A Day in the Life
The rationale behind this endeavor is twofold. First, this will serve as a reminder to appreciate (and publicly acknowledge) the people, places and things around me. In addition, and more importantly, this project will help force me to make the most of 2009 by shattering my comfort zones and push me in new and unimaginable directions.
Should you feel so inclined I welcome you to come along and share the experience.
12-mile run and then a trip to Stone Mountain to take in a better than expected 4D movie (“Journey to the Center of the Earth”) and sledding. Very poor customer service. Doubt I’ll ever do an organized trip there again. Also, just learned some interesting facts about this place that you don’t read about in their brochures.
Stone Mountain is a quartz monzonite dome monadnock in Stone Mountain, Georgia. At its summit, the elevation is 1,686 feet (513 m) amsl and 825 feet (251.5 m) above the surrounding area. Numerous reference books and Georgia literature have dubbed Stone Mountain as “the largest exposed piece of granite in the world”. This misnomer is most likely a result of advertisement by granite companies and early park administration. In actuality, there are larger exposed granite landscapes throughout the world including the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. Stone Mountain, though often called a pink granite dome, is actually a quartz monzonite rock when described in geologic terms and is therefore not technically granite. Stone Mountain is well-known not only for its geology, but also for the enormous bas-relief on its north face, the largest bas-relief in the world. Three figures of the Confederate States of America are carved there: Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis (and their favorite horses, “Blackjack”, “Traveller”, and “Old Sorrel”, respectively). The entire carved surface measures 3 acres (12,000 m2), about the size of three football fields. The carving of the three men towers 400 feet (120 m) above the ground, measures 90 by 190 feet (58 m), and is recessed 42 feet (13 m) into the mountain. The deepest point of the carving is at Lee’s elbow, which is 12 feet (3.7 m) to the mountain’s surface. Stone Mountain is where the second KKK was formed in 1915. It has also been used as a site for Klan rallies throughout the years. Now there’ s a nice piece of Georgia history for you…
