Hello friends.I'm looking for areas of big contrasts. Things like tall islands; or towns at the base of steep, tall mountains; or places with big holes like giant cenotes.I'll take anything you've got. I'm trying to put together a list of places that feel surreal to be in.
Jim Thorpe, PAis inset into very steep hills, to access pic related you park on north ave in a residential area, and take a very rock-studded steep fire road up to this view, and a view of the gorge itself from the other side (in slightly different places - right for the main gorge- left for the town view when you get to the top)there's also a long rail trail through the gorge and companies run shuttles for bikes, and you can also hike on the west rim of the gorge to multiple views (the steepest) and even loop it in with the rail trail for the ultimate adventure
Ziangjiajie national forest, china
>>2841292Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania. It looks like a section of Queens was magically transported into a rural valley.
>>2841304
>>2841304What's it like visiting?
>>2841327Haven't been there since the 90s but apparently the industry that was the purpose for it existing, closed down and now it's mostly poverty, with the state prison being the only big employer nearby. According to ChatGPT, the value of all of the property in the entire town is only a couple of million.
>>2841300Delaware Water Gap and Pine Creek Gorge are other good examples in Pennsylvania. Franconia Notch, NH is the best example I can think of in the eastern states. I heard that Linville Gorge, NC gives off a similar impression but I've never been.
>>2841292Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan has a lot of contrast with massive dunes rising above Lake Michigan
>>2841300I guess Luxembourg-Ville kind of fits the bill.You arrive there by train or plane or even car, no big deal. You make your way through town, and at SOME point you'll have to cross the river. You'd think it's like any other european town with a wide river flowing through town but no.Instead you have steep cliffs on both ends with a shallow stream at the very bottom. Both sides of the cliffs are settled and built on with ridiculously steep streets and pathways.The Bock military fortifications there are very interesting too. I'd recommend reading up a bit about them. Neat stuff.It's difficult to take in how weird it is to have the city split into two by a deep crevasse with both sides being at the same level. Pictures don't do justice to how much of just a deep and narrow formation it is until you sit at the halfway point of one of the bridges.
>>2841363Maybe I'll check it out. It actually reminds me of an /x/ story I heard once. Might even be the same place.