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Gotta bring balance to the force.
Flying over Siberia made me go wow at how huge it is.
Swimming with dolphins. Did this in NZ and got lucky as a superpod showed up that morning after there having been no dolphins for days. That was completely wow.
X-ray of a Stingray;
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utterly alien.
Flasks make me go Wow!
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I never fail to be impressed that me tea is still warm several hours into the day. It's witchcraft!
Seeing a Total Solar Eclipse, that most certainly is a WOW moment that makes you go WOW!
Been to 4 now, and by far the most spectacular one was on Easter Island 2010. Now Easter Island and the giant Moai is a place that will make you go WOW, but combining that with a Total Solar Eclipse.... WOW WOW!
john bumgardner jumping out of that balloon in space
giant sequoia trees
mrsconsequence walking in wearing a wedding dress 😳
Sunset over Durdle door in Dorset. Total take your breath away moment
+1 for a solar eclipse. I went to Portland Bill in 99 for the UK one and we got lucky as a small chink opened up in the clouds just before totality. BIG CHEER.
Most recent WOW was last Thursday's 700m of night time descending without lights or wheels. 20 or so of us skied down from a meal at the top of the mountain with just the stars, a couple of torches and the headlights of the piste bashers to show us the way.
Spesh epic carbon and anthem giant 29er demos
Yosemite
Loughrigg Fell
OffPiste skiing
San Francisco.
Loved it. Loads to do, great shops (and I hate shopping) stunning scenery and I liked the people.
Grand Canyon - Even better than Malham!
Tate Modern - Londonists are very, very lucky people when it comes to galleries.
This just shades it.
Paris. Lived up to the hype.
Ireland. It's all true - friendliest people going, stunning scenery and a fantastic atmosphere.
And Beamish.
Rome. Again, exceeded all expectations.
British countryside - still nowhere more beautiful than Northumberland, Scotland, Snowdonia or the Dales.
We are very lucky indeed.
Glacial lakes in the Canadian Rockies, thought the colours I'd seen in photos must have been enhanced in some way but they were really like that
[url= http://farm1.staticflickr.com/33/42307347_793334ad0e_z.jp g" target="_blank">
Yellowstone
[url= http://farm1.staticflickr.com/31/51656157_3079c76769_z.jp g" target="_blank">
+1 for a solar eclipse. I went to Portland Bill in 99 for the UK one and we got lucky as a small chink opened up in the clouds just before totality. BIG CHEER.
But Portland Bill was outside the path of Totality! so, although you would have had a very good effect, you did not actually see a Total Solar Eclipse. I was at St Ives for it and though we were clouded out, it went dark. Very dark. Street lights came on, and we were in our own small world of darkness in the middle of the day. That made me want to see what was happening above the clouds and I have been to 3 more - Botswana, Ghana and Easter Island. Sorry for pedantary!
But Portland Bill was outside the path of Totality!
The edge of the area of 'totality' is very hard to predict accurately and I can assure you that it was total there. We could see ships lights out to sea and the light house started up. The official prediction was that the area of totality should just brush the tip of Portland Bill. We got far more than that.
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Seriously.
Neat or with a mixer?
Swimming with dolphins. Did this in NZ
The first thing I thought of was kayaking with dolphins - also in NZ, but more specifically in Milford Sound - the whole experience was quite magical.
The next one which comes to mind is Carnac. Not sure if it's quite so good if you're in a car as you get a bit isolated from it, but we've been there a couple of times on a bike tour, so you get to ride along next to the stones and stop where you want. On a similar, but less mainstream note, riding in SW France near Carcassonne and coming round a corner to see an ancient walled citadel perched on a hilltop (Carcassonne itself is good, but not as good as that).
Top of the list though has to be XC skiing in Yellowstone National Park (far, far better than joining the crowds in summer - sorry!) Old Faithful is definitely wow, but getting away from the crowds to less visited parts and seeing hot springs bubbling up through the snow is even better. Not to mention sitting down to eat your lunch on a bit of ground cleared of snow by the thermal activity and having to get up because your bottom is getting too hot!
...actually that reminds me of a last one, Hot Water Beach on the Coromandel Peninsula in NZ. Dig your own hot pool. Probably made better because we went in August when the beach was virtually deserted and you wouldn't normally be stripping off to sit in the water.
Machu Picchu appearing from behind low cloud very early in the morning. Bloody amazing sight.
[url= http://www.geoffkirby.co.uk/Portland/675680/ ]Link[/url]
But Portland Bill was outside the path of Totality!The edge of the area of 'totality' is very hard to predict accurately and I can assure you that it was total there. We could see ships lights out to sea and the light house started up. The official prediction was that the area of totality should just brush the tip of Portland Bill. We got far more than that.
You were there, I wasn't, according to the above link, the path was 1km off the Bill (closer than I had thought!) Therefore you would have had virtually all the effect, so alopogies.
However, the sheer majesty of the effects of a Total Solar are completely amazing, for me, probably the best natural event on the planet. I am hoping to go to Indonesia for the 2016 Eclipse.
Yellowstone was ok, but not WOW for me.
The Vatican museum wowed me.. mostly it's just random spots in random places though that do it for me. Too many to list 🙂
go with you rusty on the delights of the British countryside,never get bored.......
When I used to be really fit and could ride fast all day.... and then having one of those days in summer where you really cannot pedal fast enough (in a fast, effortless way) and you are just flying.
Aiguille du Midi cable car and Chamonix valley generally.
Gelert baths Budapest.
Vancouver.
Cuillin mountains on Skye.
Timanfiya in Lanzarote made me go wow. Miles of lava field that appeared overnight and buried a quarter of the island. Awesome. Great place to take a bike.
Volcanic landscapes getting a few votes - I nearly put Whakarewerewa thermal springs and the glacial lakes in NZ but I already had one NZ "wow" thing.
Carnac menhirs, good shout.
Riding near Carcassonne, another good shout. The Orb valley a little to the east has some great riding, on practically deserted mountain roads - lovely place. A few fabulous descents down from the Cevennes through the vineyards toward the Med coast.
And solar eclipses, I remember the 1999 one - that was definitely wow.
Keep them coming!
gonna be wow at a certain persons 'death'-- parties......
Eating Kobe beef in Kobe
Seeing the current MrsC for the first time
Flying over the Pacific for the 1st (HKG to SAN) and seeing all the atolls and reefs
Basically, the whole Matt Hoffman documentary that was on ESPN Classic over Christmas.
Hoffman is just .. wow (on a BMX!)
ayers rock did (despite my comment on the non wow thread) but only once we'd escaped the crowds
Flying to the US West Coast, covering hours and hours of bare rock and ice, then tundra, then patchwork fields with a house here and there.. imagining what it would be like to live that far into the middle of nowhere, sitting on your porch watching an aeroplane fly over.
Oh yeah almost forgot - Greenland, ice sheet, archipelago and all, from a plane. Holee cow that was incredible. And the giant vortex of icebergs after it was amazing too.
Driving down the I101 towards San Francisco, seeing the Bay Bridge through the hills and being dissapointed, thinking it was the Golden Gate, then rounding a corner at Sausalito and being confronted with the real Golden Gate bridge right in front, and the compacted elegence of San Fran on the hills beyond. Took the breath away and left me floundering and trying to find the right lane as the guys were pointing out all the landmarks we had only ever seen in films.
Watching the Celtic v Boavista UEFA Cup semi final with a group of mates in my house, Celtic scored and got through to the final, and I stood up and announced I had 6 tickets for the final (bought before the quarter final on spec) There was mayhem!
The week after the Final, (Celtic lost :() Travelled to Durness in the north of Scotland to see an Annular Solar Eclipse ( the sun rose, not quite covered by the moon, a burning ring of fire) The clouds parted at 5.40am and we got a perfect view. The previous day was driving along the coast and had to pull over to let a large Range Rover pass, the driver and passenger both waved their thanks - Brian May driving and Patrick Moore in the passenger seat.
Flying into a small village in the middle of the Amazon Rain Forest, looking out of the window of the plane to see nothing but canopy. Makes you feel very, very small.
Swimming with turtles in the Caribbean
Wakeboarding over a reef in Mauritius and seeing turtles in the water below my toe edge
Fresh corduroy on the Alphand, first run of the day
The dancing fountains in Vegas. Sadly, they were really impressive!
Red Square
The rooftop at the Marina Bay Sands
Seat 62A
Shanghai - Insane, insane place, but WOW!
I had 4 proper WOW moments on a road-trip from a few years ago:
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7227/7134957013_29fbe11364.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/egg_n_bacon/7134957013/ ]Grand Canyon[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/egg_n_bacon/ ]jwrfooo[/url], on Flickr
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/egg_n_bacon/6988869070/ ]Arizona Meteor Crater[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/egg_n_bacon/ ]jwrfooo[/url], on Flickr
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/egg_n_bacon/6988887670/ ]Yosemite Silhouette[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/egg_n_bacon/ ]jwrfooo[/url], on Flickr
[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8005/7134965811_c93b44fbfa.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/egg_n_bacon/7134965811/ ]Giant Grizzly Sequoia[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/egg_n_bacon/ ]jwrfooo[/url], on Flickr
J
CaptainFlashheart - Member
Seat 62A
Was she good? 😛
That's not Matt Hoffman, it's Joe Calzaghe 😯
Birth of both my sons 🙂
Myvatyn in Iceland - just the bizz. Then being on a mountain bike over the volcanoes.....
The walk to that cafe above glacial lakes but under the glaciers near Jasper - ice cold air off the glaciers, best honey sarnie ever!
Mt St Helen's.
Being in Yugoslavia as it broke up. Scary.
Finding out that Astoria in Oregon is well worth the journey.
Falling onto an ice covered road yesterday and landing on one knee.Pedalling 15 miles home with 'odd' feeling. Mrs Wife's horrified face on seeing odd lumps 'you've ridden home?' Not a good 'wow.'
Good 'Wow' spending a month going round the world seeing long lost chums and family in US/NZ/Statss including dolphin swimming, light aircraft over volcanoes etc. Fabulous sense of well being and general 'my family is ace' type wow. Recommended.
[url= http://www.kickinghorseresort.com/mountain/activities/grizzly_bear_refuge-summer.aspx ]Boo the Grizzly Bear[/url] at Kickinghorse Mountain Resort in Canada:
[url= http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2259/3535632966_cbac769a26.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/beamans3/3535632966/ ]025-Boo 7[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/beamans3/ ]Mark and Kirsty Beaman[/url], on Flickr
When my wife-to-be entered the church and I saw her in her for the 1st time on our wedding day....
the pyramids
crater lake, oregon
flying over greenland
walking in a live crater on mt etna
the veiled christ in the capella san severo, naples
venice
pompeii
the roof of the chiesa di sant'ignazio di loyola, rome
ice cream from stewart tower ice creamery, near bankfoot on the a9
shinty
dundee united winning the scottish cup
ducati 916
100 miles on a ducati 916 without an electrical fault
the italian chapel on lamb holm, orkney
the way the dog develops a limp when it gets shouted at for stealing food
how quickly the limp disappears when a frisbee appears
white tailed sea eagles
nou camp
san francisco cable cars
hms port napier
pretty much any of david attenborough's work
Sagrada Familia.
Too many people, rubbish queuing system, Barcelona smelling bad, at risk of collapse from nearby train tunnel excavations - and they haven't even finished building it yet. But somehow still very wow.
The Columbian wife in Modern Family. W-O-W 😆
The Taj mahal at sunrise. Unexpectedly , totally overwhelming.
Everytime my toddler does something new 🙂
Birth of my daughters.
Coming home after work and being hugged by daughters.
Descending from Mt Ventoux (on road) behind a local, eye watering speed.
Walking into the Himalaya's and being above the clouds and still surrounded by immense peaks.
Arriving in a different country.
Being super fit and flying in a race, when it feels effortless, knowing your onto a pb, riding or running. (sadly doesnt happen much!!)
Riding at night alone off road, again anywhere.
Having time off work.
Ooooh....
Waking up in the Ice Hotel
Seeing the sunrise on a sailing yacht in the middle of the Atlantic
Snorkelling with manta rays / whale shark
Flying over the Maldives in a sea plane
Skydiving from 13,500 feet up
Manchester City winning the Premier League last year.
After I had turned off my phone and given up because we were 2:1 down to QPR
And them winning the FA cup the year before.
When you have supported them for 45 years - and they have been rubbish for abot 38 of them, you do go wow!
Sex for the first time....... now = meh!
When my wife-to-be entered the church and I saw her in her for the 1st time on our wedding day...
You hadn't seen your wife before your wedding day? 😕
If we are talking about doing things rather than seeing things, then I'd like to add XC skiing through Finnish forests.
Lance Armstrong winning an amazing 7th Tour .
What's up have I missed something ? 😉
Seeing a rocket launch first-hand (in Florida a few years ago). I don't have the words to convey just how amazing that was.
Shuttle launch 2002, viewed from a pier at Titusville.
Seeing Otters in the sea at Glenelg last week whilst on holiday, then seeing an Otter in the river 5mins from my home on Tuesday morning! 😀
Seeing all our possessions in the back of a single lorry when we moved house the other week.
"Wow, how did we end up with so much crap."
When I first saw my baby ,
and double wow! ,it was a boy! ( for some reason I was certain we were having a girl)
If we are talking about doing things rather than seeing things, then I'd like to add XC skiing through Finnish forests.
You should try it in Yellowstone 😉 The other one I didn't mention about that is coming back in the dusk and hearing the wolves howling in the woods (mrs aracer does now smile when I suggest that I wasn't worried as I can ski faster than her 😈 )
Seeing all our possessions in the back of a single lorry when we moved house the other week.
Did you dilly and dally on they way?
You should try it in Yellowstone
Yeah well given the chance to go there in winter I most certainly would! not sure the trails would be particularly quick though.. but maybe they get flattened down by snowmobiles 🙂
There's a fair amount of prepared trails there - though not necessarily up to scandi standards (the skiing certainly isn't the best I've ever done, but the setting more than makes up for that). We also had a few days with http://yellowstoneexpeditions.com/ which was mostly off-track stuff - not quick, but good in a different way.