Ko Tao

Ko Tao (also often Koh Tao; , , ) is an island in Thailand and is part of the Chumphon Archipelago on the western shore of the Gulf of Thailand. It covers an area of about 21 km2 (8 sq mi). Administratively it is a subdistrict ("tambon") of Ko Pha-ngan District ("amphoe") of Surat Thani Province. its official population was 1,382. The main settlement is Ban Mae Haad.
The economy of the island is almost exclusively centered on tourism, especially scuba diving. Scuba diving is extremely popular in Ko Tao due to clear visibility, inexpensive pricing and the range of sealife to be seen.
History.
Before being settled the island would be occasionally visited by fishermen from neighbouring islands looking for shelter in a storm or just resting before continuing on their journeys.
It would appear from old maps and descriptions that this island was known by European cartographers and mariners as "Pulo Bardia", indicating that it was first settled by Malayo-Polynesian peoples. The old maps show a chain of three islands aligned north–south and lying off the east coast of the Malay Peninsula. The most northerly and smallest of these islands is marked P. Bardia, the name it had until the early 1900s. The best map example is by John Thornton from "The English Pilot, the Third Book", dated 1701, but the specific map of the Gulf of Siam is dated around 1677. Also see maps of the East Indies by William Dampier c.1697. By modern standards of accuracy, the islands are poorly placed on early maps. Seventeenth century marine navigation and cartography used the "backstaff" which, in this area, was accurate to one degree of longitude, or around 60 nautical miles.
"The Edinburgh Gazetteer, or Geographical Dictionary" published in 1827 also mentions the island and provides a geographical position. In his 1852 book titled "Narrative of a Residence in Siam." by Frederick Arthur Neale, the author describes the people and wildlife of Bardia. According to the account there were farms and even cows in a village on the bay lying on the west side of the island. The book includes a fanciful illustration of "Bardia" showing huts and palm trees.
Joseph Huddart in 1801 included these directions for navigating the islands, "To the N.W. by N are two islands of about the same height as Poolo Carnom [Ko Samui]; the first, called SANCORY [Ko Pha-ngan], is 7 leagues from Carnom; the other...,named BARDA, or "Bardia" [Ko Tao], is 7½ leagues from Sancory." (A league is approximately 3 nautical miles or 5.5 km.)
On 18 June 1899, King Chulalongkorn visited Ko Tao and left as evidence his monogram on a huge boulder at Jor Por Ror Bay next to Sairee Beach. This place is still worshiped today.
In 1933 the island started to be used as a political prison. In 1947 Khuang Abhaiwongse, prime minister at that time, pleaded and received a royal pardon for all prisoners on the island. Everybody was taken to the shore of Surat Thani and Ko Tao was abandoned again.
In the 1980s overseas travellers began to visit Ko Tao and it quickly became a popular destination. In the 1990s the island became known as a diving site.
Environment.
The island is an important breeding ground for hawksbill and green turtles. The development of tourism has negatively impacted the health of these grounds, but a breeding programme organised in 2004 by the Royal Thai Navy and KT-DOC, a coalition of local scuba diving centres, has reintroduced hundreds of juvenile turtles to the island's ecosystem.
Chumpon Pinnacle, a dive site to the west of the island has a reputation for divers in search of both whale sharks and bull sharks. However, because of warmer water temperatures over the last year a great number of bull sharks have migrated to cooler waters. The island is host to over 130 species of hard corals, and over 223 species of reef fishes belonging to 53 families.
Diving conditions have improved dramatically in the past few years with the continuing education of locals by the dive community. El Niño weather patterns caused a warming of the waters which resulted in the loss of a great deal of the shallow corals near the island. Since then, the recovery has been swift and dramatic. Ko Tao now offers some of the best scuba diving in the Gulf of Thailand. And with help by the island conservation group, Save Koh Tao, the island's environmental outlook is improving.
As one of the world's most popular diving destinations, more attention is being focused on the negative effects of diving on coral reef health around Ko Tao. Natural factors combined with over-use of some areas has led to an increase in the abundance of corallivores such as "Drupella" snails and the crown-of-thorns starfish around the island in recent years. In 2012, a Marine Zoning and Regulations Master Plan was developed for the island and subsequently become local law, but the positive effects of increased management have yet to be realized.
Tourism and development on the island has grown steadily for the last several decades, with public infrastructure often lagging far behind. Shortages of electricity and fresh water are common, and both solid and liquid waste management is inadequate. About 42,000 tonnes of solid waste are produced annually on the island, resulting in a 45,000 tonne garbage mountain while the island's waste incinerator sits idle.
Tourism.
Ko Tao is one of Thailand's most popular tourist spots. Although the "Bangkok Post" cannot decide if it receives 132,000 or three million visitors a year, it does receive a lot.
The island is well known for scuba diving and snorkeling, as well as hiking, rock climbing, and bouldering. The most popular place for tourists is Sairee on the west coast, which has a white sandy beach of 1.7 km interrupted only by a few huge boulders and a scattering of medium budget resorts and restaurants. Chalok Baan Khao, to the south of the island, is becoming increasingly popular as an alternative for those wishing to escape the crowds. A great many granite boulders, both in the forests and on the beaches of Ko Tao, attract a growing number of climbers. Koh Tao has a little over 25 dive sites to explore.
Ko Tao is less developed than Ko Samui and Ko Pha-ngan, but has become increasingly popular especially with the mid-20s backpacker crowd in search of relatively inexpensive scuba diving certification. For the past two years the demographics of the island have seen an age increase, with many of the visitors who first visited the island over ten years ago now returning with their families.
A series of tourist deaths – including murder and alleged suicide – particularly since 2014, has prompted some to advise that tourists avoid visiting Ko Tao. Some British tabloids labelling it as "Death Island". Although tourist arrivals to the island dropped in the months immediately following the murders in 2014, there was little lasting effect.
Population.
To serve the tourist population, some 3,000–5,000 Burmese workers staff the island. There is a dominant Thai family on the island that owns several dive schools, resorts, and bars.
Transportation.
Motorbikes are the main form of transport, however visitors are advised to drive responsibly as motorbikes are the main cause of injury to tourists in the area.
Ferries.
Ferry companies Lomprayah, Seatran, and Songserm serve Ko Tao from:
All ferries dock at Ban Mae Haad. Journey times vary due to the different boats used by the various ferry companies.
Air.
Ko Tao has no airport, but connections to high speed catamarans and ferries are available at three airports.
Rail.
Train services are available to Chumphon where ferries are available.


Yakima Scenic Byway


Beer Can House

The Beer Can House is a folk art house in Rice Military, Houston, Texas, covered with beer cans, bottles, and other beer paraphernalia.
Houstonian John Milkovisch worked through the late 1960s to transform his Houston home at 222 Malone Street into the Beer Can House. The Beer Can House is now one of Houston's most recognizable folk art icons. It is covered with flattened beer cans, bottle caps, bottles, and other beer ephemera. The house is estimated to include over 50,000 beer cans.
Milkovisch started his project in 1968 inlaying thousands of marbles, rocks, brass figures and metal pieces in concrete blocks and redwood, all of which were used to make patios, fences, flower boxes, and an array of other items. The result was a yard with no grass, as the entire front and back yards were covered with cement. When asked why he did it, John simply answered, "I got sick of mowing the grass."
Today, the Beer Can House is owned and operated by The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, a non-profit organization founded in 1980 to preserve and present works of extraordinary imagination and provide people the opportunity to express personal artistic vision.
On March 2004, John Milkovisch was named Man of the Week on Spike TV. In 2010 comedy news site Cracked.com said, "if there's ever a vote on who the awesomest guy ever was, John Milkovisch ought to at least be on the ballot."


Hutatma Anant Kanhere Maidan

Anant Kanhere Maidan is a cricket ground in Nashik, Maharashtra, India. Formerly the stadium was known as Golf Club Ground. The ground is named after Hutatma Anant Kanhere, who was a freedom-fighter from Nasik. The ground has facilities of jogging track, cricket stadium, and sports complex.
This was home ground for Maharashtra cricket team since the dispute over the Nehru Stadium in Pune until the new stadium was constructed in Pune.
Events.
The ground registered its first-class match between Maharashtra cricket team and Tamil Nadu cricket team in 2005/06 Ranji Trophy season and the match was full of entertainment as match was won the home team Maharashtra by 9 wickets.
In the 2008/09 season the match between Maharashtra cricket team and Tamil Nadu cricket team saw the triple century from Tamil Nadu's Abhinav Mukund and double century from Murali Vijay. Both were immediately drafted in Indian side and where Vijay made his debut.
The ground has hosted matches of Polly Umrigar Trophy, Vijay Merchant Trophy, CK Nayudu Trophy, and Cooch Behar Trophy since the 2003/04 season. The ground also hosted a match between Bangladesh and Maharashtra under-22s in September 2009. The included Bangladeshi stars like Rajin Saleh, Imrul Kayes, and Suhrawadi Shuvo etc.
The ground also hosted the semi-final of 2010/11 Ranji Trophy season between Maharashtra and Rajasthan. The match was drawn but Rajasthan won by first innings lead.
The ground is one of the few grounds in India which has registered two or triple centuries.


Small Isles

The Small Isles ("") are a small archipelago of islands in the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland. They lie south of Skye and north of Mull and Ardnamurchan – the most westerly point of mainland Scotland.
The islands form part of the Lochaber area of the Highland council area. Until 1891 Canna, Rùm and Muck were historically part of the shire of Argyll; Eigg was historically part of Inverness-shire. All of the Small Isles were in Inverness-shire between 1891 and 1975, and remain part of the registration county of Inverness for land registration and statistical purposes. A single community council covers the islands.
Name.
"Small Isles" is the name of the conterminous civil parish and former Church of Scotland parish, originally created in 1726 from part of Sleat parish, the balance of which lies on the much larger island of Skye. The original name of the new parish was Eigg or Short Isles. "In process of time the name was by an easy transition changed from 'Short' to 'Small' Isles." The islands are not especially small, with Rùm being the 15th largest in Scotland. The Gaelic name of "" translates as "cross isles" referring to the islands position between Morar and the Uists.
Geography.
The four main islands are Canna, Rùm, Eigg and Muck. The largest is Rùm with an area of .
Smaller islands surrounding the main four include:
There are also a number of skerries:
Demographics.
According to the 2011 census, the total population of the Small Isles was 153. Five of the islands are inhabited: Eigg (83), Muck (27), Rùm (22), Canna (12) and Sanday (9).
The inhabited islands are in contrasting forms of ownership: Canna (along with the tidally linked Sanday) is owned by a national conservation charity, the National Trust for Scotland; Eigg has been owned by a local community trust since 1997; Muck remains in private ownership; and Rùm is largely in the hands of the state (via NatureScot), although some land in and around the only village (Kinloch) is owned by a community trust.
Transport.
A Caledonian MacBrayne ferry, , links the Small Isles to each other and to the mainland port of Mallaig. The ferry runs a daily service, calling at different islands depending on the day of the week; there are two calls at certain islands on each day to allow for day visits to and from each island. The Lochnevis has a landing craft-style stern ramp allowing vehicles to be driven onto and off the vessel at a new slipway constructed in 2001, however visitors are not normally permitted to bring vehicles to the Small Isles. During the summer months the islands are also served by Arisaig Marine's passenger ferry "MV Sheerwater" from Arisaig, south of Mallaig. Timetables are also arranged to allow time onshore on different islands depending on the day of the week.
Nature and conservation.
The Small Isles are all important for their wildlife, with Rùm being designated as both a national nature reserve and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). Rùm is home to one of the world’s largest colony of Manx shearwater, and was the location for the first stage of the reintroduction of white-tailed sea-eagles into Scotland, with 82 birds being released between 1975 and 1985. Rùm, and Canna and Sanday (jointly), are designated as Special Protection Areas (SPA) due their birdlife, with all three islands hosting important breeding populations of guillemots and kittiwakes. The Canna and Sanday SPA is also designated due to its importance to breeding Atlantic puffins and shags, whilst the Rùm SPA designation notes the presence of golden eagles, Manx shearwaters, and red-throated divers.
Around of the waters around Rùm, Canna and the low-lying rocky islet of Oigh-sgeir have been designated as the Small Isles Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area (NCMPA). Of particular note is that this area holds the UK's only known colony of fan mussels. The seas surrounding all of the Small Isles have also been designated as a SAC due to their importance for harbour porpoises.
The islands and surrounding sea area together form the Small Isles national scenic area, one of the forty such areas in Scotland, which are defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure its protection from inappropriate development. The designated area covers in total, of which is on land and the remaining is marine (i.e. below low tide level).


Channel Point Coastal Reserve

Channel Point Coastal Reserve is a protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia.
It is situated approximately south west of Darwin opposite the Peron Islands and between the mouth of the Daly River and Channel Point. The reserve overlaps with the Anson Bay, Daly and Reynolds River Floodplains, an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area.
Facilities in the area include a boat ramp, camping area and a small internal road to the boat ramp. The infrastructure development was commenced in 2006 and completed shortly afterward.
The area contains habitat for many species of birds including royal spoonbills, magpie geese, plumed whistling-duck, grey teal and glossy ibis.
See also.
Protected areas of the Northern Territory


Compton Fashion Fair


Harrison P. Young House

The Harrison P. Young House is a home in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois, United States. The 1870s era building was remodeled extensively by famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, early in his career, in 1895. The home's remodeling incorporated elements that would later be found in Wright's pioneering, early modern Prairie style. Some of the remodel work included setting the home back an additional 16 ft (4.88 m) from the street and an overhanging porch over the driveway. The House is similar in some ways to Wright's other early work and was influenced by his first teacher, Joseph Silsbee. The house is considered a contributing property to both a local and federally Registered Historic District.
Architecture.
The Harrison P. Young House was first built during the 1870s for Harrison P. Young based upon a design by William E. Coman. In 1895 it was remodeled by famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright for the same client. The Young House is atypical to the other design work by Wright found in the neighborhood, though, its steeply pitched roof is closely identified with some of his other early work. The Young House was perhaps most influenced by Wright's design for the Nathan G. Moore House, which was designed during the same period in a Tudor Revival style. Wright's 1895 remodel was significant and included structural modifications; before any other work began the house was pushed back an additional 16 ft (4.88 m) from the street.
Following on, Wright affixed a large addition to the home, faced with narrow banded clapboarding (found in much of Wright's early work), the addition held a new living room, second-floor bedroom and a large porch. Wright's sweeping, utilitarian porch overhangs, meant to allow access to the carriage during the rain, were cantilevered over the entry drive. It is the sweep of Wright's eaves, throughout the remodel, that give the home a distinctly modern Wrightian character. The high-pitched gabled roof is reminiscent of the roof lines in the Irving Clark House in suburban LaGrange, Illinois. In the Clark house too, the main gable of the house is bisected by another perpendicular gable. Both homes also feature prominent chimneys constructed from Roman brick. Chimneys such as these became hallmarks of Wright's Prairie style work and of his work throughout his career. The large chimney is symbolic of the significance of the hearth in a warm, family-centered environment.
In the Young House some of the elements that Wright would go to use in his signature early modern Prairie style are recognizable. The most obvious element which is immediately visible is the thin, narrow clapboarding, which provides some of the horizontal emphasis for which Prairie style is known. Other features are more representative of Wright's earliest work with architect Joseph Silsbee, such as the soaring roof lines.
Significance.
The house is most significant for the preview it gives of Wright's Prairie style, and the home utilizes many elements that would later become an important part of that school. The house is also recognized by the United States federal government as a contributing property to the Frank Lloyd Wright-Prairie School of Architecture Historic District. The village of Oak Park has its own, local version of the federal historic district and the Young House is part of that district as well. The federal Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on December 4, 1973.


Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Refuge

Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Refuge is a sensitive sand dune habitat located near the city of Antioch, California on the south shore of the San Joaquin River-Stockton Deepwater Shipping Channel. It serves as a refuge for three endangered species of plants and insects, and is closed to the public except for tours and events supervised by Refuge staff. The Refuge was established in 1980. It is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Habitat restoration project.
A project to restore wildlife habitat, sponsored by the Port of Stockton and implemented by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, began during 2013. This work involves dredging sandy spoil from the San Joaquin River and pumping it to the Antioch Dunes. The purpose is to spur population growth of the Lange's metalmark butterfly The process employs a hydraulic cutter-suction dredger, which pumps the sand-water mixture through a fish screen. The mixture flows through a series of berms, which separate the sand from the water, which is pumped back to the river. The sand is then distributed onshore. When the sand is in place, the project will replant it with buckwheat and two endangered plants.
Endangered species.
The species protected at Antioch Dunes are Lange's metalmark butterfly, the Antioch Dunes evening primrose, and the Contra Costa wallflower. See the Lange's metalmark article for some background on the decline of the Antioch Dunes habitat prior to the formation of the Refuge. The number of metalmark butterflies has declined from 2,342 in 1999 to 45 in 2006. There were 78 in 2013.


Wilderness Area


Kaluzhskiye Zaseki Nature Reserve

Kaluzhskiye Zaseki Nature Reserve () (or Kaluzhskie Zaseki for short) is a Russian "zapovednik" (strict ecological reserve). "Zaseki" in Russian means abatises, field fortifications made of felled trees. In medieval times, the Kaluga region was part of the defensive line between the Russian forests to the north and potential invaders from the south. The reserve has been protected in some form for a thousand years, and remains old-growth forest. The reserve is situated in the Ulyanovsky District, Kaluga Oblast. It was formally established in 1992 and has an area of .
Topography.
The Kaluzhskiye Zaseki Reserve sits on a mosaic of different soil types—black earth supporting broad-leaf forest, sandy soils supporting pine forests, grey-forest soil of northern forests, and steppe grassland. The terrain is gently rolling hills with riverine gullies and ravines over glacial moraines and eroded soil. The Vytebet River passes near the security zone, and there is a network of small rivers and forest streams. There are two sections to the reserve, about equal in size and separated north-south from each other by about 12 km.
Climate and ecoregion.
Kaluzhskiye Zaseki is located in the "East European forest steppe" ecoregion, a transition zone between the broadleaf forests of the north and the grasslands to the south.. This ecoregion is characterized by a mosaic of forests, steppe, and riverine wetlands.
The climate of Kaluzhskiye Zaseki is "Humid continental climate, warm summer" (Köppen climate classification (Dfb)). This climate is characterized by large swings in temperature, both diurnally and seasonally, with mild summers and cold, snowy winters. In Kaluzhskie, the average temperature in January is , and in July is . Precipitation ranges from 450 to 700 mm/year, with maximum rainfall in July. The prevailing winds are westerly and south-westerly.
Flora and fauna.
The reserve is 96% covered with forest, of which about 25% is broad-leaf forest characterized by lime, oak, ash, elm and maple. Another 25% of the forest is birch in the secondary forests. Twelve percent of the area is pine forest, and an equal amount in spruce. Scientists on the reserve have recorded over 400 species of vascular plants and over 500 species of mushrooms.
Kaluzhskiye is working, along with Orlovskoye Polesye National Park, to reintroduce the European bison to Central Russia. As of 2013, there were 84 bison in the Kaluzhskie herd, which appeared to be healthy and growing. The bison seek forested tracts with small meadows.
Ecoeducation and access.
As a strict nature reserve, the Kaluzhskiye Zaseki Reserve is mostly closed to the general public, although scientists and those with environmental education purposes can make arrangements with park management for visits. There are, however, ecotourist routes in the reserve that are open to the public but which require permits to be obtained in advance. The northern sector has 2.7 km of guided trails with information boards and is accessible to casual hikers and children. There are three trails on the southern tract, with over 5 km total on circular routes that highlight the flora and fauna of the region and provide vantages for bird watching. The reserve sponsors a nature education center that is open to the public daily. The main office is in the village of Ulyanovo.


Manimahesh Lake

Manimahesh Lake (also known as Dal Lake, Manimahesh) is a high altitude lake (elevation ) situated close to the Manimahesh Kailash Peak in the Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas, in the Bharmour subdivision of Chamba district of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The religious significance of this lake is next to that of the Lake Manasarovar in Tibet.
The lake is the venue of a highly revered pilgrimage trek undertaken during the month of August/September corresponding to the month of Bhadon according to Hindu calendar, on the eighth day of the New Moon period. It is known as the ‘Manimahesh Yatra’. The Government of Himachal Pradesh has declared it as a state-level pilgrimage.
There are two trekking routes to the lake. One is from Hadsar village that is mostly frequented by pilgrims and trekkers. This route is easier and have adequate arrangement for basic food and accommodation during the pilgrimage season. The other one is from village Holi, which is for the more adventurous ones. This route climbs up further and then descends to the lake, providing a beautiful view. There is no other habitation, except for a small village on this route.
Legend.
According to one popular legend, it is believed that Lord Shiva created Manimahesh after he married Goddess Parvati, who is worshipped as Mata Girija. There are many legends narrated linking Lord Shiva and his show of displeasure through acts of avalanches and blizzards that occur in the region.
Legend also mentions that Shiva performed penance on the banks of Manimahesh Lake. In the same vein, it is mentioned that Gaddis (Shepherd), the tribes of this region, adopted Lord Shiva as their deity. Gaddis are the people who reside in the Gaddi Valley which is the name of the upper regions of Ravi River where the Mount Chamba Kailash lies. Further, according to the legend, the Shiva, who lived in Mount Kailash, the highest mountain of the state, gifted the Gaddis with a Chuhali topi (pointed cap), which they wear traditionally along with their other dress of chola (coat) and dora (a long black cord about 10–15 m long). The Gaddis started calling the land of this mountainous region as 'Shiv Bhumi' ("Land of Shiva") and themselves as devotees of Shiva. The legend further states that before Shiva married Parvati at Lake Manasarovar and became the "universal parents of the universe", Shiva created the Mount Kailash in Himachal Pradesh and made it his abode. He made Gaddis his devotees. The land where Gaddis lived extended from west of Bharmaur, upstream of the confluence of Budhil and Ravi rivers, up to Manimahesh. Manimahesh was also considered the abode of the three Lords of the universe namely, Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. Manimahesh was reckoned as the heaven (Kaliasa) of Lord Shiva. The waterfall seen at the Dhancho on the way to Manimahesh Lake, and which emanates from the lake, was considered as the heaven (Vaikunta) of Vishnu. The heaven of Bramha is cited as a mound overlooking the Bharmaur city. The Gaddis also believe that Shiva resides in the Mount Kailash for six months, whereafter he moves to the netherworld handing over the reigns to Lord Vishnu. The day he departs to the netherworld is observed by the Gaddis reverentially every year, which is the Janmashtami day, the eighth day of the month of Bhadon (August), the birthday of Lord Krishna (an incarnation of Lord Vishnu). Shiva returned from the netherworld to Bharamaur at the end of February, before the night of his wedding and this day is observed as the Shivratri day; Gaddis observe this also as a festive day since Shiva and Parvati returned to Mount Kailash in the Gaddi land.
Etymology of 'Manimahesh' signifies a "jewel (Mani) on Lord Shiva's (Mahesh's) crown". According to a local legend, the moon-rays reflected from the jewel can be seen from Manimahesh Lake on clear full moon night (which is a rare occasion). However, it has been inferred that such a phenomenon could be the result of reflection of light from the glacier that embellishes the peak in the form of a serpent around Shiva's neck.
A legend in which Lord Shiva himself is tricked is narrated. According to this narration linked to Dhancho where pilgrims spend a night on their way to Manimahesh Lake, Lord Shiva, pleased with the devotion of one of his ardent devotees Bhasmasur (an asura or demon) bestowed a boon, which gave powers to Bhasmasur under which Bhasmasur touching anyone would reduce that person to ashes. Bhasmasur wanted to try this boon on Shiva himself. He, therefore, followed Shiva to touch him and get rid of him. However, Shiva managed to escape and enter into the waterfall at Dhancho and take shelter in a cave behind the rolling waters of the fall. Bhasmasur could not get through the waterfall. Then, Lord Vishnu intervened and killed Bhasamasur. Since then the fall is considered holy
A rare event of the first sun’s rays falling on the Mani Mahesh peak is seen in reflection in the lake like saffron tilak. This display in the lake has enhanced the legendary belief of the Gaddis on the sanctity of Manimahesh Lake at the base of the Mount Kailash, which they visit on an annual pilgrimage. This event has also contributed to the practice of taking bath in the lake on Janmashtami day or Radhashtami day, fifteen days after the birth of Lord Krishna.
Geography.
The lake, of glacial origin, is in the upper reaches of the Ghoi nala(refer Leomann maps:India Himalaya Map 4) which is tributary of Budhil river, a tributary of the Ravi River in Himachal Pradesh. However, the lake is the source of a tributary of the Budhil River, known as ‘Manimahesh Ganga’. The stream originates from the lake in the form of a fall at Dhancho. The mountain peak is a snow clad tribal glen of Brahamur in the Chamba district of manimahesh range. The highest peak is the Mani Mahesh Kailas, also called ‘Chamba Kailash' (elevation ) overlooking the lake. The lake, considered a glacial depression, is sourced by snow-melt waters from the surrounding hill slopes. Towards the end of June with ice beginning to melt, numerous small streams break up everywhere, which together with the lush green hills and the myriad of flowers give the place a truly remarkable view. The snow field at the base of the mountain is called by the local people as Shiva’s Chaugan Shiva's playground. According to a belief, Lord Shiva stayed here with his consort Parvati.
Manimahesh is approached from three routes. Pilgrims from Lahaul and Spiti pass through Kugti pass. Pilgrims from Kangra and Mandi take the Karwarsi pass or Jalsu pass via Tyari village, near Holi in Bharmour. The easiest and popular route is from Chamba via Bharmour. The most popular is the Bhanrlour–Hadsar-Manimahesh route which involves a track from Hadsar village to the Manimahesh Lake. The highest altitude touched in this route is and it takes two days with an overnight stay at Dhancho. Season to be undertaken is June to October and it has a gentle grade. The path leading to the lake is well maintained.
Halfway up this track is of open and flat meadow land to Dhancho. Tented accommodation is available here during August–September. Night halt is preferred here. Free kitchens are opened by people to feed pilgrims. But many prefer to go and pitch their tents next to the lake to feel a divine experience. En route, there is waterfall at Gauri Nallah known as the Dhancho fall. From Dhancho, it is a steep climb. This track has seen lot of improvements over the years. In the past the first climb was first done by crossing Dhancho nalla. It was so tough that people used to crawl to get across. Since they used to crawl like a monkey in this stretch it was known as 'Bandar Ghati' (monkey valley). Now this track is much improved and the newly constructed path is used. However, some still prefer to take the old route as an adventure and go through the Bandar Ghati.
In the past, on the trek from Dhancho, the bridge over the Mani Mahesh river was crossed to reach the left bank of the valley. After , the river was again crossed, over another wooden bridge, to the right bank.
From this point, the climb passes through many zigzag paths along flowered meadows. Birch trees are seen in the vicinity, which indicates a gain in altitude as the trek proceeds. Along this stretch of the trek route, there are a number community kitchens (eateries) at about elevation. From this location, the trail to Mani Mahesh Lake could be discerned. The waterfall, flowing from the lake, is also seen at this stage. A further trek of through the grassy ridges leads to the Manimahesh Lake.
Lake and its precincts.
Even though the Manimahesh Lake is of small size with shallow depth, its location, directly below Manimahesh Kailas peak and several other peaks and dangling glaciers, is an "inspiration even to the least devout pilgrim."
Trekking in the last reach is through the glacier fields of the lake. However, on the way, the walk is through the valley of flowers and wild medicinal herbs up to the lake. The lake is situated at the centre of a snowy field touching the sacred peak. The lake is surrounded by sandy boulders, small hilly mounds and prickly dry bushes, and there is no sign of any grass. It is called Shiv Chaugan (play ground of Lord Shiva). The lake appears as if it has penetrated the rugged valley. On a clear day the reflection of the abode of Shiva, the Kailash Mountain can be seen on the lake surface. All the year round, the place remains desolate, without any inhabitants, because none dares to stay here. The air is fresh but icy cold. There are almost no fauna in the lake at its precincts – no ants, snakes or any kind of wild life. A few Bird species are sighted rarely. The silence of the place is broken only when the pilgrims visit the place in large numbers, an evening before the holy dip (locally known as "naun") in the lake.
According to legend, Lord Shiva performed penance for several hundred years here. The water cascades sprang out from his matted hair and took the form of the lake. The lake as formed appears like a saucer. It has two distinct parts. The larger part has icy cold water, called the 'Shiv Karotri' (the bathing place of Lord Shiva). The smaller part of the lake, which is hidden by the bushes, has lukewarm water and is called 'Gauri Kund', the bathing place of Parvati, Shiva's consort. Thus, men and women bathe in different parts of the lake. According to rites, the dip (called locally as "naun") in the lake is taken four times, if permitted or otherwise only once.
In the periphery of the lake, now there is a marble image of Lord Shiva, which is worshipped by pilgrims. The image is called the Chaumukha. The lake and its surroundings present an impressive view. The still, clear and unpolluted waters of the lake reflect the snow-capped peaks that overlook the valley. There is also a small temple in the shikhara style on the periphery of the lake. A brass image of Lakshmi Devi known as Mahishasuramardini is deified in the temple.
Pilgrimage.
The holy pilgrimage to the Manimahesh Lake (revered by local people as resting place of Lord Shiva) is supported by the Government of Himachal Pradesh, Manimahesh Pilgrimage Committee and several voluntary organizations. For the Gaddi tribal population of the region, pilgrimage to the lake is most holy. It is held every year during the Hindu month of Badon on Radhastami, the 15th day following the festival of Janmashtami, corresponding to the Gregorian month of August or September. The Yatra or Jatra, as it is called, is also popularly known as the 'Manimahesh Yatra'. It is heralded by a procession known locally as "holy chhari" (holy stick carried by the pilgrims on their shoulders) trek undertaken by pilgrims and sadhus. Pilgrims undertake the holy trek barefoot and cover a distance of from the nearest road point of Hadsar to the Manimahesh Lake. Lord Shiva is the presiding deity of the yatra. The colorful procession of the "chhari" is accompanied by singing and recitation of hymns in praise of Lord Shiva. The Chhari trek, considered a tough trek, follows a set ancient route with stops at the designated places. To facilitate this trek, pilgrims are provided with facilities of transport (jeeps up to road ends), food and medical facilities and so forth. It is a two-day trek to the lake from Hadsar with a night halt at Dhanchho. Tents are available for hire at Bharmour or Chamba, Himachal Pradesh. Ponies are hired by some devotees for the trek. Direct trekking from Chamba is also an option undertaken by the devout, which is a nine-day trek; the route followed is Rakh (), Bharmaur, Hadsar (), Dhancho () and Manimahesh () with a brief halt at Bhiram Ghati. The return trip follows the same route.
The holy trek starts from the Laxmi Narayan temple and the Dashnami Akhara in Chamba town, with the sacred stick ('Chhari') of Gur Charpathnath carried by the pilgrims with participation of sadhus. The trek to the lake takes about 6 days. After the procession arrives at the lake, ceremonies are held all through the night. On the following day, pilgrims take a holy dip ("naun") in the lake. After taking bath in the holy waters of the lake, pilgrims circumambulate the lake three times as an act of reverence, seeking blessings of the Lord Shiva. However, before taking a final dip in the Mani Mahesh Lake, women devotees take a dip at the Gauri Khund, which is situated about a mile short of the lake while men take bath at Shiv Karotri a part of the main lake. The belief is that Parvati, Shiva’s consort bathed at the Gauri Khund, while Shiva took his bath at the Shiv Karotri. State priests of Bharmaur Brahmin family perform the worship (Pujas) in all temples within the lake precincts.


Moidart

Moidart ( ; ) is part of the remote and isolated area of Scotland, west of Fort William, known as the Rough Bounds. Moidart itself is almost surrounded by bodies of water. Loch Shiel cuts off the eastern boundary of the district (along a south-south-west to north-north-east line) and continues along part of the southern edge. The remainder of the southern edge is cut off by Loch Moidart. The north is cut off by Loch Morar and Loch Ailort.
Moidart is currently part of the district of Lochaber, in the Highland council area. It includes the townships of Dorlin, Kinlochmoidart and Glenuig. At Dorlin is Castle Tioram, a former fortress of Clann Ruaidhrí and the Clanranald branch of Clan Donald.
Moidart forms part of the Morar, Moidart and Ardnamurchan National Scenic Area, one of 40 such areas in Scotland, which are defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure its protection by restricting certain forms of development.
History.
Early history.
Following raids by vikings, Moidart became part of the Kingdom of the Isles, a Norwegian dependency. It was in this period that Moidart acquired its name, from the Old Norse "mod", meaning "mud", and the Norse suffix "-art", derived from "fjord"; the whole name thus means "muddy loch", and refers to Loch Moidart in particular (whose name is thus tautologous). In the late 11th century, Malcolm III of Scotland made a written agreement with Magnus Barelegs, the Norwegian king, which moved the border to the coast; Moidart thus became Scottish.
In the early 12th century, Somerled, a Norse-Gael of uncertain origin, came into possession of Moidart and the surrounding region; no reliable record explains how this happened, but at some point in the 1140s, David I of Scotland's control of the region had been eroded. In the early part of the century, in the 1130s, Somerled launched a coup in the Kingdom of the Isles, which resulted in that kingdom joining his other possessions, as a single independent state. Upon Somerled's death, Norwegian authority was restored, but in practice, the kingdom was divided; the portion containing Moidart was known as "Garmoran", and ruled by the MacRory, a faction among Somerled's heirs.
Following the 1266 Treaty of Perth, Garmoran became a Scottish crown dependency - the "Lordship of Garmoran" - still ruled by the MacRory, until the sole MacRory heir was Amy of Garmoran. At around this time, Castle Tioram was built, in Loch Moidart, as the principal seat of the Lordship of Garmoran. Most of the remainder of the Kingdom of the Isles had become the "Lordship of the Isles", ruled by the MacDonalds, whose leader, John of Islay, married Amy. After the birth of three sons, he divorced Amy and married the king's niece, in return for a substantial dowry.
As part of the arrangement, John deprived his eldest son, Ranald, of the ability to inherit the Lordship of the Isles, in favour of a son by his new wife; as compensation, he made Ranald the Lord of Garmoran.
However, at the end of the 14th century, on Ranald's death, his sons were still children, and Ranald's younger brother Godfrey took the opportunity to seize the Lordship of Garmoran. Furthermore, the heirs of Ranald's other brother Murdoch now made their own claim. This involved Godfrey's family (the Siol Gorrie) and those of his brothers in a great deal of violent conflict which is not described in much detail in surviving records.
In 1427, frustrated with the level of violence generally in the highlands, together with the insurrection caused by his own cousin, King James I demanded that highland magnates should attend a meeting at Inverness. On arrival, many of the leaders were seized and imprisoned. Alexander MacGorrie, son of Godfrey, was considered to be one of the two most reprehensible, and after a quick showtrial, was immediately executed. As Alexander had by now inherited Godfrey's de facto position as Lord of Garmoran, and in view of Ranald's heirs being no less responsible for the violence, King James declared the Lordship forfeit.
Lairdship grants.
In 1469, James' grandson (James III) granted Lairdship of the lands of Garmoran and Uist to John, the Lord of the Isles. In turn, John passed it to his own half-brother, Hugh of Sleat; the grant to Hugh was confirmed by the king in a 1493 charter. The violence that led to Alexander's execution had brought the Siol Gorrie to the brink of extinction, and after Alexander's death they played no further part in Moidart's history.
Ranald's heirs (Clan Ranald) disputed and fought against the charter. Following Hugh of Sleat's death, in 1498, and for reasons that are not remotely clear, his son John immediately resigned, transferring all authority to the king. In 1532, the king granted Moidart to the leader of Clan Ranald, John "Moidartach". The charter granting him the lands also acknowledged his ownership of the lands of his former uncle, "Ranald Bane", who had been granted the adjacent lands of Arisaig some 30 years earlier.
In 1609, following a degree of lawlessness in the region, John's grandson Donald was imprisoned. Donald was only released on condition of being obedient to the king, James VI, and the king's law; in return, James granted Donald a second charter to his lands.
Later history.
The Rough Bounds became a hotbed of Jacobite sympathy. Following the failure of the Jacobite rising of 1745, it was the last part of Scotland in which Bonnie Prince Charlie found sanctuary. Finally leaving Scotland from Loch nan Uamh, he took seven prominent men with him, who despite their places of origin became known as the "Seven Men of Moidart" (the Second Duke of Atholl, Aeneas MacDonald - brother of the local Laird, Francis Strickland - an English squire, George Kelly - Irish Presbyterian minister, and three Irishmen serving as French soldiers); a commemorative row of beech trees was planted a century later.
Unlike many other areas of Jacobite sympathy, no attempt was made to establish a military road into Moidart, and it remained without road access until the A861 was built, in 1966 (after receiving approval in 1963). Prior to that, other than a rough footpath, it could only be accessed by a ferry running between Lochailort (at the north of Moidart) and Glenuig (in the west). It wasn't until 1988 that it became possible for residents to have a connection to the mains electricity supply.
The remoteness ensured the persistence both of Catholicism, despite the Scottish Reformation, and of the Gaelic language. The area remained strongly Gaelic-speaking until the mid 20th century – in the 1881 census, around 90% of the population were able to speak Gaelic and over a third unable to speak English, though by 2001 the share of Gaelic speakers had declined to under 15% of habitual residents.
The lack of connectivity before the 1960s also made the area an ideal training location for special operational units during World War II. Several SOE paramilitary training bases were sited in the area, and HMS "Dorlin" was established at Dorlin, and used for training of Royal Navy Beach Signals and Royal Signals sections.


Barbours Creek Wilderness

Barbours Creek Wilderness is a U.S. wilderness area in the Eastern Divide Ranger District of George Washington and Jefferson National Forests of western Virginia, United States. The wilderness area was established in 1988 and consists of of forests in the Appalachian Mountains ranging in elevation from .
The area is part of the Barbours Creek-Shawvers Run Cluster.
Location and access.
Located about five miles north of New Castle, Virginia, the wilderness is bounded on the west by the crest of Potts Mountain, on the east by Barbour’s Creek and Va 617, and on the south by Forest Service Road 176.
The only maintained trail in the area, Lipes Branch Trail, follows along Lipes Branch for 1.7 miles with a trailhead near the Pines Campground.
The hike along Lipes Branch Trail can be extended to a total of 2.3 miles by continuing along Lipes Branch beyond the maintained section of Lipes Branch Trail, continuing to the Potts Mountain Jeep Trail, and turning left onto the jeep trail to reach the next knob with a rock outcrop on the right.
Another view of the wilderness is gained by hiking along the Potts Mountain Jeep Trail beginning at trailheads on either FS 176 or Va 617. The 7.3 mile jeep trail is not in the wilderness, but directly next to the wilderness forming the western boundary.
Natural history.
There are two major types of forests in the wilderness, a forest with northern red oak, hickory, birch and some mountain ash along the drier slopes at the top of the mountain, and another with white pine, hemlock and white oak in moist areas along Barbours Creek and some mountain hollows.
In April, 2012, a wind-swept fire, originating on the Potts Mountain Jeep Trail, burned a large section of the wilderness, destroying the canopy along the tops of side-ridges and leaving scarred trees still present today.
Potts Pond, a site identified by the Virginia Natural Heritage Program, contains sphagnum moss, ferns, insectivorous plants and other rare plants. The amber-winged spreadwing, a rare damsel fly, is found here, as well as the federally endangered northeastern bulrush.<ref name="http://asecular.com/forests/potts.htm">Potts Mountain: Potts Mountain, accessdate: March 12, 2017</ref>
With the adjacent National Forest, the area is a good habitat for black bears who thrive in the wilderness, for birds with about 160 species of birds having been found, and bobcats, with one of the largest concentrations of bobcats in Virginia.
Topography.
Potts Mountain, with a maximum elevation of 3169 feet, is part of the Ridge and Valley System that extends in a northwesterly direction along the border of Virginia and West Virginia.
The wilderness falls on the eastern slope of Potts Mountain, adjacent to the Shawvers Run Wilderness on the western slope. The wilderness area rises from 1700 feet at the lower creeks to 3800 feet on the mountain.
There is a bald of about fifty acres in size, just outside the western boundary, on the top of Potts Mountain with extensive views.
Barbours Creek, for which the wilderness is named, passes the wilderness flowing southeast, and curls around Bald Mountain to join Craig Creek, which then flows into the James River. The creek is designated by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries as a cold water stream. Lipes Branch, also a cold water stream, flows down Potts Mountain into Barbours Creek. Another stream to the south flows through a narrow canyon formed by an interesting rock formation.
See also.
Barbours Creek-Shawvers Run Cluster


Allison Lake Provincial Park

.Allison Lake Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, located 28 kilometres north of Princeton, British Columbia. The park, which is 23 ha. in size, was established July 26, 1960. It is mainly a recreation area, offering camping, swimming and fishing. The park contains mostly aspen.


U.S. Route 2 in Washington

U.S. Route 2 (US 2) is a component of the United States Numbered Highway System that connects the city of Everett in the U.S. state of Washington to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, with a separate segment that runs from Rouses Point, New York, to Houlton, Maine. Within Washington, the highway travels on a route that connects the western and eastern regions of the state as a part of the state highway system and the National Highway System. US 2 forms parts of two National Scenic Byways, the Stevens Pass Greenway from Monroe to Cashmere and the Coulee Corridor Scenic Byway near Coulee City, and an All-American Road named the International Selkirk Loop within Newport.
US 2 begins in Everett at an intersection with State Route 529 (SR 529) in Everett and travels east to an interchange with Interstate 5 (I-5). The highway travels over the Cascade Range through Stevens Pass, connecting the western and eastern parts of the state. US 2 becomes concurrent with US 97 from Peshastin to Orondo, crossing the Columbia River in Wenatchee on the Richard Odabashian Bridge. The highway continues east across the Columbia Plateau in Central Washington and crosses the Grand Coulee while concurrent with SR 17 west of Coulee City. The highway travels into Spokane concurrent with I-90 and US 395 and leaves both highways continuing northeast to Newport. US 2 leaves Washington at the Idaho state line, located along SR 41 in Newport and Idaho State Highway 41 (ID-41) in Oldtown, Idaho.
The present route of US 2 follows several wagon roads that were built in the late 19th century by local railroad companies, including the Stevens Pass Highway along the Skykomish River. The state of Washington began maintaining sections of what would become US 2 with the extension of State Road 7 in 1909, from Pashastin to Spokane on the Sunset Highway and later State Road 2. In addition to State Road 2, State Road 23 was created in 1915, traveling north from Spokane to Newport, and was renumbered to State Road 6 in 1923. The Stevens Pass Highway was transferred to state maintenance in 1931 with the establishment of State Road 15, traveling from Everett to Peshastin. The United States Highway System was adopted on November 11, 1926, and designated US 10 on the future route of US 2 from Peshastin to Spokane and US 195 from Spokane to Newport. US 10 was re-routed in 1939 and replaced by US 10 Alternate, which was routed across Stevens Pass in the 1940s and itself replaced by US 2 in 1946. The primary state highways were replaced by the current state route system during the 1964 state highway renumbering, and US 2 replaced its three concurrent routes. US 2 underwent conversions to limited-access highways during the next several decades, including the completion of the Hewitt Avenue Trestle and a bypass of Snohomish. A series of projects is planned to improve the US 2 corridor between Snohomish and Skykomish by expanding the highway near various cities and the completion of a bypass around Monroe.
Route description.
US 2 is defined by the Washington State Legislature as SR 2, part of the Revised Code of Washington as §47.17.005. Every year, WSDOT conducts a series of surveys on its highways in the state to measure traffic volume. This is expressed in terms of annual average daily traffic (AADT), which is a measure of traffic volume for any average day of the year. In 2013, WSDOT calculated that the busiest section of US 2 within Washington was the Hewitt Avenue Trestle above the Snohomish River east of Everett, carrying over 76,000 vehicles, while the least busiest section of US 2 is in Moses Coulee, carrying 630 vehicles. The entire route of US 2 within Washington is designated as part of the National Highway System, classifying it as important to the national economy, defense, and mobility. WSDOT designates US 2 as a Highway of Statewide Significance, which includes highways that connect major communities in the state of Washington.
US 2 begins in downtown Everett, with its eastbound lanes starting at the intersection of Hewitt Avenue and Maple Street, signed as SR 529, and its westbound lanes ending at the intersection of California Street and Maple Street (SR 529). The highway travels east onto the Hewitt Avenue Trestle, crossing the Snohomish River after an interchange with I-5. The four-lane trestle continues east across Ebey Island, intersecting Homeacres Road before crossing the Ebey Slough. US 2 turns southeast at the east end of the trestle in Cavalero at an interchange with SR 204, which serves Lake Stevens. The limited-access road travels around the city of Snohomish, intersecting Bickford Avenue in an at-grade intersection and SR 9 in a diamond interchange. US 2 turns south and crosses over the Pilchuck River and the Centennial Trail before its limited-access road ends at a diamond interchange with 88th Street. The two-lane road continues southeast along the Scenic Subdivision of the Northern Transcon, a BNSF rail line, into Monroe. The highway travels past the Evergreen State Fairgrounds and intersects SR 522 before entering downtown Monroe.
US 2, now part of a National Scenic Byway named the Stevens Pass Greenway, continues through the city of Monroe and forms the northern terminus of SR 203. The highway leaves the city while parallel to the Skykomish River and travels through the cities of Sultan and Gold Bar. US 2 begins following the South Fork Skykomish River at Index into the Cascade Range, crossing into King County near the town of Baring. The highway enters Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and continues east along the Tye River past the town of Skykomish and the Cascade Tunnel towards Stevens Pass. The pass, located above sea level, is also home to the Stevens Pass Ski Area and a trailhead for the Pacific Crest Trail while serving as the point in which US 2 crosses into the Wenatchee National Forest in Chelan County. The highway continues east down Nason Creek to Coles Corner, the southern terminus of SR 207, which serves Lake Wenatchee. US 2 travels due south along the Wenatchee River valley through Leavenworth before it begins a concurrency with US 97 at a diamond interchange east of Peshastin.
US 2 and US 97 travel together on a four-lane highway on the north side of the Wenatchee River heading southeast past Cashmere heading towards Wenatchee. The roadway intersects SR 285, a short connector to downtown Wenatchee, and US 97 Alternate, an alternate route to Chelan, in Sunnyslope before crossing the Richard Odabashian Bridge over the Columbia River and into Douglas County. The two highways continue east into East Wenatchee and turn north at the western terminus of SR 28. US 2 and US 97 continue north between the Columbia River to the west and Badger Mountain to the east, passing the Rocky Reach Dam and its reservoir, Lake Entiat before reaching Orondo. US 2 and US 97 split at Orondo, with US 97 continuing north along the Columbia River towards Chelan and US 2 traveling east up Pine Canyon onto the Waterville Plateau. The highway travels through the town of Waterville via several turns on city streets before heading due east across the Columbia Plateau, intersecting SR 172 at Farmer. US 2 becomes concurrent with SR 17 as it descends into the Grand Coulee south of Banks Lake, becoming part of the Coulee Corridor Scenic Byway.
The byway travels off US 2 and onto SR 155 east of Coulee City at Fordair, continuing north through Grant County towards the Grand Coulee Dam. US 2 travels east into Lincoln County between the towns of Hartline and Almira and becomes concurrent with SR 21 in Wilbur for several city blocks. The highway parallels the Columbia River Subdivision of the BNSF Northern Transcon through Bachelor Prairie towards Davenport, where it intersects the termini of SR 28 and SR 25. US 2 travels into Reardan concurrent with SR 231 and enters Spokane County east of the town boundary. The highway passes Fairchild Air Force Base and becomes a four-lane arterial street through Airway Heights approaching Spokane. US 2 enters the city of Spokane as a four-lane freeway northeast of Spokane International Airport and intersects Airport Way before beginning its concurrency with I-90 and US 395 at a partial cloverleaf interchange.
I-90, US 2 and US 395 travel east into Downtown Spokane and intersects the northern terminus of US 195, which travels south towards Pullman and Lewiston, Idaho. US 2 and US 395 split from I-90 and travel into Downtown Spokane on the one-way pair of Browne and Division streets, serving the Spokane Intermodal Center and Spokane Convention Center before reaching Riverfront Park. Division Street crosses the Spokane River and the Centennial Trail on the Senator Sam C. Guess Memorial Bridge before splitting into the one-way pairing of Division and Ruby streets. Division Street continues north past the NorthTown Mall and the eastern terminus of SR 291 at Francis Street before US 2 and US 395 split.
US 2 travels northeast through Country Homes on the Newport Highway to an interchange with the North Spokane Corridor, an incomplete freeway bypass of Spokane that is signed as a spur route of US 395. The highway continues west of Mead and intersects SR 206, a road serving Mount Spokane State Park, before becoming a four-lane divided highway parallel the Kooteani River Subdivision of the BNSF Northern Transcon. US 2 travels north along the Little Spokane River through Colbert and Chattaroy before leaving Spokane County and entering Pend Oreille County. The divided highway ends at the southern terminus of SR 211, located west of Diamond Lake. US 2 continues northeast along the Little Spokane River and enters the city of Newport, splitting into a one-way pair on Washington and Union avenues. The two streets travel north through the city to the eastern terminus of SR 20 and turn east onto Walnut Street and the International Selkirk Loop, where US 2 crosses the Idaho state line at the northern terminus of SR 41 in Newport and ID-41 in Oldtown, Idaho.<ref name="wsdot-sr20/sr41"></ref>
History.
US 2 follows the route of several wagon roads and early state highways that themselves followed the route of the Skykomish River and the Great Northern Railway, a transcontinental railroad that was completed in 1893. A wagon road from Snohomish to Skykomish was completed in the late 1880s, while another wagon road along the Wenatchee River from Leavenworth to Sunnyslope was completed by 1904. The modern-day route of US 2 between Snohomish and Monroe was completed as a county wagon road in 1904. The state of Washington began maintaining State Road 7 in 1909, traveling from Peshastin to Spokane on what would become the Sunset Highway and US 2. The easternmost segment of US 2 within Washington, from Spokane to Newport, was added to the state highway system in 1915 as State Road 23 and renamed to the Pend Oreille Highway two years later. State Road 7 was renumbered to State Road 2, part of an east–west highway connecting Seattle to Spokane. The Stevens Pass Highway was opened on July 11, 1925, and traveled from Everett along the Skykomish River and over Stevens Pass towards Leavenworth. The highway was transferred to state maintenance from the Department of Highways in 1931 as State Road 15.
The United States Highway System was adopted by the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) on November 11, 1926, and included a shorter US 2, traveling from Bonners Ferry, Idaho to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and several routes along the modern route of US 2 in Washington. The corridor of US 2 was signed as US 10 from Peshastin to Spokane and US 195 from Spokane to Newport, co-signed with State Road 2 and State Road 6, respectively. The Washington primary and secondary state highway system was adopted by the Washington State Legislature on March 17, 1937, and the three highways that comprise the present route of US 2 were included in the system as Primary State Highway 15 (PSH 15) from Everett to Peshastin, PSH 2 from Peshastin to Spokane, and PSH 6 from Spokane to the Idaho state line in Newport via a short branch route. US 10 was relocated to a southern route in 1939, crossing the Columbia River at Vantage, and the former route was replaced by US 10 Alternate the following year. A proposal from representatives of the highway departments of Idaho and Washington to extend US 2 to Everett was considered by the AASHO's U.S. Route Numbering Committee in January 1946, but was vetoed. The proposal resurfaced during the committee's meeting on December 20, 1946, and was approved as a replacement of US 10 Alternate from Everett to Bonners Ferry and US 195 from Spokane to Newport. The yet-unbuilt highway across Stevens Pass was also proposed in 1956 as a tunnel that would be funded as an addition to the new Interstate Highway System by Senator Warren G. Magnuson, but the amendment did not make it into the final bill.
The Washington state highway system was changed to its current "sign route system" beginning in January 1963 with a state highway renumbering. Under the new system, Interstate highways, U.S. routes, and state routes replaced the primary and secondary highways and were codified under the Revised Code of Washington in 1970. US 2 was re-routed around various cities over the next several decades onto limited-access highways to reduce congestion, beginning with the construction of the current westbound Hewitt Avenue Trestle east of Everett, which opened on April 8, 1969. The existing wooden trestle was used by eastbound traffic until it was replaced by a new bridge in 2002. US 2 was routed north of Wenatchee onto the Olds Station Bridge, renamed in 1991 to honor Richard Odabashian, over the Columbia River in 1975, while the former alignment was designated as SR 285 in 1977. The present two-lane expressway north and east of Snohomish was proposed in 1969 and completed in 1983; it was originally intended to also include an unfinished bypass of Monroe. US 97 had its concurrency with US 2 extended from Sunnyslope to Orondo along the east side of the Columbia River in 1987 after US 97 was moved onto the former route of SR 151. The Stevens Pass Greenway, which became a National Forest Scenic Byway on April 14, 1992, was re-designated as a National Scenic Byway on September 22, 2005. Within Newport, US 2 had an unsigned spur route that traveled on the southbound lanes of ID-41 on the Idaho state line until 1997, when SR 41 was created to avoid confusion. The intersection between US 2 and US 97 east of Peshastin was replaced by a new diamond interchange completed in October 2008 as part of general improvements to the two highways' concurrency from Peshastin to Sunnyslope. The current interchange between US 2 and the North Spokane Corridor, a spur route of US 395, was opened in November 2011 to coincide with the opening of the northernmost of the future freeway.
Corridor development.
In the early 2000s, WSDOT began planning a series of 56 projects to improve the US 2 corridor between Snohomish and Skykomish, where the highway is two lanes wide and has been the site of over 2,600 collisions between 1999 and 2007 that caused 47 fatalities. A study, conducted by WSDOT in 2007, divided the corridor into four segments, each with a specialized development plan. The study suggested the expansion of the limited-access highway from Snohomish to the western city limits of Monroe to four lanes, including an interchange at Bickford Avenue that was later completed in September 2013. A wider median with rumble strips was added to some sections of US 2 between Snohomish and Monroe in 2019.
WSDOT plans to move US 2 onto a northern bypass of Monroe, which would avoid the business district and intersect SR 522 with a roundabout. From Monroe to Gold Bar, US 2 would be expanded to a four-lane highway, with a roundabout connecting the highway to the city of Gold Bar, and become a two-lane highway with wider shoulder lanes to Skykomish. Seasonal traffic congestion in the Sultan area, which causes backups that overflow onto side streets, have inspired proposals to build an additional bypass, a two-street couplet, or a freeway along the Stevens Pass corridor.
In addition to the freeway expansion, WSDOT is considering a total replacement of the westbound Hewitt Avenue Trestle that would cost between $750 million to $1 billion. One of the options in the early feasibility study conducted in 2017 included a vehicle toll, which sparked public outcry on social media. The study also lists an increased gas tax, federal grants, and public-private partnerships as potential revenue sources for the project.


Khanka Nature Reserve

Khanka Nature Reserve ( "Khankaiskiy zapavyednik") (also Khankaisky) is a Russian 'zapovednik' (strict nature reserve) that covers portions of the shore and waters of Lake Khanka, the largest freshwater lake in the Russian Far East. It is an important area for nesting and migrating waterfowl and other birds. The reserve is divided into five distinct sectors on the southern and eastern shores of the lake. The reserve is situated in the Spassky District, in the southwest of Primorsky Krai. It was formally established in 1990, and covers an area of . It is part of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Topography.
The southern two-thirds of Khanka is in Russia; the northern third is in China. The total surface area of the lake is 4,190 km2. The Khanka Reserve is split into five sections that cover parts of the southern shore, the eastern shore, and a spur that extends from the northeast of the lake. The terrain around the lake is mostly flat and lacustrine-alluvial, with rolling hills off the lake; the highest point is 147 meters. The five sections are:
Around the lake are bogs underlain by a thick layer of clay. Because water cannot sink through the clay, the plains around the lake are frequently waterlogged. There are 9 rivers than feed into the lake, but only one, the Songacha River, that flows out. The Songacha is a tributary of the Ussuri River, and ultimately the Amur River to the north.
Climate and Ecoregion.
Khanka is located in the "Suiphun-Khanka meadows and forest meadows" ecoregion, a forest-less area around Lake Khanka in the Russian Far East, on the Upper Ussuri River, and along the Suiphun River to the south. This ecoregion is characterized by fire tolerant meadows and Mongolian oak woodland, with high levels of species diversity and endemism.
The climate of Khanka is "Humid continental climate, warm summer" (Köppen climate classification (Dfb)). This climate is characterized by large swings in temperature, both diurnally and seasonally, with mild summers and cold, snowy winters. The maximum monthly mean temperature is in July, while the minimum monthly mean temperature is in January. Rainfall mainly occurs in summer, with average annual precipitation of 500–650 mm annually.
Flora and fauna.
The reserve covers many different floral habitats - meadow, swamp, steppe, lacustrine, and forest. About 30% of the meadows are reed grass. The steppe-type areas are grasslands at the feet of the ridges, with characteristic species being bent grass, wild onion, and horsetail. Average height of vegetation in these areas is 20–40 cm. Inland of the eastern shore of the lake are widespread peat bogs. The marshes, usually dominated locally by one type of reed grasses, are valued by the waterfowl for food and shelter. Aquatic vegetation is diverse. In the shallow bays are thickets of pondweed, with floating patches of lilies and other surface cover. Shallow areas feature arrowhead, knotweed, and bloodroot, while all shores feature reeds, grasses, and wild rice. There is one forest on the site, of Mongolian oak and associated plants. Scientists on the reserve have recorded 685 species of vascular plants.
The animal life of the reserve is most notable for birds: 337 species have been recorded, and 140 species are known to breed on the site. Characteristic mammals are raccoon dog and fox, and nine species of mice. The fish of the lake include catfish, pike, and various species of carp.
Ecoeducation and access.
As a strict nature reserve, the Khanka Reserve itself is mostly closed to the general public, although scientists and those with 'environmental education' purposes can make arrangements with park management for visits. There are, however, buffer zones along the lakes that are open from low-impact tourism and leisure use. Also, there are 'ecotourist' routes with bird observation towers for seasonal use by the public, but use requires permits to be obtained in advance and group size and numbers are limited. The main office is in the city of Spassk-Dalny.


Tawai Forest Reserve

Tawai Forest Reserve is a protected forest reserve in Telupid District of Sandakan Division, Sabah, Malaysia. It was first created in January 1972, before being designated as a Class 1 Protection Forest by the Sabah Forestry Department in 1984. It was fully demarcated in 2002, resulting in an area of . The reserve is mostly mountainous, consisting of ultramafic forest, upland mixed dipterocarp forest and kerangas forest. Mount Tawai, at , is within the reserve. It is flattest near its northern and eastern edges. The Tawai waterfall is located within the reserve, part of the many rivers which flow through it. Protection of these headwaters was part of the reason for the reserve's establishment. The reserve has been badly affected by fires that have spread into the reserve from nearby settlements and palm oil plantations. Illegal logging has occurred in areas of dipterocarp forest. Illegal logging and land clearance has occurred in some portions of the reserve. There are plans for the Pan-Borneo Highway to be expanded in part through the northern portion of the reserve. The forestry department runs a Rainforest Camp to generate tourism money, providing access to the clean river water of the reserve, rainforest treks, and a waystop near the path of the Sandakan Death Marches.
Flora.
1,070 floral species have been identified within Tawai Forest Reserve, 1030 flowering plants, 25 ferns, 13 gymnosperms, and 2 lycophytes. With 98 species endemic to Borneo, 35 endemic to Sabah, and 4 endemic to the local area, it has the highest endemism of forest reserves within inland Sabah. The area is important for tree species including "Anisoptera", "Dipterocarpus", "Hopea" and "Shorea" species. An orchid species, "Paraphalaenopsis labukensis", is endemic to the area. The forests are in good condition, aside from areas near the border of the reserve, especially the Ruku Ruku valley in the northeast, which is mainly secondary forest. Most of the reserve is ultramafic forest. At least 38 dipterocarp species have been identified.
Fauna.
Tawai Forest Reserve is home to animals including wild boar, clouded leopard, barking deer, red leaf monkey and gibbon. Bird species include grey-breasted babbler and the near-threatened scarlet-breasted flowerpecker, with a total of 47 species being identified. Butterflies inhabit shaded areas, including the poorly understood "Delias henningia". Borneo elephants inhabit parts of the reserve, often concentrated in flat areas that are being considered for highway expansion.


Gorgany Nature Reserve

Gorgany Nature Reserve () is a strict nature reserve (a 'zapovednik') of Ukraine that covers a part of the Gorgany mountain range of the Outer Eastern Carpatians in southwest Ukraine. The reserve is 46% old-growth forest, one of the last and largest such stands in Europe. The reserve was originally created in 1996 to protect relic stands of Stone pine trees (Pinus cembra). The reserve is administratively in the Nadvirna District of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast.
Topography.
The Gorgany range is mostly strongly-layered sedimentary rock (a type called flysch), that fractures into debris fields known locally as 'gorgan'. The full vertical range of the central Carpatians are represented, with altitudes in the park ranging from 710 to 1754 meters above sea level. The range runs from northwest to southeast, on Cretaceous and Quaternary conglomerates, sandstones, clay and marls.
There are 30 mountain streams in the park, forming a dense network that feed into the Bystrytsia River. The steep landscape, formed in the Wurzburg glaciation, is covered with coniferous forests.
Climate and ecoregion.
The climate of Gorgany is "Humid continental climate, warm summer" (Köppen climate classification (Dfb)). This climate is characterized by large seasonal temperature differentials and a warm summer (at least four months averaging over , but no month averaging over . Average temperature in January is and in July is . Average annual precipitation is . Average annual humidity is 78%.
Flora and fauna.
76% of the territory is stable, natural forest that has grown on its own and demonstrates the sustainability of the site through the complete forest cycle. 46% of the total area is virgin (old-growth) forest, totalling over .
The dominant trees in the old-growth stands are spruce and pine. The relic pines (European, ordinary, and mountain pine), decay to produce the soil that supports the more productive successor fir and beech forests. The lower elevations are mixed deciduous and coniferous. The most numerous non-tree plants are the herbaceous perennials, with relatively fewer shrubs (cranberries, heather, blueberries, etc.) The main altitude zones are:
Further down on the lower stream terraces are speckled alders (Alnus incana), with grass cover featuring white butterbur (Petasites albus), meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria), marsh horsetail (Equisetum palustre), marsh-marigold (Caltha palustris), and narrow-leaved bittercress (Cardamine impatiens).
Scientists have mapped the reserve into 17 different characteristic forest types, the diversity due to altitude zoning, soil differences, micro-climate differences, and other factors that make the Gorgany Reserve a valuable reference for natural Carpathian ecosystems.
Public use.
As a strict nature reserve, Gorgany's primary purpose is protection of nature and scientific study. Public access is limited: mass recreation and construction of facilities is prohibited as are hunting and fishing.


Kadmat Island

Kadmat Island, also known as Cardamom Island, is a coral island belonging to the Amindivi subgroup of islands of the Lakshadweep archipelago in India. Measuring in length, the island has a lagoon with a width of covering an area of . The ecological feature of the island is of coral reef with seagrass, and marine turtles which nestle here. The Ministry of Environment and Forests (India) has notified the island as a marine protected area for ensuring conservation of the island's animal, plant, or other type of organism, and other resources.
The only inhabited village on the island is Kadmat, which had a population of 5,389 according to 2011 census. Fisheries is the main economic activity on the island with agriculture limited to 5% of the land area. Tourism is allowed even for non-Indians and the attractions are kayaking, snorkeling and leisure trips by a glass-bottomed boat for scuba diving.
Geography and climate.
Kadmat Island, which belongs to the township of Kadmat Island of Aminidivi Tehsil. is the central most island of the Lakshadweep archipelago. It is in the shape of a tear drop, with area and is located on a coral reef. With a length of from north to south and a maximum width of and it is the longest island in the Amindivi group.
Its southern end is the narrowest with a width of about . The island's topography is about on the eastern side and on the western part above the mean sea level. Its surface formation consists of coral conglomerate overlying broken pieces of coral and coral sand.
The lagoon on the western side of the island extends over a maximum width of covering an area of and the water depth is shallow about . It has a shore line and has a sandy beach. The reef width is about . The tidal range lies between . The beach on the eastern side of the island has a width of . At the breaking zone of this beach there is a wide coral algae ridge.
Kadmat Island is bounded by Kavaratti Island to its northwest at a distance of . It is away from Kiltan Island. Amini Island, which marks the northwestern part of the Pitti Bank formation, is to the southwest. Kochi is away.
There is an airport on nearby Agatti Island, in which flights operate from Cochin. From Agatti, it is a two and half hours boat ride to Kadmat. Ferry services also operate from Cochin on the coast of Kerala but involves a journey of 16 hours.
Climate and the environment.
The island experiences an average annual temperature in the range of . Rainfall occurs during the monsoon season from May to September with an average annual rainfall incidence of as per records of the nearby island of Amini. The maximum rainfall recorded in a day is . Humidity averages at 72.5%.
Ecologically, the island is composed of coral reef with seagrass, and marine turtles which nestle here. Keeping this aspect in view, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (India) has notified the island as a marine protected area to enable conservation of the island's animal, plant, or other type of organism, and other resources. The coral reefs are damaged to the extent of 10% (assessed by IUCN in 1976) due to anthropocentric pressure and also due to climate change. Dredging operation at the entry to the island is causing damage to coral species as the dredged material is dumped into the lagoon. Coral blocks found in the beaches and the coral flats are extracted for building activity on the island. This could cause serious geo-morphological changes of the island in the form of sea erosion of the shores and the beach. Coral bleaching, a natural phenomenon attributed to strong El Niños, which occurred during 1998 due to seawater warming, is reported to have reduced the number of coral species from 45 to 9.
Demographics.
The island is inhabited mainly by individuals of the Melacceri caste.
Kadmat village is the only inhabited village on the island. According to the 2011 census the island had a population of 5,389 consisting of 2,676 males and 2,713 females. Population density is 1,727 per km2. Decennial Growth Rate recorded for the period 2001–2011 was 1.03 percent. In 2001, the literacy rate was 87.88 percent of which male literacy rate was 91.78 and female literacy was 92.53; in both cases much higher than of the Lakshadweep island. Malayalam is the dominant language of the people of the island and the literacy rate is as high as 90.4%.
The island has a network of roads, several ponds and wells, primary and higher secondary schools, electricity, telephone, health centres and so forth.
In 1960, a hoard of coins were unearthed and examined, revealing that the island has been inhabited since at least 200 AD. Kadmat island is known to have traded with the Romans, as in 1948 a girl found a Roman coin in a quarry on the island.
Economy.
Fishing is the principal activity of the people of the island. Fishing is done both off shore in the sea and during the monsoon season in the lagoon and reef area. Trawl nets and pole line are used for oceanic tuna fishing. Wooden boats are used for local fishing in the lagoon. Fish species reported include carangids, cephalopods, perches, rainbow sardine, rays, sail fishes, sharks, skipjack tuna, and tuna.
Agriculture is practised, with about 5% of the land area brought under cultivation. Coconut plantations are common along with associated coir twinning. Crops grown include red grass, groundnut, maize, sweet potato, grains, cereals, millets, papaya, and banana.
Tourism has taken off on the island, though it only one beach resort for 50 guests. There are kayaking and snorkeling facilities, and leisure trips by a glass-bottomed boat for scuba diving. In 1998 the first Water Sports Institute was established on Kadmat, along with the Laccadives Diving Centre.
Wildlife.
The island has three types of habitats: coral reef, seagrass and nesting ground for marine turtles. Zoning of the coral reef is mapped under three zones of reef flat, reef slope and lagoon. Next to the shore line are the fringing reefs where fish species of fin and shell fishes spawn, and are found in abundance. As of 1986, there were 45 coral species in the reef. These are threatened due to human interference and natural causes. Live coral is reported in less than 1% area. There are 9 species of live corals in the lagoon and reef slope area. The species of live corals reported are: "Acropora formosa" (staghorn coral), "Acropora robusta", "Acropora", "Acropora subglabra", "Acropora tortuosa", "Acropora vaughani", "Favites", "Pocillopora verrucosa" and "Lobophytum" Benthic organisms are reported on the reef slope and lagoon area. Macrobenthos are found in the inter-tidal and sub-tidal area. 23 species of polychaetes, 3 species of bivalves, 3 species of crustaceans, and 3 species of gastropods have been recorded.
The seagrass beds, which forms an area of around across the island, provide crucial food for turtles and dugongs, with four species of marine turtles reported: "Chelonia mydas" (green sea turtle), "Dermochelys coriacea" (leatherback sea turtle), and "Eretmochelys imbricata" (Hawksbill sea turtle) and "Lepidochelys olivacea" (Olive Ridley sea turtle). There are 7 species of seagrass reported here, out of 14 found in the Lakshadweep Islands, including the "Thalassia hemprichii" and "Cymodocea rotundata". Seaweeds recorded consist of 34 species, out of which 14 species are of Rhodophyceae, 13 (red algae) are Chlorophyceae (green algae) and 7 species are Phaeophyceae (brown algae). 20 species of Phytoplankton and 19 groups of Zooplankton have been recorded in the reef slope and lagoon area; 33 species of benthic organisms have also been noted in the same vicinity.


Kisite-Mpunguti Marine National Park

Kisite-Mpunguti Marine National Park is situated on the southern coast of Kenya near Shimoni and south of Wasini Island in Kwale District near the Tanzanian border. Kisite park covers 11 square kilometres while Mpunguti reserve covers 28 square kilometres.
The park covers an area with four small islands surrounded by coral reef.
Marine life is in abundance, including trigger fish, moray eels, angelfish, butterfly fish, groupers, parrotfish, wrasses, scorpionfish, pufferfish, damselfish, rays, snappers, green sea turtles, hawksbill turtles, and dolphins. Humpback whales and whale sharks are seasonal.


Space Shuttle Pathfinder

The Space Shuttle "Pathfinder" (unofficial Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-098) is a Space Shuttle test simulator made of steel and wood. Constructed by NASA in 1977 as an unnamed facilities test article, it was purchased in the early 1980s by the America-Japan Society, Inc. which had it refurbished, named it, and placed it on display in the Great Space Shuttle Exhibition in Tokyo. The mockup was later returned to the United States and placed on permanent display at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, in May 1988.
Activities.
Originally unnamed, the simulator was built at the Marshall Space Flight Center in 1977 for use in activities such as checking roadway clearances, crane capabilities and fits within structures. It was later shipped by barge to the Kennedy Space Center and was used for ground crew testing in the Vehicle Assembly Building, Orbiter Processing Facility, and Shuttle Landing Facility. "Pathfinder" is approximately the same size, shape and weight of an actual orbiter. Using "Pathfinder" allowed for facilities testing without requiring use of the more delicate and expensive "Enterprise".
Refurbishment.
After sitting in storage for many years, the America-Japan Society, Inc. obtained the wood and steel mockup at a cost of US$1 million and hired Teledyne Brown Engineering to refurbish it to more closely resemble an actual Space Shuttle. It was named "Pathfinder" and displayed at the Great Space Shuttle Exposition in Tokyo from June 1983 to August 1984.
U.S. Space & Rocket Center.
After the exhibit, "Pathfinder" returned to the United States. The U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama designed the display and built a stand. NASA provided MPTA-ET and two filament-wound Solid Rocket Booster casings, which had been designed for polar-orbit launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
On February 16, 1988, NASA shipped MPTA-ET, an external tank which had been used for propulsion tests with MPTA-098, on an open barge from Stennis Space Center in Mississippi up the river to Michoud, where it was transferred to the Orion barge to sail up the river to Marshall Space Flight Center. The tank, not having been designed to hold the weight of an orbiter at an angle, required reinforcements. NASA installed I-beam spokes in the tank at Marshall, in building 4705. "Pathfinder"s weight is concentrated in the tail, though, and the tank required further reinforcements. The tank was then transported over land to the display at the museum.
In May 1988, the 89-ton "Pathfinder" was installed atop the display at the Space & Rocket Center.
In 1999, NASA removed the forward assemblies from each SRB attached to the "Pathfinder" stack. Although the SRBs are recovered and reused after each flight, several of the forward assemblies had been damaged or lost over the history of the Space Shuttle program necessitating requisition of those attached to the "Pathfinder" stack as spares.
In 2008, repairs were made to the forward part of the mockup after decades of exposure to the weather had corroded the floor section near the vehicle's nose. This corrosion caused the "belly pan" to drop from a mounting bracket onto the external tank. The damaged area was part of the fiberglass and plywood added to the mockup before its exhibition in Japan.
In 2020 the Space & Rocket center of Huntsville received a save America's treasure's grant for $500,000. Along with a fundraising campaign to raise additional money for the project that is still on going till the funding goal is met.
In January, and February 2021. The project began with the wings, tail section, thrusters mock up, and some side panels being removed to gain access to the mounting points. On February 8, 2021 the test orbiter had been lowered from its mounting points atop of the fuel tank for the first time since May 5 of 1988.
A time of completion is not known at this time. As inspection of the orbiters condition will decide the level of restoration needed.


Hajo

Hajo () is an ancient pilgrimage centre for three religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. It lies on the banks of the Brahmaputra River, 24 km from the city of Guwahati in the Kamrup district of Assam, India. The area is dotted with a number of ancient temples as well as other sacred artifacts. The Hayagriva Madhava Mandir is the most famous temple of Hajo. Lesser known temples of Hajo like that of Ganesha received royal patronage during the reign of Ahom King Pramatta Singha in 1744 AD. The Kedareswara Temple, a Shiva temple, has an inscription on the temple indicating patronage of Rajeswar Singha period. Hajo is also famous for Barmaqam Powa Makkah which is an ancient mosque and contains the shrine of a Muslim preacher.
Etymology.
Hajo word is derived from Boro word 'Hajw'() which means Hill.
Politics.
Hajo is part of Gauhati (Lok Sabha constituency). BJP's Suman Haripriya is the current MLA of Hajo (Vidhan Sabha constituency).


Francis J. Woolley House

The Francis J. Woolley House is located in Oak Park, Illinois, United States, a Chicago suburb. The house was designed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1893. The Queen Anne style home is reflective of Wright's early designs for lower-cost, more affordable housing. The Woolley House is similar to the trio of homes in Oak Park that are widely known as the "bootleg houses." The design is heavily influenced by Wright's first teacher, Joseph Silsbee, and the Arts and Crafts movement. The house is listed as a contributing property to a local and federal historic district.
History.
The Francis J. Woolley House was named for the lawyer for whom architect Frank Lloyd Wright originally designed it, Francis J. Woolley.
Architecture.
The building's design has been called a "Queen Anne splendor," a style represented by the Woolley House's massive bay windows and projecting roof masses. Like other early Wright works, the design is much more conventional than later high-style examples of Wright's Prairie School such as the Heurtley House. "The New York Times" quipped in a 1996 article that the "two-story frame house with a hip roof that could almost pass for the vernacular architecture of the period." The design of the house is reminiscent of Wright's first teacher Joseph Silsbee and typical of Wright's early, low-cost residential designs. Its high-pitched, hip roof, polygonal and rectangular dormers, polygonal bay windows and wall foundations of rough stones are all reflections of Silsbee's picturesque manner of design. On the home's southeast portion are its polygonal bay windows and due to a restoration the rough stone foundation walls are more enhanced than they once were. The original horizontal wooden clapboarding has been restored as well.
The house features an entry porch whose high-pitched hip roof echoes the main roof; its deep eaves repeats the pitch lines of the roof and gracefully frames the facade. The Woolley House sits back-to-back with the Robert P. Parker House, in turn nearby the Thomas Gale House, houses whose style the Woolley House closely reflects. The Woolley House is often considered part of the same series of homes that included the Parker and Gale Houses. Those homes, along with the Walter Gale House, and have become known as Frank Lloyd Wright's "bootleg houses," because he designed them in violation of his agreement with architect Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler. In this early Wright work the influence of Silsbee and the Arts and Crafts movement are heavily embedded in the design, which reflects Wright's passion for designing affordable housing. The home's soft earthen tones help to enhance the "comfortable house" feel of the Woolley House.
Over the years the home has undergone several remodelings and renovations. Most significantly in 1995 when many of the mechanicals were upgraded. Unfortunately, many of the architectural moldings, doors and features were also removed. The current owners have brought back the exterior to its original condition. The interior is undergoing a complete restoration based on the original blueprints.
Significance.
This example of Frank Lloyd Wright's early work in Oak Park is considered a contributing property to the Frank Lloyd Wright-Prairie School of Architecture Historic District, a local and federal historic district. The federal historic district was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on December 4, 1973.


Atrium on Bay

Atrium (formally known as "Atrium on Bay") is a large retail and office complex in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Atrium is located adjacent to Yonge-Dundas Square, and was built upon the former site of the former Ford Hotel Toronto, on the north side of Dundas Street West, extending from Yonge Street to Bay Street. The mixed-use building was constructed in 1981 with parking on the second and third underground levels and retail space street and concourse levels topped by an eight-storey office block that rises to 14 floors on the east end of the site and 13 on the west. As part of downtown Toronto's PATH network, Atrium's Concourse Level is directly connected underground to the Dundas subway station, the Toronto Eaton Centre south, across on Dundas Street, and the Toronto Coach Terminal located west, across Bay Street.
In 2011, H&R Real Estate Investment Trust purchased the property from Hines Interests Limited Partnership who acquired it in 2007 from a joint venture of Brookfield Properties and The Ellman Companies. In January 2014, H&R received a zoning variance from the Toronto City Council which would allow it to add five floors to each of the office towers, expand the ground level to enclose areas now filled by a covered arcade, planters and seating areas and create additional retail space and to redesign a media tower at the southwest corner of the structure.
The Atrium houses the first Canadian locations of Muji, Long Tall Sally, Boat House and Rexall. The building features a variety of sit-down restaurants and a food court on the Concourse Level.
Major office tenants include the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, and various arms of the Government of Ontario, including the Land Registry Office, and the Lottery Prize Claiming Centre for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, located on ground level.
Atrium was filmed and used as a set for scenes in a shopping mall in the Canadian drama "Flashpoint" on the CTV Television Network. The interior was also used in the 1983 PBS TV movie "Overdrawn at the Memory Bank".


List of Florida Scenic Highways

Florida Scenic Highways are a series of scenic highways in Florida organized by the Florida Department of Transportation. Each highway passes through or connect sites that the state of Florida determines to be historically, culturally, recreationally, naturally, or archaeologically significant related to a particular theme. The state uses the scenic highway designations to promote resource preservation and enhancement, promote tourism and economic development, and educate travelers. Florida has 27 state-designated scenic byways. Six of those byways are also National Scenic Byways, and one of those federally designated byways is an All-American Road.


Cumberland Drive-In

Cumberland Drive-In Theatre is an outdoors movie theater located in Newville, Pennsylvania. It is capable of hosting 400 vehicles and has a 45 by 96 foot movie screen. As of August 2013, it has been operated by the same family for over 60 years.
History.
Cumberland Drive-In Theatre was opened by Donn Mowery on August 1, 1952 and celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2012. The first movie ever shown at Cumberland Drive-In was "Annie Get Your Gun".
The theater was built just before the peak years of drive-in theater popularity. At the height of the drive-in culture there were over 4,000 drive-in theaters in the United States: 25% of the nation’s movie theaters. Today Cumberland Drive-In is one of 368 remaining drive-ins in the United States.
Its location is ideal in that it is close to Interstate 81 and U.S. Route 11, making it easily accessible. Even though it is near the area’s major highways, the drive-in is situated in a low-population area with dark skies. After the closure of Sunset Drive-In in nearby Chambersburg, the Cumberland Drive-In became the only drive-in theater to service Chambersburg, Hagerstown, MD and the surrounding area.
The Cumberland Drive-In Theatre features a snack bar and a large playground area. The theater is family friendly; most features are rated G, PG or PG-13, with R features typically showing in the latter part of the season.
The theater is one of 4 businesses of “81Fun” which includes Cumberland Drive-In, Midway Skating, Midway Bowling, and Cumberland Golf Club – all owned by the Mowery family.
Digital versus 35 millimeter.
In 2013, movie studios announced that they would be switching from 35 millimeter films to digital distribution –exclusively – by the end of the year. The average cost for an outdoor or single-screen theater to convert to digital projection is approximately $75,000.
As of 2013, Cumberland Drive-In was using the same movie projector it used in 1952. The only major change is that in 2003 the lamp houses were changed from carbon arc lamp to powerful light bulbs.
Ticket sales do not generate large sums of money for drive-in theaters such as the Cumberland Drive-In. Film companies claim most of the ticket price. Concession sales (food and drink) are the main source of profit for the Cumberland (and for most theaters). In addition, many drive-ins (such as the Cumberland) are only open in late spring and in summer. It may take 10-15 years for smaller drive-in theaters to pay for the new equipment. In order to survive, the theater competed for one of five digital projectors being donated by Honda as part of Project Drive-In.
Because of the switch to digital projection, a substantial number of the remaining drive-in theaters faced closing their doors after the summer season. As of August 2013, Honda was urging drive-in patrons to take advantage of social media (such as Facebook and Twitter) and texting in order to vote for their favorite theater.
Previous technology updates (movies downloaded from the Internet, cable television, etc.) cost the Cumberland Drive-In in terms of fewer visitors. The mandated switch to digital, however, is different: film companies are forcing drive-ins to change. Movies will no longer be available in cans of 35 mm film.
Despite the odds, co-owner Jay Mowery was optimistic, saying, “To say we're closing, I hope not. We'd have to explore our options. It would be great if we got this. We want to continue to provide family entertainment to the community and that means converting to digital. It's not only about the cars and drive-in movies; it's also about people's fond memories that date back to the 1950s”.
The Cumberland opened in the spring of 2014 to find a diminished pool of available celluloid prints, with many of the popular religious-themed features like "Heaven Is for Real" unavailable at all on film. Finally, on June 26, the drive-in made the changeover to digital. The first features shown on that Thursday night were ' and '.