Places To Visit: Nyiragongo Crater

When I saw this picture it redefined to me what "a campsite with a view" could mean:



Isn't that amazing? The rapidly changing lava lake at the bottom of Nyiragongo Crater is located in the Congo, Africa. It is actually an incredibly dangerous place to visit - the crater has occasionally overflowed with lava and destroyed nearby villages. Until the expedition where this photo was taken happened, no one had survived going down close to boundary of the lava. The winds can quickly change sending 1300 degree heat and/or poisonous gases your way which can quickly be fatal.

By the way, the picture above is a bit deceiving; the surface of the lava is still about 400 feet down. If you want to see more pictures and see how close this brave scientific expedition made it to the lava, check out this link:

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/02/nyiragongo_crater_journey_to_t.html

The pictures are really quite extraordinary - they are equally beautiful, mysterious, and kind of scary!

Dreaming About Lofoten

Today I added a new place to visit: Lofoten. Lofoten is north of the Arctic Circle in Norway and is unique because of it's climate. It's kind of an Eden in the middle of the north. It has one of the largest temperature ananomolies on earth in regards to it's lattitude (due to the currents that warm it). Rarely hot, but certainly not too cold either I could see myself going out there to relax, explore, or write a book. I'm thankful to God that he created places like these and I definitely would like to visit it someday.

Link with more info and amazing pictures