Desert Towers from the Air

Brandon Fisher, Ken Schulte, and myself climbing Utah's stunning tower formations while getting some unique perspectives. Indeed this is breathtaking tour and I’m really happy to see the great work stunning, work of my team and bring back awesome memories. No "hardest climb ever" obsessing, no "extreme" hype, just raw desert beauty and inspiring lines. It is possibly my favorite climbing vid ever Amazing drone video. Outstanding flying skills and camera work and lovely scores as well.

Desert Towers from the Air (Avail in 4k) from Luke Humphrey on Vimeo.

Laerdal Tunnel: The World’s Longest Road Tunnel

It is practically impossible in Norway to drive from one place to another without making a mountain crossing or riding on a ferry across a fjord. Those who’ve travelled Norway knows, how the beautiful country this is, but its complex geography created by a maze of fjords, glaciers, and mountains meant that several Norwegian communities remain isolated from one each other during the long winter months. Amazingly neighbors may live less than a mile from each other, but on opposite sides of the fjord or mountain, and that’s a world apart. That was before Norway started building an extensive network of tunnels. Therefore, if a mountain stands on the way, they will start to drill through it. A fjord is too long to build a bridge? Then Go under? You know, Tunnels make driving through the country much easier than taking circuitous routes along mountains or ferry hopping.

There’re more than 900 road tunnels in Norway with total length surpassing 750 km, and at least 33 undersea tunnels. According to some sources, the numbers are even higher above one thousand. For a country the size of Norway, that’s an awfully too many tunnels. However the longest of these engineering phenomena is the Lærdal Tunnel. The Laerdal Tunnel is around 24.5km long road tunnel, the longest in the world, connecting the villages of Lærdal and Aurland, but basically linking the capital of Oslo to Bergen and the country’s second-largest city of Bergen. You can easily said the records straight, Laerdal Tunnel is the longest “road” tunnel. The true longest tunnel is the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland at 57 km, but it’s used only by trains.

In 1992, the government decided to build the Laerdal Tunnel, whey realized that a reliable all-weather snow-free, fjord-free land connection was needed between the two cities. The tunnel, which is one of many that lies along the European Route E16, lets uninhibited flow of traffic while preserving the alpine environment of the region. One of the major challenges faced by the engineers was how to keep drivers alert through the 20-minute-long monotonous drive. This was indeed very vital for drivers, who could lose concentration leading to accidents. To break the monotony occasional slight curves were included between straight stretches of the road, and at every 6 km interval is a large cavern. The caves are meant to break the routine, providing a refreshing view and allowing drivers to take a short rest. The caverns are also used as turnaround points and for break areas to help lift claustrophobia.

Moreover a very special attention has been given to the lighting, and only white light is used in the tunnel itself, the mountain caves are equipped with blue and yellow light which gives one the illusion of driving into daylight every 6 kilometers, and the golden light along the floor gives the illusion of sunrise. Hence to keep the car driver from being inattentive or falling asleep, therefore causing head-on collisions, each lane is supplied with a loud rumble strip toward the center. Well, another major concern is proper ventilation. High air quality in the tunnel is achieved in two ways, by ventilation and purification. Very big fans draw air in from both entrances, and polluted air is expelled through a single ventilation tunnel located 18kilometers from the Aurland end of the tunnel. The Lærdal Tunnel is the first in the world to be equipped with an air treatment plant, situated in a 100-meter cavern 9.5 kilometers from Aurland that removes both dust and nitrogen dioxide from the tunnel air.

Trip to Norway - Prologue from zeppastian on Vimeo.

Fly Over Manhattan in a Helicopter

I’ve always a dream to fly over Manhattan in a helicopter, thus however I was in town the other day I decided to go for a ride and bring my camera. Well, considering the company I was flying with wouldn't allow me to remove the door or bring anything larger than a handheld camera, I decided to focus mostly on testing my Epic's stills abilities by shooting at a higher frame rate and faster shutter. However this was a great first flight over the city! I plan on chartering a longer stock footage gathering adventure with a gyro once I upgrade to the Dragon sensor. I’ve captured all hand-held at 5K 60fps with a 90° shutter.

NYC From Above from Patrick Lawler on Vimeo.

Blue Grotto Cave” is a Special Tourist Destination in Italy

The Blue Grotto is one of few sea caves, worldwide, that is flooded with a vivid blue or emerald light. The quality and nature of the color in each cave is determined by the specific lighting conditions in that particular cave. So, you must be bewitched by the unearthly exquisiteness and glowing blue waters in the Blue Grotto sea cave, scoured the web looking for more. So, you could be find a favorite spot of a Roman emperor, has inspired artists for several centuries, and has become a massive tourist attraction on the Isle of Capri. In Blue Grotto, the light comes from two sources; one is a small hole exist in the cave wall, exactly at the waterline, that is a meter and half in diameter. This hole is hardly big enough to admit a tiny rowboat, and normally used as the entranceway. In photos taken from within the cave, the above water half of this hole seems as a spot of dazzling white light.

The other source of light is a second hole, with a surface area about 10 times as large as the first, which lies right below the entranceway, separated from it by a bar of rock between one and two meters thick. However much less light, per square meter, is able to enter through the lower opening, but its large size ensures that it is the primary source of light. The stunning effect of the light from the above-water opening, it is difficult for a tourist who is in one of the row-boats to identify the shape of the larger hole, the outline of the bar that separates the two holes, or even the nature of the light-source, other than a general alertness that the light is coming up from underneath, and that the water in the cave is more light-filled than the air.

Therefore in rough seas and at high tide, the famous sea cave is not accessible; it has also been closed to tourists in the past due to water pollution in the form of raw sewage. It is not the only sea cave in the Island of Capri and it’s not the only blue grotto in the world, but it’s absolutely the most famous. A tourist who places a hand in the water can see it "glow" eerily in this light. The grotto was famous by the Romans, and apparently used by the Emperor Tiberius during the years when he retired to Capri. Roman Emperor sculptures of the appropriate period showing Neptune and tritons have been recovered from the cave and it is thought more might lie on the deep bottom. Further, the discovery of remains of an ancient landing place and the work on an underground tunnel, form an image of a natural cavern adorned by statues. The grotto has appears in many books, and highlighted in the 1953 Newbery Honor book, Red Sails to Capri, by Ann Weil. In Alberto Moravia's 1954 novel Contempt “Il disprezzo”, visions of the hero appear when he decides to pay a final visit to the cave. Although in May 1949 Princess Margaret visited Blue Grotto. Once upon a time, Roman Emperor Tiberius used this lovely Blue Grotto, a sea cave, as his personal swimming pool. He loved the Blue Grotto so much that it was his favorite “nymphaeum”.

The grotto was recognized to the locals under the name of “Gradola”, was abandoned and feared by local sailors because of legends of spirits and demons which populated the cave. But it was avoided because due to be inhabited by witches and monsters. As the time passes, the Blue Grotto became a popular tourist destination in the 1830s, after the visit of German writer “August Kopisch” and his friend Ernst Fries to the cave in 1826 and after the issuing of the book of “Kopisch Entdeckung der blauen Grotte auf der Insel Capri” in 1838. They were directed to the cave by a local fisherman “Angelo Ferraro” and during their journey, they’ve noticed the presence of Roman structures in the cave. Since then the Blue Grotto has become the emblem of the island of Capri.

Moreover entrance to Blue Grotto on a day when the water is perfectly calm enough, the visitors are allowed to go inside. The Blue Grotto is one of those places, where at peaks times the queue of tour boats and those arriving by land can be one to two hours long, even though the total time stays in the cave is only a few minutes. Many visitors are wondering what all the fuss is about? it’s a cave with a small pool of blue water and will begrudge the cost and time involved in seeing it. While the others are adore the place. Despite of all facts, it’s must see place if you’re going to Italy. 

 Source: Charismatic Planet

“Basalt Prisms” An Ideal Picnic Place in Mexico

Los Prismas Basálticos also called “Basalt Prisms” is tall columns of basalt rock that line a ravine through which water runs from the San Antonio Dam, which falls through the prisms and into the river. This ravine area was part of the Santa María Regla Hacienda and it was first promoted by Alexander von Humboldt in 1803. So are let you to be amazed by the natural beauty of the Basaltic Prisms, rock formations carved by water over millions of years, thus formed in a flawless geometric structure. This geologic phenomenon is really unique in the whole continent. Basaltic Prisms is located just 30 minutes from Pachuca, Hidalgo’s capital, in the town of Santa María Regla, these stone columns are listed in one of the 13 natural wonders. 

 

It is perfectly surrounded by forests and lush green vegetation, and picture-perfect for hiking, or taking trips in hot air balloons and camping, and are a “must visit” landmark in Hidalgo. These’re an extensive network of cracks often develop in basalt, which may extend several meters deep. These cracks tend to leave columns between them which are approximately hexagonal six sides in shape. They’re around 98 feet high and their flanks are washed by the Azul and San Antonio Regla dams, giving a natural sight that has long impacted local and foreign visitors. . The walls of the canyon, called the Barranca de Alcholoya, are lined by polygonal columns between 30 to 35 meters high with six sides. It is believed that the basalt columns were formed by the slow cooling of volcanic lava. The noticeable columns are backed by even more polygonal basalt columns. There’re two waterfalls. The higher one has its water supplemented by diversions from adjacent dams. The lower one is called the Cascada de la Rosa. The canyon has been prepared by the addition of stairs, walkways and hanging bridges for easy access. Therefore among the most famous & recognized examples of basalt columns or pavements in the world are Giant’s Causeway (Northern Ireland), Fingal’s Cave (Scotland) and Devil’s Postpile (California, USA).

Well, to wander among its rocks, get wet in the waterfall formed by spring water, and later, relish a picnic in the nearby green areas. This is the ideal place, where you can spend a day full of intense adventure with your family and friends, and when the sun goes down, prepare you tent and spend the night in the valley, surrounded by the forest and relishing the attractive view. You can also flee the heat to cool down in the nearby swimming pools, play football, basketball and volleyball in their courts, go horseback riding in the surrounding areas or take boat trips on the San Antonio dam. Moreover you can bring your own food for a picnic or have a food at the stands set inside the tourist area presenting typical local dishes such as barbacoa, enchiladas served with salted meat, pastes and other jewels of Hidalgo’s cuisine. In conclusion, if you wish to keep the best souvenirs of the prisms in the palm of your hand, don’t forget to visit the handicraft shops offering objects made of obsidian, clay and wood, as well as garments made of wool, and many other curiosities.

Source: Charismatic Planet