Friday, December 31, 2010

Deadly Roads

1. Magnificient Guoliang Tunnel Road in China
- Road that does not tolerate any mistakes

The following roads did not quite make the list, but they continued to pop up in conversations around the world. These roads may not be "deadly" as such, but certainly require a keen concentration on driving, as the overbearing rock walls in many of them are not known to be a forgiving substance.




(images via 1, 2)

The road shown here is the Guoliang Tunnel in Taihang mountains (China). It has been built by villagers themselves, which is an inspiring story in itself:

"Before 1972, the path chiseled into the rock used to be the only access linking
the village with the outside world. Then the villagers decided to dig a tunnel through the rocky cliff. Led by Shen Mingxin, head of the village, they sold goats and herbs to buy hammers and steel tools. Thirteen strong villagers began the project. It took them five years to finish the 1,200-metre-long tunnel which is about 5 meters high and 4 meters wide. Some of the villagers even gave their lives to it. On May 1, 1977, the tunnel was opened to traffic."






(images via 1, 2)

The wall of the tunnel is uneven and there are more than 30 "windows" of different sizes and shapes. Some windows are round and some are square, and they range from dozens of metres long to standard-window-size. It is frightening to look down from the windows, where strange rocks hanging form the sheer cliff above and a seemingly bottomless pit lying below. A village, opposite the tunnel, appears to hang on the precipice.



(images via)

Source: Link (this blog possibly first solved the mystery on the location of some popular photos). Also more photos are here


Taroko Gorge Road in Taiwan (Chungheng)

Another one of quite unforgiving roads, consisting of tunnels carved in the mountain rock:




(images via)


Pasubio (Vicenza), Northern Italy

This is an ancient road, converted to a hiking trail. Mountain bikers love it for the spectacular views, cool tunnels and hair-raising precipices... Some cars (presumably small italian kind) climb the hairpins to service the guesthouse built there.







Wednesday, December 29, 2010

HD Pix

Place to Feel Dwarfed by Nature Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.us

1. Uluru, Australia
The massive rock - a.k.a. Ayers Rock - is climbed by 250 every day, despite pleas from local indigenous groups to refrain from doing so.
Place to Feel Dwarfed by Nature Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.us

2. Diving with whale sharks
The whale shark is the world's largest fish species and can grow to be longer than 40 feet. This shot was taken off Christmas Island, Australia, in January 2005.
Place to Feel Dwarfed by Nature Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.us

3. Cotopaxi, Ecuador
This volcano just south of Quito reaches an elevation of 5,897m (19,347ft) - often higher than the clouds.
Place to Feel Dwarfed by Nature Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.us

4. Redwood country, California
Taken in Stout Grove, Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
Place to Feel Dwarfed by Nature Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.us

5. Sea Kayaking, solo
Big water, small boat. Shot taken walking the Southwest Coast Path from Land's End to Plymouth, England.
Place to Feel Dwarfed by Nature Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.us



6. Great Ocean Road, Australia
The coast along one of the world's most spectacular roads is also good for a walk.
Place to Feel Dwarfed by Nature Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.us

7. Ponoras Cave, Romania
Things can get large underground too. Here, spelunkers from CSA explore "Mammoth Hall" in Romania's Transylvania region. The light trail was produced by a fast-moving caver with a headlamp.
Place to Feel Dwarfed by Nature Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.us

8. Snowfields, Rocky Mountains
This is no photoshop. It's Matador senior editor David Miller getting in some late-season turns in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Place to Feel Dwarfed by Nature Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.us

9. Desert, southern Peru
Sand accumulates into massive dunes in one of the driest deserts on Earth. Notice the city of Ica, Peru, in the distance - also dwarfed.
Place to Feel Dwarfed by Nature Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.us

10. Camping under the stars
So many stars. And camping the best way to let them overwhelm you. This shot was taken near Maupin, Oregon.
Place to Feel Dwarfed by Nature Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.us

11. Mount Bromo, Indonesia
This very active Javanese volcano attracts lots of tiny visitors up to its steaming rim.
Place to Feel Dwarfed by Nature Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.us
12. Yosemite National Park, California
Place to Feel Dwarfed by Nature Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.us

13. Antarctica
Travelers to Antarctica report losing all sense of distance - the geographic scale is so immense and the ice fields so flat and white. This is Lake Fryxell.
Place to Feel Dwarfed by Nature Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.us

14. Preikestolen, Norway
This rock has a great view of Lysefjorden and is a good place to get close to the edge.
Place to Feel Dwarfed by Nature Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.us

15. Mont Blanc, France
Europe's tallest mountain tops out at 4,810m (15,782ft)
Place to Feel Dwarfed by Nature Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.us

16. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
This salt plain is the world's largest and traps rainwater during wet winter months, creating a tripped-out sky mirror.
Place to Feel Dwarfed by Nature Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.us

17. On a cliff ascent
This one happens to be the curved limestone face of Malham Cove, North Yorkshire, England.
Place to Feel Dwarfed by Nature Seen On www.coolpicturegallery.us

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Winter Wave

Winter is the coldest season of the year. It is one of the most memorable times for people living in the four season countries because they will experience and enjoy the falling cottony snow. Aside from that, it is the season wherein the most fun and beautiful time of the year falls…Christmas. For photographers, winter is the best time to take pictures because the air is clear and the light is not a big factor to capture a great photo since the sun is low in the sky. For those who are living in the tropical countries, we could still enjoy the scenery of a freezing body of water, chilly leaves, snowy peak of mountains and snowy roads through these photos that we have compiled just for you.


Winter Photography

Mountain Graceful

Mountain Graceful

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Winter

The Old Man

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Winter Sleep

Winter Sleep

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Powder Blue Evening

Powder Blue Evening

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Winter Landscape

Winter Landscape

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Niagara Falls in Winter

Niagara Falls in Winter

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Winter Day

Winter Day

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Winter on the city3

Winter Wonderland in Texas

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Frozen Drop

Frost

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Kiilopaa-Lapland

Kiilopaa-Lapland

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Ice Age

Ice Age

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Dead Leaves

Dead Leaves

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Frozen Dawn

Frozen Dawn

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Beech Leaves

Wild Iceberg

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The Mountain Exhaled

The Mountain Exhaled

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Winter Crystals

Winter Crystals

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Finnish Winter

Finnish Winter

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Frosted Rose

Frosted Rose

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Galaverna

Galaverna

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Path of Winter

Path of Winter

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Winter Tree

Winter Tree

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First Snow

First Snow

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This Morning

This Morning

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Winter road

Siberian Winter

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Winter Virginity

Winter Virginity

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Surviving Winter

Winter Fairytale

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Winter Sunset- moment in Time

Double Running

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Winter Wonderland

Winter Wonderland

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Winter

Winter

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La Resistance

La Resistance

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