Mount McKinley or Denali in Alaska United States

Mount McKinley is the highest peak in North America with a summit elevation of 20,237 feet above sea level perhaps the single most inspiring mountain in the world all higher peaks are in the greater Himalaya or in the Andes, part of giant mountain ranges. In 1897 the Mountain was officially named Mount McKinley, after the popular United States president William McKinley. It is a massive snowy mass, flanked by five giant glaciers and myriad icefalls. 

It dominates the horizon from as far south as Cook Inlet, 200 miles away, and as far north as Fairbanks, 150 miles away. Its steep unbroken south slope rises 17,000 feet in twelve miles. Five main ridges extend from the summit, and several spurs and buttresses extend from these. The mountain is progressively more known by its native name, “Denali”, which means The Great One in the Athabaskan language. Denali is also the name preferred by the mountaineering community.  Denali is not a particularly difficult climb technically, but the weather is more severe here than anywhere else in the world and countless lives has been lost attempting the ascent. 

The number of attempts on the summit has increased dramatically in the recent years, and a greater percentage of these are ending in failure. This is really a heart of Alaska, and famous as “coldest” mountain in the world and as beautiful as it is dangerous. This is where Mrs Fahrenheit and Mr Celsius meet secretly at night: -40 degrees.  In any given climbing season, more than 1000 mountaineers attempt its summit. It's an astonishing geological feature which seems to have limitless faces as the variations in light render its views exceptional on a daily basis. Although ascent of Mount McKinley is considered a serious undertaking made difficult by the cold, the weather, and the sheer scale of the massive mountain. 

The climbing season starts from mid-April until mid-July, since before then it is too cold, and after that too stormy and the snow too mushy and unstable from too much sun. First ascent of the main summit of Mount McKinley came on June 7, 1913 by a party led by Hudson Stuck. The first man to reach the summit was Walter Harper, an Alaska Native. Harry Karstens and Robert Tatum also made the summit. They ascended the Muldrow Glacier route pioneered by the earlier expeditions, which is still a popular route today.

Some of major facts of Mount McKinley are as below.

Elevation (feet): 20,320

Elevation (meters):           6,194

Continent:           North America

Country:              United States

Range/Region:   Alaska Range

State:    Alaska

Latitude:              63.0694

Longitude:           -151.004

Difficulty:            Major Mountain Expedition

Best months for climbing:             Apr, May, Jun

Year first climbed:            1913

First successful climber(s):             Hudson Stuck, Harry Karstens, W. Harper, R. Tatum

Nearest major airport:    Anchorage, Alaska

Convenient Center:          Talkeetna, Alaska

 Source: Charismatic Planet

Jade Belt Bridge Beijing China

Jade Belt Bridge high arched bridge built with traditional Chinese design. Originally this design was for very practical purposes, to give access across canals for pedestrian between paddy fields, and to permit barges traveling along the canals to pass under it.  The Jade Belt Bridge also recognized as the Camel's Back Bridge.

It is 18th-century pedestrian Moon Bridge well located on the grounds of the Summer Palace in Beijing, China. It is well-known for its unique tall thin single arch. The Jade Belt Bridge is the most famous of the six bridges on the western shore of Kunming Lake. It was erected in the years 1751 to 1764, during the supremacy of the Qianlong Emperor, and was strongly built in the style of the subtle bridges in the country-side of southern China.

It is solidly made from marble and other white stone. The ornate bridge railings are adorned with carvings of cranes and other animals and the clearance of the arch was selected to accommodate the dragon boat of the Qianlong Emperor. The Kunming Lake inlet to the neighboring Yu River and during special occasions, the emperors and empress and their dragon boat would clearly pass under this bridge. So please be sure, the Jade Belt bridge at the Summer Palace is on your list of “Top Five” places to visit when you arrive in Beijing, China. Chinese believe that this bridge is a link between the earth and the heaven.

Source: Charismatic Planet 

Lion of Kea Greece

Lion of Kea is the leading tourist attraction in Kea. And we do not think anyone leaving the island without having seen the laughing lion. Lion of Kea is an ancient statue that has come to light over the years and it is located a country mile from the center of the village, and reclines regally halfway up a steep slope, smiling at all who come to pay their respects. 

Lion of Kea is carved sometimes prior to 600 BCE and it is massive 6 meter long rock, by an unidentified artist from an indefinite period; this powerful but friendly fellow holds his own secret. Lion of Kea lounging near a Grecian hilltop, the ancient stone Lion of Kea is amazing not only for its comparatively good condition, but also for its strangely sunny demeanor. 

Lion of Kea is a natural stone slab, and few people say it is created by Acropolis. Alternately recognized as the Lion of Loulis, the beast is a chosen among both tourists and locals who’ve named the lion, "Liontas." The creature's ancient existence, if not his odd smile, are thought to be linked to the local mythology. Some legend says; the island of Kea was once home to population of water nymphs whose beauty, long with their lovely island. As this was almost always a recipe for disaster in ancient Greece, then sent a lion to lay waste to the island. The lion statue remembers the fabled kerfuffle to this day. 

No one is sure whether the smile on the lion's face is an intentional feature or just the product of hilarious weathering, but either way, it continues to be a preferred feature on the island it once supposedly destroyed. This smiley stone feline is meant to represent a mythical lion that almost destroyed the island of Kea. 

Source: Charismatic Planet 

Passage du Gois; A Submersible Causeway in France

Passage du Gois is a submersible causeway in the Bay of Bourgneuf, connecting the island of Noirmoutier to the mainland in the department of Vendée, in France. Interestingly twice a day, for an hour or two, the tide goes out and the causeway becomes visible and reachable to traffic. For the rest of the day, it remains flooded under 1.3 to 4 meters of water and cannot be used.

Even though causeways such as Passage du Gois exist in other places like Jindo in Korea, the distinctiveness of Passage du Gois lies in its exceptional length of four to five kilometers. In the 18th century, the causeway was much longer because the old dikes were farther from the coast. Therefore; in the early days, the only way to reach Noirmoutier was by boat.

Then the Bay of Bourgneuf slowly silted up and the causeway was shaped and permitting men and animals to wade through the waters to the island. Well, the name “Gois” comes from the verb "goiser" which means to walk while wetting one’s shoes. It was in 1701 that the passage linking the mainland to the island was first mentioned on a map.  Moreover the inquisitiveness has existed since the collapse of the plateau which gave birth to the bay of Bourgneuf. More than thousands years, the two present from the north and south hitting the bay has resulted in deposition of silt, and that has repeatedly moved before stabilizing.

Now stabilization work was done to stop sand from moving and a cobblestone road was laid down. In the mid of 18th century a regular service was provided by car or on horseback. In 1971, a bridge linking the island to the mainland was built as an alternative route to the island of Noirmoutier.