑, and Croatia’s coastline length (3,625 miles*). Amazing Race contestants arrived back at the map and were tested with three questions asked by a Croatian. Contestants who did not answer the questions correctly had to answer a different set of questions for their next attempt, so some of them went back to the locations to memorize all facts.
Overview map of Ston — the second town featured in this episode
Prapratno Cove was the Pit Stop for this episode. 🏁 Eric and Tucker arrived in first place and both won another trip — this time to various locations in EGYPT 🇪🇬 including Cairo, Alexandria, and the famous pyramids. Tucker excitedly mentioned that Egypt was always on his bucket list, so it is awesome that he can check that one off! ☑ Kristine and Rubina were the eighth and last team to arrive, so they were eliminated from The Amazing Race.
* 6,007 feet equals 1,831 meters, 22,965 feet equals 7,000 meters, and 3,625 miles equals 5,834 kilometers.
1) Situated in the extreme northwest corner of British Columbia, Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park is wedged in a triangular area between Alaska to the south and west and which territory of CANADA to the north?
A — Northwest Territories
B — Nunavut
C — Yukon
2) True or false: The state of Georgia in the UNITED STATES has two towns named Mountain Park.
3) Tanbaly (Tamgaly) is an archaeological UNESCO world heritage site situated in the historic Zhetysu region of southeastern KAZAKHSTAN. Tanbaly is featured on an interestingly shaped 500 Tenge coin (↗) from the year 2012. The landscape is particularly notable for having about 5,000 ____________.
A — hieroglyphs
B — petroglyphs
C — buildings
D — vases
ANSWERS
Question 1:
C . . . . . Yukon
Question 2:
True . . . . . a small Mountain Park town is in Fulton County, and a Census-designated place with the same name is in Gwinnett County.
Question 3:
B . . . . . petroglyphs
1) The Congo Pedicle is a foot-like panhandle region in the southeastern corner of the DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO and situated near ZAMBIA. The pedicle area features a national park known as Demalisques de Leshwe, possibly named after the genus (damaliscus) of which animal?
A — sloth
B — aardvark
C — antelope
D — penguin
2) True or false: There is an island named Komodo in INDONESIA.
3) The third highest mountain the world is Kangchenjunga, a Himalayan peak standing over 8,500 meters and 28,000 feet tall. Kangchenjunga is situated on the border between INDIA and what mountainous country flying a double pennant shaped flag?
A — ARGENTINA
B — BANGLADESH
C — SWITZERLAND
D — NEPAL
ANSWERS
Question 1:
C . . . . . antelope
Question 2:
True . . . . . it is home to the world-renown Komodo dragon!
Question 3:
D . . . . . Nepal
I hope you have a Happy Halloween!
1) HUNGARY is home to several national parks that are mostly located in the northeast. Which of the following is not the name of a national park in Hungary?
A — Biogradska
B — Bükk
C — Hortobágyi
2) Which river does not flow beside or through TAJIKISTAN?
A — Naryn
B — Panj
C — Syr Darya
3) Which is a South Asian country with several UNESCO World Heritage Sites including the Fort and Shalamar Gardens, Makli, Moenjodaro (Moenjo-daro), Rohtas Fort, and Taxila?
A — SLOVAKIA
B — PAKISTAN
C — The PHILIPPINES
ANSWERS
Question 1:
A . . . . . Biogradska
Question 2:
A . . . . . Naryn
Question 3:
B . . . . . Pakistan
Episode Info: Teams race through Switzerland, where racers bungee jump over 700 feet off the Verzasca Dam.
Episode Airdate: Wednesday, January 26th, 2022
The Amazing Race episode 5 brought teams to the canton of Ticino in southeastern SWITZERLAND. The area may be familiar to longtime viewers as it was the majestically mountainous setting for an episode in season 14 (2009). The six remaining teams of this season 33 quickly encountered a…
● Roadblock (“Who Wants to Get Down with the Travelocity Roaming Gnome?”): one member on each team took on a death-defying task indeed. Holding the iconic garden gnome figure, he or she had to bungee jump 722 feet from the top of Verzasca Dam. In several flashback scenes, teams from season 14 were shown completing the same task despite being terrified. The dam is Europe’s highest bungee jump drop-off. In regards to the team of Akbar and Sheri, Sheri unfortunately was compelled to complete the frightening quest despite her fear of heights (acrophobia); this was due to Akbar being deemed by medical staff as too overweight to safely bungee jump at the insane height. While understandably frightened, Sheri found enough courage to face her fears and do something thrilling. Cayla, Dusty, Kim, Lala, and Natalia also completed the harnessed jump.
● Teams received a small satchel for their gnome and then drove to Lugano, an Italian-speaking city very close to Italy. They proceeded to Piazza Carlo Battaglini in hopes of finding and completing a…
● Detour, choice between “Bartender Race” or “Sausage Encase”: teams choosing the Bartender Race option — Akbar/Sheri, Dusty/Ryan, and Kim/Penn — found twelve wine bottles and twelve cone-shaped containers of chestnuts and delivered them to a cocktail party. The Bartender Race was good exercise for teams because they had to climb up and down dozens of stair steps to deliver all the items. Teams choosing the Sausage Encase option — Arun/Natalia, Cayla/Raquel, and Lala/Lulu — made a type of Italian sausage (Luganega) by encasing ground sausage into a tubular lining. They coiled the sausage links into separate spirals and pinned them with long “toothpicks.”
● Upon Detour completion, clues instructed teams to bring out the photograph from their gnome’s satchel and investigate where the depicted but unidentified building is located. Villa Ciani is an 1800s mansion, conference center, and picturesque wedding venue situated steps away from the Pit Stop for this episode: Parco Ciani, a 15-acre park near Lake Lugano. Speaking of lakes, Switzerland is home to over 1,500 lakes.
● Pit Stop: Parco Ciani in the city of Lugano
● In the next episode, teams continue their European adventures in Corsica, FRANCE.
Season 33, Episode 5 Results
1st — Dusty and Ryan
1st place prize — five-night resort vacation in DOMINICA
2nd — Lala and Lulu
3rd — Kim and Penn
4th — Cayla and Raquel
5th — Akbar and Sheri
6th — Arun and Natalia
Eliminated from the competition? No; non-elimination leg
Episode Info: While racing through Scotland in February 2020, teams receive shocking and unprecedented news — for the first time in the show’s history, “The Amazing Race” suspends production due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Episode Airdate on CBS: Wednesday, January 12th, 2022 at 9 PM
The Amazing Race’s episode 3 brought teams to Glasgow, a west-central Scottish city. You likely know that Scotland is considered a country within the larger UNITED KINGDOM. Before arriving in Glasgow, teams departed from the Easton Station near London and travelled by train for about 400 miles; the journey was long enough that they took advantage of resting on the train’s bunk beds!
● Once they arrived in Glasgow, teams continued onto the NCP Car Park in search for a clue on a Renault car’s windshield. Several driving team members had difficulty with the car’s stick shift, considering they are more familiar with driving a vehicle with an automatic shift. They drove to the West End and found the Òran Mór building, an entertainment venue and former church named after the Gaelic phrase translating in English to “great melody of life” (“big song”).
● Roadblock (“Who Thinks They Have This One in the Bag?”): At Òran Mór, one member on each team was tasked with joining a Scottish pipe band, but first he or she had to assemble the iconic bagpipe with the help of a “bagpipe anatomy” illustration. A correctly assembled bagpipe is then approved, so the team member then tried to blow out a song (sometimes discordantly) with the bagpipe band to receive the next clue.
● This clue brought them to the black-and-bronze Walter MacFarlane Saracen Fountain in Alexandra Park. Expertly sculpted by David Watson Stevenson in 1901, the ornate fountain initially appeared in Kelingrove Park for the 1901 International Fair and was relocated to Alexandra Park in 1914. The clue box at this location contained Detour clues.
● Detour, choice between “Kilt” or “Rebuilt”: teams choosing the Kilt option visited the Panopticon Music Hall to rehearse and recite “Donald, Where’s Your Troosers?” — while wearing a kilt, of course! Teams choosing the Rebuilt option visited Fishers’ Cooperage to hone their potential craftsmanship skills as a cooper. They had to fix the head/top of two whiskey barrels, a process involving lots of hammering and prying to loosen and properly reposition the barrel rings. Arun and Natalia’s whiskey barrels were giving them prolonged trouble, so they decided to switch Detours. Since no other team switched Detours in this episode, the father and daughter duo’s switch likely cost them precious time — and the chance at $1 million dollars in The Amazing Race Season 33 competition. Completing the Detour task(s) brought teams with clues in hand to the…
● Pit Stop: under The Cloisters (The Undercroft) archways at the University of Glasgow
Season 33, Episode 3 Results
1st — Kim and Penn
1st place prize — vacation for two to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA
— lodging, spa day, and golfing
2nd — Dusty and Ryan
3rd — Anthony and Spencer
4th — Connie and Sam
5th — Caro and Ray
6th — Cayla and Raquel
7th — Lala and Lulu
8th — Isaiah and Taylor
9th — Akbar and Sheri
10th — Arun and Natalia
Eliminated from the competition
The Amazing Race’s finale episode of Season 32 aired on Wednesday, December 16th at 8 PM Eastern Time. Teams embarked to New Orleans, the most-populated city in the Pelican State: Louisiana (southern UNITED STATES). If you have not yet watched this thrilling episode and want to do so: spoiler alert! This post reveals the team that won $1 million!
● After leaving Manila in the PHILIPPINES by air to New Orleans, teams arrived in the Crescent City and proceeded to Louis Armstrong Park to find their next clue.
● “Let’s Party”: after arriving at the famous Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, teams joined a parade and were tasked with collecting a total of 50 red beaded necklaces and 50 gold ones. These necklaces were thrown out by partygoers in the spirit of Mardi Gras. The necklaces — some of which had quite giant “beads” — were similar to the ones worn by the parade’s Grand Marshal.
● “Who will be left holding the baby?” Roadblock: teams searched for a small baby figurine inside one of many king cakes. They were then treated with the delicious duty of eating six powdered beignets.
● The next item on the teams’ itinerary was not for the faint of heart. One member of each team was harnessed to the Crescent City Connection Bridge, and the three competitors bungee jumped 180 feet off the bridge to grab a clue suspended over the Mississippi River! All six finalists then slowly rappelled down to a lower level near the bridge.
● “Let Good Times Roll”: with the help of arrow signs, teams rolled a large ball to an enormous warehouse containing plenty of Mardi Gras decorations and accessories. Teams rummaged through the warehouse for a crate containing 32 large “puzzle” pieces. Teams positioned the pieces atop the large ball to create a globe of the world.
● After visiting 10 different countries (or 11, if you include the USA) and 17 cities all while traveling a total of 33,000 miles, teams arrived to the last Pit Stop of the season: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, “where the [New Orleans] Saints go marching in!”
● After winning $1 million as a team, James and Will experienced another amazing moment. Will offered a marriage proposal to James! Winning $1 million in an exciting city on a fantastic TV show is sure to make one of the best engagements ever!
In the extended YouTube clip below, Will noted that about six months ago before the win, James picked a fortune cookie enclosed with a spot-on prediction: “You’re going to embark on a great adventure.” Additionally, the number of this season of The Amazing Race (32) was one of the lucky numbers listed on the fortune cookie paper!
● This post concludes GeoFact of the Day’s coverage of The Amazing Race Season 32. I hoped you enjoyed my recap posts — and one of my favorite shows on TV!
Season 32, Episode 12 Pit Stop Results
1st — James and Will
1st place prize — $1 million as a team!
2nd — Chee and Hung
3rd — Maddison and Riley
The Amazing Race’s penultimate eleventh episode of Season 32 aired on Wednesday, December 9th and was set in the capital city of Manila, located on Luzon island in the PHILIPPINES. Filmed about a year or so before the coronavirus’ worldwide wrath, this episode featured a sprint and an exploration of the city through multiple clues but also lacked a Detour and Roadblock.
● Episode 11 info on CBS — In the first city sprint, the final four teams race through Manila, the capital of the Philippines.
● Once arriving in Manila, teams rode a colorful jeepney to Rizal Park and met Phil Keoghan there.
● Phil informed the four remaining teams that, instead of typical Amazing Race events such as Detours and Roadblocks, they will compete in a City Sprint. Outside a large mall near the Manila Bay in Bay City, Philippines, team members had to trot in high heels for 500 meters (0.31 miles)! At first, the guys understandably struggled to walk while wearing the unfamiliar footwear, but they eventually figured out how to do it with poise!
● After searching for and finding the Binondo Arch of Goodwill in Manila’s Chinatown, teams looked for a clue in the mouth of a colorfully costumed lion dancing in the pedestrian walkways. This clue told teams to arrive by foot to the Central Post Office for another clue.
● “Hay Day”: in a plaza outside the Central Post Office, teams found a kalesa (horse-drawn carriage) and searched the area for necessary ingredients to mix up a bucketful of horse food. Dried grass and the bucket’s mixture were fed to a team’s respective horse, and a clue to Mehan Garden was subsequently given to the team.
● For this episode’s last task, teams arrived at Mehan Garden where a band produced some melodies and rockin’ good tunes for the residents of Manila. The band continuously played four musical compositions featured in previous Amazing Race episodes. A bunch of cases for guitars and other instruments were strewn about, and each case displayed a country’s flag. Teams were tasked to find cases with four flags corresponding to the songs’ national origin; teams organized these cases in chronological order based on when the songs were played in Season 32.
While most of the flags represented countries the teams visited — including Colombia, France, Germany, India, Kazakhstan, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago — I also spotted an “extra” flag of a country that teams did not step foot in: Mozambique. If you noticed any other flags in this episode, please feel free to comment below! In any case (pun intended), these are the correct flags on the instrument cases in earlier to later order: Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia, Paraguay, and France. Maddison and Riley completed this task first, so they quickly proceeded to the nearby Pit Stop.
● Pit Stop: Lapu Lapu Monument (Statue of the Sentinel of Freedom) — Rizal Park, Ermita District in Manila
● Season 32’s finale (episode 12) will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. A glimpse of the millionaire-making Pit Stop reveals that teams will end their Amazing Race journeys at the New Orleans Saints’ home turf: Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Season 32, Episode 11 Pit Stop Results
The 1st through 4th place results are the same as episode 10.
1st — Maddison and Riley
1st place prize — no prize given in this episode
2nd — James and Will
3rd — Chee and Hung
4th — DeAngelo and Gary
Eliminated from the competition? Yes
Near the city of Cobán (population: 255,000) in central GUATEMALA sits an orchid sanctuary named Vivero Verapaz (Verapaz Nursery). Vivero Verapaz protects hundreds of rare and common orchid species. There are well over 10,000 individual orchid plants housed here, including the Monja Blanca. Known as the White Nun Orchid in English, Monja Blanca orchids are aptly named due to their three petals resembling a nun's habit headwear. The usually elusive-in-the-wild White Nun Orchid is Guatemala's national flower. Many orchids at Vivero Verapaz boast a vibrant, large display of color, but some orchids are so small that each visitor is given a magnifying glass to see them! The orchid nursery is typically opened throughout the year, but preferred visitations occur between October and February when most orchids are blooming. Vivero Verapaz has a 4.5 out of 5 (★★★★½) rating on TripAdvisor.
Since 2003, three properties in northeastern Africa's SUDAN were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List (↗). Before that, Sudan ratified the 1970 UNESCO Convention on June 6th, 1974. Meanwhile, five sites are on the Tentative List and have not yet been nominated for the coveted World Heritage Site designation — the port city of Suakin, Kerma the former capital city, Old Dongola the former capital city (of the Makouria Kingdom), Dinder National Park, and Wadi Howar National Park. Below are details pertaining to Sudan's three UNESCO Heritage Sites.
Gebel Barkal and Napatan Region (↗), 2003
UNESCO description: "These five archaeological sites, stretching over more than 60 kilometers in the Nile valley, are testimony to the Napatan (900 to 270 BC) and Meroitic (270 BC to 350 AD) cultures of the second kingdom of Kush. Tombs — with and without pyramids, temples, living complexes and palaces — are to be found on the site. Since Antiquity, the hill of Gebel Barkal has been strongly associated with religious traditions and folklore. The largest temples are still considered by the local people as sacred places." Present-day Gebel Barkal is located near the Nile River's western bank in the city of Karima.
Island of Meroë Archaeological Sites (↗), 2011
Located east of the Nile River in the River Nile state (wilayat) in northeastern Sudan, Meroë is particularly known for its smooth pyramids, animal sculptures (particularly of sheep), and petroglyphs. Did You Know? The general Meroë and Nubian Desert region in Sudan touts a larger number of pyramids compared to Egypt! Egypt has about 138 discovered pyramids, while Sudan has more than 220. Many of Egypt's versions are more famous due to their immense sizes.
Here is UNESCO's description of the Meroë site: "The Archaeological Sites of the Island of Meroë, a semi-desert landscape between the Nile and Atbara rivers, was the heartland of the Kingdom of Kush, a major power from the 8th century B.C. to the 4th century A.D. The property consists of the royal city of the Kushite kings at Meroë, near the River Nile, the nearby religious site of Naqa and Musawwarat es Sufra. It was the seat of the rulers who occupied Egypt for close to a century and features, among other vestiges, pyramids, temples and domestic buildings as well as major installations connected to water management. Their vast empire extended from the Mediterranean to the heart of Africa, and the property testifies to the exchange between the art, architectures, religions, and languages of both regions."
Dungonab Bay, Sanganeb Reef, and Mukkawar Island (↗), 2016
UNESCO's official title for this bisected property is rather lengthy: "Sanganeb Marine National Park and Dungonab Bay - Mukkawar Island Marine National Park." Whatever you want to call it, these protected marine areas became officially designated — by the World Heritage Committee in Istanbul, Turkey — as one UNESCO site in July of 2016. Sanganeb is an isolated coral reef area in the Red Sea. Mukkawar (Mukawwar) Island and Dungonab Bay are both located approximately 125 kilometers north of Port Sudan. The whole property is known for its biodiverse beaches, coral reefs, islets, mangroves, and seagrass patches providing habitat for seabirds and various aquatic organisms (including dugongs).
The park’s towering landmark is Golem Korab – the highest mountain in Albania and Macedonia. By the way, the exact height of this mountain is disputed by 10 meters. Online Macedonian info sources note that Korab’s height is 2754 meters (9035 feet), although the pointy peak is also said to be 2764 meters. Regardless, Korab is arguably one of the most awesome features of the republic and therefore a fitting centerpiece for Macedonia’s coat of arms! Other towering peaks along the Macedonia-Albania border include Krchin or Krčin (2343 m), Plocha (2233 m), and Velivar (2373 m). Krchin and Velivar are the tallest peaks on Deshat (Dešat) mountain, essentially guarding over yellow wildflowers in the photo below. Another spectacular sight to see is Mavrovo Lake, a 13.7-km² area destination for enjoying blissful views. In summary, a trip to Macedonia would not be complete without exploring Mavrovo National Park!
Visitors have several pleasant choices for lodging: Apple Island Resort (south), Cozy Cottages (north), and Grand Isle Lake Resort (north). Natural, historic, and shopping attractions on Grand Isle — some of which are nearby and far away from the Lake Champlain Scenic Byway road — include Allenholm Farm, Allen Point Access Area, Arnold Zlotoff Tool Museum, Ed Weed Fishing Access Area, Grand Isle Art Works (café and gallery), Grand Isle State Park, Health Hero Farm, Pomykala Farm, Round Pond State Park & Natural Area (southeast), South Hero Marsh Wildlife Area (south), and Vallee's Den of Antiquity. Offering free admission, the Arnold Zlotoff Tool Museum is situated near Apple Island Resort and features over 3,000 colonial tools. Added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on March 11th, 1971, the Hyde (Pioneer) Log Cabin was built by Jedediah Hyde, Jr. in 1783 and is believed to be one of America's oldest log cabins! Generations of the Hyde family lived here for over 150 years. In addition to the vehicle-carrying ferry connecting Gordon Landing to Cumberland Head, NY, Grand Isle offers the Local Motion Bike Ferry and Island Line Trail to connect cyclists in the southern part of Grand Isle to Burlington and beyond. For the most part, Island Line Trail is basically a thin isthmus for cyclists, pedestrians, skateboarders, etc. only (no cars).
Above: An interesting camera effect appears to warp the Grand Isle Lake Resort, a popular facility for weddings and lodging.
Situated in southwestern SWEDEN among thousands of smaller lakes, Vänern is the largest lake in Sweden with a surface area of 5,650 square kilometers and 2,181 square miles and maximum depth of almost 107 meters (350 feet). It is also the third-largest lake in all of Europe, behind Ladoga and Onega lakes in Russia. Located in southern Värmlands län (county) and northern Västra Götalands län, Vänern is about three times larger than Sweden's second-largest lake: Vättern (1,912 sq. km, 738 sq. mi). Proving Vänern to be a useful mode of transportation, the Göta Kanal (canal) connects the lake's eastern shoreline to communities and fellow lakes to the east. Åmal, Hällekis, Karlstad, Kristinehamn, Lidköping, Mariestad, Mellerud, Säffle, Sjötorp, Stigsberget, and Vänersborg are some small and large communities where residents can live, work, and play right by Vänern. Rivers and streams connected to Vänern include Dalbergsån, Friaån, Gullspångsälven, Holmsån, Klarälven, Lidan, and Sjöråsån. The lake holds hundreds of tiny offshore islands, and Torsö (nicknamed Thor's Island) is by far the largest with an area of about 62 sq. kilometers and 24 sq. miles. Other islands include Åsundaön, Brommö, Djurö, Kållandsö, Kalvön, Lurö Skärgård islands, Nötön, Rammholmen islands, Spåron, and Vålön.
Kinnekulle — Bunch of Stones and Biodiversity
Kinnekulle is a major limestone plateau straddling the shoreline, in between the communities of Götene and Lidköping. Quarry leftovers recall a time when Kinnekulle supported a thriving mining industry decades ago. Manor houses (like Hönsäter in the photo and illustration above), cottages, villages, and centuries-old churches still exist in the area. Various nature reserves are scattered across Kinnekulle, the largest of which is Österplana Hed och Vall (Heath and Pasture) nature reserve. Västerplana Storäng is a large meadow adjacent to the lake. Bestorp, Blomberg, Gamleriket, Råbäcks Sjöskog (lake woodland), Såten and other nature reserves boast healthy deciduous and coniferous forests. Various rare and endangered fungi, flowers, insects, and animals thrive in the Kinnekulle area. The Rand McNally map to the top-left shows the boundaries of Kinnekulle. To enlarge this map to its original size, you can right-click and select Open link in new tab (Internet Explorer), or click on the image and then right-click to select Open image in new tab (Google Chrome).
SAND ISLAND, Midway Atoll (GeoFact of the Day Blog) — On the first day of September in his last year as president, U.S. President Barack Obama traveled to the isolated Midway Atoll to commemorate an expansion of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, which includes some small islands of northwestern Hawai'i. Previously encompassing 139,797 square miles of the North Pacific Ocean, Papahānaumokuākea MNM now protects 583,000 square miles (about 1.510,000 sq. kilometers) of territory to help protect over 7,000 aquatic species and prevent fishing. UNESCO designated this marine preserve as a « World Heritage Site » in 2010. Since the arrival of President Richard Nixon in 1969, no other president has visited Midway before Obama did. Being a portmanteau word, Papahānaumokuākea refers to Papahānaumoku and Wākea, two Hawaiian ancestral spirits known for mythically creating the Hawaiian islands and its native people.
While the UNESCO World Heritage List aims to protect and appreciate thousands of cultural and environmental places around the world, multiple countries unfortunately are not represented on that list. One of these countries is LIBERIA, a coastal West African nation known for being settled by freed African-American slaves in the 1800s and declaring independence in 1847. Liberia boasts plenty of virgin forests, which are beneficial for native tribes to have shelter, food, and medicinal remedies. UNESCO should want to help protect the biodiversity, cultural traditions, and ways of life occurring in Liberian forests. Several relatively small forested areas are protected in natural parks and preserves, the sorts of natural sites which are typically eligible for UNESCO's goal to protect the environment. Lofa-Mano National Park (northwestern Liberia, near Sierra Leone), Nimba Nature Preserve (in the north, near Ivory Coast and Guinea), and Sapo National Park (southeast) are all fitting places for UNESCO's Heritage List. Remarkable natural features in Liberia include Kpatawee Waterfall, Lake Piso, and Providence Island. A large immigration of freed American slaves first occurred on Providence Island, in 1822.
Kpatawee Waterfall(s) in north-central Liberia
The Liberian capital city — Monrovia — boasts several cultural, societal, and historical sites that are worthy of UNESCO's protection — some of which should ideally be renovated. They include the Centennial Pavilion, Executive Mansion, and the historic but run-down Grand Masonic Lodge. Named after American abolitionist and activist Harriet Tubman, the war-ravaged Tubman Center of African Culture sits in a ruined and emptied state in Robertsport (western Liberia) — but it surely has reinvigorated potential. The Episcopal Missionary Church is a Robertsport site still in use while many buildings in the city remain abandoned. Keeping these and other places in mind, it is astounding why UNESCO have not included Liberia on their comprehensive Heritage List. Fortunately, Providence Island will soon likely achieve Heritage Status, so Liberia may finally have a dot on UNESCO's map.
Featuring a generally hilly terrain and large stands of forests, the small Republic of SAN MARINO is completely surrounded by Italy. While Italy is known for its plethora of world-renown tourist attractions, San Marino also attracts visitors to its historic sites and recreational areas. Hikers and mountain bikers might decide to trek up the Apennines (Appennini) mountain range as well as San Marino's highest peak, located in south-central San Marino. Monte Titano (Mount Titan) stands at about 740 meters and 2,425 feet in elevation near the capital city, San Marino (colloquially known as Città).
Between the towns of Aquaviva and San Marino in northwestern San Marino, San Marino Adventures amusement park features 26 trails, rock climbing, and obstacle courses through the local forest. This tourist attraction dubs itself as, "Il parco avventura più grande della riviera adríatica," or "The biggest adventure park on the Adriatic coast."
A total of nine sites of interest of special cultural and environmental significance in ARGENTINA are designated on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Four national parks listed as World Heritage Sites showcase Argentina's diverse climates and landscapes: dry desert areas in the extreme northwest and west-central regions, subtropical rainforests in the east and northeast, and mountainous terrain along the western border with Chile. The first Argentinian property to be inscribed on the list (1981), Parque Nacional Los Glaciares (Los Glaciers National Park) of southern and southwestern Argentina boasts breathtaking scenery of the Andes Mountains and multiple glacial lakes, include Lago Anita, Lago Argentino, and Lago Tannhauser. Inscribed three years later, northeastern Argentina's Iguazu National Park features mesmerizing waterfalls and a high biodiversity in a rainforest setting.
Parque Provincial Ischigualasto (Ischigualasto Provincial Park) and Parque Nacional Talampaya — combined into one heritage site called Ischigualasto/Talampaya Natural Parks — extend over 275,300 hectares, 2,753 square kilometers, and 1,063 square miles across the desert regions of northwestern Argentina's La Rioja and San Juan provinces. Argentina's newest inscribed property, the Qhapaq Ñan Andean road system (2014), is an important trade route extending across Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. These are Argentina's remaining heritage sites: Cueva de las Manos (amazing hand imprint cave paintings, as shown above), the Jesuit Block and Estancias of Córdoba, Jesuit Missions of the Guaraní Indians, Península Valdés, and Quebrada de Humahuaca valley.
Designated as one of America’s Byways*, Acadia All-American Road in Maine, UNITED STATES of AMERICA is a paved, two-lane looped road straddling the Atlantic Ocean on the eastern side of Mount Desert Island. However, part of the byway along Park Loop Road is currently closed for this winter season. Known for its Acadia National Park (National Park Service website), Mount Desert Island in southern Hancock County boasts towering landforms, scenic overlooks, seaside cliffs, virtually-untouched spruce fir forests, and pristine beaches. The Acadia byway’s northern extent lies near the Hulls Cove Visitor Center along Park Loop Road and splits off into two routes, which join together in the south near the town of Seal Harbor.
The trek near the Atlantic coast features the Sieur de Monts water spring as well as Champlain Mountain Overlook, where visitors can see the Frenchman Bay, Schoodic Peninsula, and distant Gouldsboro Hills. Champlain Mountain is named after Samuel de Champlain, a French native who in 1604 encountered the water body now known as Frenchman Bay. The southern seaside portion of Acadia Byway passes the Sand Beach, pink granite Otter Cliffs, Otter Point, and Thunder Hole beach, where waves sometimes crash into the rocks’ narrow slot and thereby create thundering sounds.
The route west of Otter Point is quite curvy. A driver traveling along the Acadia byway west of Otter Point would be going north, then south, then a little bit southwest and west, then north again, then west again, then north and a little bit east then north, and then north and east and north again before reaching the turnoff towards Cadillac Mountain – whew! Good thing there are GPS devices and maps in case someone gets lost in this area! Standing over 1,500 feet tall, Cadillac Mountain is the Atlantic seaboard’s highest point north of Brazil. Communities near Acadia byway include Bar Harbor, Hulls Cove, Otter Creek, and Seal Harbor.
* America’s Byways – US Department of Transportation’s initiative to designate roads featuring important cultural, recreational, scenic, and historic qualities
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