 | Disappearing PlacesAn archive and collective map of places that no longer exist, at least not as they once did. |
Windiest, Coldest Place
Posted On Monday May 21, 2007 By Lisa Roberts
Here is a drawing I made in February 2002, from the top of Mount Henderson, south of Mawson station in Antarctica. The wave form on the right is my voice sounding the word “katabatic”. This is the name of the fierce wind driven by gravity from the top of Antarctica’s vast ice dome down to the coast.
Mawson is one of the windiest places on earth. But the day I drew this was complete stillness – so still I could hear the blood pumping through my head, and a penguin crying from the far away coast.
Antarctica is Gondwanaland nolonger. Once alive to the colours and sounds of myriad living things, the place is now a cold white desert.
The words, pictures and stories of a whalo (whale observer) first inspired me to go to Antarctica. They reminded me how, as a small child, I was told about this place, and how the pictures I was shown and words I had heard used to describe it had fascinated me. But I had never imagined myself there until meeting her.
Only when I arrived there did the words of Antarctica even begin to have meaning. The place had got to work on me, and I began to see my own Antarctic landscape; or at least a small part of it. And there was a sense of isolation in that. I know we all see the world differently, but I was more aware of that there than anywhere.
Tags: antarctica, ice, mawson, mountain, penguin, stillness
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The Cost Of Progress
Posted On Sunday May 6, 2007 By Kathy Dee
In January of 2006 I took my first trip to Puerto Morelos, Mexico. Puerto Morelos is a small, quaint fishing village about 20 miles south of Cancun, Mexico and 30+ miles north of Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. This strip of land is also known now as a part of the Mayan Riviera. You can view Puerto Morelos at Wikitravel @ http://wikitravel.org/en/Puerto_Morelos. Wikitravel is like Wikipedia except it’s for travel.
Puerto Morelos is about 2 miles long and 4 streets wide. There is a marsh to the west of the town that feeds the coral reef that protects Puerto Morelos from pounding surf. The small town has resisted the extensive development around them and has maintained its quaint and small village feel. One general store, a variety of wonderful eating places, and local artisans sell their hand made crafts. Every day in the afternoon you can go down to the town square when the fishing boats come in and buy a fresh caught fish and take it home and have a wonderful dinner. And if you are so inclined you can go snorkeling and see the amazing fish and wild life close very to the town square. The reef was made a national park and is now protected.
The ’06 trip was marvelous and I had such wonderful experiences I went back this year again. There was lots of growth and development. There is an apartment complex that has condos and time shares that had begun in 2006 and was complete this year. Landscaping, big drive ways and lots of living spaces were in place of the rebar wires and construction site. The locals love the development. Although I understand their interest in and pleasure with development I am personally concerned about the costs.
There was one special place I discovered last year. It is a magical beach called Punta Brava. Punta means brave and Brava I believe means spirit. So it is a brave spirit place. The surf pounds hard and it is a dangerous place for swimming. The shells on the beach are superb…In 2006 we were there just after a hurricane that devastated parts of Puerto Morelos and Punta Brava had an abundance of shells and the pounding surf mixed with shells washing up in the beach created this amazing music. I spent a good deal of time listening to the “music.”
On my trips to the beach I saw an alligator and several different kotomundi. Kotomundies look sort of like ant eaters with brown short fur. I was amazed at the wildlife. Last year, the habitat for the wild life was about 3 miles along the road. This year when I went back there was only about an eight of a mile left. There were no alligators or kotomundies. I did see snake tracks this year but I didn’t see any of the animals like I had seen in 2006.
I learned that by 2008 public access to Punta Brava will be gone. So as high cost condos and time shares increase there will be no more access to the animals that run wild along the road, the surf symphony and the pounding surf. And so it goes…..
Tags: alligators, animals, beach, development, kotomundis, mexico, morelos, music, puerto, walks, wild
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The View From Pinnacle Mountain
Posted On Monday March 26, 2007 By Matt
One of my favorite places in the world is Pinnacle Mountain, a state park just west of Little Rock, Arkansas. It’s such a great park because it’s so accessible. It’s a short drive from the city and you can easily climb to the summit in half an hour or so. There was a time in my life when I climbed every day, rain, sleet, or shine, sometimes 3 times in a row. I enjoyed the hike and the reward that is the view from the top so much climbing became a healthy obsession for me. You can see the Arkansas River, Lake Maumelle, forrest all around, and far off in the distance downtown Little Rock. I no longer live there, but whenever I have reason to return to Little Rock, I always try to make it out to Pinnacle. The last time I went I had a bit of a shock. Since my last trip they had completed a new Wal-Mart within a few miles of the park. The once picture perfect view from the summit is now scarred forever by this and other recent developments. And from here it will only get worse. The entire area will be filled with ugly strip malls within just a few years. This place of great natural beauty that was set aside to preserve such things for future generations is being ruined. The mountain’s close proximity to the city is now a curse as the city grows westward practically to it’s very base. How long before there is a McDonald’s across the street?
Tags: development, mountain, nature, park, preserve, wal-mart
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