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I've been everywhere, babe
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It is very easy for we oldsters get put down and convinced that we ain't seen it all. There is a country song that has a refrain "I've been everywhere, Babe" and I frequently hum that to myself (to my self because I can't carry a tune) because I thoroughly enjoyed all of the travelling that I have done in my life. This morning on TV however I definitely got my come-uppance. I was washing dishes and had the TV on the Travel Channel (which has become a favorite of mine) and heard the TV say that a program featuring "the ten greatest spots on the earth to visit" was about to begin and I told Sara that I had to listen to that because I had without doubt visited all but one or two of them and it would be pleasant to see them again. So I watched it. I was interupted twice and missed three of the "great" places but but I doubt that I have seen them either. Here are the seven that I remember seeing:
Mount Everest---tallest mountain on the planet. Maybe I saw it once in the far distance from an airplane but have never had the opportunity to see it up close--and that may not have been it that I saw from the airplane. I have seen a lot of mountains but not this one. My favorite mountains are the Grand Tetons in Wyoming.
The Ngorongoro Crater--an extinct volcano crater straddling the Great Rift in Transzania---the worlds largest volcanic crater. It literally teems with all sorts of African wildlife and is a fascinating view on TV but I have never been there or even very close to there. Miss number two!
Victoria Falls--In Africa where the Zambezi River falls and falls and falls. Victoria is not only the widest falls and carries the greatest volume of water over the cliff but is also five times higher than Niagra. I have wanted to see Victoria for years but never got the opportunity to toddle around that part of Africa. It must be a beautiful sight.
Lake Baykal (sometimes spelled Baikal)--The world's deepest freshwater lake. It is about 397 miles long and is over 1700 feet deep. It is situated in Russian Siberia. Russian destinations were not on my agenda when I was travelling a bunch.
So I missed this "greatest" also.
Niagra Falls--Been there done that. Three times as a matter of fact. Niagra is an awesome sight. I did not go on the Maid Of The Mist which is the boat that goes behind the falls--or at least disappears from view in the spray when it is heading in that direction
Grand Canyon--Been there done that. Three times to this spot also. I never took the mule train down to the bottom and have never visited the North Rim in Utah. All of my Grand Canyoning was from the Arizona Rim. Awesome place.
Namib Desert---Never done this one either. I have seen the Sahara, Death Valley, Saudi Arabia's Rub al Khali, and the Sonoran Desert of Northern Mexico but never even flown over the Namib in South Africa. It was Jimmy Carter's fault that I did not get a chance to go to South Africa and I shall not frorgive him for it.
So there are seven places that were featured on this program as top spots to visit around the world and I have only seen two of them---I'll remember that every time I start to hum "I've been everywhere" in the future. Humility is not a major component of my personality however. I'll not quarrel with their selection of places to see---I think that I would like to see them all.
You have any favorite Natural wonders?
love
dad, granpa, ami
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