31–40 of 56 posts
There's also Osoyos "desert" of a similar nature (that is, more of a sandy dry patch). It's 400 km to the East from Vancouver, in the Okanagan valley with its vineyards, wineries and whatnots. Wineries are quite nice; the desert - not so much :) https://www.google.com/search?q=osoyos+desert
Carcross is cute, it's an hour from the capital city, Whitehorse Yukon. Carcross recently built about 6 or so small buildings, mostly occupied by art shops and one cozy cafe. The new plaza is across from the semi-restored frame of the SS Tutshi, but if steam boats are your thing you'll want to check out the SS Klondike. It has a historic general store, complete with old trapping equipment. Trapping is still practiced…
Also, if you make it that far, don't miss out on Dawson City! It's an old gold mining boomtown with dirt streets, saloons with swinging doors and dancing girls, and brothels converted into bed & breakfasts. Super cute and feels like the set of a movie, only it's "the real deal" (albeit now mining tourists). Dawson is also where Robert Service wrote much of his work, including The Cremation of Sam McGee . My wife and…
Did you drink the toe?
When visiting New Zealand I was driving through Rangipo "Desert" and it gets 1500-2500mm of rain a year. Just bad soils and volcanic desolation. I live in an area where people grow crops on around 250mm of rain a year. Though a bit of bad land management and drought can turn land to sand dunes pretty fast. We probably have hundreds of smaller deserts throughout the region if semi-arid conditions and sand dunes are th…
It's amazing to me that the article doesn't provide a map, illustrating where Carcross is. I knew its general location because I operate a website containing over 2000 points of interest in Canada, https://rinkatlas.com . But why not give more of a hint to people who don't know where the Yukon Territory is?
Carcross is cute, it's an hour from the capital city, Whitehorse Yukon. Carcross recently built about 6 or so small buildings, mostly occupied by art shops and one cozy cafe. The new plaza is across from the semi-restored frame of the SS Tutshi, but if steam boats are your thing you'll want to check out the SS Klondike. It has a historic general store, complete with old trapping equipment. Trapping is still practiced…
Where are you at, if you don't mind my asking? I'm in Sitka, and I'm always curious to see people from the far northwest on HN. I did the Klondike relay a few times in the mid 2000s, and I really miss getting up that way. I hope to do that race again in the next few years, and to spend more time in the Yukon.
When visiting New Zealand I was driving through Rangipo "Desert" and it gets 1500-2500mm of rain a year. Just bad soils and volcanic desolation. I live in an area where people grow crops on around 250mm of rain a year. Though a bit of bad land management and drought can turn land to sand dunes pretty fast. We probably have hundreds of smaller deserts throughout the region if semi-arid conditions and sand dunes are th…
The article does expain how it fits the semi-arid definition as it gets 250-500mm, nowhere near 2500. Snow doesnt count, which is why antarctica is technically a dessert. Sand isnt part of the standard.
We have plants adapted to low rainfall and animals such as reptiles adapted to hot, dry conditions. You can go from crops to sand drifts to scrub and back in metres. I think I could go for a 30 minute drive, find an area of land and call it the world's smallest desert with about as much validity as the claim in the headline. The area in the article is remarkable due to its location but it seems less remarkable when compared with semi-arid areas globally.
I nominate the Perry Sandhills outside Wentworth, NSW, Australia at 0.6 square miles to be the smallest desert because it is semi-arid and has sand dunes and is only less remarkable for not being surrounded by snow.
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If you haven't been to the Alvord desert you should. It's amazing. Looking up at steens from the playa.
I've only ever made it to the summit of Steens. I want so, so badly to travel around, since we're not even that far away here in Bend, but ... vacation time is limited.
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Also, if you make it that far, don't miss out on Dawson City! It's an old gold mining boomtown with dirt streets, saloons with swinging doors and dancing girls, and brothels converted into bed & breakfasts. Super cute and feels like the set of a movie, only it's "the real deal" (albeit now mining tourists). Dawson is also where Robert Service wrote much of his work, including The Cremation of Sam McGee . My wife and…
Oh my god. NWT/Yukon, Dawson City, and Nahanni National Park have been on my list for years! Did you drink the toe?
For those of us thousands of kilometers away, can you explain what strange and probably amazing Canadian tradition this is, please?
There's also Osoyos "desert" of a similar nature (that is, more of a sandy dry patch). It's 400 km to the East from Vancouver, in the Okanagan valley with its vineyards, wineries and whatnots. Wineries are quite nice; the desert - not so much :) https://www.google.com/search?q=osoyos+desert