Two Blisters on the Continents: The Harz and the Black Hills

We tend to think of the middles of continents as dull, stable places. There’s a reason John McPhee’s essay about the Great Plains focuses on the term “Stable Interior Craton.” Nothing of great geologic excitement happens mid-continent. Neither does much of cultural excitement, either. When was the last time you heard wild breaking news of earth-shaking excitement from, oh, Dessau, Germany? Or Pierre, South Dakota? The vertical relief tends to be gradual with a few exceptions, and those exceptions promptly got turned into parks. No earthquakes add moments of interest. It’s all wheat fields, beet fields, and gently rolling land.

Looking east from the Hexentanzplatz at the edge of the Harz Mountains. Flaaaaaaaaaat.

Looking east from the Black Hills.

Until a lump appears.

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On the Road

I’m on the road today. Content tomorrow.

Where Women Ruled…

The imperial abbey of Quedlinburg had an interesting history. The abbess was one of very few people to have a seat on the Imperial Council of the Holy Roman Empire until the empire’s dissolution in 1804. The church was founded in part to firm-up the Holy Roman Emperors’ control over the Harz Mountains and the Saxon frontier, and to provide a place where sisters and daughters of the upper nobility could serve the Church.

Really? A women Only Parking Place?

Howdy, Instapundit Readers! I apologize for being slow to clear comments – Typing and driving is a bad idea.

So, the van pulled into an Autohof in Germany and we parked a little distance from the cafe/coffee shop/restaurant/news-stand/playground. We needed to stretch our legs, since we’d been on the road for several hours and would be driving for a few more. As we strolled to the Hof, the driver pointed to the parking slots right in front of the doors and shook his head. There were the usual handicapped places, and then two, pink, “Women Only” slots.

Not pregnant women, not elderly women, not women with small children, just women.

It Doesn’t Look like a Volcano…

Where’s the Earth-shattering kaboom?

You are looking at a volcano. It is the Kaiserstuhl, on the western side of the Rhine Rift Valley. I was standing on the eastern side, at the base of a ruined castle.

Yes, It’s Hot…

not as bad as down-state, but we hit 105 yesterday and are on track to hit 105 again for the next few days. But it’s a dry heat. Seriously. Our lows are 70, as compared to 80s down-state.

Speaking of which… I will be down in the Metroplex next week doing some continuing education, so I will be slow clearing comments in moderation and answering questions.

LibertyCon AAR 2018

So there I was, driving to Chattanooga with Peter and Dorothy Grant, when the skies turned as dark as the Earl of Hell’s riding boots, and frog-strangling rain cut loose. Not exactly an auspicious start to the weekend, although I don’t object to rain. I do object to rain so heavy the wipers can’t keep the windscreen clear, however. Turns out we managed to arrive with the worst weather of the day, and it moved through relatively quickly. By the time I could check into my hotel, it was just cool and damp. Cool is good in the south in late June.