Contest #468
Contest #467: Boston Light, Little Brewster Island, Massachusetts
The first lighthouse built in what is now the USA. The original went up in 1716, the present one is a relative newbie, having been built in 1783. Although automated since 1998 it is still staffed by the United States Coast Guard- who act mainly as tour guides.
Here, in fact, is a commentary from the current lighthouse keeper:
As it was in 1839:
1906, from the files of the Library of Congress:
Sometime between 1930 and 1945:
A more current view:
And, doing what lighthouses do:
Those who saw the light and avoided the shore included:
- Lighthouse
- hhgygy
- Paul Voestermans
- Garfield
- Phil Ower
- Eloy Cano
With the hint:
- Lelie
- Glenmorren
- Declan Moore
- Robin
Contest #467 Hint
The oldest one of these in the world is too easy. This is the oldest one in its country.
Contest #466: Torghatten, Norway
This contest entry came to us from Lighthouse as part of the request for entries leading up to contest #400.
Torghatten is a mountain with a hole in it when viewed from the sea. One can walk through the hole on a path.
There are several theories for the hole – scientific and folklore. The folklore version is more interesting!
From https://www.hurtigruten.com/destinations/landmarks/torghatten/#.V-CgwjRfPCR:
Rising 112 metres vertically from the sea at Brønnøysundet between Brønnøysund and Rørvik, is Torghatten. The mountain, with a distinctive hole right through it, is said to be the Brønnøy King’s hat. It plays a heroic role in the Nordland fairy tale of trolls that froze to stone and became the mountains along the Nordland coast.
Early one morning according to the legend, Lekamøya and her seven sisters were fleeing from Vågekallen, who was desperate to capture a wife. The King heard them and came to the rescue of the young maidens. However Hestmannen, who had been awakened by the noise, got up and shot an arrow towards them. The King threw his hat towards the maidens to protect them. Just as the arrow pierced the hat, the sun appeared and its rays turned the trolls, hat and all into stone.
The crash referred to in the hint occurred in May 1988, when Widerøe Flight 710 from Namsos to Brønnøysund crashed into the side of the mountain. All 36 passengers and crew died.
This link http://www.nordnorge.com/en/hiking/?News=72 has lots of interesting information on the site.
Those who saw the light:
- Lighthouse
- Paul Voestermans
- Garfield
- Eloy Cano
- hhgygy
- Phil Ower
- Lelie
- Max_Power
And who needed some light shed on things:
- Ashwini Agrawal
- Luís Filipe Miguel
- Glenmorren
- Robin
- Kieran
Contest #466 Hint
A hat, a hole, a path, a crash – which of these is the most help?
Contest # 465: Guelb Moghrein Copper-Gold mine West of Akjoujt, Mauritania
Unlike the deep mines of Moria, the Guelb Moghrein operation is an open pit mine measuring over a mile wide. The mine has an on again-off again history. It opened in the early 1970s, only to close in 1977 due to high cost of operations. The property was acquired by First Quantum Minerals, a Canadian company, in 2004, and production resumed in 2010. In 2014 operations were suspended due to an employees strike. First Quantum stocks took a hit, but the workers eventually came back.
Ground level view:
The pit itself. Click on it for a larger image:
Or for a really big image, go here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/64137143@N07/5876780200/sizes/o/
Nighttime operations:
Another view of the pit.
By way of contrast, the Mines of Moria. Click for full size:
Found, despite the appearance of a needle in a huge pile of sand for 2 points:
- Lighthouse
- Eloy Cano
- Garfield
- Lelie
- hhgygy
- Phil Ower
Contest #465 Hint
Definitely not the Mines of Moria.
WOGE Speed in Facebook
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