Mystery of the Giant Arrows Scattered Across the United States

These’re peculiar concrete markings that have amazingly been spotted all across America, prompting hikers and travelers to curiosity what on Earth they could mean and where they are pointing to. However; these’re massive arrows, which can measure up to 70ft in length, are actually a forgotten remnant of a bygone age. Dotted between scrubland, placed in apparently random spots, these giant arrows were once markers for early airmail flights across the US - forming the first land-based navigation system in the world.

The strong concrete arrows were placed at the base of lit beacons nearby airways, showing pilots the direction they needed to fly in to reach the next stop-off to deliver mail. Well, Airmail in the United States started as early as 1911, with the first official flight departing Petaluma, California, and arriving in Santa Rosa, California. As the flights got longer, with more frequent stop-offs, so the beacons and arrows were placed to help pilots on their way.

After World War I, the United States Postal Service started to use surplus war planes for mail delivery and several were flown by former army pilots. The huge arrows started to be placed across the country, from time to time at 10-mile intervals, from 1924. Moreover, painted bright yellow and placed alongside beacon with a gas light at the top, the concept was that the markers could be seen for a distance of up to 10 miles so pilots could find their way. In the summer of 1924, they stretched from Wyoming to Ohio and by the following year, the arrows had reached New York. By 1929, the arrows could direct flights all the way across the width of America. 

The main New York to San Francisco air route stretched from New York to San Francisco, following the yellow concrete trail.  In the days before radio and satellite communications, the arrows were a way to ensure pilots could find their way, even in poor weather. Though the arrows are now long-forgotten, with numerous lost forever, there’re fans who, having stumbled upon an arrow or two in the countryside, have in progress mapping those concrete markers that have been left behind. Retired couple Brian and Charlotte Smith were referred an email which piqued their curiosity and have been pursuing down the arrows ever since.

The email playfully explained: “Every so often”, regularly in the vast deserts of the American Southwest, a hiker or a backpacker will run across somewhat puzzling, a big concrete arrow, as much as 70 feet in length, sitting in the middle of scrub-covered nowhere. The couple say they have found 102 arrows so far and have set up their website Arrows Across America as part of their photography site dreamsmithphotos.com so fellow fans can share their own pictures and help map where the remaining arrows are.The Smiths told MailOnline Travel: 

We’ve located 102 arrows or portions of arrows, some are even badly deteriorated and not much is left. Our interest grew out of an email circulating in August 2013; we craved to know where they were, and set out to find them. We’ve managed to take photographs of about 40, and have a trip planned this fall to take more photographs of some that we were unable to get to last spring. Sooner or later we hope to have photographs of all the arrows that we have positioned, but time and money will directive how long that will take us. Before our research we knew nothing about airways, beacons or concrete arrows, it has been a marvelous journey of discovery and we cannot believe that all of this has been "forgotten".

Incredible Photo of Angry lion about to Pounce on Brave Photographer Just 10 feet from it

A Pakistani nature photographer was almost attacked by a lion after going inside its home in Lahore Zoo Safari park to get up-close and take photographs. Atif Saeed 38, just moments before the lion made an offensive move is now going viral on the Internet. Atif says; the frightening experience was "indescribable."  I captured the spectacular photo in Jan, 2012 when he was granted the permission to go inside the lion's habitat to take a photograph. 

Atif drove his car in and sat on the ground near the car with the door left open, and he was only a "jump away from the lion."  However; the sense of the aggressive, imminent lion from the camera is something that can't be described. I was witnessing every small detail of movement that no photograph or movie can show. The lion seemed to treat him like prey and after a few minutes, the lion "offensively moved" in an attempt to attack him, so he straightaway jumped in the car and fortunately escaped unscathed. 

It was an indeed very close encounter, and then I was laughing afterwards at the time, but I don't think I'd ever be able to do something like that again. It was an adult male lion and what I liked most about him was the lovely, dark hair on his neck. Lahore Safari Park is in Pakistan and it would seem the lions are not shy of publicity. As well as the remarkable lions, there’re also Bengal tigers, emus ostriches and an array of birds. Therefore back in 2008 a Bengal tiger attacked a guard in the park, thankfully he survived. Atif Saeed on Facebook

Gorgeous Ocean Waves Glass Sculptures

A California-based husband and wife Paul DeSomma & Marsha Blaker are inspiring glass artists individually, but the spectacular pieces they create as a duo blow us away with the magnificent force of a tidal wave. Both are working mainly with hot glass. The exceptionally talented pair produces attractive, ocean-inspired glass sculptures that mimic the grace and motion of cascading waves. They’ve inspired by their love of nature and the sea, Marsha Blaker and Paul DeSomma meticulously recreate remarkable watery elements, from gradient shades of cerulean and shining surfaces that catch the light, to amazingly realistic bubbles and white crystallizations of foam among smooth ripples. However; whether in the form of an avant-garde vase or a solid sculpture of a surging wave, each superb work of art embodies the real beauty of the ocean. 

Marsha Blaker-DeSomma received her Master’s Degree in both ceramics and glass and they’ve attended “Pilchuck Glass School” as a scholarship student and as a staff member.  Though Paul DeSomma, on the other hand, is a glass artist who specializes in figurative work in blew glass in New York City in 1983, and he has spent the next 15 years working and studying in studios in Seattle, Washington and Murano, Italy. The decision to collaborate, as opposed to working side by side in the same studio, came in part because of very serious car accident in which Blaker was involved. And she calls it a "lifestyle change”. As somehow, the accident made us realize that now is the right time to do the work together and we’re both really feeling needs to be done. Why wait for a better time? Every time is right to start work hard and there’s no better time than now. Every so often, things that appear tragic can be an actual positive influence, ultimately. That’s what we’ve found in this case, is that we were able to see the bigger picture.

The World’s Best Panoramic Landscapes, You’ve Never Seen Them Before

Well, most of peoples don’t have enough chance to view world’s most beautiful landscapes, it is usually only time when you’re flying over a plane. Now you can gaze down on the wonders with the breathtaking aerial photography from Airpano. This daredevil team travels the world offering fresh perspectives on the most prominent locations, including the Dubai skyline and Mount Everest. The team comprises of 9 photographers and 3 tech specialists, who began their mission in 2006. AirPano took to the skies after creating a bucket list of the 100 Best Places on the Planet.

They planned to work their own way through the list and now have a broader portfolio of 230 beautiful locations shot from above. The Project coordinator “Sergey Semenov” revealed the team at first worked with spherical panoramas on land, which then led to them using planes and helicopters. Now they’re relying on drones to capture their lovely panoramic shots. 

Their arduous work includes the most famed urban skylines such as New York, Paris and Barcelona, as well as featuring natural landscapes like waterfalls and volcanos.  Their future planning is to add in Portugal, Indonesia, Japan and the United Kingdom to their extensive list.  You can not only see the photographs but also look the bird eye view perspectives using their interactive site. Is there a pot of gold? A rainbow impeccably captured at the Victoria Falls in Zambia.

The 32 years old Sergey said: 'It's unlike viewing a traditional photograph limited by its frame. 'A spherical, 360 degree panorama gives you a freedom of being at the location, where you can turn your head around and have a closer look at every detail. The 360 degree panorama technology creates a comprehensive illusion of a personal presence on the spot when it viewed on a large screen.

It makes you to feel as if you’re in the sky above New York City, underwater, above the raging waterfall, and even inside a microwave oven. You can take time to move in closer and study interesting objects, or 'fly' to another place in a virtual tour by simply moving your hand.

Source: Charismatic Planet