Tetrahedron, Bottrop-Batenbrock, Germany

51°31'37.00"N 6°57'39.23"E

High atop a 65 meter high coal mine spoil tip in Bottrop-Batenbrock Germany sits a steel construction called the "Tetrahedron" (or in German, "Tetraeder"). It is 60 meters high, and has three viewing platforms for those brave enough to climb the winding stairs to them. The flat gravelly area below the Tetrahedron allows for geoglyphs to be placed by artists, and then viewed from above. The mandala (seen above, left) was replaced briefly with "aliens" (above, lower right) in 2006.

Amphitheater in a Coal Mine, Germany

51°33'0.57"N 6°52'37.66"E

At the very top of the "mining tip" of a gargantuan pile of rubble from the Halde Haniel Coal Mine in Bottrop, Germany sits an amphitheater built in 1999, which seats 800 people. Along the upper ridges of the man-made caldera sit lines of over 100 painted wooden "totems" made from railroad ties and set into concrete bases. The Prosper-Haniel coalmine was created in 1974 and is still in operation.

Chand Baori - An Amazing Indian Stepwell

27° 0'25.90"N 76°36'25.96"E

In the village of Abhaneri, near Jaipur, Rajastan (India) there is a stepwell called Chand Baori. It is one of the oldest, largest, and deepest stepwells in India. It was built in the 9th century and has 3500 narrow steps and 13 stories and is 100 feet deep. The architecture reminds one of an M.C. Escher lithograph.

Landlocked Aircraft Carrier?

31° 6'18.33"N 121° 0'46.76"E

Sure looks like a landlocked aircraft carrier, doesn't it? But in fact, it is a full-sized replica constructed entirely out of concrete, part of a Chinese theme park near Quingpu (Shanghai Province) called "Oriental Land." Here's a picture of it from ground level.

Sometimes, apparently, the aircraft carrier also has a submarine parked next to it. The park features a lot of military displays, including MIG fighters, helicopters, artillery pieces, missiles, and ship replicas.

Sculpture Garden, Near Cardiff, Wales

51°22'56.71"N 3°20'19.36"W

Just south of Cardiff International Airport in Wales lies a sculpture garden consisting of several large glyphs constructed of gravel. There is also a circular standing stone sculture.

10th Hole, Legacy Golf Club, Henderson NV

36° 2'13.61"N 115° 5'8.66"W

When you get to the 1oth hole at the Legacy Golf Club in Henderson, Nevada, you can see tee boxes in the shapes of the four suits common to a deck of cards - hearts, clubs, diamonds, and spades. The course was designed by golf course architect Arthur Hills.

Giant Gobi Desert Glyph, Jiayuguan, China

39°45'6.33"N 98°13'2.00"E

Full-scree This gigantic glyph (3300 feet long by 2100 feet wide) can be found in the desert just west of the city of Jiayuguan in Gansu, China. It also happens to be a few hundred yards from the beginning of the Great Wall of China, or at least, its remnants. The glyph is of modern construction, and my guess is, it's a pictogram for "Jiayuguan," designed to be seen from the air. It is probably no coincidence that Jiayuguan also happens to be the home of one of the largest glider centers in the world.

The Curiously Circular Pyramids of Guachimontes

20°41'41.91"N 103°50'3.65"W

Guachimontes, near the town of Teuchitlán in the state of Jalisco, Mexico, is the site of some very unique circular stepped pyramids. Built between 300 BC and 900 AD, the round pyramids were surrounded by buildings, and may have held temples at their peaks.

Harney Basin Glyphs, Southeast Oregon

42°33'44.44"N 119°32'35.08"W

These geoglyphs can be found west of Flook Lake, southeast Oregon, in the Harney Basin. The glyphs on the right seem to be a series of five nested concentric rings, with the largest being close to 1000 feet in diameter. There are a multitude of other glyphs nearby, though it's difficult to determine what they are supposed to represent. It's possible the glyphs were formed using the alkali salts readily available from the dry playa lakebed, in much the same way as the chalk geoglyphs of the british isles.

Mysterious Hart Mt. Antelope Refuge "Hotdog"

42°32'42.94"N 119°29'54.69"W

I'm sure there is a very logical and simple explanation for this, whatever it is. What it looks like, is a giant hotdog. It is 355 feet long, and 150 feet wide, situated in the center of what appears to be a playa lake bed (with alkali salt flats) on or near the Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge, Oregon. The site is approximately 20 miles east of Chandler State Park. Anyone have any ideas?

Hombre del Rio, Cordoba, Spain

37°52'46.04"N 4°46'28.24"W

In April 2006, the "Hombre del Rio", or Man of the River, mysteriously appeared in the Guadalquivir river. Even city officials claimed that no one had gotten approval to place the large sculpture of a bathing man in the middle of the river! It was later learned that it was the product of Cordovan artists Rafael Cornejo and Francisco Marcos. It is built of polyester, and weighs 2,000 kilograms. It's 5 meters long and affixed to the river bed with an anchor chain 12 meters long.

Ship Graveyard, Nouadhibou, Mauritania

20°52'6.44"N 17° 2'50.79"W

This has got to be one of the eeriest places on the planet. The ships pictured here at Nouadhibou, Mauritania (formerly Port-Étienne) are just a few of the hundreds of ships that have been abandoned here to rot in a ship's graveyard. For years, Mauritanian harbour officers were so corrupt, that they let ships be discarded in the harbor in exchange for a little cash. Discarding a ship is quite expensive for a company, so during this period, lots of unwanted ships ended up here... over 300 in all.

Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, Texas

35°11'15.04"N 101°59'12.97"W

Cadillac Ranch is a large example of land art near Amarillo, Texas. It was created in 1974 by by Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez and Doug Michels, who were a part of the art group called Ant Farm. Cadillac Ranch is visible from the highway, and though it is located on private land, visiting it is tacitly encouraged. In addition, writing graffiti on or otherwise spray-painting the vehicles is also encouraged, and the vehicles, which have long since lost their original colors, are wildly decorated.

Freeway Art Projects, Phoenix, Arizona

33°26'14.94"N 111°58'46.13"W

A nice example of the sort of freeway art projects being done in Phoenix, Arizona. This design is just south of Sky Harbor International Airport, and just a stone's throw away from the "freeway turtles" featured elsewhere in this blog.

Green Monkey Golf Course, Barbados

13°10'9.67"N 59°37'2.73"W

Its a green monkey. On a golf course. In Barbados. 'Nuff said. LOL