“The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.” -Gilbert K. Chesterton
Travel Quote
Category Colors
A stunning heart that bleeds!
The drop of blood bleeding out of a tender heart!
These beautiful flowers are Lamprocapnos spectabilis more commony known as – The Bleeding Heart Flowers! As the plants’ common name suggests, bleeding hearts bear heart-shaped flowers, from which a little “drop of blood” dangles at the bottom. Native to woodlands of eastern Asia primarily China, this shade loving perennial found in red, pink or white colors. Being a popular ornamental plant for flower gardens in temperate climates, the bleeding heart flower is also used in floristry as a cut flower for Valentine’s Day. With about a week left for the V-Day, a stunning gift from nature for your beloved!
The various stages of a bleeding heart – tiny little bud to a newly formed heart to a fully-grown one to a heart slowly ripping apart!
Light pink color of the flowers attempts to underplay the name that reflects tragedy!
Even the colorless heart forms an intriguing picture
Colors of Nature: Geothermal Pools
Another few wonders of nature that falls under the amazing category of ‘Colors of Nature’, here I present naturally colored pools/ geysers/ hot springs.
First up is the Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA with its world-famous geothermal areas. Some of the most colorful pools from the park are:
- Morning Glory Pool – Taking its name from the morning glory flower, which the spring resembles, this hot spring is a part of the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park. A few rare occasions saw the pool erupt as a geyser, usually post a nearby seismic activity. The pool displays distinct colors due to the inhabiting bacteria.
Morning Glory Pool at Yellowstone National Park
- Grand Prismatic Spring – The largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world, Grand Prismatic Spring is located in the Midway Geyser Basin of the Yellowstone National Park. The striking blue, green, yellow, orange, gold, red and brown colors of the pool remind you of the rainbow dispersion of white light through an optical prism. Again the blame goes onto the pigmented bacteria growing along the mineral rich water of the pool. Depending on the water temperature that favors one bacterium over another, the color display changes while retaining the beauty of the site!
Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park
- Opal Pool – Another beautiful pool in the Midway Geyser Basin is the Opal Pool that displays a vivid green color. A fountain-type geyser, the hot spring has recorded eruptions as high as 70 feet. With each eruption, the water level decreases and refills post that. In 2005, the pool was completely drained, but three years later it refilled as a bright green one.
Opal Pool, Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
- Chromatic Pool – This time its the Upper Basin region. The Chromatic spring and the connected Beauty Pool are stunning sights for their distinct colors. Making it more fascinating is the fact that when the water level in one of the two pools rises and overflows, the water level in the other decreases. These fluctuations range from a few weeks to several years. The colors however continue to attract visitors from across the globe.
Chromatic Pool, Upper Basin Region, Yellowstone National Park
- Sapphire Pool – Named for its crystal-clear blue water that resembes an Oriental sapphire, Sapphire Pool was once a placid hot pool. After a major earthquake in 1959, continuous powerful eruptions caused the crater to double in size. Some nine years later, the frequent eruptions stopped destroying the biscuit-like formations around its edge, and the crystal-clear water became murky. Today the pool still retains its crystal-clear, blue water, while violently boiling and surging occasionally.
The crystal colors of the Sapphire Pool
Second part of the naturally colored hot springs are from New Zealand:
- Rainbow Terrace – The chromatic traventine formations are a part of Orakei Korako Cave & Thermal Park or “The Hidden Valley”. Located in the valley on the banks of the Waikato River, some 25 mins north of Taupo, North Island, New Zealand, the colorful geothermal pools give these distinct colors to the Rainbow Terrace.
Rainbow Terraces in the Hidden Valley or Orakei Korako Cave & Thermal Park
- Champagne Pool – Champagne Pool is a prominent geothermal feature within the Waiotapu geothermal area in the North Island of New Zealand. Formed about 900 yrs ago by a hydro-thermal eruption, the terrestrial hot spring derives its name from the abundant efflux of Carbon dioxide, similar to a glass of bubbling champagne. The orange color at the brim originates from deposits of arsenic and antimony sulfides. It is located about 30 km southeast of Rotorua and about 50 kms north east of Taupo.
The Nature’s glass of Champagne
Colors of Nature: Fly Geyser, USA
The colors of nature this time came into existence due to an accident. In 1916, a well was drilled in the Hualapai Flats of Washoe County, Nevada, USA. Half-a-century later, geothermal water started erupting from the well bringing along dissolved minerals that accumulated creating a colorful mount. The hot spring also became home to algae that further added colors to it.
Presenting the little known tourist attraction of Nevada – the Fly Geyser. Located on a the edge of a private Fly Ranch and reachable by a small dirt road off the State Route 34, the Fly geyser is a wonderous sight visible even from the road. The geyser is only 5 mtrs high and is a riot of yellow, green, red and orange colors. Have a look at its picture to believe its existence –
The Fly Geyser – a captivating sight!
The geothermal eruptions of the Geyser
The colorful display of what the nature created…
The distant view of Fly Geyser that compels you to cross the fence and trespass into the private ranch!
Keep coming back for some more masterpieces of Nature!
Colors of Nature: The river of five colors!
Presenting Part 3 of my ‘colors of nature’ series – Cano Caristales, a naturally colored river located in Serrania de la Macarena Park of Meta Province, Republic of Columbia. The South American region is home to this stunning river that is often called ‘The most beautiful river in the world’, ‘The Liquid Rainbow’ and also ‘The River that ran away from Paradise’.
Cano Cristales is like any other river except for a few weeks from September through November, the river transforms into a living rainbow. During the short span between the wet and dry seasons, when the water level is just right, a unique species of plant that lines the river floor called Macarenia clavigera turns a brilliant red. It is perfectly complemented by splotches of yellow and green sand, blue water, and a variety of shades in between. Here’s a look at the river –
The surreal beauty of the wonder known as Cano Cristales.
Painting it red!
The most beautiful river in the World indeed!
Cano Cristales in its shades of red…
The river running over small ridges and holes forms a dramatic picture with its pink algae rendering colors
A closer look at the wonder river
The different colors seen in Cano Cristales
The pink river bed…
Tourists trekking along the river admiring the work of nature!
How it looks from under the water….
Following its course without being aware of its underlying beauty…
Colors of Nature: Mountains
Danxia Landforms, China
Danxia Landforms from Gansu province in Zhangye region of China
The beautiful layers of colors are the Danxia landform from Northern China’s Zhangye region. There are several ‘Danxia’ landforms in Zhangye but this one along the ancient Silk Route in the Linze and Sunan counties of the Gansu Province is known as the largest and the most typical. The massive piece of art spans more than 400 sq kms. The unusual colors of the rocks are the result of red sandstone and mineral deposits being laid down over 24 million years. The best display of colors is just after the monsoons during September – October.
The Hill of Seven Colors, Argentina
‘Hill of seven colors’ from Purmamarca, Jujuy province, Argentina
Hill of Seven Colors or Cerro de los Siete Colores in Jujuy province Argentina offers a fantastic contrast of land colors and formations. The different colors correspond to different kinds of minerals, formed during the cretaceous period, 65 millions of years ago after the dinosaurs extinction. The region is also famous for the well-preserved Inca civilization ruins. A trip to this part of Argentina lying close to the borders with Chile and Bolivia would be a photography treat for sure!
Hornocal mountain range, Argentina
Hornocal mountain range
Lying about 80 kms south of the Hill of Seven colors is another wonder-valley – Quebrada de Humahuaca, in the same Jujuy province of north-western Argentina. With its surreal array of shapes and colors, the Serrania del Hornocal (or Hornocal Mountain Range) is perhaps the most striking of the Quebrada de Humahuaca. This mountain range is characterized by containing eleven colors and the viewpoint (at 4,300 m) allows to observe almost the entire valley. The region is known to have been populated for 10,000 years. It served as a caravan road for the 15th century Inca Empire. The valley is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Painted Hills, Oregon
Painted Hills
The Painted Hills lie deep in the canyons of Wheeler County, one of Oregon’s most remote and least-settled areas. The hills form one of the three units of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in the US state of Oregon. The area has been named after the colorful layers of its hills corresponding to various geological eras, formed when the region was an ancient river floodplain. The hills proudly wear their geological history in vivid stripes of color accentuated by the sunlight. The colors vary according to the position of the sun, so it’s worth visiting the park in different lighting conditions.
Landmannalaugar Mountains, Iceland
Colors of Landmannalaugar, Iceland
Situated in the highlands of Iceland, Landmannalaugar area is a popular tourist destination. Unfortunately there are very few summer days when the region is clear to offer expansive views of the multi-colored rhyolite mountains and lava fields. Landmannalaugar is a region of young and active volcanos where rare rhyolite rocks are responsible for kaleidoscopic hills and plains. A part of the Fjallabak Nature Reserve, Landmannalaugar is open for tourists from around June through to late September. The place is virtually only possible to reach on a 4WD vehicle but definitely an experience that lingers…
Colored Mountains, Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan mountains
A part of the dry Alay Valley, you can cross these mountains on your way to Lenin Peak in Kyrgyzstan – considered one of the easiest 7,000 m peaks in the world to climb. The mountains of Kyrgyzstan are geologically young, so that the physical terrain is marked by sharply uplifted peaks separated by deep valleys that exude vibrant colors courtesy pigmented rocks.
More colorful wonders of nature coming up…
Colors of Nature: Beaches
This is going to be a series of all the beautiful naturally colored wonders that I know of.
Starting the ‘Colors of Nature’ series with –
Unusual Beaches:
Walking down the sand with the fresh ocean breeze kissing your cheeks…. the most cherished beach memory takes on the ‘colors of nature’ when the beach has been painted to different hues! Presenting real beaches handpicked from across the globe that are colored – White, Red, Olive Green, Pink, Chocolate Brown, Purple, Black and Rainbow. I also have two bonus finds – Shell Beach and Glass beach. Read more –
White –
Whitest sand in the world!!
Hyam’s Beach, New South Wales, Australia holds the Guinness World Record for the whitest sand beach in the world. Made of quartz – one of the most common yet spectacular minerals in the Earth’s crust, this bay is at least six times bigger in volume and four times bigger in area than the famous Sydney Harbour.
Red –
A difficult to reach wonder!
Kaihalulu, or Red Sand Beach, Hawaii – One of a very few red beaches in the world, the sand gets its red-black color from the iron-rich crumbling cinder cone hill surrounding the bay. The slippery trek (due to crumbling cinder and pine needles from the trees) down to the beach is definitely worth the effort!
Olive Green –
Another one from Hawaii!
Pu’u Mahana Beach, Hawaii – one of only a few known beaches in the world with olive-green sand. The land surrounding Pu’u Mahana consists of lava that contains large quantities of olivine, the mineral that forms of the semi-precious gem peridot. Strong waves constantly pound this coast, sweeping other particles out to sea while leaving the heavier olivine on the beach. Beach-goers have been rumored to find peridots on the beach large enough to sell to jewelers.
Pink –
Pink sands beach at Harbor Island, The Bahamas
Harbor Island Beach, Eleuthera in the Bahamas – finest example of a “Pretty In Pink”. Such beaches occur only in areas near a very large coral reef formations that contain a tiny organism that has a red skeleton. When they die, these skeletons fall to the ocean floor and are gradually eroded to small particles that are carried to shore by the current, where they mix in with the sand.
Chocolate Brown –
This California beach has sands in dark chocolate color!
Rockaway Beach in Pacifica, California, exhibits a most luscious shade of chocolate brown. This unusual color occurs when eroded bluish-grey limestone mixes with volcanic greenstone from the hillsides that ring the beach.
Purple –
Manganese garnet, washed down from the hillside above, gives Pfeiffer Beach its distinctive purple sand
Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur, California – Surrounded by hills rich in Manganese Garnet that washes down onto the beach giving it a shifting shades of royal purple, lavender, pink and ruby red!!!
Black –
The stunning black sand of the Punalu’u Beach Park
Punalu’u Beach, Hawaii – The stunningly black sand is actually volcanic rock, deposited as lava and subsequently cooled when met by the ocean. A local legend says that if you take any of the sand home, it would result in you being cursed by a volcano goddess by the name of Pele.
Rainbow –
The colored rocks result in different colored layers of sands at the aptly named – Rainbow Beach
Rainbow Beach on Fraser Island in Australia – With a display of more than 70 different colors, most of whom are seen in the surrounding cliffs that were formed during the last ice age, this beach has been compared to layers of rainbow sherbet! For a real treat, dig down into the beach sand to see layer upon layer of colored, banded sands that create a new work of art with each sweep of the hand!!!
And the Bonus ones –
Shells –
The beautiful shells that outline the coast forming a stunning picture nonetheless!
Shell Beach in the Shark Bay, Western Australia – one of only a handful of places on earth where shells replace beach sand in such a dramatic and picturesque way. The beach stretches for more than 100 kilometres with shells between seven and ten metres deep.
Glass –
A classic example of lessons of nature!
Glass Beach, California – The Dump You’ll Want to Visit – For years the local residents dumped automobiles, appliances, toxic substances and razor sharp shards of glass into the water. The beaches under the cliffs lay polluted, cluttered and ruined, and were basically treated as a forgotten ‘mistake.’Mother Earth had a few tricks up her sleeve, and spent the next 30 years tumbling away the jagged edges of our insensitivity and leaving behind brilliant pebbles of polished glass!!
Hope you enjoyed reading about these wonders of nature that are stunning and intriguing and of course – a must, must visit!
Stay tuned for more…
virtualtrotter 