Santa Elena Canyon, The Most Dramatic Place in U.S.

The lovely Santa Elena Canyon is most inspiring natural feature in Big Bend National Park. It is visible for more than 10 miles away cutting through the mountains via a deep narrow gorge. Santa Elan Canyon is quite a long distance 30 miles however a short nature trail enters its shady depths, eight miles west of Castolon, accessible by either Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive or the Old Maverick Road. Some are really quite winding and steep.

Santa Elena Canyon downstream is most popular area for one to three day trip, easily accessed by car. It is often considered most dramatic place has the tallest cliffs forming the canyon wall up to 1500 feet. The nature trail crosses Terlingua Creek, climbs several flights of ramps and stairs and then descends into the canyon along the Rio Grande offers one of the few remaining true wilderness river trips in the United States. Side canyons create interesting vistas, as well as exploration opportunities.

Moreover the area has an extremely dry and hot climate conditions, with temperatures up to 50 °C in summer with little rain. Further, there is a contrast between the desert and cold temperate ecosystems. You should keep in mind that during the rainy season, Terlingua Creek can flood and make access extremely difficult, so it is a nice idea to prior check with Park Rangers for current conditions. Local outfitters offer various trips when conditions allow, and river runners of intermediate or better skill level often go on their own.

Hence, water flow is normally adequate for river trips except during periods of prolonged drought. In addition, beware of flash floods that can raise the river level and flow rates very rapidly after rainfall in the drainage basin, even if it does not rain at the river. The low levels of water can prevent you from rafting along the canyon which is very popular activity here. Even a short distance is worthwhile the canyon feels much more remote and undisturbed once around the first bend when the entrance is out of view. Also stargazing is relaxing activity here as on the clearest nights, around 2,000 stars are visible to the naked eye. It is an outstanding place in North America for star gazing.

Santa Elena Canyon is majestic, towering canyon walls are much taller than in Colorado Canyon upriver a few miles. The scenery is remarkable, and there are numerous opportunities for wildlife viewing, hiking in shady side canyons and camping on spacious sandbars. The best way to see the canyon is by raft or canoe. Another scenic, little visited location is Fern Canyon 18 miles below Lajitas, a narrow tributary just two miles from Santa Elena Canyon. This is very narrow and has a pretty white limestone floor, polished smooth by the waters that sometimes flood down the ravine.

It is truly a majestic and gorgeous place to spend a few days. Due to the inaccessibility of the area it is generally best to be well prepared for any and all weather possibilities. The drive up to Santa Elena canyon absolutely breathtaking and it is amazing and once you park and start walking towards the canyon, your jaw just drops at the sheer majesty of it. Definitely a Big Bend must see/do hike. It is most photographed part of the Bing Bend National park. There is a massive boulder on the trail the size of a small house that is nice to sit under on a hot day. The rock formations rising on each side of the Rio are mesmerizing.

It is highly suggest visiting the canyon in early November through mid-March. Which is generally the best time to paddle the Rio Grande? The area may be very crowded during holiday periods or during the winter "snowbird" season, which is also the time most likely to have favorable paddling conditions. Summertime low-water conditions may be inadequate for rafting, but canoes can almost always navigate the river. Moreover entrance permits to Big Bend National Park are required for all vehicles entering the park for river access.

Also riverside camping is available just outside the canyon on the left side of river and right side of Mexican.  Where ankle-deep Bermuda grass is covers the ground, making for a softer night's sleep. Firewood is scarce, if available at all, so carry what you need. Except for campfires, it is generally best to rely upon propane, butane or liquid fuel fires for cooking, personal hygiene and other general heating and cooking needs. Please keep in mind a fine may be imposed for camping in unauthorized areas.

Santa Elena Canyon location is in the middle of the continent and along a migration route, is ideal for bird diversity throughout the year. Northern species migrate here for the warm winter climate, while birds from the tropics range this far north to breed in the spring. One of major highlight is the Colima warbler, is a predominately Mexican species that only nests in the United States in the Chisos Mountains from April to September.


Santa Elena Canyon River Trip is more complicated in the last seven miles while entering the actual canyon. You can enjoy by paddling upstream from the Santa Elena Canyon Trailhead, just a few miles into the canyon, and then come back drown stream. There are a couple of rapids to watch out for, and the famed Rockslide can provide a challenge for even for experienced professionals. Santa Elena Canyon offers dazzling coves and remarkable side canyons that are a veritable feast for your eyes and your camera. So be sure to carry plenty of extra batteries. You may not want to leave Santa Elena Canyon.

Coconino Lava River Cave, Arizona

The Coconino Lava River Cave in the Coconino National Forest, near Flagstaff, Arizona is huge big enough for an individual to walk through with dozens of feet overhead. Coconino’s Lava River Cave is striking, telltale circumference of a lave tube which is more than mile long through solid rocks. Therefore, potholers won’t find stalactites or stalagmites beautifying this hall of echoes just the even arch formed by liquid-hot rock as it traveled through. The cave can range in height from 30 feet and no light sources inside.

The all of a sudden smooth surface area can actually be dangerous, due to difference in temperature between the cool subterranean cave and the hot desert above ground, condensation frequently forms and makes the walls and floors of the Lava River Cave very slick. Coconino’s Lava River Cave isn’t the only lava river cave in the world, nor is it the largest even though it fascinating visitors and geologists alike a unique (Y-intersection) deep within the tunnel. Here is two enormous tubes combines into one, forming an exclusive Y-shape out of three indistinguishable tubes. So, this leads to a dizzying mirror effect that can occasionally be disorienting to inexpert explorers.

The Coconino’s lave river cave was unearthed in 1915 by some lumbermen and named it “Government Cave”. The cave was historically been referred to as “Government Cave” due to its location on the eastern edge of Government Prairie and southeast of Government Peak. Lava River Cave is freely accessible to the general public. Many peoples in the area still call its historic name. The cave is very close to the surface above ground, with holes punctuating the ceiling at times, creating a surface treacherous for walking, but providing beautiful pillars of light from outside while traveling within it. This makes the Lava River Cave one of the most striking subterranean sites in the western United States.

It is believed that cave was formed sometime between 600,000 to 700,000 years ago. The molten lava erupted from a volcanic vent in adjacent Hart Prairie. Therefore, the top sides and bottom of the flow cooled and solidified. Whereas lava in the middle flowed out, leaving a hollow space to form the cave. Of all these intriguing curiosities, most interesting for adventurers is surely the lava tube long, cave like passages underground, arching in a near-perfect circle so ideal for traveling through, one might think they were man-made. These caves were formed millennia ago as the outside of a giant lava flow hardened, but a still-liquid center traveled through it like an underground river. Until the river stopped, leaving behind a circular tube unlike any other naturally-formed subterranean cave.

Thus due to the temperature change, there is a lot of condensation on the walls, ceiling and floor near the entrance, which makes it slippery. The temperatures inside cave are around 40 °F during the summer, and it is not rare for some of the rocks to be covered with ice. The cave is mostly dry so, bring water and at least two to three sources of light, wear warm clothes and sturdy hiking boots with ankle support and protection. Please keep in mind that this is a remote wilderness site with no services.

The entrance to the cave is around 14 miles (23 km) west of Flagstaff, Arizona. The cave one portions was once defaced by graffiti have been cleaned up. These days more environmentally aware visitors take better care of such a distinctive resource and even report vandals when they see them. The beautiful lava tube cave has a sky-fall entrance, where section of the cave roof collapses creating a skylight and pile rocks on the cave floor, only one-half of the entrance is used, the other may be seen as a very short section. Whereas the cave is open year-round, the dirt roads which lead there may be impassable to cars in winter months or during wet weather conditions. There are no entrance or use fees. Moreover for overnight camping, visitors have to camp at least 1 mile from the entrance of the cave. Source: CP

Graffiti Mesa, Valley of Names, California

During World War II, soldiers training in the desert north of Yuma, Arizona, started decorating a site they called “Graffiti Mesa,” using rocks to write out their names in the white sand. They expressed their feelings by placing stones on a piece of deserted land. They hoped that, even if they may never return home, their loved ones would get to see their message. The different sizes and shapes of rocks have taken many years to take in 10,000 names embedded in the desert floor maintained by the BLM (Bureau of Land Management). The Valley of the Names is covered in beautiful white sand, which creates a strong contrast against the dark-colored rocks. Due to the fact, that the land is barren for miles, each person must bring their rocks from the outlying desert.

The tradition treasure continued on after the war and the graffitied area bigger and bigger. Nowadays over 1,200 acres of land are decorated with signatures, messages, dates, initials, and drawings. The mesa, commonly known as the “Valley of the Names,” located in Winterhaven, Calfornia. It is made up of hard-packed white sand, and the earliest names are arranged using black lava rocks that stand in sharp contrast. It is well preserved land filled area, where you can express your feelings by placing stones on a piece of deserted land. The land is barren for miles around, which means the rocks must be brought in from the outlying desert.

Some people have cheated by bringing bricks and spray-painted rocks from home. If you have a message or name then you require a 4-wheel drive vehicle to access the area. Once there, it’s likely to drive down, around, and through the hills and valleys covered by this exclusive rock art. Hence, you have to bring your own rocks; there are plenty of black rocks on the road leading in. People still leave their distinctive note to loved ones nowadays.

This unique desert has scheduled a clean-up day, when people go out there to clear away debris from the desert winds and replace rocks that might have been washed away in a storm. People are coming here on trips in Trackers, Jeeps or Rangers to fresh their memories which they have written even 20 years ago. Today they use the technology of GPS and record the coordinates so they can remember where it’s at, even find their name without that. Source: CP

Unalaska, The Town of Violent Bald Eagles

The magnificent bald eagle is the national bird of America, but most Americans are lucky to see one first-hand during their lifetimes. The Unalaska town offers classic examples of the striking nature you'll find throughout Alaska, but seems otherwise unremarkable. Then there's the unnatural amount of eagles here is due to Unalaska simply being a great place for the birds to score food. Unalaska is located on Unalaska Island and neighboring Amaknak Island in the Aleutian Islands off mainland Alaska. The small town of Unalaska, bald eagles are as common as pigeons are in other human settlements. The Unalaska is home of about 5,000 inhabitants, normally spare the space for bald eagles, who lurk above telephone poles, and stop lights watching for potential victims to sweep down upon, litter through trash, and steal grocery bags.

The view looks like out of a fairytale. Bald Eagles naturally built their nest up in trees, but Unalaska doesn’t have too many trees. So, Bald eagles find the other way to build their nests on cliffs, on the edge of town, and in manmade structures. The seven-foot wingspans, flesh-ripping beaks and vice-like talons, eagles rule the island. But why are there annual eagle attacks in Unalaska when raptors and humans peacefully coexist elsewhere in the state?

Therefore, it’s so easy to get a closer look of an eagle nest without even knowing it. The bald eagles get attacked anytime, which is why local law enforcement puts up warning signs all over the nesting season. The nesting season for America’s national bird runs from early June to the end of the summer. When going near their nests, they may be get angry and dislike it. So, local people constantly have a keep an eye out of the birds. There are almost ten cases every year, when people required medical attention after encounters with eagles with lacerated wounds. 

Moreover, fish is the favorite food of bald eagles, so during fishing season myriad eagles comes to scavenge and nest in the fishing town, creating lot of irritation to locals.  When fresh fish isn’t available, the birds will anything with meat, seagulls, ducks, squirrels, mice, the occasional raven, and human leftovers. Despite of all aspects, Unalaska is an excellent place to watch where you can take marvelous photographs. The bald eagles are called Dutch Harbor pigeons by locals. The bald eagles swarm every boat that comes into port, festooning the rigging by the dozen like baleful New Year ornaments.

Source: Charismatic Planet

The Unique Fairy Stones of Harricana River

The fairy stones of Harrican river have seen in the past that concretions the precipitation of minerals around particles generally take spherical or oval shapes, as in the case of Klerksdorp Spheres and Moeraki boulders. Because pearl is another good example of concretions, can also take rare shapes. They are made of fine sand and clay, solidified by nature.  The originality and the forms of these stones are a phenomenon unique to Northern Quebec, particularly on the bottom of the big Lakes with a glacier origin.

In the Harricana River valley in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue administrative region of Quebec, Canada, concretions occur as flat discs, smooth on one side and puffed up on the other with stunning patterns. They were shaped over thousands of years by deposition of calcium carbonate over trifling pebbles and fossils. This is called “Fairy Stones” since hundreds of years, and used to carry them as fortunate charms when they went on fishing or hunting expeditions. The irregular lines on the stones are caused by the traces left by miniature worms or organic remains which were fossilized thousands of years ago.

It is believed that wearing a Fairy Stone would protect them against bad spirits and bring them good prosperity and health. However, geologists believe that Fairy Stones may have formed under a glacier, which recoiled thousands of years ago. Then they were carried by the water and deposited along the shores of certain lakes and rivers. Hence, one of the main rivers where Fairy Stones are found is the Harricana River, the second longest river in Canada. The name "Harricana" came from the Algonquin word Nanikana, which means “the river of biscuits” Biscuit refers to the unusual flat stones, sand, limestone and clay concretions, which are found in the river, called Pierres de fée or "fairy stones. A less romanticized version says Nanikana means "the main way".

These stones are frequently found in soft deposits under clay. The rounded, puffed up shapes come from the growing face that is face down in the clay, whereas the tops are weathered even by the retreating glacier and water. These are lying in the mud, they look like normal flat stones, but turn them over and you will amazed to see many different shapes and formation, as each Fairy stone is unique. These stones have been valued for a long time by the native community that lives around these stones birthplace. These stones have a strong link to the nurturing energies of the earth mother.  It can help teach you to care and have concern for the planet and all those upon it.

Ubehebe Crater, Death Valley

In the Death Valley, you can find a large volcanic crater “Uhehebe” located at the north trip of Cottonwood Mountain. It is one of the many unique geologic features of Death Valley, which is believed, somewhere 2000 to 7000 years old. The Uhehebe Crater is one kilometer wide and 777 feet deep. Ubehebe Crater is a maars volcano. The formation was made when magma migrated close to the surface and heat caused groundwater to flash into steam, tossing massive quantities of pulverized old rock and fresh magma across the stony alluvial fan draped across the valley. However, the western cluster of Maar volcanoes was the first to form, then the southern cluster, followed by Ubehebe the largest of them all possibly 300 years ago. During the eruption, volcanic material in the form of ash and cinders was thrown out six miles from the craters.

The Ubehebe Crater is known as "Tem-pin-tta- Wo’sah", meaning Coyote’s Basket.  Furthermore, the colorful layers in the crater’s eastern wall are “fanglomerates” is an alluvial fan deposit hardened into rock. Sandstone and conglomerate, loosely cemented together by calcite make up this conglomerate and most of the pieces of rock are either volcanic or metamorphic. Hence, water erosion created the deep gullies that you see on the crater’s east side. The pink and brown mud flat at the bottom of the crater is the site of many short-lived lakes. At least a dozen craters are located within an area of 3 sq km, and bedded pyroclastic-surge deposits cover an area of 15 sq km. In this area volcanic soil is rich in nutrients and wildflower like Bigelow Monkeyflower absorbs heat, tend to bloom very early here, even in the late winter months, you might see some spring flowers early.

Moreover, winds at the rim of “Ubehebe” are very powerful and often gust above 50 mph, thus it is an easy walk and you can relish the stunning landscapes. Three major trails leads you to crater, one is start from parking area to bottom of Ubehebe, second is circumnavigates the crater rims, and third trail is leads off to little Hebe. Hence, the past 7,000 years, erosion has been creating deep crevices and fascinating patterns on the inner crater walls and they are at their most dramatic when the sun is low in the sky.  It is highly recommended to view the crater is when the sun is low in the sky in the morning or late afternoon. This amazing crater is impossible to describe in a way that does it justice. The depth and breadth is staggering, as the colors varied and beautiful. When you visit Ubehebe crater please be sure, you must stay on the trail since the crater rim and adjacent gullies are composed of very fragile material making them unstable and dangerous.