East of flagstaff, Arizona there is a giant hole in the ground that is totally worth a visit. It was created by either a meteor impact 50,000 years ago or a really big gopher. Whatever future studies conclude actually caused it, it is quite impressive.

If you are struggling get your mind around the idea that really big rocks sometimes crash into the earth at over 28,000 miles per hour, this is a good crater to visit. The dry climate of the region allows one to see the whole crater. Erosion hasn’t changed all that much since those heady days when giant ground sloths roamed the area. This crater also doesn’t have a forest to block your view of the destruction fast moving rocks can wreak.

Here, there is just a 4,000 foot wide hole.

Creative Commons picture by Marcin Wichary.

Creative Commons picture by Beige Alert.

Creative Commons picture by jurvetson.

This is incredibly gutsy. No matter how many times the math is carefully worked out on this one, only the most daring will actually attempt this. These are really really big rockets.

In fact, I am hard pressed to come up with a more gutsy action. Perhaps removing your own soon to explode appendix without anesthetic…but, that would usually fall into the “just crazy” category.

For those who would like to watch the launch of a humongous rocket that has people tied to it, the space shuttle discovery is scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on February 12th.

As gutsy and amazing as this action is, and as terrifyingly powerful as those rockets are, there are other reasons to find this interesting. Watching a hurricane form from above (space) can be really helpful in predicting hurricanes in general. We could even say that much of our present weather predictions (and thus many farming decisions) are dependent upon people having done this very gutsy action. Oh yeah, GPS, Satellite Television, and Google maps are also dependent upon such gigantic rockets and the people who have tied themselves to them.

Imagine retracing the path of pepper across the earth.

Though pepper now huddles unpretentiously on the table, it has seen the world. It has felt the monsoons of India and the dusts of Egypt. It has shaken empires and to retrace it’s path through history would be a true adventure.

1) Goa, India

This trip could start on the south western coast of India, in black pepper’s native land. Here your bare feet could feel the cool sand in the blue light of dawn. You could wander the spice markets and smell the tangy symphony of every spice at once. You could see the monuments built by the many who conquered parts of this coast to control black pepper. Then you could fall asleep swinging inside a hammock in the sticky red afternoon, listening to the Arabian sea.

2) Alexandria, Egypt

The next stop should be Egypt. From here the roman empire’s fleet of 120 ships would annually depart for the coast of India to retrieve black pepper. In Alexandria you could hear the call to prayer echo through narrow streets. Your teeth could crunch through the warm outer layer of round Falafel balls. You could see the overwhelming scale of things ancient.

3) Venice, Italy

Next to the city of water and light. Through the ports of this city pepper would flow to the rest of Europe and wealth would flow back. Here you could stroll the massive farmers markets of a city without farms. You could float past parties in the moonlight and hear harmonic voices sing at sunset. You could feel a cacophony of church bells wash over the city.

Creative Commons picture by i_yudai.

4) Lisbon, Portugal

Finally this journey would go to Lisbon. Here you could stroll past the golden limestone facade of Jeronimos Monastery, built to honor Vasco de Gama’s courageous new route to India’s spices. You could stand under the vaulted ceilings of the powerful Belem Tower and peak past the canons to the blue Atlantic. In the calm of mid-afternoon you could relax under the gently fluttering greens and reds of a bougainvillea. Here you could discover the restrained zing of black pepper, waiting for you.

Impressive: Check
Surprising amount of plants for the middle of a big city: Check
Make the Tiber look much cleaner that it does in person: Check

Creative Commons picture by lpiepiora.

However, these two cities bloomed at different times and in different ways. Though they may have a mythic status they lack the cool, overly complex, and contradictory storyline holding them together that comic books and Greek mythology have lead us to expect from true myths.

But, we could be missing something. Perhaps a connection that has an opposite effects in the two cities. Something like a city version of Dorian Grey and his painting. As one gets older, the other gets younger. As one flourishes the other stagnates. As one goes up, the other down.

Venice’s relationship with the sea is kind of like a chainsaw juggler’s relationship with chainsaws. It is what makes the city cool. However, it is what will probably destroy the city in the end. Part of the city has already sunk into the sea.

Rome has done the opposite. Over the ages it has risen. Debris is pilled upon debris. Ruins are neatly stacked one on top of the other. During the pantheon’s lifespan the level of the ground around it has gone up 15 feet. The arch of Septimius Severus was once half buried.

Who knows, maybe there is a myth-appropriate contradiction filled connection after all.

However many of the iconic roman sites are pretty good at collecting money from tourists. There is the entrance fee, then the cost of the guide book or audio tour, then if you would like a guide to actually lead you around that will cost still more. Not to mention all the guys dressed up as gladiators yelling things like “hey baby, want to take a picture?” They also charge.

The solution to these problems? Churches. They are majestic, incredible, many of them were built only with manpower, and they often don’t charge entrance fees. Take that…other majestic places.

Many of the churches do suggest a donation. Such donations are usually drastically less than the required entry fees of other attractions. However, leaving one can be a good idea, as it can support the upkeep of the church.

As well as being cheaper, churches can even be a little more pleasant. It is highly frowned upon to stand outside these churches dressed as a priest while yelling “hey baby, want to take a picture?” at passing women.

Sure, air conditioning has it’s down sides. It uses energy and it can inhibit social interaction by creating numerous closed in spaces rather than larger more communal areas. However, in other warm climates those ideological barriers have proven incapable of holding back something that feels so good it can be classified as “quasi-addictive.”

I would guess that the main reason for the limited use of air conditioning in Rome is simply that the buildings weren’t built for it. They are historic (pre-air conditining) buildings in a very history city. Why change something that has worked well for so long?

Still, when seen from the perspective of an Arizona resident it is amazing that it isn’t used much. In Arizona pretty much everything is air conditioned. The cars, the buses, the houses, even some parking garages. Yes, even the gigantic stadiums are air conditioned.

Considering how incredibly good air conditioning can feel on a hot day I wonder if there is another factor that I am missing. Could old buildings really have held an invention like air conditioning at bay? Perhaps there is a secret pact, or a conspiracy, involved. I hear that Rome is a good place for those.

Creative Commons picture by shioshvili.

These trees are committed to beauty. In the fall they expend great amounts of energy to produce a flash of beauty. With grace their magnificent color expands into the world around them making everything that much prettier. Deciduous trees are the makeover artists of the plant world, capable of turning an abandoned and rusting car into a jaw dropping work of art.

Awesome places to observe deciduous trees this coming fall:

1) The Ancient Aspen Grove at Fish Lake National Forest in Utah

Aspens are particularly amazing tree in the fall because whole groves change color at exactly the same time. Their roots are so interconnected that it is often argued that they are really one organism. The roots of this particular aspen grove is thought to be some 80,000 years old. They were sacrificing beauty for beauty even before the Trojan War.

2) From the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Southeast United States

An excellent way to marvel at a majestic seasonal transformation from the inside of your car. Plus, the people are really nice. I was once mountain biking here, broke my chain, and was quickly and generously offered a ride.

3) Washington DC

Not only is the leafy beauty amazing, but you can watch it secure in the knowledge that this is just one episode in the “which is the most beautiful tree” competition that rages here. When the spring comes the cherry trees will do their best to show up whatever you see here in the fall.

Good responses to this story

“I once dated a girl just like that”
“That’s what she said”
“Almost no other time has the discarding of a body part been so pretty.”

However, even if you think “the butterfly” is a type of pastry, Beijing has a lot to offer you. In the last few thousand years it has been able to accumulate a lot more than just the uneven bars. Here are three sights you shouldn’t miss on your next visit to the city formally known as Peking.

The Forbidden City

Creative Commons picture by r_neches.

In the category of “places that display the might of an empire” the forbidden city is arguably cooler than the death star. Visitors are allowed to see about 2/5 ths of this incredible palace complex. You can marvel at the beautiful yellow roofs (the color of the emperor) and vast courtyards secure in the knowledge that Darth Vader never ordered this complex to destroy a planet.

The Temple of Heaven

Creative Commons picture by [Satbir].

Since the emperor, who was regarded as the son of heaven, gets such a cool palace it only makes sense that there should be an incredible building dedicated to heaven itself. This is that building.

As you climb the three levels of engraved marble that make up the alter of heaven you can reflect on the fact that you stand where emperors of imperial china once went to pray.

If you show up early enough, you will also be able to see locals doing their morning tai chi in the parks surrounding the temple.

Rent a Bike and Wander The More Traditional Areas

Creative Commons picture by j.fisher.

Aside from the grandeur of monuments like the temple of heaven and the forbidden city the homes of the grassroots citizens of Beijing are also worthy of a look. Built around central courtyards, many of these siheyuan houses are still in use today.

Check out the reflection in his visor. It is of the astronaut who took this picture.

I can see the desolation, extreme isolation, and unfiltered bombardment of solar radiation…but that reflection. It strikes a cord in me that results in both amazement and a touch of fear.