I can see for miles and miles and miles in my neck of the woods. Well, I don’t really live in the woods. If I did I wouldn’t be able to see all those miles. On clear days I can see three and sometimes four mountain ranges in the distance. It’s an amazing sight. I sometimes find myself taking all that seeing for granted.
We live in an amazing time. Take for instance Google Earth. I thought I could see forever where I live. Ha! With Google Earth I can see anything, no, I can see everything on Earth.
Just the other day I took some time and visited the Great Wall of China. I had always heard the Great Wall of China was so massive it could be seen from space. Referring to the astronauts being able to see the wall through their little window on the space shuttle. But now, today, how cool is it I could take a gander at that same sight. So I “Google Earthed” it.
Did you know the Great Wall of China isn’t just one long ol’ wall? Nope. It’s like a maze of walls. Amazing. But you can only get so close with Google Earth. Especially in places where the Google Earth car didn’t or couldn’t go to make the street views possible. But! Yes, one of my ever-so-famous “buts.” A sweet thing about Google Earth is people can take pictures of where they are and then post them for us armchair quarterbacks to then see all the places we probably will never see in person. Like the Great Wall of China. Or ... Antarctica. Yes, Antarctica.
Apparently I have not had enough winter doused upon me this season so I flew by way of satellite to the bottom of the world. I tried to think of a place nobody would ever go and I could see it, be the first to see it, be the only one to see it by venturing there via Google Earth. How exciting would that be? I put on my virtual mukluks, snowshoes and fur lined mittens, then with a flick of my mouse I swung the earth upside down and away I went. To the land of penguins and ice.
To my ever surprised self I found people had already been there. To Antarctica. Stood on the ground and on the ice and floated on the water at the bottom of the world. Not only had they been there but they took pictures, for me and for you. Zooming above the earth is one thing, but seeing Antarctica this close up was amazing. There was a picture someone from somewhere had taken of an iceberg that was huge and had a tunnel in it and was made up of the bluest ice. Best of all I never got cold, not once.
Who are these navigating, Earth exploring individuals? Who do I have to thank for giving me the opportunity to see stuff from everywhere, nearly every inch of our planet? From the top of Machu Picchu to the Ayers Rock. Closer to home I saw adventure seekers took pictures while they were crossing the great divide — on foot. Some took care and time and their life in their own hands taking pictures while they were climbing the rocks of Half Dome and El Capitan in Yosemite. Wow! Further east great pictures have been taken along the Appalachian Trail. Misty glens, sunny sunsets, black and white vistas and colorful flowers.
For me? I have been a few places. But I unfortunately didn’t take pictures often. I have a hard enough time carrying myself from pillar to post along my way without carrying a camera. In “those” days a camera was a bulky thing that used silly stuff — like film! So my travels are locked away in my mind’s eye.
Today, though, pictures are, well, pictures are a snap to take. (Yep, I punned it)! Sometimes those snapshots may not be such a good thing. Today we have to be careful of what we’re doing, especially when we think we’re alone. Alone will soon be a word that will fall out of favor with the dictionary keepers.
Oh, there are lots of words that have gone the way of things like the floppy disc. Why, who in the world would ever say, “That crazy yuppie grabbed a cold one out of the ice box then went out gallivanting around showing off his new stiff dungarees while dancing at the Friday night hootenanny!” That paints quite a picture in itself.
I just hope someone out there will snap and post that sight so I can Google Earth it!
Trina lives in Eureka, Nevada. Her book ITY BITS is on Kindle. Share with her at itybytrina@yahoo.com.
