Bucket list time! Where in the world do you want to go?

We just talked about going to Mars, and you know I love space, so I thought it would be nice to reign it in a bit and look at our own world and its beauty. I’ve been to Yosemite, to Big Sur, seen some amazing things driving between California and Texas (super big dust devils, dust storms, mountains, all things this little Houstonian always dreamed up but never experienced).

Of course, there’s a bunch of places I want to go that are outside of the US, but the one that’s actually affordable and manageable within the next couple years is Crater Lake, Oregon. It’s literally the water-filled caldera of an ancient stratovolcano that erupted, creating a crater at its center where the peak once was (think Mount St. Helens). Wizard Island, among other underwater cinder cones, formed during the smaller eruptions that followed.

So yeah, the place is gorgeous, it’s just got so much history to it that I want to experience, and I want to go in the summer so I can take a boat tour to Wizard Island. Then I can say I’ve stood on a volcano, even if it’s extinct.

So yeah, that’s where I want to go, in the near future. I figure it’ll be amazing for writing inspiration, too.

Where in the world do you want to go?

Time For Some Awesome Geology: Dallol Volcano

Does that look like something you’d think would be on Earth? When I saw Dallol featured on a Science Channel program (at like 4am; it’s a shame more people aren’t up at that hour just to see this kind of badassery), it was like looking at a bizarre scifi backdrop. The thing I love about the earth is its ability to create these strange, very beautiful yet odd landscapes — all through natural processes.

Dallol is a crater volcano in Ethiopia and happens to be the lowest volcano in the world (its elevation is 150 feet below sea level). It also happens to be located in a large salt deposit (a salt lake? I’m not sure), which reacts and creates unique hydrothermal processes (Basically? Heat from an underground volcanic vent + water + salt = Dallol. If I understand it right, that is).

If the water looks nice, don’t try to take a swim. The pH level is under 1, meaning it’s very acidic, unlike the Yellowstone hotsprings that have a similar appearance (or so Wikipedia says; I haven’t been there but it’s on my bucket list. Someone who has been there should comment on this).

There’s something about this place I find inspirational as a writer. It’s a strange location, and something like it just might show up in one of my novels somewhere along the line.

What do you think of Dallol? Does it inspire you?