As we sit halfway through October, Halloween is just around the corner. If you’re travelling, maybe you’ll want to take a trip to one of these destinations, all with bizarre or naturally occurring phenomena.
Spotted Lake
In no particular order, we begin our journey with Spotted Lake in Osoyoos, Canada. This lake is densely rich with a plethora of minerals. During the summer months, the water evaporates and crystallized deposits are visible, giving the area the appearance of many large puddles. Each of these spots are colored accordingly to their specific mineral compositions. While you can’t reach the lake on foot due to fences, it still is a strange sight to behold from a distance
Vaadhoo- Maldives
If you’re looking for a tropical destination, the Raa Atoll of Maldives may leave some midnight walks along the beach to be very memorable. Bioluminescent Dinoflagellates can light up the ocean with a strange blue glow. These phytoplankton glow in a similar biologic process as fireflies, and line the beaches for a sight unique to behold.
Giant’s Causeway- Northern Ireland
When volcanic activity caused molten basalt to mix into chalk beds millions of years ago, a lava plateau was formed, then cooled over time. The cooling fractured the lava horizontally and the result is a coast lined with an uncountable amount of these basalt pillars or prisms. According to Irish legends the columns are the remains of a causeway, or elevated road or railway, built by a giant. While not necessarily the spookiest of Halloween locations, you might just see the ghost of a giant building some roads during the night- but probably not.
Gates to Hell
In 1971, an underground cavern in Derweze, Turkmenistan collapsed, leaving a crater of natural gas. Fearful that the methane gas would spread, it was set ablaze to hopefully prevent the spread of the gasses. They were successful, there was no spread, but 40 years later this crater still burns. A popular tourist attraction and camping location despite being in the middle of the Karakum Desert.
Centralia Pennsylvania
With a current population of 10, all properties not condemned were claimed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1992. In the mid 19th century, large mines were opened as they were home to anthracite coal. For years the town would slowly climb in population until a fire started that would threaten the lives of all citizens. Comparing to most other coal types whose carbon compositions lie in the 80s, anthracite coal can contain up to 98% carbon. It burns a lot longer, and a lot hotter. As the unextinguishable fire burned, sinkholes swallowed children and exposed them to many times more than lethal amounts of carbon monoxide, which was the ultimate decision in condemning Centralia. The film adaptation of Silent Hill was based on this abandoned town making it a perfect destination for your Halloween travels, as long as you don’t fall through the ground into the fire.