The Wave, A Unique Sandstone Formation in Arizona

“The Wave” is a sandstone formation on the slopes of the Coyote Buttes in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, located in northern portion of the U.S. state of Arizona. The Beautiful sandstone formation is famous among hikers and photographers for its colorful, undulating forms, and the rugged trackless hike required to reach it. Well, this place is among the most scenic hiking destinations in the entire Southwest, so extremely popular which makes officials use a lottery to decide who gets to walk its trails. Therefore, be aware that there are only 20 daily spots that are given through a lottery, and 10 of them online and 10 of them in person, and if you win the tickets is for the next day, not for the current one!

The Wave” consists of intersecting U-shaped troughs that have been eroded into Navajo Sandstone of Jurassic age. Further, the two major troughs, which encompass this rock formation infrequent run off eroded these troughs along joints within the Navajo Sandstone. After their formation, the drainage basin, which fed rainwater to these troughs, shrank to the point that the runoff became inadequate to contribute to the cutting of these troughs. The Wave exposes large-scale, sets of cross-bedded eolian sandstone composed of rhythmic and cyclic alternating grain-flow and wind-ripple laminae. The Wave is the result of the differential erosion of rhythmic and cyclic alternating grain-flow and wind-ripple laminae within the Navajo Sandstone. The soft sandstone, including the ridges and ribbing, of The Wave is fragile. As a result, persons must walk carefully to avoid breaking the small ridges.

The Wave and its signature landscape among the most photographed in North America, and also be called the Devil’s Playground.  Officials, described in its website as “a gallery of gruesomely twisted sandstone, resembling deformed pillars, cones, mushrooms and other odd creations with the unique blending of color twisted in the rock, creating a dramatic rainbow of pastel yellows, pinks and reds.” The arduous hiking demonstrates the inherent risks associated with hiking in southern Utah's desert country. Even though to make sure you’re extremely fit for this hike, it is highly recommended to do it early in the morning, and make sure you have enough water and supplies. Moreover, hikers must choose their own route across the open desert, which needs traversing exposed sandstone, sand dunes, and sandy wash bottoms. 

Iceland Staggering Blue Crystal Ice Cave

Well, by seeing the stunning picture of Iceland Staggering Blue Ice Cave, you must feel that this would be out of this world where no two days are ever the same. Iceland is the incredible changing landscapes of one of the world's most beautiful countries. Explorer “Helen Björnsdóttir” who is from Reykjavik,works as an ice cave expert - assessing the safety of the caves before leading tourists inside but also takes stunning photos herself. Therefore, she has exposed these photographs of the caves that never look the same two days in a row. She said, what attracts me to ice caves is how unique they’re the feeling to enter the glacier and being surrounded by the glacier ice is an incredible feeling. When I look the blue colors and ever changing forms and shape of the ice caves also astonish me. Moreover, that you enter an ice cave and you know that it will not be there next year and you have new ice caves to explore.

Further, before I moved here I had no interest in photography but when I became an ice cave guide, I just couldn't resist taking pictures. For me, it’s quite a complicated art.  Although, the ice caves are very dangerous and there’s often a lot of work to be done on the ice caves before we can take travelers near them, like chipping the thin ice away from the ceilings. Moreover, we have also had to move boulders from the glacier above the entrance to make sure they don't roll down and block us in. We’ve to do this every day just because a cave is safe one day, it doesn't mean that it will be the next day. The way the water melts can make a cave very unsafe very fast.'Source: Charismatic Planet

Hole N' The Rock, Utah

Well, different people shows their love with different way, just like some dads build their kids tree houses, but in the treeless desert of southeastern Utah, “Albert Christensen’s” only likely alternative was a cave. A badass dad that he was, Albert Christensen blasted the rocks off a sandstone cliff face near U.S. Highway 191, so that his sons could sound sleep at night. Therefore he continued drilling and getting bigger the cave for twelve years until it was big enough for both him and his wife to move in in 1952.

Thus, the 5,000 square foot subterranean house is equipped with ample 14 rooms arranged around giant pillars, a beautiful fireplace with a 65-foot tall chimney and a lovely deep bathtub built into the rock. Though, Albert Christensen was building a hundred-foot tall staircase when he died.  Moreover the stairs would have cut up to the top of the rock, where his wife would have arranged a rock garden. Therefore, after her husband’s death, Gladys continued to increase the property, opening a gift shop and giving tours of her home until she passed away in 1974. 

These days, the Christensen family house welcomes travelers along U.S. Highway 191 with vast painted white letters on the cliff face that scream "Hole N' The Rock". Furthermore, the sculpture of Franklin D. Roosevelt on the face of the rock above his home was also made by Albert. Thus, most of the original furnishings, Alberta's paintings and Gladys's doll collection, along with Albert’s taxidermy specimens two stuffed horses, donkey,  and are left untouched as a memorial. 

Likewise also displayed several of the tools used to make this home. Albert and Gladys’ graves are placed in an alcove a short walk from the entrance. In 2000 “Hole N' The Rock” was purchased by Erik and Wyndee Hansen from Gladys' son, Hub Davis. They have added a trading post, an outdoor petting zoo, a giant cactus made of bowling balls, and a two-story outhouse. Thus, when you travel at U.S. Highway 191, this is a must visit place. You’ll definite like Albert and Glady’s home. 

Wadi El-Rayan Waterfalls, Egypt’s Only Man-Made Waterfall

Egypt is home to many of the most vital and impressive archaeological monuments in the world. The valley of Wadi El-Rayan, 65 km southwest of Fayoum city, in Egypt, is home to two large artificial lakes formed to divert surplus agricultural drainage water from Fayoum oasis. This is also home to the country’s only waterfalls. The Fayoum oasis originally drained into Lake Qarun in the north. Most memorable is the spectacular scenery of Wadi El- Rayan is the contrast between the blue waters of the lake and the golden desert sand. However, the lake can take only a definite volume of drainage water. Anything over this capacity and the lake level would rise and flood the surrounding land, every so often doing severe impairment because of the waters high salt content. Therefore, this means that the amount of water that can be used in the Fayoum is limited by the region’s maximum drainage capacity. As a result, until recently water-intensive crops such as reeds and rice could be grown only in very limited quantities. Moreover, no new land could be reclaimed without affecting swamping of prevailing farmland near Lake Qarun. 

Thus, there was a pressing requirement to find an alternative drainage basin, and the big depression of Wadi El Rayan was found to be suitable. Well, when go to back in 1974, a nine kilometers open channel and an  eight kilometers tunnel were cut through the desert from the western side of the Fayoum depression to the large, dry depression of Wadi El Rayan. Thus, drainage water flows into Wadi El-Rayan forming two large lakes. Moreover water first reaches the northern lake and when it’s overcome, a stream flows towards a deeper part of the depression, where one more lake is formed. As the course of the stream was eroded, natural rocks were uncovered and waterfalls formed over them. Moreover, Jabal Madwera, adjacent the lower lake, is recognized for its extensive dune formations.

There are several cascades on the stream, none of them taller than two to four meters. Yet, they’ve fascinated substantial attention between the local Egyptians, as various have never seen waterfalls before. Consequently, the waterfalls have also been featured in several Egyptian pop videos and movies. The waterfalls, though, will not last persistently as the level of the lower lake is frequently rising and the falls will exist only until the expanding surface area lets a rate of evaporation equivalent to the amount of water flowing into it. Thus, the lake shorelines are heavily vegetated making them flawless wintering habitats for migrating birds and breeding spot for countless fishes. Furthermore, this area is now a nature reserve and is home to the world’s sole population of Slender-horned Gazelles, 11 species of reptiles, 9 species of mammals, 13 species of resident birds, and 26 species of migrant and vagrant birds.