I see Middle-earth

[Morthoron]

Well, I live in Michigan. I know what you're saying: "Morth, what does Michigan have to do with Middle-earth (save for Detroit being the quintessential real-world epitome of Angband)?"

Actually, if you divorce yourself from the Mordor-like industrial mega-complex of southeast Michigan, the rest of the state is quite pastoral. For the geographically disinclined, the state of Michigan is broken up into two penninsulas, both surrounded by the Great Lakes (which would be freshwater 'seas' anywhere else in the world). If one goes to the Upper Penninsula, there is a bit of Middle-earth in a place called Tahquamenon (mentioned in Longfellow's epic poem 'Hiawatha'), and more specifically the Falls...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:T...non_Falls1.JPG

The water of the falls is stained brown from the amount of tannin from oak leaves (so it is rather like tea). The falls froths white at the bottom, so one gets the visual effect of the gods pouring root beer. It puts me in mind of the Baranduin (or Brandywine) River, which I'd always assumed was like in coloration (Baranduin was Sindarin for "golden-brown river").

In winter:
http://www.exploringthenorth.com/tahqua/falls4a.gif

The 'Brandywine' color:
http://www.superiorsights.com/pictur...s/21010023.jpg

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

This sounds like Copper Falls in northern Wisconsin (where the water is that reddish brown from the iron in it). www.gowaterfalling.com/waterfalls/copper.shtml I suspect they may be part of the same larger geological system. It's been a LONG time since I visited the falls, but that part of the state and its forests always made me think of "This is the forest primeval." One could almost imagine an Ent or three among the trees and streams.

I live considerably farther south in Wisconsin, near the farms and rolling hills (and pastures and cheesemakers, of course ), which have made me think of the Shire since I first read LotR some... oh, 44 years ago. But no pictures, alas. Perhaps I should take a few en route to my birthday vacation this weekend.

[skip spence]

Recently I walked parts of the Camino de Santiago, and old Pilgrim route in Northern Spain. We started in St. Jean Pied De Port in France and often I felt I was trotting along in Middle Earth.

(Sorry if the images are a bit large)

Rivendell (St. Jean Pied De Port):


Rohan (Crossing the Pyrenees):


The Barrow-Downs (Crossing the Pyrenees):

[skip spence]

The Old Forest (Crossing the Pyrenees):

The Hobbit similarity is purely incidental. That's a fully grown man with a poncho and a backpack.


Minas Tirith (12th century monastery in Estella):


The Road Goes Ever On (that's me with the straw hat):

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Veery nice pictures, skip! Although here shows, as always, the difference in imagination among different people, because I wouldn't label the pics like you did, although I'd definitely label them as from Middle-Earth. But: #1 - not Rivendell, but obvious Buckland; #2 - Barrow-Downs, #3 - Hollin (or these barren lands north of it), #4 - some forest near Mitheithel, simply the scene from The Hobbit just before meeting the trolls.

But once again: fabulous!

[skip spence]

Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc

Veery nice pictures, skip! Although here shows, as always, the difference in imagination among different people, because I wouldn't label the pics like you did, although I'd definitely label them as from Middle-Earth. But: #1 - not Rivendell, but obvious Buckland; #2 - Barrow-Downs, #3 - Hollin (or these barren lands north of it), #4 - some forest near Mitheithel, simply the scene from The Hobbit just before meeting the trolls.

But once again: fabulous!

Thanks, Legate. When I was in St. Jean Pied de Port I didn't think of ME at all but looking at that picture the first thing that popped up in my head was Rivendell. Of course, Tolkien never described Elrond's abode in any detail neither architechturally or geografically but this is much like my mental image of the place. Buckland? Nah!

Anyway, here's another picture from another recent holiday. Obviously the description isn't dead on here either but I certainly think it's Middle Earth-ish enough.

View of the Grey Havens: (Edit: I forgot to mention, this is a pic from the island Senya in the north of Norway)

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Originally Posted by skip spence

Thanks, Legate. When I was in St. Jean Pied de Port I didn't think of ME at all but looking at that picture the first thing that popped up in my head was Rivendell. Of course, Tolkien never described Elrond's abode in any detail neither architechturally or geografically but this is much like my mental image of the place. Buckland? Nah!

Anyway, here's another picture from another recent holiday. Obviously the description isn't dead on here either but I certainly think it's Middle Earth-ish enough.

View of the Gray Havens:

I like Legate would have placed the labels differently, but this one I think you have spot on.

[Andsigil]

Originally Posted by Morthoron

Well, I live in Michigan. I know what you're saying: "Morth, what does Michigan have to do with Middle-earth (save for Detroit being the quintessential real-world epitome of Angband)?"

Actually, if you divorce yourself from the Mordor-like industrial mega-complex of southeast Michigan,

Hence the location in my sidebar profile...

Actually, I was going to post something about the industrial areas around here. On a foggy night, the Rouge Steel complex in Dearborn looks exactly as I would imagine Utumno or Gorgoroth. It also reminds me of Saruman's Isengard as he girded for war against Rohan.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Andsigil

Actually, I was going to post something about the industrial areas around here. On a foggy night, the Rouge Steel complex in Dearborn looks exactly as I would imagine Utumno or Gorgoroth. It also reminds me of Saruman's Isengard as he girded for war against Rohan.

Yes, that is sooo Isengard. Especially, at first glance, the two... whatever... columns... on the right, I thought them to look exactly like Orthanc. On second sight, of course, not, but still, had their division into two (as it is shown on the picture) been somewhere further up, it might look indeed like Orthanc.

And skip, with this one I must agree, too - this is so Grey Havens! Or, maybe eventually some port in the Bay of Belfalas, especially while there were still Elven ships flowing from there.

[Groin Redbeard]

Wonderful pictures Skip, truly amazing. That last picture looks very much like I imagined the port city of Pelegir, with the Anduin river curving northward.

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

I swear I saw the Shadow of Mordor coming over my school building a couple days ago! Coming over the highway, I knew highways were evil...

[Lalwendë]

The Emley Moor transmitter, AKA Orthanc:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/garyjs/1149353003/

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

The Emley Moor transmitter, AKA Orthanc:

Wow, definitely - so BIG, compared to the houses below, that it's almost scary... (Well, why almost... it IS scary.)

I have one Orthanc pretty close to where I live, it is smaller, but in a way more Orthanc-ish, I think. Maybe I could take a photo of it and post it here. Also there are some other things I can think of...