Subtle differences between the US and the UK that baffle me/you/us.

faetal on 23/1/2013 at 13:21

That'll be because the US is fucking HUGE and still a relatively young nation. Europe has had plenty of time to expand to fill its space.

I think anti-climb paint incorporates teflon, meaning you can't get a grip on anything.

Chimpy Chompy on 23/1/2013 at 13:38

This nation is pretty cramped and crowded, yeh. Makes the wide open spaces of america seem very appealing.

Vivian on 23/1/2013 at 15:04

Anti-climb paint is basically thick, coloured, evaporation-resistant grease. It makes things difficult to climb. Because it's grease.

faetal on 23/1/2013 at 16:36

Ah, there we go - grease. Probably a lot cheaper than teflon as just as effective.

Ulukai on 23/1/2013 at 17:08

Quote Posted by Chimpy Chompy

This nation is pretty cramped and crowded, yeh. Makes the wide open spaces of america seem very appealing.

There's only a handful of times I recall being somewhere in the UK where I couldn't see any traces of civilisation, even if just on the horizon - the Outer Hebrides and the North Yorkshire Moors. The Moors are more disorientating because there's not much, if anything, in the way of landmarks.

Fortunately, I used to be a boy scout and had a compass with me :cool:

SubJeff on 23/1/2013 at 17:23

Yep. This is something I really miss about Africa - I used to get out in the bush where there was no sign of humans. I felt like I was really in nature then.

The American deserts really appeal to me because of this.

faetal on 23/1/2013 at 17:41

Quote Posted by Ulukai

There's only a handful of times I recall being somewhere in the UK where I couldn't see any traces of civilisation

Insert obligatory joke about horrible town somewhere.

june gloom on 23/1/2013 at 20:51

Quote Posted by Subjective Effect

Not just the deserts -- (http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/712129main_8247975848_88635d38a1_o.jpg) the northwest is full of empty space as well.

demagogue on 24/1/2013 at 03:49

Even living in NYC, if you drive a couple of hours north you're pretty quickly into the upstate wilds. Every good sized state has some back-country.

It's interesting on that map, the split between east and west for lights is the same line for rainfall, east of it satellite photos are mostly green and west of it mostly brown, and my hometowns Fort Worth & Austin are right on the line so I know what it feels like driving east vs west. It's probably obvious, but just interesting how much the lights synch up to that same line.

SubJeff on 24/1/2013 at 11:56

I'd love a wilderness road trip in the USA. I don't mean walking the mountains, but driving close to the wilderness and then taking a trek, maybe an overnight stay, out in the wilderness. The only thing is you guys have dangerous animals, which I was never worried about in Africa (and I shudder when I think of some of the insane things we did back then) but which I'm somehow acutely aware of now.

Last week I was in Tenerife and got out to the forests on the volcanic plains. If you stick these co-ordinates in Google Maps (28.214302,-16.67922) you'll see the junction off TF21 to TF38.

That TF38 drive is through some of the most bizarre and beautiful scenery I've seen, and I've been to some pretty interesting places. Black lava rocks and soil all around you, pines everywhere with nearly nothing (really, nothing) else growing, clouds below you and then the sea, other islands peeking up above the clouds in the distance. It feels like you're flying.

Ever see The Hitcher, 80s version? There are some scenes where C Thomas is driving on long stretches of road with nothing to the left or right but scrubland. Its similar to a lot of the countryside scenes in Breaking Bad, and it looks awesome.

The only places I've been in the UK that are anywhere near as expansive with nothing but a road are, like Ulu says, the Yorkshire Moors and The Trossachs. That's really wonderful too but it's not England.