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Many people have been in the shower when that brilliant, light bulb moment suddenly strikes! It can seem like a strange place to have great ideas, but researchers say “shower thoughts” are pretty common. So, why do so many people get a spark of creativity while washing up? While previous research has suggested that people get more creative when their mind wanders, a new study finds that those mindless tasks (like showering) aren’t so mindless after all.The new study challenges past research that seemed to prove what many scientists thought about letting the mind wander. That study found that when...

There are two ways to get to Mossbrae Falls, one of the most beautiful (and most often Instagrammed) natural attractions in California, about 30 minutes from the base of Mount Shasta. Unfortunately, neither of the routes are legal — and the more popular one involves a potentially deadly trek along active railroad tracks. And yet the ethereal beauty of the falls is still a powerful temptation for visitors, who come here by the thousands, often drawn by shots splashed across Instagram and other social media sites. Tall as a five-story building and longer than an Olympic swimming pool, Mossbrae is...

Editor’s note: Whether the rain that the last 24 hours was enough to pump up local creeks and waterfalls is unclear. InMenlo weather watcher Dennis Nugent’s digital rain gauge measured 0.40″ between yesterday and today though 1:30 pm. That brings the year-to-date to 13.88″Here’s a list of places to explore in Midpeninsula Regional Open Space preserves when the water is flowing: Stevens Creek Nature Trail, Monte Bello Preserve Check out Midpen’s guide, including photos and video clips, to enjoying the Stevens Creek Nature Trail in the rainy season on a 3-mile loop hike. Crazy Pete’s Waterfall, Coal Creek Preserve This...

One of California’s most beautiful consequences from winter rainstorms are waterfalls. Along Big Sur’s coastline, crystal-clear rainwater is gushing down the mountains and flowing out to the Pacific Ocean. Sunny and calm weather this week allowed outdoor enthusiasts to hike out to iconic waterfalls, including Salmon Creek Falls, McWay Falls, Black Swift Falls, Limekiln Falls, and Pfeiffer Falls December’s rainstorms dropped 17.64 inches of rain on Big Sur, according to the National Weather Service. An abundance of rivers and streams flow into this rugged region of wilderness on the far south end Monterey County. When runoff from storms reach steep...

Two men who slipped and fell on a steep rock leading into rough waters at a park in British Columbia were saved thanks to a group of Sikh men who unraveled and removed their turbans to create a makeshift rope. Two men who needed help up a steep rock in British Columbia were saved thanks to a group of Sikh men who unraveled and removed their turbans to create a makeshift rope. The steep rocks led to rough, raging waters near a waterfall. The group of five was hiking toward the waterfall when they saw that the hikers stranded on...

Michael Peacher stared out at the sprawling Yosemite Valley, stretched out before him like a giant post card. Half Dome bathed in the early May morning sun. El Capitan sat stoically in the shifting shadows. But Peacher’s eyes were locked on Bridalveil Falls, roaring in the distance with a watery abandon. “Since 2011 we haven’t had any water whatsoever,” said Peacher, an avid kayaker. “Just been a horrible drought for the past four years.” California’s stifling drought got so bad Peacher moved to Washington where the rivers were full enough to kayak. But this winter, the rains returned to California...

Aerial photographs from the 1950s didn’t prepare Adam Shoalts for what he was about to encounter. The self-dubbed “modern explorer” was canoeing a stretch of little-known whitewater rapids just south of Hudson Bay when the river started to disappear in front of him. Courtesy: Adam Shoalts “I’ve discovered a waterfall and now I’m about to go straight over it,” Mr. Shoalts thought. “This is not good.” He tried to back paddle, but the current was too swift. And then, “It’s past the point of no return.” The current pivoted his canoe sideways, sending him down the 12-metre waterfall. As he...

(Palouse Falls) The world is full of men and women who enjoy living on the edge, those who will not back down to a challenge that seems to dangerous for most people to even consider.A person with that type of personality is said to be a reckless free spirit that has a devil-may-care attitude. They seem to project to the world that "The devil may worry about what I'm doing, but I sure as hell don't." The most popular word used to describe those individuals is, "Daredevil" Well, that would describe Tyler Bradt, a 24 year old professional whitewater kayaker...

While looking for something else, I stumbled across this guy's Panoramio collection. So I provide a sampling. He's got 17 pages worth, pretty good. He does some HDR (high dynamic range) -- I think I included one of those. Enjoy. (Click 'em for full-size.)

Full-size (for full effect). Basaseachi is a 312 meter waterfall.

I didn't find a great picture of these on the Web. The couple below are a start. The link describes them a bit. Apparently the waters are charged with calcium and carbonate, so that the mineral is precipitating and forming dams while at the same time the water flow is eroding the dams. Very interesting! Historically, this is where the first shots of the Yugoslavian splintering war were fired. Plitvice Lakes are a UNESCO World Heritage site. This last one is reduced size (and the left side is clearly taken from the same vantage point as the one above). Click...

You may have noticed that ever since discovering Iceland's Skogafoss that I'm a little fascinated with waterfalls in a columnar basalt terrain. Well, I like waterfalls in just about any terrain, but I like the unusual combinations that occur in volcanic terrains. One of the ultimate examples is Tower Falls in Yellowstone, of which images abound. I looked and looked for 4-5 minutes to find a nice one, but there may be better. This one may take a few moments to load: The towers are eroded tephra. On the opposite side of the canyon from Tower Falls, there is columnar...

Link post; to alert interested Free Republic readers to the post in the "Chat" section. PLEASE post any discussion and comment on that thread, not this one! The picture I've posted this week is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. Geology Picture of the Week, August 8-14, 2004: Amazing Tropical Waterfalls

Some background; in the last couple of weeks, I've been posting pictures of "Great Falls", starting with the Great Falls nearest to me, on the Potomac River. I speculated that there are several "Great Falls" around (there are). A humorous wag posted that one of them must be the "Great Falls of Bire" (rim shot, please). I replied to him that if Ireland had a great falls, this would be the "Great Falls of Eire". So I Googled to find out if Ireland had a great falls. It doesn't, but in searching, I discovered the "World Waterfall Database", which right...

Link post, to alert interested Free Republic readers to the post in the "Chat" section. Please post any comments there. Geology Pictures of the Week, August 1-7, 2004: Grab Bag

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Kilauea Eruption Update Click to see the larger version Click to see the larger version Graham Lyth Photography Grand Canyon GalleryMount Hayden The scenic landmark below no longer exists. Do you know where it is and what it was named?

Link post: to alert interested readers to the post in the FR "chat" section, where any commentary should be posted: Geology Pictures of the Two Weeks, July 18-31, 2004: Great Falls Deux

www.wingettphotography.com (this guy has good photos!) Potomac Flow-by Studies Link to aerial photograph of Great Falls

Link post, to allow interested parties to find the posted thread in the Chat section of FR, where any discussion should take place: Geology Pictures of the Week, September 21-27 and September 28-October 4, 2003