View allAll Photos Tagged Formation
For our 15 Anniversary we did an outing here.
Natural Bridge
Natural Bridge is a geological formation in Rockbridge County, Virginia, comprising a 215-foot-high (66 m) natural arch with a span of 90 feet (27 m). It is situated within a gorge carved from the surrounding mountainous limestone terrain by Cedar Creek, a small tributary of the James River. Consisting of horizontal limestone strata, Natural Bridge is the remains of the roof of a cave or tunnel through which the Cedar Creek once flowed.
Natural Bridge has been designated a Virginia Historic Landmark and a National Historic Landmark. Since 2016, the bridge and its surroundings have been managed by the Commonwealth of Virginia as Natural Bridge State Park.
History
The Natural Bridge was a sacred site of the Native American Monacan tribe, who believed it to be the site of a major victory over pursuing Powhatans centuries before the arrival of Europeans in Virginia.[5]
In March 1742, a frontiersman named John Howard — along with his son and others — was commissioned by Governor William Gooch to explore the southwest of Virginia as far as the Mississippi River. The party followed Cedar Creek through the Natural Bridge, then floated in buffalo-skin boats down the New, Coal, Kanawha, and Ohio rivers to the Mississippi.[6]
It is alleged that George Washington also came to the site in 1750 as a young surveyor.[5] To support claims that Washington surveyed the area, tour guides claim the initials "G.W." on the wall of the bridge, 23 feet (7.0 m) up, were carved by the future president. Legend also has it that George Washington threw a rock from the bottom of Cedar Creek over the bridge. In 1927, a large stone was found, also engraved "G.W." and bearing a surveyor's cross, which historians accepted as proof that he indeed surveyed the bridge.[5]
Thomas Jefferson purchased 157 acres (64 ha) of land including the Natural Bridge from King George III of Great Britain for 20 shillings in 1774. He called it "the most Sublime of nature's works". Jefferson built a two-room log cabin, with one room reserved for guests, beginning its use as a retreat. While President, in 1802, he personally surveyed the area. Many famous guests stayed here, including John Marshall, James Monroe, Henry Clay, Sam Houston, and Martin Van Buren.[5]
Natural Bridge was one of the tourist attractions of the new world that Europeans visited during the 18th and 19th centuries. Vacationing guests from all over the world took day trips from Natural Bridge on horseback or horse-drawn carriages to explore the countryside. In 1833, a new owner erected the Forest Inn to accommodate the increasing number of people.
The bridge had considerable notoriety during the 19th century. Herman Melville alluded to the bridge in describing Moby-Dick: "But soon the fore part of him slowly rose from the water; for an instant his whole marbleized body formed a high arch, like Virginia's Natural Bridge..."[8] William Cullen Bryant, another American literary figure, said that Natural Bridge and Niagara Falls were the two most remarkable features of North America.[9] During the 1880s Natural Bridge was a resort owned by Colonel Henry Parsons, who also owned the nearby Rockbridge Inn.[10]
In 1927 a nocturnal lighting display of the arch and gorge was designed by Samuel Hibben and Phinehas V. Stephens, illuminating engineers with the Westinghouse Company.[11] The display was formally switched on by President Calvin Coolidge in a 1927 inaugural ceremony. The original display has since been replaced with a sound and light show depicting the biblical seven days of the Creation as described in Genesis.
In 2013, nearly 1,500 acres (6.1 km2), including the bridge, were slated to be sold at auction. To prevent piecemeal development of the landmark, the Virginia Conservation Legacy Fund (VCLF) purchased the bridge, hotel, and surrounding land for $9.1 million, made possible by a loan from the Virginia Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund. When the VCLF soon found itself unable to make payments on that loan, the Commonwealth of Virginia offered to manage the property as a Virginia State Park.[12][13]
Natural Bridge State Park
Lace Falls on Cedar Creek in Natural Bridge State Park, Rockbridge County, Virginia.
Natural Bridge State Park officially opened on September 24, 2016. As a state park, the property is managed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, although it remains owned by the VCLF; it is the only state park operating on privately owned land. The property will be transferred to state ownership after the original loan has been paid in full. VCLF continues to both own and manage the nearby Natural Bridge Hotel and Natural Bridge Caverns.[12][13]
Visitors must purchase tickets to view the bridge from below, although the park's fees under state management are about half what had been charged under prior ownership.[12] U.S. Route 11 (Lee Highway) runs on top of the bridge, but protective fences make it difficult to see anything besides the roadway.
The state park includes several long-standing attractions, including the trail under the bridge and along Cedar Creek, a recreation of Monacan Native American housing, and the 30-foot-tall (9.1 m) Lace Falls.[14] The "Drama of Creation" light show continues to be shown in the evening, after the state park is technically closed.[12] One change under state ownership was the removal of Foamhenge, a full-size replica of Stonehenge made entirely out of styrofoam that was formerly located on the property. The attraction was moved to Fairfax County after it was determined that the art installation did not fit with the state park's mission.[15]
The new state park was designated an "Affiliated Area" by the National Park Service in 2016. The designation does not imply ownership or management by the federal government, though it does allow for their technical and financial assistance.[13][16]
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_Bridge_(Virginia)
The BBMF's Trenchard Formation, devised for the RAF's 100th year. Named after the first Chief of the Air Staff.
"Rauk" rock formations on the island of Gotland in the Baltic sea.
The middle one is commonly nicknamed "the dog" or "the coffee pot"
British Airways centenary formation. British Airways celebrating 100 years of British Civil Aviation.
At Portage Point near Escanaba, Michigan. Notice lack of ice formation on the north shore of Lake Michigan. This has been a strange El Niño winter so far!
A pair of Spangdahlem-based Lockheed Martin F-16C Fighting Falcons, AF 96-083/SP and AF 96-080/SP, fly over RAF Fairford during the USAF 70th Anniversary flypast at the 2017 Royal International Air Tattoo
These unusual geological formations (about 30 feet or 10 m. high) were photographed on a remote island near Sitka, Alaska. They are probably volcanic basalt cores, and the storm waves have eroded away the softer material. As you can see the formations are above the high tide line.
There are three other photos in this series (see below). They are good examples of Intertidal zones (a.k.a. "littoral"). The tidal differential (between high and low tide) here can be very dramatic -- up to 16 feet in many areas around Sitka, and up to 22 feet in this area, which was about 25 miles south of Sitka.
Rock formations.Reinøya, Troms, Northern Norway. Mamiya 6MF // Mamiya 50 mm F/4.0 // Kodak T-Max 400 // Developed in X-Tol
During NTM2025, held at Beja Airbase BA11 (LPBJ/BYJ) only two formation flypasts were able to be caught on camera by myself. One with a mix of helos just flying for the public and the other formed by 4 German Tornados returning from a mission. Thanks to all of them for making the spotters happy.
DMO breaking off its formation with us, accelerating away on the way to Thunder Bay.
This is part of a huge collection of pictures I took during a flying school trip From Ottawa, Ontario to Vancouver, British Columbia this past summer. A great learning opportunity for us new private pilots and instructors to fly to all these cool locations along the way and back. We took 3 Cessna 172s and one Beechcraft Duchess.
In my backyard one day, late morning into the afternoon I looked up and saw these beautiful clouds in the sky with the sun shining through. I thought WOW, this is gorgeous and started shooting. These are the images I was fortunate to obtain! Photo images credited to Vickie L Klinkhammer of Vickielynne Photography and Designs (VLP&Designs). Photo images may be designed on wearableart and/or home essentials @vlpdesigns.com
Kleine Brogel, 7 September 2018.
Heavily backlit due to the white clouds in the background while the formation is in the shadow. I lightend up the dark areas as far as I could.
Ravenswood, Ipswich
Formation by Rick Kirby, 2003.
'Five spires rise out of an octagonal base shape between which are suspended six roughly life-size female figures joined and angled as if flying in close formation. The sculpture is surrounded by eight small black posts.
The spires were inspired by a War War 2 poster remembered from childhood showing 'a formation of planes caught in the criss cross of search lights.' The female figures represent the women pilots who flew fighter planes during the war from factories to the aerodrome at Ravenswood. As well as commemorating the past the sculpture also symbolizes community spirit.'
- Recording Archive for Public Sculpture in Norfolk & Suffolk
Seventeen C-17 Globemaster IIIs fly over Charleston, S.C., on December 20, 2005. The C-17s, assigned to the 437th and 315th Airlift Wings at Charleston Air Force Base, were part of the largest formation in history from a single base and demonstrated the strategic airdrop capability of the U.S. Air Force. (US Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jacob N. Bailey)(Released)
This 'horse wave' happened in 2009 during one of the strongest winds to hit the North shore of Lake Ontario for some years. The wave was against a pretty neutral sky so the Image quality of the shot has been sacrificed in order to bring out the subject but the actual wave formation, clearly in the shape of a horse, is not photoshopped at all. The head, nose, neck and mane are clear but if you look closely you can also see the hind quarters and what looks like front legs trying to break free from the surf.
View an enhanced colour version