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For deep crater action Liamuiga is the place. by TheRealHocusLocus · 2013-05-27 07:09 · Score: 3, Interesting · on Artist Turns Volcano Into Naked-Eye Observatory

I'm not sure what's going on in the article, it seems more of an artsy-fartsy place than really rugged volcano-ey belly of the beast thingy. If you are looking to trek up, over and down into a hopefully-extinct volcano will take your breath away, that is accessible and is not overrun by tourists and access roads, here's the place:

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=17.369741&lon=-62.80873&z=14.2&r=0&src=yh
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Liamuiga
http://www.peakware.com/peaks.html?pk=2174
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g147374-d147557-r157740414-Mount_Liamuiga-St_Kitts_St_Kitts_and_Nevis.html
http://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/18/travel/climbing-a-st-kitts-volcano.html

Here's my suggestion: plan a night in the crater. Everyone should be in decent shape. The hike up the mountain is not too demanding and even pleasant if you make a 4-5 hour trek of it. Take at least 1-1/2 gallon drinking water per person, compact food for a couple good meals, mosquito repellent and light tents for shelter from bugs and rain. There is a lake in the crater that you might find drinkable. I did, it was the most delicious water I have ever tasted. Make sure everything is carried on your backs or can dangle comfortably, you will need both hands and feet for the final ~400' climb down into and out of the crater. It will be a careful scramble using both hands to cling to tree roots as you face the hillside and lower yourself, there are short lengths of rope left by previous climbers. Bring 50-100' of rope to use if existing ropes are in bad condition and to leave for future adventurers. It is rigorous but I do not recall that any part of the decent as terrifyingly vertical or overhanging.

Once you're down in the crater set up camp. There are a few active fumaroles along the rim, in places you can see faint steam rising and there is a faint odor of sulfur but the crater has good air circulation within it. As a common sense precaution site your camp on high ground within the crater, and if you are particularly nerdy you can bring a gas detector to check for H2S but it's probably not a big deal.

Regardless of the weather you will be in a place like no other and will consider yourself grateful to be alive. Framed by the circular crater rim's cliffs above you a sharp celestial bowl of stars might roll above you, untainted by light pollution. Or perhaps a light rain punctuated by echoing thunder and circle of lightning along the sharp peaks of the rim.

If you camp overnight have at least one good hands-free head mounted flashlight in the group in case of emergency, for someone would need to climb up to the crater's rim to call for help. Volcanic craters tend to have bad cellphone reception.

It is a little known fact that compatible and like-minded individuals are implicitly married as they descend into the crater of hopefully-extinct volcanoes so there is no need for pomp or ceremony. Just get on with it.

meanwhile, in Italy ... by alex4point0 · 2008-09-24 20:53 · Score: 0, Interesting · on Russian Town Puts Giant Smiley On Google Maps

I hope you can all stop laughing at the Russians 'shooping a map for a moment to take the time to check out the following:

go to http://www.flashearth.com/ and select the Microsoft VE (with labels) radio button.

in the 'search' field type in

Godi, Italy

and then gradually scroll out. Look! It's-a da magical NATO run-a-way, and she is a covered in trees so nobody bomb-a her!

C/- http://cryptome.org/ - there were heaps of them.

Re:Compatibility by z0idberg · 2007-10-02 03:30 · Score: 1 · on Do You Recommend Google Maps API or Microsoft Live Maps?

If you want to quickly compare the difference in maps between :
Google Maps
Microsoft VE
Yahoo maps
Ask.com
OpenLayers
and NASA Terra

then http://www.flashearth.com/ is pretty cool. Go to a location and toggle between the different map layers.