Video from inside the Washington Monument during the earthquake

by Kraig Becker on

Yesterday, the National Park Service released video from inside of the Washington Monument showing just how much the structure shook during that 5.8-magnitude earthquake that hit the East Coast last month. Startled visitors and park rangers appear uncertain of what to do at first, then begin to calmly and orderly move down the building, with one ranger in the lead and another staying behind to ensure that everyone gets out safely. As the video continues, debris begins to fall, obscuring the view to a degree, and giving an indication of the amount of a damage suffered to the interior.

The Park Service says that the monument is structurally sound, although it is unclear at this time when it will reopen. A team of engineers will begin a comprehensive inspection of the obelisk today by repelling down the side of the structure. That will take about five days to complete, but the overall assessment won’t be finished until sometime later in October. From there, renovations will get underway, while the building also undergoes its annual preparation for winter as well.


Portland’s International Cryptozoology Museum to get a bigger home

by Sean McLachlan on


One of Maine’s most offbeat attractions is about to get five times the space.

The International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland will be moving from its current home in the back of the Green Hand Bookshop at 661 Congress St over to 11 Avon Street, where it will have much more room to show off its collection of Bigfoot print casts, monster photos, movie props, and thousands of other strange items. The move, according to the Portland Daily Sun, is to give the museum a more visible location and attract more visitors.

Cryptozoology is the study of animals thought by science not to exist. The Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, and the Mothman all qualify. Sometimes animals thought extinct, like the coelacanth, turn out to be still alive and move from cryptozoology into mainstream biology.

Museum founder Loren Coleman hopes this success will be repeated with other monsters. Coleman was born in 1947 (the same year the term “flying saucer” was coined) and has dedicated much of his life to studying strange sightings of things that shouldn’t exist. His books show a skeptical eye, an open mind, and most importantly a sense of humor. He probably wouldn’t be impressed by this purported photo of the Mothman. Considering that it was uploaded by someone whose Wikimedia Commons handle is Mostlymade, I have to say I’m skeptical too.

Despite being a skeptic I love museums like this. Once while hiking in the Himalayas I found some Yeti footprints that turned out to be from a normal animal, but I have had a strange experience with the legendary Thunderbird.

The museum’s “Grand Monster Reopening” is scheduled for noon to 6 p.m. on October 30.

Photo of the Day – Field of red flowers

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Somewhere in your imagination, there’s a valley like this one, its verdant slopes carpeted with a bursting red patchwork of flowers. Except, in this case, the valley is real. Photo of the Day regular jrodmanjr found this amazing patch of red clover while exploring Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The image’s visual appeal is intensified by the macro focus on a single bunch of the colorful plants in the foreground, a blurred field or red dots stretching as far as the eye can see in the background. Beautiful.

Have any great travel photos to share with the world? Why not add them to our Gadling group on Flickr? We might just pick one of yours as our Photo of the Day.

Six Flags Magic Mountain to add insane Drop of Doom ride in 2012

by Joel Bullock on

Six Flags Magic Mountain recently announced an unexpected and exciting addition for 2012. The park was already able to boast the most roller coasters of any theme park in the World this year and now it looks to claim another record next year. Magic Mountain has unveiled plans for LEX LUTHOR: Drop of Doom. At over 400 feet (40 stories) tall it will be the World’s tallest drop ride.

The park’s Superman: Escape from Krypton roller coaster features two twin 415-foot tall towers. Roller coaster cars are launched from zero to 100 mph down the twin tracks and then up these two spires. Those two skyscraping towers are going to be used as the structure for the LEX LUTHOR: Drop of Doom where riders will drop 400 feet at an unreal 85 mph. After falling for five seconds, which will probably feel like an eterntity, the riders will come to a halt just a few feet from the ground.

To put this insane drop in context, the tallest drop rides in the United States are around 300 feet tall. The view from 400-feet up should be beyond breath-taking. I have to imagine that the wait will be ridiculously long with only two eight-person wide gondolas, but I’m betting that many will gladly wait hours for such an experience. Read more about this new ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain’s LEX LUTHOR: Drop of Doom page and watch the preview video below.



Skate the Mississippi on Red Bull’s Mississippi Grind

by Grant Martin on

The life of a professional skateboarder could make anyone jealous, but now there’s one more reason to consider leaving that office job and running off with your deck. A few intrepid fellas from the Midwest are currently sailing down the great Mississippi river in a customized barge with a skate park built onto the top surface. Making stops along the backbone of the river and in snapshots of the United States, the team is visiting communities, promoting engagement and living the life of Huck Finn from Mark Twain’s infamous book.

Had Gadling Labs learned about this project earlier we would have sent our resident skateboarder, no other than Heather Poole, over to dish with the guys and get some behind the scenes footage. Sadly, since the cruise is almost over we may not have the time.

If you want to catch the tail end of the journey, however, the Mississippi Grind pulls into New Orleans on the 8th of October. You can check the full schedule over on their site.