COLUMBIA ICEFIELD

Straddling the boundary between the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, the Columbia Icefield is the largest ice mass in North America, south of the Arctic Circle. Situated in the Canadian Rockies, this ice field covers an area of 130 square miles (365 sq. km.) and has a maximum depth of 1,200 feet (365 m), the height of the Empire State Building in New York City. The average elevation of the ice field is about 10,000 feet (3,000 m). It occupies a high, flat-lying plateau in the form of a huge massif. Its highest points are Mount Columbia at 12,284 feet (3745 m) and Mount Athabasca at 11,452 feet (3,491 m).The largest icefield south of Alaska, shimmering glacial ice and snow cover some 389 sq. km (233 sq. mi.).

The Columbia Icefield is a surviving remnant of the thick ice mass that once mantled most of Western Canada's mountains. Lying on a wide, elevated plateau, it is the largest icefield in the Canadian Rockies. Nearly three-quarters of the park's highest peaks are located close to the icefield; ideally placed to catch much of the moisture that Pacific winds carry across the British Columbia interior. Most of this precipitation falls as snow; up to 7 metres a year!

MAGIC SAND BEACH

 It is one of the few white sand beaches on Hawaii. This beach near Kona Town is named Magic Sands because the entire beach will regularly disappear and then return with the natural action of the ocean. Magic Sands is one of the nicer Kona Beaches, suitable for swimming, surfing, boogie boarding, even snorkeling and scuba diving.

The swimming conditions at Magic Sands are generally quite good, particularly when the sand is covering the beach. Even during the winter months when the shoreline has more rocks exposed, there is a sandy bottom in the water. A nice shore break creates some great waves when the surf is up, making La’aloa Bay another popular spot for boogie boarding and surfing. Crowds of people will often gather to relax on the beach and watch the waves roll in. This beach is very popular and gets pretty busy. In addition to water activities, there is a volleyball net and lots of room to  plant your own beach chair and umbrella.

Magic Sands Beach at La’aloa Bay south of Kona is home to a beautiful beach cove, known also as Disappearing Sands Beach, or White Sands Beach.

KELPIES

The Kelpies are located within “the Helix” park, Falkirk, situated between Glasgow and Edinburgh, Scotland. The Kelpies are one of the largest equine sculptures in the world, standing 30 metres tall. They are the landmark feature of The Helix Environmental Regeneration Scheme on the Forth and Clyde Canal near Falkirk on Central Scotland. They are the brain-child of sculptor Andy Scott, and will be the largest public artworks in Scotland. Construction of The Kelpies began on 17thJune 2013. The build was officially completed on 27th November 2013.

 

The Kelpies by numbers:

*300 tonnes each
*30 metres high
*1200 tonnes of steel-reinforced concrete foundations per head
*990 unique stainless steel skin-plates
*Built on site in 90 days.
For more information go to www.thekelpies.co.uk

PEYTO LAKE

Peyto Lake is located in Banff National Park near Bow Summit approximately 38Km north of Lake Louise on the Icefields Parkway. It is one of the treasures in the Canadian Rockies. Peyto Lake gets its beautiful turquoise green color from glacial silt created by the Peyto Glacier and the Wapta Icefield. The 2.8 km length and elevation lake of 1860 m, make this turquoise diamond shape lake perfectly shine in The Canadian Rockies. The best view of Peyto Lake is at look out Bow Summit. This scenic view is about half hour of Lake Louise. It is an unforgettable picture of the summit with a view of this glacier lake on a majestic blue sky. Peyto Lake was named after Bill Peyto who was a historical trapper and trail guide in the late 1800's and early 1900's, in the Banff area.

The amazing blue of Peyto Lake