DYNAMO Large-Scale Forcing Data (Version 3)
A link to the Colorado State University array-averaged large scale forcing data for DYNAMO. These data products were created by objectively analyzing upper-air soundings and other data sources onto a regular 1-degree, 25-hPa grid using multiquadric interpolation. The gridded data fields were then averaged over the Northern Sounding Array (NSA) and the Southern Sounding Arrays (SSA).
- download: CSU DYNAMO Large Scale Forcing Data
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|Begin datetime||2011-10-01 00:00:00|
|End datetime||2012-03-31 23:59:59|
Map data from IBCSO, IBCAO, and Global Topography.
Maximum (North) Latitude:
Minimum (South) Latitude:
Minimum (West) Longitude: 30.00, Maximum (East) Longitude: 110.00


The municipality of Clare is situated halfway between the towns of Digby and Yarmouth. It is a distinctive region often referred to as the French Shore. It is also home to the largest Acadian population of Nova Scotia. Picturesque Route 1 also known as the Evangeline Trail passes through twelve French speaking villages between Salmon River and St. Bernard. The bilingual inhabitants along this shore are the descendants of the first settlers here in the early 1600's. In the year 1755 , the British expelled and deported the entire Acadian population of Nova Scotia but many returned here to resettle the area.
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Relax and surf in southern Fuerteventura.
The vast beaches of Morro Jable, the southernmost tourist resort of Fuerteventura, are the perfect place to unwind. The sheer size of the beaches mean you can choose whether to relax on one of the sun loungers or move a little further away to switch off completely as you listen to the sound of the waves. The waters of Morro Jable are ideal for learning to surf or for those who want to pass the time just floating on the surfboard. There is also a port, which offers connections with Gran Canaria via a two-hour boat trip.
A place to unwind in Pájara
Its wide range of accommodation make Morro Jable one of the most popular tourist destinations in Fuerteventura, and yet it still maintains the spirit of a simple fishing village and the essence of a coastal town in the Canary Islands. Shops and restaurants line the avenues of this village situated in the municipality of Pájara, offering the finest local and international products. Visitors to Morro Jable might need to check their watches occasionally: here time really seems to stand still.


flydubai, the Dubai-based airline, announced today the start of its three-times weekly service to Sohag International Airport (HMB) from 25 July. The flights to and from Sohag will operate via a short stop in Sharm El Sheikh. This will bring the number of points flydubai operates to in Egypt to three including Alexandria Borg El Arab International Airport (HBE) and Sharm El Sheikh International Airport (SSH).
Hamad Obaidalla, Chief Commercial Officer at flydubai, said, “Egypt is a very important market for flydubai and has a very special place in our journey. Alexandria was among the first routes we operated to in 2009. We are very pleased to see our presence in Egypt grow and we would like to thank the authorities for their ongoing support. flydubai is committed to supporting the tourism and trade links between our two countries. We look forward to the start of operations to Sohag which is going to be very popular among our passengers from the UAE and the region.”
Sohag is one the important governorates of Upper Egypt with a capital city that holds the same name. The city and the government of Sohag have a long history in ancient Egypt and is home to a number of monuments, monasteries and museums.
Commenting on the announcement, Sudhir Sreedharan, Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations (UAE, GCC, Africa and the Indian Subcontinent) at flydubai, said, “with demand for travel returning we are focused on enabling our passengers to travel with ease to more places around the flydubai network. Sohag is another exciting destination for our passengers to visit whether to go back home to see friends and family or to explore the many historic attractions in the city.”
With the launch of operations to Ankara in Turkey, Budapest in Hungary, Ljubljana in Slovenia, Salzburg in Austria, Tirana in Albania and Warsaw in Poland flydubai has grown its network to more than 95 destinations. This growth was also supported by the launch of the carrier’s summer routes to Bodrum and Trabzon in Turkey, Batumi in Georgia, Mykonos and Santorini in Greece as well as Tivat in Montenegro.


Russia’s war in Ukraine and China’s rise underline the urgent need for U.S.-Asia collaboration and cooperation on global security issues
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Alex Jordan | [email protected]
WASHINGTON, DC — Today the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and the Asia Research Institute’s Asian Peace Programme at the National University of Singapore announced a new partnership between the American and Singaporean institutions, aimed at identifying and elevating opportunities to advance relations between U.S. and Southeast Asian nations in fostering Asian peace and mutual prosperity.
The partnership will commence this year with a series of joint events featuring scholars from the respective organizations in conversation with diplomats, policymakers, and business and government leaders about the most pressing issues facing relations between the two regions such as China’s rising power, U.S. and Southeast Asian roles in reducing regional tensions, tackling the threat of climate change, and more. Select research and articles will be cross-hosted on each others’ websites in order to expose audiences in both regions to cutting-edge content.
“In Washington, the nuanced perspectives of Southeast Asian states—particularly partners and allies—are often ignored or oversimplified,” said Sarang Shidore, Quincy Institute’s director of studies. “By further strengthening the Quincy Institute’s scholarship in key areas of U.S.-Asia relations from a Restraint standpoint, this partnership will empower our team to provide both U.S. policymakers and the American people with insightful, impactful analysis of one of the most dynamic and geopolitically critical regions of the world.”
The partnership’s first joint event will be a webinar that vets the question of how Southeast Asian countries can best navigate the fraught relationship between the United States and the great powers, especially China–one increasingly dictated by “strategic competition” and the Biden administration’s notion of a global confrontation between “democracies and autocracies.” Asian Peace Programme Director Kishore Mahbubani will join former Indonesian ambassador to the United States Dino Patti Djalal, Asia Society Policy Institute’s Elina Noor, and Quincy Institute’s Sarang Shidore for the discussion on Wednesday, March 16. Media coverage is encouraged; more details and registration information can be found here.
In addition to its major investment and trade ties with the United States, the dynamic region of Southeast Asia is at the frontline of a looming cold war between Washington and Beijing. While China’s rise poses an acute concern to many nations in the region, many also oppose the growing U.S.-China security competition that will likely be highly destabilizing and damaging to them. Southeast Asian states also want to partner with both the United States and China to jointly solve complex global challenges such as climate change and pandemics.
“The 21st century will be the Asian century. Yet it might not be a peaceful century. Many simmering tensions, arising from existing geopolitical fault lines, are brewing,” said eminent Singaporean former diplomat Kishore Mahbubani, who in addition to directing the Asian Peace Programme is also Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Research Institute. “The Asian Peace Programme was established in July 2020 to generate pragmatic and practical ideas to help defuse some existing tensions. It’s a modest effort. Yet, working with the Quincy Institute, which shares similar goals of preserving peace with enhanced American engagement, we hope that we will help to strengthen the drivers of peace in Asia.”
The partnership is the first of its kind for the Quincy Institute, an action-oriented think tank launched in 2019 that seeks to make peace the norm and war the exception in U.S. foreign policy. Each partner organization will pursue, and be responsible for its own mission and activities. The collaboration will enable Quincy to amplify its groundbreaking research and analysis, and to engage perspectives far outside the beltway.
“This new arrangement will enhance QI’s goal of achieving a better U.S. foreign policy centered on vigorous diplomacy, not endless war,” said Quincy Institute CEO Lora Lumpe. “We are honored to be partnering with Kishore Mahbubani in our first joint venture.”


Conservative councillors in Bath and North East Somerset have called upon the Council to bring forward plans to extend the area’s Greenbelt.
During the debate on the Council’s Core Strategy planning blueprint this week, Conservative councillors tabled proposals calling on the authority to look into the possibility of extending the Greenbelt to the south of the district.
Large parts of the authority are already covered by Greenbelt, including the area between Bristol and Bath, as well as countryside to the south of the A4 and around the A37. However, the area’s Greenbelt boundary currently stops to the north of villages including Temple Cloud, West Harptree, Bishop Sutton, Clutton, High Littleton, Timsbury, Camerton and Peasedown.
Conservatives have argued that as B&NES is seeking to remove some sites around Keynsham and Bath from the Greenbelt, the Council should be using the powers it has available to bring new sites into the Greenbelt. The Conservative amendment calling on the Cabinet to consider extending the Greenbelt was accepted as part of the Core Strategy.
Conservative Deputy Leader Cllr Tim Warren (Cons, Mendip) said:
“There has been a strong demand for many years from villages to the south of the district for the Greenbelt boundary to be extended to help protect more of our countryside.
“With B&NES taking land out of the Greenbelt to the north end of the area, Conservatives believe it is right that the Council seek to bring more land into the Greenbelt, an idea which is supported by the Government. We don’t have a set view at the moment on exactly what areas should be brought into the Greenbelt, we feel this should be decided following a review by the Council and consultation with local communities.
“We’re therefore pleased that our proposal to look into extending the Greenbelt has been agreed by councillors, and hope that the Council’s administration will start work on this matter urgently.”


Made up of seven diverse regions, Oregon has the ocean, mountains, valleys, high desert, cities, small towns, and almost everything in between. Luxury camping fits perfectly into this area with the gorgeous views the landscape provides. Hike along the Pacific Crest Trail or spend a day at the beach, experience Oregon peacefully with a luxury camping site with Wi-Fi. Take a scenic bike ride on one of the world-class single-track mountain bike trails, or take a drive instead. Crater Lake National Park, the deepest lake in the United States, is a great location to spend the day to tour through. Explore this beautiful state as well as have the ability to connect to Wi-Fi right from your luxury camping site.


"TULALIP, Wash.— The flat-bottom boat weaves across bends in the broad, mud-colored Qwuloolt Estuary, scaring up squawking blue herons and geese along the sloping banks of muck. Scattered log booms poke out.
“A little more than a year ago we were driving cars out here,” says Francesca Hillery, a Tulalip Tribes spokeswoman, tucked tightly in a raincoat and baseball cap to protect against the early autumn drizzle blowing in from the Sound as the skiff glides across the water.
In August 2015, the U.S. Army Corps cut the levee, and water from the Ebey Slough poured in, flooding 375 acres of farmland. The breach marked an end to centuries of diked-up farming. The estuary is part of the Snohomish River flood plain and about three miles from where it empties into the Puget Sound."


ISMAILIA, Egypt (AP) — Dredgers, tugboats and even a backhoe didn’t free an enormous cargo ship wedged in Egypt’s Suez Canal on Thursday because the variety of stacked-up vessels unable to go by means of the very important waterway climbed to 150 and losses to international transport mounted.
The skyscraper-sized Ever Given, carrying cargo between Asia and Europe, ran aground Tuesday within the slender, man-made canal dividing continental Africa from the Sinai Peninsula. Even with the help of excessive tides, authorities have been unable to push the Panama-flagged container vessel apart, and they’re in search of new concepts to free it.
In an indication of the turmoil the blockage has triggered, the ship’s Japanese proprietor even provided a written apology.
“We’re decided to maintain on working exhausting to resolve this example as quickly as attainable,” Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd. mentioned. “We want to apologize to all events affected by this incident, together with the ships travelling and planning to journey by means of Suez Canal.”
As efforts to free it resumed at daylight Thursday, an Egyptian canal authority official mentioned employees hoped to keep away from offloading containers from the vessel as it might take days to take action and lengthen the closure. The official spoke on situation of anonymity as he wasn’t approved to speak to journalists.
Up to now, dredgers have tried to clear silt across the large ship. Tug boats nudged the vessel alongside it, making an attempt to realize momentum. From the shore, no less than one backhoe dug into the canal’s sandy banks, suggesting the bow of the ship had plowed into it. Nonetheless, satellite tv for pc pictures taken Thursday by Planet Labs Inc. and analyzed by The Related Press confirmed the vessel nonetheless caught in the identical location.
Lt. Gen. Osama Rabei, the pinnacle of the canal authority, mentioned navigation by means of the waterway would stay halted till the Ever Given is refloated. A group from Boskalis, a Dutch agency specialised in salvaging, arrived on the canal Thursday, though considered one of its prime officers warned eradicating the vessel may take “days to weeks.”
A group from the Boskalis subsidiary SMIT “spent the day doing inspections and doing calculations to evaluate the state of the vessel and a plan on find out how to refloat the vessel,” spokesman Martijn Schuttevaer advised the AP. He didn’t provide a time-frame.
The Suez Canal Authority mentioned one concept the group mentioned was scraping the underside of the canal across the ship.
Boskalis chairman Peter Berdowski on Wednesday described the ship as “a really heavy whale on the seaside.”
“The ship, with the load it now has, can’t actually be pulled free. You may neglect it,” he advised the Dutch present affairs program “Nieuwsuur.”
Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, the corporate that manages the Ever Given, mentioned its 25-member crew was protected and accounted for. Shoei Kisen Kaisha mentioned all of the crew got here from India.
The ship had two pilots from Egypt’s canal authority aboard the vessel to information it when the grounding occurred round 7:45 a.m. Tuesday, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement mentioned.
Canal service supplier Leth Businesses mentioned no less than 150 ships had been ready for the Ever Given to be cleared, together with vessels close to Port Mentioned on the Mediterranean Sea, Port Suez on the Crimson Sea and people already caught within the canal system on Egypt’s Nice Bitter Lake.
Cargo ships already behind the Ever Given within the canal will likely be reversed south again to Port Suez to free the channel, Leth Businesses mentioned. Authorities hope to do the identical to the Ever Given after they can free it.
Evergreen Marine Corp., a serious Taiwan-based transport firm that operates the ship, mentioned the Ever Given had been overcome by robust winds because it entered the canal, one thing Egyptian officers earlier mentioned as nicely. Excessive winds and a sandstorm plagued the realm Tuesday, with winds gusting to 50 kph (30 mph).
An preliminary report steered the ship suffered an influence blackout earlier than the incident, one thing Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement denied.
“Preliminary investigations rule out any mechanical or engine failure as a reason behind the grounding,” the corporate mentioned.
In Japan, Chief Cupboard Secretary Katsunobu Kato advised reporters the Suez Canal is a part of an important worldwide sea lane, and that the Japanese authorities was gathering info and dealing with native authorities.
The closure may have an effect on oil and gasoline shipments to Europe from the Mideast, which depend on the canal to keep away from crusing round Africa. The value of worldwide benchmark Brent crude stood at over $63 a barrel Thursday.
Total, famed transport journal Lloyd’s Listing estimates every day the Suez Canal is closed disrupts over $9 billion price of products that needs to be passing by means of the waterway. 1 / 4 of all Suez Canal visitors a day comes from container ships just like the Ever Given, the journal mentioned.
“Blocking one thing just like the Suez Canal actually units in movement a variety of dominos toppling one another over,” mentioned Lars Jensen, chief government of Denmark-based SeaIntelligence Consulting. “The impact will not be solely going to be the straightforward, instant one with cargo being delayed over the following few weeks, however will even have repercussions a number of months down the road for the provision chain.”
The Ever Given, inbuilt 2018 with a size of practically 400 meters (1 / 4 mile) and a width of 59 meters (193 toes), is among the many largest cargo ships on the planet. It will possibly carry some 20,000 containers at a time. It beforehand had been at ports in China earlier than heading towards Rotterdam within the Netherlands.
Opened in 1869, the Suez Canal supplies an important hyperlink for oil, pure gasoline and cargo. It additionally stays considered one of Egypt’s prime international forex earners. In 2015, the federal government of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi accomplished a serious enlargement of the canal, permitting it to accommodate the world’s largest vessels. Nonetheless, the Ever Given ran aground south of that new portion of the canal.
The stranding Tuesday marks simply the most recent to have an effect on mariners amid the pandemic. Hundreds of thousands have been stuck aboard vessels due to the pandemic. In the meantime, calls for on transport have elevated, including to the strain on drained sailors.
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The Tenderloin and western SoMa are neighborhoods in transition, slowly climbing from rock bottom to livable. Renovated SROs (single-room-occupancy hotels), the primary housing in the central city, have new electricity, plumbing, elevators that work, laundry rooms and more. The housing is stabilizing the homeless, giving them a launching pad into a productive future. Also within these neighborhoods on the way up are young, affluent professionals who are buying $500,000 central city condos.
Salvation Army has a new $57 million community center/housing complex, part of the transformation of a pretty rough section of the Tenderloin. Nonprofit developers such as Community Housing Partnership, TNDC, Mercy Charities and others have become increasingly major players for housing in the city; Care Not Cash SROs are helping to improve the inner-city housing stock as homes for the homeless; late-night entertaining and daytime cultural activities are proliferating; the mammoth new Federal Building on Mission at Seventh streets is changing everything around it; the Civic Center is being upgraded and Sixth Street spruced up. Community benefit districts are now in the Tenderloin, Mid-Market and Yerba Buena Center area.
These are just some of the major changes in the neighborhood. All are signs that the inner city’s time has come. It is maturing into a government business district with nonprofits and public agencies working side by side to serve the largely fixed-income, low-income, disabled, homeless and newcomer populace. The residents are served by the hundreds of mom-and-pops, bars, restaurants and small merchants who keep most storefronts bustling.
This is a section of the city that needs a voice, especially now that so much is happening to it and around it. Because so many of the residents are poor, few vote and many are dysfunctional, they can more easily be forgotten, shunted aside, rolled over, circumvented or exploited by landlords, bureaucrats, big businesses, out-of-towners and other neighborhoods.
Central City Extra keeps residents informed about issues that affect them. It also is a forum from which otherwise unheard voices can reach decision makers able to improve life in the neighborhood.
These are our readers — the 30,000 residents on fixed low incomes who live in the Tenderloin and the Sixth Street corridor and their more affluent newcomer neighbors. Also in the heart of the city are an estimated 800 nonprofit organizations and their staff members, and more than four square blocks of public office buildings housing thousands of workers. At least 3,000 of The Extra’s current 8,000 circulation is delivered to these workers who share a common interest with the residents and service providers, their five-day-a-week neighbors.
Distribution by Neighborhood: Civic Center, South of Market and Tenderloin
Distribution by Zip Code: 94102, 94103 and 94109


The quality of surface water and ground water in the Yucaipa area was evaluated to determine general chemical characteristics and to identify areas of recent ground-water recharge. Water samples, collected from 8 sites on 3 creeks and from 25 wells, were analyzed for general chemistry, nutrients, tritium, and stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen. At one production well (1S/2W-25R4), water samples were collected at discrete depths during pumping and a continuous profile of the vertical flow rate inside the well casing was recorded. In addition to general-chemistry samples, tritium and carbon-14 samples were collected at this well to interpret the age of water at different depths.Results indicate that most water in the Yucaipa area is a calcium-bicarbonate type. The general chemical composition of surface water resembles that of ground water, although the concentration of most constituents is higher in ground water. The chemical composition of most ground-water samples is similar. Elevated concentrations of nitrate in some ground-water samples may indicate recharge from agricultural areas.In surface water that recharges ground water tritium activity ranged from 7 to 18 picocuries per liter. The range of tritium activity found in ground water indicates different times since recharge and possible mixing along ground-water flow paths. The oldest ground-water sample had a tritium activity less than 0.3 picocuries per liter, indicating more than 50 years since recharge. Water samples that had tritium activity greater than 0.3 picocuries per liter indicate that some of the water was recharged since 1952. The youngest ground water (greater than 7 picocuries per liter) was found near the hills and mountains surrounding the Yucaipa area; the oldest ground water (less than 0.3 picocuries per liter) was found in the Western Heights subbasin. Testing of the vertical contribution of ground water to well 1S/2W-25R4 showed that more than one-half of the water flowed into the well between depths of about 450 and 600 feet below land surface; the rest of the water flowed into the well between 600 and about 850 feet below land surface. At a discharge rate of 750 gallons per minute, virtually no water was contributed to the well below a depth of about 850 feet. The water samples collected at this well ranged in age from less than 50 to less than 400 years before present.


Families seeking the great outdoors often flock to well-trodden locales like Alaska or Jackson Hole, but Vancouver Island is a top-tier alternative that deserves consideration. This large Canadian island off the southwest coast of British Columbia boasts an astonishing breadth of ecological wonder, up-close wildlife encounters, adventure and more than 2,000 miles of scenic coastline. Add to that the rich cultural heritage of the indigenous First Nations peoples (including the Coast Salish, Nuu-chah-nulth and Kwakwakaw’akw) who have long navigated the surrounding waters, and you have the makings of family holiday gold.
For those unfamiliar, Vancouver Island may conjure an image of a small footprint and sparse population. In fact, the island is quite large; it takes about six hours to drive north to south and three hours across at its widest point. It draws visitors year-round for everything from skiing to hiking, diving, fishing and beach exploration. The most notable city on Vancouver Island is British Columbia’s charming capital and most populous city, Victoria, and the mountainous Vancouver Island Ranges run the length of the isle, providing the ideal backdrop for active pursuits.
You could easily spend a week or more exploring, but you can also get a good feel for the area in four to five days with a more compact itinerary.
Best Things to Do on Vancouver Island with Kids
Mid-island enticements on the east coast include sport fishing, salmon fishing, skiing, paddling, whale watching, farmers’ markets and wineries, with Parksville and Qualicum Beach as hubs. Here are some of the highlights:
North Island Wildlife Recovery Center. The goal of this extensive nonprofit rehabilitation center is to re-introduce as many birds and animals as possible to the wild. Families can spend time viewing the many animals who live on the property, including orphaned black bears, eagles and other birds, as well as learning about wildlife and environmental issues.
Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Reserve Amazing Places Geotour. The Amazing Places project connects people with locations in Canada’s UNESCO biosphere reserves and educates them about the ecological significance of well-loved, publicly accessible outdoor spaces. Mount Arrowsmith is the only one of these locations on Vancouver Island. A fantastic way to appreciate this unique spot is to take part in the Geotour, which families can complete based on a field guide or an app.
Little Qualicum Cheeseworks. Experience a working farm with animals, a self-guided tour, milking robots, picnic areas, and a fantastic farm gate store that sells cheese made onsite, milk from a dispenser and more.
Beaches. The waters in Parksville and Qualicum Beach are shallow with warm, long tides, making for calm fun for even the youngest beachgoers.
Paradise Fun Park. Burn off some steam at this traditional fun park, complete with two 18-hole miniature golf courses and an arcade as well as adult and kiddie bumper boats.
Moving south, you’ll come to Nanaimo, which may be familiar for its eponymous (and delicious) no-bake layered dessert bars. Don’t miss this confection, featuring a coconut crumb base, custard and a top layer of chocolate.
Whale watching. The Salish Sea — the name for the entire body of water that separates Vancouver Island from mainland British Columbia — is known as a spectacular spot for viewing orcas, humpback whales, sea lions, porpoises, seals, eagles and other creatures.
WildPlay. This outdoor adventure park offers ropes courses (with a special kids’ course for ages 5-12), ziplining, bungee jumping and a primal swing.
Saytshun Island. A quick 15-minute ferry ride from Nanaimo brings you to this small island. Begin at the totem pole for a walking tour of to learn about the Snuneymuxw First Nation sacred village sites and traditions, and Saysutshun’s cultural history.
Nanaimo Museum. Stop in to learn about the history of Nanaimo and its unique cultural heritage.
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Another hour’s drive south will land visitors in the Cowichan region. Cowichan has plenty to keep families busy, whether enjoying the local scenery and learning about its animal inhabitants to hiking, mountain biking and visits to farmers’ markets or local wineries.
Malahat SkyWalk. Wheelchair and stroller-friendly, this fully accessible tree walk takes families through a beautiful arbutus forest. The. path leads to a spectacular gentle spiral ramp toward incredible sightseeing at the lookout, with views of Finlayson Arm, Saanich Peninsula, Mount Baker and the distant Coast Mountains.
Pacific Northwest Raptor Centre. Get up close with birds of prey and learn about their care and habitats.
BC Discovery Forest Center. Ride a historic train over the Somenos Lake Trestle, learn about the forest industry in British Columbia, and relax and enjoy views of the 100-acre museum from the train.
Hand of Man Museum. Explore this small but engaging look at the history of the area’s diverse ecosystems and the efforts to protect them.
Forty-five minutes farther south brings you to Victoria at Vancouver Island’s southern tip. This beautiful capital has a distinctly European feel and is known for its art, theater and music scene as well as being Canada’s most ethnically diverse city. Active pursuits include kayaking and whale watching, and activity options abound.
Harbour Ferry ride. Get acclimated with fantastic views of the harbor from the water and learn more about the waterside neighborhoods.
DinoLab. Budding archeologists will want to book a tour to learn about the fossil restoration process and even give it a try using pneumatic tools.
Tea at the Fairmont Empress. Partake in the ritual of afternoon tea at this grand hotel, which has been serving tea daily since 1908 in the Lobby Lounge.
Butchart Gardens. Open all year round, these stunning flower gardens are one of Victoria’s premier attractions.
Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea. Visit Canada’s only aquarium at this cultural center dedicated exclusively to the exploration and conservation of the Salish Sea bioregion.
Families can also visit the Butterfly Gardens and the Bug Zoo to learn about and see the smallest inhabitants of British Columbia, or get the blood pumping at AdrenaLINE with a thrilling zipline adventure.
On the west coast, often referred to as the Pacific Rim, families will be captivated by Tofino and Ucluelet. Located on a peninsula about forty minutes apart, these spots and the area in between are brimming with breathtaking natural scenery that is part of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. The area features wide, sandy beaches (Long Beach is a favorite) and is a popular spot for surfing.
Surfing. Locals rave about the surfing at Wickaninnish Beach, Chesterman Beach, Florencia Bay and Cox Bay.
Rainforest Trail. Hike among some of the oldest trees in Canada on these two relatively short loops on raised wooden boardwalks.
Wild Pacific Trail Lighthouse Loop. This round-trip hike, which includes the 1915 Amphitrite Point Lighthouse, is stroller-friendly and easy to do with younger kids.
Kayaking. Sea kayaking is an ideal way to explore Clayoquot Sound and the nearby old growth forest of Meares Island.
Bear watching tour. Black bears can often be spotted on the shore at low tide, and these tours allow families to get a glimpse from a safe distance.
Where to Stay on Vancouver Island
Choose a central home base for your adventures such as Nanaimo, Parksville or Qualicum Beach. Any of these provides easy access to local highlights like Cowichan, Victoria, Tofino and Ucluelet, which are all within a two- to three-hour drive.
For the ultimate luxurious escape, stay at Tofino’s Wickaninnish Inn, one of the most special properties in North America. This Relais & Chateaux hotel is perched over Chesterman Beach and was thoughtfully designed to amplify the beauty of the surrounding wilderness. Families will be delighted with the chance to explore tidal pool ecosystems, build sandcastles and enjoy beachside picnics. The inn can also arrange fishing charters and wildlife excursions. Want help booking a stay? Reach out to our Family Vacation Advisor team and we’ll take it from there!
Getting There and Around
The most popular ways to access Vancouver Island are by ferry to Victoria or by float plane into Victoria, Tofino or Nanaimo. Renting a car is helpful to explore the island with ease.
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Large wildfires bring increases in annual river flowApril 12, 2018
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Large wildfires cause increases in stream flow that can last for years or even decades, according to a new analysis of 30 years of data from across the continental United States.
Enhanced river flows are a good news, bad news proposition. The good news is more water can be a boon, such as serving as a hedge during times of scarce water. The bad news is more water can also be a detriment, especially when it comes with an increase in contaminants, such as sediment or nutrients, caused by the greater runoff that follows vegetation losses to fire.
Prescribed burns on the other hand were not found to significantly alter river flows.
"That suggests smaller, prescribed burns can be a management tool for potentially decreasing the threat of bigger fires and creating more resilient forests without having a major effect on water yields," said co-corresponding author Kevin Bladon of Oregon State University.
The findings are important because they bring new insights into how water resource managers should look at fire, especially with the frequency of severe blazes on the rise in the face of global climate change.
Bladon, a hydrologist in OSU's College of Forestry, and collaborators looked at three decades of data regarding fires, climate and river flow from 168 river basins in the lower 48 states.
In watersheds where more than 19 percent of the forest burned, annual river flow increased significantly.
"The impacts of big fires on surface freshwater resources hadn't been previously studied at this scale, nor have they been factored into regional water management strategies," Bladon said. "But large fires are increasing and that heightens concern about their impacts on water in our forest streams and for downstream potable water."
More than two-thirds of U.S. municipalities get their drinking water from a source that originates in a forest, he said.
"Trace the water back from that tap in your kitchen and you begin to see why it's important to care about what can happen when there's a large fire in the forest where your water comes from," he said. "And because of the sheer number of sites we looked at, we can say with a fair degree of confidence that as area burned and wildfire severity increases, so too do the impacts on annual water yields."
Bladon notes that for nearly a half-century through the late 1990s, wildfire trends were either holding steady or declining.
"All of a sudden there's an inflection point and it goes up in terms of area burned," he said. "We had been spending as a nation $500 million a year fighting wildfires, and since 2000 that's grown to the order of $2 billion a year. Suppressing and putting out wildfires now chews up more than half of the U.S. Forest Service budget. We need to find a way off that treadmill."
There are two factors behind the rise of wildfires, Bladon said: a generally warmer, drier climate, and the fuel left behind by earlier suppression efforts.
"Now when forests burn, they can burn with much greater severity," he said. "One percent of the fires, the high-severity ones, eat up 90 to 95 percent of the money being spent on suppression - money that's being taken away from management activities that could serve to reduce the likelihood of severe fires and produce healthier forests."
The effects of fires' relationship to water flow are most pronounced in the West, where climates tend toward warm temperate or humid continental. Despite regular droughts, the semi-arid lower Colorado region showed the greatest fire-induced river flow increases.
"People see and smell the smoke from fires and when it's gone, they think it's over," Bladon said. "But actually the impacts on other values, such as water, are just beginning at that point."
Oregon State University
Related Wildfires Articles:
Wildfires are major polluters. Their plumes are three times as dense with aerosol-forming fine particles as previously believed.
Researchers have found that carbon particles released into the air from burning trees and other organic matter are much more likely than previously thought to travel to the upper levels of the atmosphere, where they can interfere with rays from the sun -- sometimes cooling the air and at other times warming it.
Humans have dramatically increased the spatial and seasonal extent of wildfires across the US in recent decades and ignited more than 840,000 blazes in the spring, fall and winter seasons over a 21-year period, according to new research.
A recent first-of-its-kind analysis of wildfire records over 20 years shows that human-started fires accounted for 84 percent of all wildfires, tripled the length of the fire season and dominated an area seven times greater than that affected by lightning-caused fires.
A study spanning 10 national forests and 14 burned areas in California found that conifer seedlings were found in less than 60 percent of the study areas five to seven years after fire.
A surge in major wildfire events in the US West as a consequence of climate change will expose tens of millions of Americans to high levels of air pollution in the coming decades, according to a new Yale-led study conducted with collaborators from Harvard.
Every year, about 350 million hectares of land are devastated by fires worldwide, this corresponds to about the size of India.
Climate change is melting glaciers, reducing sea-ice cover and increasing wildlife activity -- with some of the most dramatic impacts occurring in the northern high latitudes.
A new study examining wildfires in California found that human activity explains as much about their frequency and location as climate influences.
Research assistant professor Ezra Wood at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has been awarded a four-year, $800,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to participate in one of the largest studies to date of atmospheric chemistry in wildfires.
Related Wildfires Reading:
National Geographic Readers: Wildfires
by Kathy Furgang (Author)
Learn all about wildfires—how they happen, why they're important, and when they're dangerous—in this fascinating level 3 reader. It's sure to ignite your interest, with color photographs, interesting facts, and more. View Details
by Seymour Simon (Author)
A raging wildfire can be a major disaster, costing lives and destroying homes. But fires in nature can help as well as harm, clearing forests of dead trees and allowing young plants to grow. Breathtaking photos highlight this surprising look at fire’s part in maintaining the balance of nature.
This updated edition includes:
• Author’s note
• Stunning full-color photographs
• Websites and additional reading sources
• Series thumbnails on back cover
Supports the Common Core Learning Standards, Next Generation... View Details
Wildfire: On The Front Lines With Station 8
by Heather Hansen (Author)
Every year wildfires ravage forests, destroy communities, and devastate human lives, with only the bravery of dedicated firefighters creating a barrier against even greater destruction. Throughout the 2016 wildfire season, journalist Heather Hansen witnessed firsthand the heroics of the Station 8 crew in Boulder, Colorado. She tells that story here, layered with the added context of the history, science, landscape, and human behavior that, year-by-year, increases the severity, frequency, and costs of conflagrations in the West. She examines the changes in both mindset and activity around... View Details
Land on Fire: The New Reality of Wildfire in the West
by Gary Ferguson (Author)
“This comprehensive book offers a fascinating overview of how those fires are fought, and some conversation-starters for how we might reimagine our relationship with the woods.” —Bill McKibben, author of Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet
Wildfire season is burning longer and hotter, affecting more and more people, especially in the west. Land on Fire explores the fascinating science behind this phenomenon and the ongoing research to find a solution. This gripping narrative details how years of fire suppression and chronic drought have... View Details
Wildfire! (Natural Disasters)
by Elizabeth Raum (Author)
How do weather forecasters predict storms? When does a snowstorm turn into a real blizzard? Get answers to these questions and more in the Natural Disasters series, which features clear explanations and tips for being prepared for extreme natural events. This photo-illustrated book describes wildfires, including forest fires, grass fires, and bush fires. Explains how these fires are started, what conditions create a crisis, and steps taken to put fires out. Also includes information on staying safe and preventing wildfires. View Details
Wildfire: A Hidden Legacy Novel
by Ilona Andrews (Author)
From Ilona Andrews, #1 New York Times bestselling author, the thrilling conclusion to her Hidden Legacy series, as Nevada and Rogan grapple with a power beyond even their imagination…
Nevada Baylor can’t decide which is more frustrating—harnessing her truthseeker abilities or dealing with Connor “Mad” Rogan and their evolving relationship. Yes, the billionaire Prime is helping her navigate the complex magical world in which she’s become a crucial player—and sometimes a pawn—but she also has to deal with... View Details
Wicked Like a Wildfire
by Lana Popovic (Author)
“Lush. Delicious. Bewildering. And darkly magical. Popovic has created a world that you tumble into from the very first words and wish you could stay in forever.” —Evelyn Skye, author of The Crown's Game
“Wicked Like a Wildfire was like devouring a succulent fairy fruit—it will rob your time, settle into your dreams, and leave you starving for more.” —Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen
Veteran preacher and author Fr. Jim Schmitmeyer invites you to experience the beauty of rural ministry in his newest book, Wildfire: Homilies from the High Plains. From hospitals to rodeos, truck stops to track meets, this collection of twenty-five homilies focuses on life in the rural Southwest as interpreted through the lens of scripture. The lyrical quality of the prose elevates everyday events as Fr. Schmitmeyer ruminates on everything from science and God to pursuing intimacy in the selfie generation.
The Yankees had killed her sweetheart, imprisoned her brother, and driven her from her home, but beautiful, golden-haired Serena Bain faced the future boldly as the wagon trains rolled out. Ahead lay countless dangers. But all the perils in the world wouldn't change her bitter resentment of the darkly handsome Yankee wagon master, Josh Quade.
Soon, however, her heart betrayed her will. Serena could not resist her own mounting desire for the rough trapper from Michigan. His strong, rippling, buckskin-clad body set her senses on fire. But pride and fate... View Details
Sell Your Book Like Wildfire: The Writer's Guide to Marketing and Publicity
by Rob Eagar (Author)
Get the bible of book marketing!In Sell Your Book Like Wildfire, marketing expert Rob Eagar explains how to use the best promotional methods available to get your book noticed and drive sales. You'll learn how to:Increase your book sales by driving readers to bookstores and online retailersBuild a brand that makes your books stand out from the crowdSecure more media interviews and speaking engagementsConnect with key influencers who spread word of mouthCreate raving fans who buzz about your book on social mediaIgnite your confidence to sell more books and make more money as an... View Details


Spatial Sampling and Interpolation
Many phenomena that we want to understand occur over wide geographical areas. While there are numerous cases where remote sensing techniques using satellite or aerial photography can be used to capture such data, there are often situations where it is not possible to directly capture a complete surface data set.
In such cases, you will need take sample measurements at selected points and then interpolate the values for the areas in between.
For example, it would be impossible to completely measure the amount and quality of gold ore deep under a large field. But if we could take samples from handful of drilled boreholes and estimate the nature of the deposit in the areas between those boreholes, that would allow us to estimate the volume and quality of the reserve, and know whether further investment would be justified.
While the techniques for spatial interpolation are often domain-specific and, accordingly, complex, there are some fundamental spatial sampling and interpolation techniques that are applicable across a wide variety of domains, and this tutorial will introduce how to execute those techniques in R.
Surfaces and Rasters
The values of a variable across space are commonly conceived of as surfaces. While the imagery of a surface implies elevation (height), variables modeled with surfaces can be anything that has a distribution across space, such as prevalance of an animal species, temperature, or concentrations of pollutants.
Surfaces are commonly represented as raster grids of evenly spaced cells. In R, the raster library provides a wide variety of functions for building, manipulating, and analysing surfaces represented with rasters.
For example, digital elevation models (DEM) are rasters of elevation data. The US Geological Survey distributes DEMs via The National Map. The example below uses this DEM data for an area around Spokane, WA. The plot() function gives a false-color view of the data.
dem = raster("imgn48w118_1.img") plot(dem)
The persp() function creates a perspective visualization of surface data.
The exact parameters needed to make the visualization useful will depend on your data. In the example below:
- border=NA turns the borders off, because with high-resolution data like this, borders turn the surface black.
- shade=0.5 enables hillshading, giving the effect of light and shadows
- scale=F preserves the aspect ratio of cells (rather than expanding them to fit the display) and expand=0.0001 reduces the scaling of elevation since x/y coordinates are in degrees but elevation is in meters
persp(dem, col='tan', scale=F, expand = 0.0001, shade=0.5, border=NA)
There are a variety of spatial probability sampling approaches that are similar to their non-spatial counterparts. de Smith, Goodchild, and Longley (2015) point out four systematic approaches:
- Regularly spaced X/Y locations on a grid
- Random X/Y locations
- Regular grid with random X/Y offsets
- Regular grid with random row or column offsets
However, as with other types of sampling like polls and surveys, strict adherence to rigorous regularity or randomness may not be practical. Nonprobability sampling techniques like convenience sampling where samples are gathered at the most accessible or permissible locations may be necessary.
Although the statistical validity of inferences made from that data is reduced and uncertainty is increased, depending on the nature of the sampled phenomenon and the desired level of rigor, such data may be of value for preliminary research or conclusions that are presented with caveats.
Example GPX Data
The following examples will demonstrate spatial interpolation using GPX data gathered as a convenience sample by traversing walkways on the Eastern Washington University campus. This demonstration GPX file can be downloaded HERE....
While spatial interpolation is used for a wide variety of applications other than elevation, elevation is a readily-understandable and accessible example for demonstration.
GPX is an XML-based format used to store GPS tracking information. There are a wide variety of apps available for both iPhone and Android devices that can create GPX files using the GPS receivers in all contemporary smartphones.
GPX files can contain a number of different sets of points that are treated as layers by OGR, although some layers may be empty. You can list the layers with the ogrListLayer() function from the rgdal library. You can list information about a layer with the ogrInfo() function.
> library(rgdal) > ogrListLayers("2017-05-010-175527.gpx")  "waypoints" "routes" "tracks" "route_points" "track_points" attr(,"driver")  "GPX" attr(,"nlayers")  5 > ogrInfo("2017-05-010-175527.gpx", "track_points") Source: "2017-05-010-175527.gpx", layer: "track_points" Driver: GPX; number of rows: 261 Feature type: wkbPoint with 2 dimensions Extent: (-117.5863 47.48662) - (-117.5771 47.49273) CRS: +proj=longlat +datum=WGS84 +no_defs Number of fields: 26 name type length typeName 1 track_fid 0 0 Integer 2 track_seg_id 0 0 Integer 3 track_seg_point_id 0 0 Integer 4 ele 2 0 Real 5 time 11 0 DateTime 6 magvar 2 0 Real 7 geoidheight 2 0 Real 8 name 4 0 String 9 cmt 4 0 String 10 desc 4 0 String 11 src 4 0 String 12 link1_href 4 0 String 13 link1_text 4 0 String 14 link1_type 4 0 String 15 link2_href 4 0 String 16 link2_text 4 0 String 17 link2_type 4 0 String 18 sym 4 0 String 19 type 4 0 String 20 fix 4 0 String 21 sat 0 0 Integer 22 hdop 2 0 Real 23 vdop 2 0 Real 24 pdop 2 0 Real 25 ageofdgpsdata 2 0 Real 26 dgpsid 0 0 Integer
The readOGR() function will read points from a GPX file into a SpatialPointsDataFrame object:
> points = readOGR(dsn='2017-05-010-175527.gpx', 'track_points', stringsAsFactors=F) OGR data source with driver: GPX Source: "2017-05-010-175527.gpx", layer: "track_points" with 261 features It has 26 fields > names(points)  "track_fid" "track_seg_id" "track_seg_point_id"  "ele" "time" "course"  "speed" "magvar" "geoidheight"  "name" "cmt" "desc"  "src" "url" "urlname"  "sym" "type" "fix"  "sat" "hdop" "vdop"  "pdop" "ageofdgpsdata" "dgpsid" > plot(points)
If your data includes points gathered outside the particular area of interest, they can be removed by subsetting as with any other SpatialPointsDataFrame. For example, the following selection removes possibly errant points from the beginning and ending of the survey.
> range(points$time)  "2017/05/01 23:52:11+00" "2017/05/02 00:55:30+00" > points = points[(points$time >= '2017/05/01 23:54') & (points$time < '2017/05/02 00:50:00'),] > range(points$time)  "2017/05/01 23:54:04+00" "2017/05/02 00:49:44+00" > spplot(points, zcol='ele')
An OpenStreetMap base map can be used to give geographic context:
library(OpenStreetMap) basemap = openmap(upperLeft = c(47.494, -117.588), lowerRight = c(47.486, -117.576), type="osm") palette = colorRampPalette(c("#a6611a", "#018571")) breaks = qunif(seq(0, 1, 0.2), min=min(points$ele), max = max(points$ele)) colors = palette(5)[cut(points$ele, breaks)] plot(basemap) plotpoints = spTransform(points, osm()) points(plotpoints, pch=19, col=colors)
Spatial interpolation will be more meaningful if a planar coordinate system is used, where coordinates represent distances on the ground. The State Plane Coordinate system is commonly used in the US. Note that the transformation casuses the map to be tilted off the north-south axis due to the conic transformation needed to make ground distances accurate.
# NAD 1983 HARN StatePlane Washington North FIPS 4601 # http://spatialreference.org/ref/esri/102348/ washington_north = CRS("+proj=lcc +lat_1=47.5 +lat_2=48.73333333333333 +lat_0=47 +lon_0=-120.8333333333333 +x_0=500000 +y_0=0 +ellps=GRS80 +units=m +no_defs") points = spTransform(points, washington_north) basemap = openproj(basemap, washington_north) plot(basemap) points(points, pch=19, col=colors)
The first step to creating a surface interpolated from points is to define the spatial extent and cell dimension for the raster used to represent the surface.
The function below creates a template raster with no values that can be used by subsequent functions to create rasters with the same dimensions. Because the state plane coordinate system used is in feet, the pixel size of 25 means each pixel is 25 feet square. The value you use will be based on how much spatial resolution you need. Higher resolutions require more memory, and imply higher spatial accuracy, which may not be justified if you do not have enough data.
library(raster) pixelsize = 25 box = round(extent(points) / pixelsize) * pixelsize template = raster(box, crs = washington_north, nrows = (box@ymax - box@ymin) / pixelsize, ncols = (box@xmax - box@xmin) / pixelsize)
This template raster has no data, but the rasterize() function from the raster library can be used to visualize the sampled data in the context of the surface that will be created, and assess whether the pixel size is appropriate for your data. The fun=mean parameter is passed to use the mean() function to find the average elevation when multiple points overlap single raster pixel.
points$PRESENT = 1 pointraster = rasterize(points, template, field = 'ele', fun = mean) plot(pointraster)
Thin Plate Spline
Interpolation techniques are based on models that use patterns in the data (and sometimes other fields) to predict what missing values should be. There are a variety of different models that can be fed into the interpolate() function from the raster library, along with a template raster, to create interpolated surfaces.
A simple model is a thin plate spline, which can be created using the Tps() function from the fields library. Thin plate splines were introduced to geometric design Jean Duchon in 1977.
As the name implies, a thin plate spline can be visualized metaphorically as the shape resulting from draping a slightly rigid sheet of metal over a set of elevation points. This creates a smooth surface.
Because this is a geometric technique, it may not fully model the processes causing differentiation in your data. While you may get a surface that looks attractive, it may not accurately represent the actual modeled phenomenon.
library(fields) spline = Tps(points@coords, points$ele) splined = interpolate(template, spline) plot(splined)
Creating a perspective visualization allows a richer view of the surface.
persp(splined, scale=F, expand=15, shade=0.5, col='tan')
Perspective plots can be false-colored to accentuate differences, although this is a bit cumbersome with persp(). Colors passed to persp() are the facets between points, not the points themselves, so the color matrix needs one fewer rows and one fewer columns. And the matrix needs to be transposed. And rows need to be reversed for some reason. These quirks explain the ugly formula on the first line of code below.
colors = t(as.array(splined)[nrow(splined):2, 2:ncol(splined), 1]) colors = (colors - min(colors)) / diff(range(colors)) colors = rgb(colorRamp(c("#a6611a", "white", "#018571"))(colors), maxColorValue = 255) persp(splined, col = colors, scale=F, expand=10)
Another simple model for interpolation is inverse-distance weighting, which interpolates points based on an average of all the sampled points, but which gives heigher weights to closer points so nearby points have more influence than more-distant points.
The gstat() function from the eponymous gstat library can extract the necessary values and distances from SpatialPointsDataFrame. The formula in this case tells gstat() to model the elevation attribute based on one times the inverse distance for each point.
library(gstat) model = gstat(formula = ele ~ 1, data = points) idist = interpolate(template, model) plot(idist)
This model brings out more fine-grained differences than the thin-plate spline, although in this case those differences are as much a result of GPS elevation inaccuracy as actual changes in elevation. This is made clearer in a perspective plot:
persp(idist, scale=F, expand=15, shade=0.5, col='tan')
Perhaps the most common spatial interpolation technique is kriging, which was initially proposed by South African mining engineer Danie Gerhardus Krige in 1951 and further developed by later mathematicians. Krige is pronounced with a hard 'G' (rhymes with 'dig').
Kriging assumes that spatial variation in the phenomenon being estimated is statistically homogeneous throughout the surface. The same pattern of variation can be observed at all locations on the surface. Accordingly, ordinary kriging is not appropriate when dealing with surfaces known to have anomolous pits, spikes, or inconsistent changes, and inverse distance weighting might be the better choice. (ESRI 2008)
There are three types of kriging:
- Ordinary kriging involves fitting a simple curve to the variogram to model a single variable in terms of itself
- Universal kriging involves a model that considers a broad trend over the surface, a random, but spatially correlated component (like ordinary kriging and IDW), and random noise
- Co-Kriging involves a model built from kriging multiple variables
Ordinary kriging involves first creating a variogram which models how much two samples will differ from each other depending on the distance between those two samples.
Variograms can be created with the variogram() function from the gstat library. That variogram can then be viewed to determine the correct curve to fit to that model.
library(gstat) vario = variogram(ele ~ 1, data = points) plot(vario)
The safest model to start with is the Gaussian model. The vgm() function creates the model and the fit.variogram() adjusts the model parameters to fit the variogram.
variogram_model = vgm(psill = max(vario$gamma), model = 'Gau', range = max(vario$dist), nugget = min(vario$gamma)) fitted_model = fit.variogram(vario, variogram_model) plot(vario, model=fitted_model)
That model can then be fed into gstat(), and the gstat model can be fed into the interpolate() function to create an interpolated surface.
gstat_model = gstat(formula = ele ~ 1, data = points, model = fitted_model) kriged = interpolate(template, gstat_model) plot(kriged)
The perspective plot shows the smoothing associated with the Gaussian curve:
persp(kriged, scale=F, expand=15, shade=0.5, col='tan')
There are a variety of different model curves and a variety of different parameters used to tweak those different models. However, the process can be a bit frustrating, and you might explore the autofitVariogram() function from the automap library if you are having issues getting fit.variogram() to fit your model.
For example, even though the variogram points form a fairly straight line, fit.variogram() issues a warning and subsequent interpolate() calls will fail.
> linear_model = vgm(psill = max(vario$gamma), model = 'Lin', range = max(vario$dist), nugget = min(vario$gamma)) > linear_fit = fit.variogram(vario, linear_model) Warning message: In fit.variogram(vario, linear_model) : singular model in variogram fit > gstat_model = gstat(formula = ele ~ 1, data = points, model = linear_fit) > kriged = interpolate(template, gstat_model) [using ordinary kriging] There were 50 or more warnings (use warnings() to see the first 50)
Using an actual DEM from the USGS, and reprojecting it to our area of analysis, we can see the actual elevation does not cleanly match the output of any of the interpolation methods. Ironically, the simplest of the models (thin-plate spline) probably gets closest, although the high error associated with the GPS data may also be a factor in poor model fit.
Nonetheless, this example dramatizes how different interpolation techniques can give different results with the same data, and that consideration of the underlying modeled phenomena is important in choosing an interpolation technique.
actual = raster("imgn48w118_1.img") actual = projectRaster(actual, template) persp(actual, scale=F, expand=15, shade=0.5, col='tan')
Kriging With Meuse Data
Many of the examples of Kriging on the web use the meuse data set that comes with the standard installation of R. This data set gives locations and topsoil heavy metal concentrations, along with a number of soil and landscape variables at the observation locations, collected in a flood plain of the river Meuse, near the village of Stein (NL). Heavy metal concentrations are from composite samples of an area of approximately 15 m x 15 m.
While these examples are often arcane in structure and difficult to relate to for people who are not soil scientists, this multivariable data set is especially useful to demonstrate universal kriging and co-kriging.
library(sp) data(meuse) # Rijksdriehoek (RDH) (Netherlands topographical) map coordinates netherlands = CRS("+init=epsg:28992 +towgs84=565.237,50.0087,465.658,-0.406857,0.350733,-1.87035,4.0812") wgs84 = CRS("+proj=longlat +datum=WGS84 +no_defs") points = SpatialPointsDataFrame(coords = meuse[,c('x','y')], data = meuse, proj4string = netherlands) spplot(points, zcol='zinc') library(OpenStreetMap) keymap = openmap(upperLeft = c(51.0919, 5.5069), lowerRight = c(50.8523, 5.993), type="osm") plot(keymap) points(spTransform(points, osm()), pch=15, col='red', cex=0.5)
Surface Raster Template and OpenStreetMap Base Map
pixelsize = 20 box = round(extent(points) / pixelsize) * pixelsize template = raster(box, crs = netherlands, vals = 0, nrows = (box@ymax - box@ymin) / pixelsize, ncols = (box@xmax - box@xmin) / pixelsize) library(OpenStreetMap) outline = projectExtent(template, longlat()) basemap = openmap(c(ymax(outline), xmin(outline)), c(ymin(outline), xmax(outline)), type='stamen-toner')
vario = variogram(log(zinc) ~ 1, points) fitted = fit.variogram(vario, vgm(1, "Sph", 300, 1)) plot(vario, model=fitted)
gstat_model = gstat(formula = log(zinc) ~ 1, locations = points, model = fitted) kriged = interpolate(template, gstat_model) plot(basemap) palette = colorRampPalette(c("#a6611ac0", "white", "#018571c0"), alpha=T)(256) plot(projectRaster(kriged, projectExtent(kriged, osm())), col=palette, add=T)
Universal Kriging incorporates a model based on another spatial variable. In this case, zinc as a function of elevation.
vario = variogram(log(zinc) ~ elev, points) fitted = fit.variogram(vario, vgm(1, "Sph", 300, 1)) names(template) = 'elev' gstat_model = gstat(formula = log(zinc) ~ elev, locations = points, model = fitted) kriged = interpolate(template, gstat_model, xyOnly = F) plot(basemap) palette = colorRampPalette(c("#a6611ac0", "white", "#018571c0"), alpha=T)(256) plot(projectRaster(kriged, projectExtent(kriged, osm())), col=palette, add=T)
Co-Kriging involves performing kriging on multiple variables to build a model based on covariance with other variables. This model has the clearest definition of the group.
model = gstat(formula = log(zinc) ~ 1, data = points) model = gstat(g = model, formula = elev ~ 1, data = points) model = gstat(g = model, formula = cadmium ~ 1, data = points) model = gstat(g = model, formula = copper ~ 1, data = points) covario = variogram(model) cofitted = fit.lmc(covario, model, vgm(model = 'Sph', range = 1000)) cokriged = interpolate(template, cofitted) plot(basemap) palette = colorRampPalette(c("#a6611ac0", "white", "#018571c0"), alpha=T)(256) plot(projectRaster(cokriged, projectExtent(cokriged, osm())), col=palette, add=T)


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You can find out more about Cape Charles by visiting the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce web site.
Hotel not included, please make your own reservations.


Mongolia, the motherland of great Genghis Khan who built the mighty Mongol Empire back in 13th century, the vast and historical land with thousands of years of ancient culture and history, is located in plateau of Central Asia. Regardless of the fact that it has been landlocked between the great countries Russia and China throughout the history, Mongolia has been existing and thriving for millenniums, thanks to its heroic and patriotic ancestors who lived on this harsh and extreme land for generation after generation.
Today`s Mongolia sits on a considerable size of territory which includes an array of pristine landscape and nomadic people whose lives in many ways are still unchanged from the past. Here, the nomadic herders still depend on nature for survival, priceless treasures like wide-open space, untouched wilderness, fresh air and water are cherished dearly by the nomadic Mongols. Mongolian people have as helpful, friendly and warm heart as their vast valleys.
The following are the top 10 reasons why you need to travel to Mongolia right now!
2. Last remaining Authentic Nomadic Culture & Unrivaled Hospitality
3. Genghis Khan and the Largest Empire in World History
4. Naadam Festival - one of the Greatest and most unique Sporting Event in the World
5. One of the most peaceful destination in the world for travellers
6. Pristine Nature and Abundant Wildlife
7. Mt. Khuiten and Five Holy Peaks of Altai Mountain Range
8. Famous Trans-Siberian Railway
9. Included in the “Travel Wish List - 2013” according to New York Times and CNN
10. Adventure Travel at its best
Like the Mongol Empire of Genghis Khan’s time that stretched from Japan to Hungary, Mongolia today remains a place of natural and cultural diversity and offers endless possibilities of discovery and adventure for every kind of traveller. Mongolia, the land of marvels, is waiting to be discovered by you! Welcome and enjoy…


I'm aching in unexpected places this week. I've been digging and planting.
It's been raining for almost two weeks straight here in SE Queensland. It's been wonderful. The dams, which 18 months ago were down to 14% capacity, are now 97% full. An unprecedented level.
The western desert areas of the state are overflowing with record flood heights - 14 metres of water flowing through what were, a month ago, dry creek beds.
When the floods subside the land will bloom again. Desert will become pasture, cotton farmers will have their irrigation supplies replenished.
Cubby Station, 93 000 hectares of farmland, which captures the equivalent of Sydney Harbour in its man made catchment system will be in business again. Cubby station, a miracle of design? Some would argue a disaster of design - intervention in the natural system on a massive scale to the detriment of the larger environment. In this case preventing huge waterflows from arriving at downstream wetland destinations. Luckily this time there are multiple Sydney Harbours on offer.
This ocean of water will now travel its long journey to the Southern Ocean finally reaching its destination in three months. The mighty Murray River, part of Australia's largest river system, will receive water it has been denied over the past decade and will flow to the ocean again. This is the system which gave rise to the belief that Australia had a huge inland sea because many of these rivers appeared to flow west, away from the ocean. Early explorers didn't have the benefit of Google Earth and aerial photography.
Back in my backyard things are going wild. I gave myself a simple task. Plant the kaffir lime tree given to me for my bithday over a month ago. Being a distractable person i turned this 20 minute exercise into four hours of pruning, climbing, digging, planting, poisoning and inspecting. I used tools which thought they'd been retired permanently to the tool room, forgot to have lunch and finally collapsed having created a new list of things to do way longer than the original.
And a day later I'm aching in places .......
Looking back. The view the kaffir lime tree has of me.


Yumi was born and raised in the prefectural capital, Yamagata City, where she attended Yamagata University and …
Mr. Otomo was born in Misuzawa, Tsuruoka City, and as a child, dreamed of becoming a voice actor. He started h …
Born and raised in Kurokawa, a rural village in the hinterland of Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture, Mr. Ueno …
Yabase, Tsuruoka, Yamagata, Japan
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Megurun aims to support sustainable rural communities. To achieve these aims, we gained a travel agency license registered with the governor of Yamagata Prefecture: Region 282.


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Militia Cache is located in the hills overlooking Kamakura. The best time to visit is on a clear day due to tree cover in the area.
If you're unfamiliar with Kamakura I suggest picking up a tourist map at the train station for a few hundred yen if they are out of free ones. Kamakura is home to numerous Temples and Shrines that are best walked in the spring and fall months when the flowers are in bloom or fading and the congregation of spiders on the hill's path are at a minimum. Please don't let this deter you from an amazing hike and beautiful grounds. A great starting point for this cache, and the hike alone, is from Kencho-ji Temple located nearer to the Kitakamakura Station rather than Kamakura Station itself. I believe it's about 300 yen to enter the temple grounds, which open around 6:00 and close at 5:30. The trail head begins at the top of a very, very long staircase, though the view is well worth the hike. If you wish to forgo the temple way in there are many trails that begin at the edges of town to the north-east. Finding them is not all too difficult and one of those trails will possibly be where you end your hike if you decide not to back-track. I highly recommend continuing on the trail for experienced hikers after finding the cache, for there are some amazing temples and shrines along the way which make for fantastic photo opportunities(best to set your GPS at the train station to help find your way back). We placed it in a spot not too far from the trail near a fork in the road and an electrical tower.
This is a military cache, so please feel free to take any item but replace it with one of a military nature.
**I also suggest browsing through others' remarks, comments, tips, etc. regarding this cache.**
As of November 28, 2004 I have returned to the States and can no longer care for the cache:( Thank you for the responses, and the pictures from my favorite city are awesome. I'm glad this has become so popular and cacher's from all over the world are visiting. Again, thank you all very much for the updates, pictures, and caretaking, happy caching :)


Lots of activity for the team today!
Interviews on the stand and more enquiries from New Zealand, right across the globe to the West Coast of the USA mean we are looking forward to a busy period ahead.
We also have our Food Technologist Matilda Cox with us who is here with us for the first time and is enjoying visiting some of the many seminars to gain the latest insights from our customers and their suppliers, as well as visiting our customers in the ISM halls.
The show closes soon, but still time to catch us before you leave!
Find us on Stand B046 Hall 10.1


The N1C 4 postcode sector is within the county of Greater London in the Greater London area of England..
N1C 4 is a postcode sector within the N1C postcode district which is within the N London - N postcode area.
The Royal Mail delivery office for the N1C 4 postal sector is the .
The area of the N1C 4 postcode sector is 0.22 square miles which is 0.58 square kilometres or 142.71 square acres.
Waterways within the N1C 4 postcode sector include the Regent's Canal.
The N1C 4 postcode sector is crossed by a railway.
Explore the n1c 4 postcode sector by using our free interactive map.
|Type of Property||2018 Average||2018 Sales||2017 Average||2017 Sales||2016 Average||2016 Sales||2015 Average||2015 Sales|
|The N1C 4 Sector is within these Local Authorities||The N1C 4 Sector is within these Counties||
||The N1C 4 Sector is within these Water Company Areas||
We found 1 hotels and guest houses within the N1C postcode area
|Great Northern Hotel, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel, London|
|King's Cross St Pancras International Station, Pancras Road, London, london, N1C 4TB.|
|View details for Great Northern Hotel, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel, London|


Of course, no China travel is complete without indulging in the places “ç‰¹è‰²â€œ, or specialties.
Fresh mountain greens and pickled peppers, fried bamboo shoots, chicken boiled in Sichuan chilis.
A small shop on the steep path up Mt. Emei. The old woman waiting patiently for hungry passer-byers disappeared behind the small building long enough for me to hear the abrupt “squawk” that heralded the end of lunch’s free roaming life… a few minutes later, this delicious chicken, sour bamboo and chili dish arrived.
The famous æ°´ç…®é±¼ï¼Œfish filet boiled in wonderful èŠ±æ¤’ numbing peppers and chili.
In the smaller city of Yibin, fish slices and chili of all sorts.
I landed, or dragged myself up to, the Inle Heart View restaurant, off the road and through a field and up the hill, exactly at noon. The ladies tending the front if their house half way up the hill seemed a bit surprised and alarmed, and I saw why as I made it finally to the empty little restaurant. One if the old ladies came hurrying up the hill after me, and a minute later two fellows pulled up on their scooters. The one, his name Zaw I think (Burmese pronunciation is different than it looks), speaking excellent English, apologized saying they were back at his village. The woman was his aunt, and the other fellow his uncle. He gave me a menu – most if the dishes weren’t really available, the restaurant without electricity and seemingly not very busy thus dusty saturday, so he talked me through ordering some pickled tea leaves, a tomato salad with sticky rice crackers, and some grilled chicken.
And the verdict: excellent.
After bringing the dishes one by one up the bamboo stairs, Zaw stops to talk – not much else to do at the moment, I am the only customer to dote over. Zaw worked at one of the fancy Inle Lake hotels for years, he said, after a course in English and hospitality at the tourist hub Nuangshwe. After working at the hotel for a number of years, he obviously has a much more refined understanding of what western tourists are looking for as they “rough it” through Myanmar. He said he built his small restaurant, which only just opened its doors (there actually are not any doors) in the less convenient location away from the noisy main road, up a hill on a rough dirt road, to provide quiet and a spectacular view of the lake, mountains, and surrounding farmland. He has converted part of his family’s sugarcane plantation into an incipient organic farm plot where he plans to grow food for the restaurant as well as supply food to a Myanmar cuisine cooking school. The menu includes healthy versions of popular local foods – the best ones originally swimming in oil and salt – and a list of creative cocktails.
Zaw told me how the 2008 “monk revolution” centered in Yangon and Bagan brought the until then booming tourism industry to a virtual standstill. Some rough years ensued, but he said business has been picking up since. Finally in 2013 he decided to make an investment himself, building “Inle Heart View” on his family’s land, which is perfectly located southeast of Nuangshwe on a road frequented by tourists on their bicycle adventures to see some of the villages further south on the lake. Dusty and potholed at the moment, the road’s multiple points of construction foretell the increasing tourist traffic that is already painfully evident in the region.
Jamaica’s Burmese community, I am told, is about 300 strong now. When my friend Jo arrived about 18 years ago, there were fewer than 100. Initially drawn by the availability of professional medical jobs in Jamaica (the island suffers from aÂ chronicÂ shortage of highly skilled medical professionals), friends followed friends, and families followed families, and the community is now quite successful.
Recent developments in Burma have sparked new hope for real change back home for this group. Many of them tell me of their support for the National League of Democracy, the political movement of Aung San Suu Kyi, back in the 1980’s, and about how the government violentlyÂ suppressed the peoples’ calls for more democracy.
Now, for the first time in a long time, the NLD is being allowed to contest elections. Today, Jamaica’s Burmese community held a potluck fundraiser for Suu Kyi and her bid for electoral office in Burma.
I forgot Â who recommended So So Seafood, on Chelsea Road, but the claim that they had the best steamed fish in town just may have to be declared true. I’m pretty sure a planted suggestion did not become a self fulfilling prophecy – my search for the best steamed fish on the island has honed a reliable judgement for the stuff. This one was really good.
Biking through the posh neighborhoods, and gully communities, which seem to pass one into the other so abruptly in this bifurcated city, on a quiet cool Sunday morning can be a wonderful thing. Especially when there is rum to sweat out of the system, and the church choirs are just picking up steam in the omnipresent jamaican churches.
Destination: my favorite coffee shop, to check the morning’s news and views and to recaffeinate for the ride home (unfortunately it is all up hill…).
One of their morning’s first customers, I am privileged to witness the opening group prayer, what I assume is a daily ritual performed by the crew of pleasant young women who always serve me the lovely Blue Mountain coffee with a suggestive smile. Not simply a prayer, though, as much as a five minute plunge into song and hymn, holding hands in a tight circle, eyes closed, oblivious to the cafe patrons who continue to file in, patiently waiting for their own chance at redemption through ritual… Though their sacrament of coffee is not quite the same…
The rainy season makes it a little harder to enjoy the beaches of Portland, on the North Coast of Jamaica. But that can’t stop us from indulging in the bounties of the sea!
Saturday had us at a nice place on the outskirts of Port Antonio, in the Parish of Portland, called Anna Banana. The king fish steak, steamed, was excellent.


I'm currently living in Calgary (I'm from Ireland) and I'm bringing my mother and an aunt of mine on a trip across Canada in March. At the moment the plan is that Newfoundland would be our last stop on the trip and we'd have 5 or so days there. I was just wondering if someone could let me know if newfoundland is worth visiting in March, what the driving conditions would be like etc, We all really want to go there but people have been telling me it's a waste of time going in March. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance : )
Newfoundland in March . . to go or not to go that is the question : )
Recent ActivityView all Canada activity »
- 1 Bromont - a perfect getaway
- 2 Quebec City trip.report
- 3 Family holiday in Canada ( winter)..accommodation in Montana and Idaho too!
- 4 Relentless Beauty - Panecott's Trip to the Canadian Rockies
- 5 Ottawa to East Coast Maritimes
- 6 Quebic City or Montreal
- 7 Is anyone has visited eagle lake in ontario
- 8 Lake Louise/Jasper trip report
- 9 Christmas Day in Quebec City
- 10 Fabulous five days/Montreal & Quebec City
- 11 ft nelson bc
- 12 Canadian Rockies Trip: Hiking priority
- 13 Trip Report - Banff & Jasper - Early Agust 2014
- 14 Happy Thanksgiving!!!
- 15 Niagara Falls October 10-12
- 16 canada in the winter?
- 17 Canada in winter
- 18 10 Day Trip to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick
- 19 Banff - Jasper weekend itinerary October
- 20 HELP revamping Nova Scotia trip due to illness
- 21 Telegraph cove
- 22 trip report rockies
- 23 iPhone in Canada
- 24 Bringing mountain bike on flight to Can Cun.
- 25 Weather in Quebec City end of October


| Knox County Public Library
- McClung Historical Collection
E-mail: Ask a librarian form.
- 601 South Gay Street 3rd Floor
- Knoxville, TN 37902
- Sun:1:00 – 5:00
Mon:9:00 – 8:30
Tues:9:00 – 8:30
Wed:9:00 – 5:30
Thurs:9:00 – 5:30
Fri:9:00 – 5:30
Sat:9:00 – 5:00
Directions, map, and public transportation:
Internet sites and databases:
- Knox County Public Library hours and locations, go to catalog, explore the collection, calendar and programs, about, local and family history, kid zone, teen central, news, and events.
- KCPL catalog online search by keyword, author, title, subject, or series.
The Knox County Public Library's McClung Historical Collection on the 3rd floor of the East Tennessee History Center is the premier genealogy repository in this part of Tennessee. It has an index to early Tennessee and North Carolina families. No index in North Carolina can top this one. This library has Internet genealogy databases, more than 75,000 books, 3,000 genealogies, 15,000 First Families of Tennessee, manuscripts, censuses, state and local government records, newspapers, Knoxville city directories, maps, and photos. The same building also houses the Knox County Archives, and the East Tennessee Historical Society and Museum.
- Local and Family History Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection, Knox County Archives, East Tennessee Historical Society and Museum, Historical Resources A - Z, Getting Started with Genealogy, Events, and New at McClung.
Many photographs are online in the McClung Digital Collection.
If you cannot visit or find a source at the Knox County Public Library, a similar source may be available at one of the following.
In the Same Building
- East Tennessee Historical Society has for over 175 years recorded stories, collected artifacts, and educated visitors with lectures, and publications such as First Families of Tennessee, and the new Civil War Families of Tennessee. The original submission files for First Families of Tennessee and surname files are accessible to the public.
- Knox County Archives collects the government records and county history, such as divorces, deeds, probates, County-Chancery-Circuit-Criminal-Juvenile-Superior court, tax, and school records, and online databases.
- Museum of East Tennessee History showcases the history of 35 regional counties.
- National Archives at Atlanta records of federal agencies and courts for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, censuses, ships lists, naturalizations, Indian records, and military records.
- Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, African Americans, vital records,censuses, county records, tax lists, local histories, school censuses, manuscripts, military records, Native Americans, newspapers, obituary lists, maps, state agency records, petitions, Tennessee postcards, city directories, prison inmates, and TN county historians.
- Chattanooga Public Library Downtown, has the Upper South's largest family folder collection which is heavy on North Carolina, Internet genealogy databases, census, newspapers, obituary index, county records, 30,000 books, manuscripts, and genealogical periodicals.
- Knox County Public Library, Knoxville, has the best index to North Carolina families, Internet genealogy databases, 75,000 books, genealogies, First Families of Tennessee, manuscripts, censuses, state and local government records, newspapers, Knoxville city directories, maps, and photos.
- County Vital Records Office
- County Archives
- County Orphan's Court
- County Probate Court
- County Recorder
- County Coroner
- County and local historical societies
- County and local genealogical societies
- U.S. District Court
- Museums and heritage societies
- University of Tennessee Hodges Library
- Church archives
- Repositories in surrounding counties: Anderson, Blount, Grainger, Jefferson, Loudon, Sevier, Roane, and Union
- State Vital Records Office
- Tennessee Historical Society
- Tennessee Genealogical Society Library
- Repositories in other surrounding states (or provinces): Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Virginia.
- Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, IN, premier periodical collection, genealogies, local histories, databases, military, censuses, directories, passenger lists, ethnic collections, and Canadians.
- Bristol Public Library, Bristol Virginia
- Clayton Library, Houston, TX, censuses, military, passenger lists, periodicals, family histories, maps, Texas and Southern U.S. records, veritcal files, British vital records index, German, Canadian records.
- Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT, holds 450 computers, 3,400 databases, 3.1 million microforms, 4,500 periodicals, 310,000 books of worldwide family and local histories, civil, church, immigration, ethnic, military, and Mormon records.
- Santa Cruz Public Library Downtown, CA, holds the Tina Brayton Collection which is equivalent to the Draper Collection but larger and with a better index, and many compiled genealogies of Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia families.


Traveling The Ocean Blue
Suckerfish (Remora remora) hitch a ride on a leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea).
Now, That's Some Serious Swimming!
Swimming is great exercise and a traditional summer pasttime for many people. But as good at swimming as some people are, people just don't cut it for epic swims, even among air breathers. Take sea turtles, for example. When they leave the beach after laying eggs, they may not return for years. Where do they go? That's exactly what researchers are starting to learn.
- Leatherback Turtle Tagging at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAHS91eHfD0
- Satellite Tracking Turtles Reveals Migration Secrets at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssIY1HDkH0o
- Leatherback Turtle Nesting In Daylight On Viegues at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlDWJc1ekwQ
"No Duhs" and Head Scratchers
If you need help scratching a mental itch, use the resources below:
- What kinds of information do researchers get from radio tags? How do they work? How is this information used to help understand the species? Can you think of any way the tags could be changed to gain even more information? Explain your thinking as fully as possible.
- How long does it take a Costa Rican leatherback turtle to return to its nesting ground? Are you surprised by this length of time? Why or why not?
- What does the length of this interval mean to people seeking to manage leatherback turtle populations? How does this affect their ability to study these populations and understand population declines?
- Do leatherback turtles in Surinam follow similar migratory patterns to leatherback turtles from Costa Rica? Can you think of any geographic reason to explain this situation? How does this situation affect attempts to protect these populations? Is one easier to protect than the other? Why or why not?
A mother returning to the sea after laying her eggs.


- Media Type
- Item Type
- Photographic prints
- Swing bridge across the Bay of Quinte. Note the operators on the swing span who may be operating the mechanism to open the bridge.
The bridge was opened in 1891 as a toll bridge.
- Date of Publication
- Copyright Statement
- Copyright status unknown. Responsibility for determining the copyright status and any use rests exclusively with the user.
- Community Archives of Belleville & Hastings CountyEmail:email@example.com
Agency street/mail address:
254 Pinnacle Street
Belleville ON K8N 3B1


St. Michael's Mount
Penzance Travel Blog› entry 7 of 14 › view all entries
So, it's not just Land's End but St.Michael's Mount is also another big draw in the Cornwall area. Infact, this IS the trademark postcard emblem of the Penzance area, much like the Clock Tower and Buckingham Palace symbolise the heart of London. I had vaguely seen it yesterday when I got out of the Penzance station, but the magnificence of this place didn't strike because it was too misty and perhaps I was in a rush to check in to the hostel. Of course, I remember it's sight as clear as daylight from the different pictures I'd seen of it on the Internet... but the best view came when I was going by bus to St.
So, with a hearty meal of pasties @ St.Ives and a clearer sky, I got down from the bus at Marazion - that's the tiny market town that houses St.Michael's Mount, roughly 3-4 miles away from Penzance. I got down at the Marizion town centre stop, I was hungry again (!!) so I made my way for some traditional Cornish cream tea (jam first, then the clotted cream!) at a local tea shop. This tea shop had great sweeping views of the island, very nice. The weather was quite warm, the sunshine crisp and the crowd picking up although not too crowded.
I walked down to the island, very pleasant walk... and reached the coast. The sky was totally clear, the mist all gone and the Kodak moment was right in front of me, inviting me to take in the sights. The tide wasn't low yet, so I had to go by motorboat which costs a minimal 1.50 GBP. A castle now sits on this island, but the name comes from the Benedictine monastry that was originally gifted by Edward the Confessor in the 11th century. Today, the castle contains various armour, furniture and paintings. It's maintained by the National Trust, which includes the souvenir shop and the rsnt.
I took some photos around the island, before paying my fee and climbing up the steep slope to the entry of the castle. There was some work going on on one end of the castle. I didn't think much of the castle...infact I found the whole layout quite confusing. I don't remember all the details of the rooms too well, simply because there's no direction on where to go, what to see next and more importantly, some corridors are just blocked, some open, it's all very confusing. But the highlight was seeing the Tidal Clock in Sir John's Room which not only tells the time but also shows the movement of tides. Also, the Church was pretty cool - it contains 3 alabaster panels of over 500 years old, no one knows how they came to be here and home to the famous Rose Window.
It had gotten pretty windy. The sweeping views of the Atlantic coupled with the general opulence of an English castle, made the whole thing very photoworthy. There weren't too many crowds. By the time I was half way done with wandering around the castle and the lovely garden (including palm trees), I could see that the low tide had set in. People were now walking back to the coast, it really had a different feel. Very nice.
I walked back and spent some time watching a movie on the history of the Castle. It was quite interesting... by this time it was past 4pm and you could see the crowds walking back home. I wasn't that hungry anyway (LOL, surprise surprise!) so I decided to skip eating at the rsnt and walked back on the walkway to the mainland. It was so crowded by this time.
I wasn't really sure whether I wanted to walk back to the hostel, to Penzance bus station (and catch a bus to the hostel) or just walk. I then thought, there really isn't much to do when I get back. There's not much to do in the city centre (Market Jew Street, drab street...what's with all the hate for the Jews, guys?!!) and unlike London, its not like I'd have a fancy rsnt or a theatre play to catch.
I reached my hostel about 2 hrs later, after a lovely relaxed walk...me and my iPod. My roommate Tom had also arrived from his day out, so we went to nearby Alexandria Inn's Beer Garden for a pint of Guiness. We'd love to have more, but at 3 GBP a pint (6$), wasn't worth it! So off we went back to the hostel, I cooked that night and met 2 German ladies also staying at the hostel...discussed various cool things to see and do in the area, and watched some telly as well. That's what I'm really loving about this trip - the total lack of nightlife means I either relax/socialise in the hostel and the warm TV room rather than using it as just a bed to sleep at night (which is the case in London).
Overall what I'm liking so far about this trip is the total lack of structure, the ability to breathe and pace myself the way I want to, and the fact that these are towns/villages that so much became inundated with tourists rather than some places which were built FOR tourists. All this means is I just need to have sunshine and bus service, and I really don't have to worry about opening/closing hours of any attraction as such!