A Bonanza of Rocks, Fire, and Stars
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In addition to the California Bay Area, there is another place that is an essential part of "Calidocious Country"- The High Sierra's, and in particular Yosemite Valley. Glacier Point in Yosemite is the late-summer focal point for Calidocious inc.
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| 'Stone and Fire' Amusement Park |
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| Circa 1955 |
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| The quintessiential way to experience Glaicier Point mountain is the abandoned 'Ledge Trail' in the photo above- courtesy of hiking expert Bob Burd. Mr. Burd's description of the trail can be found at: http://www.summitpost.org/ledge-trail/158060.
Note: Calidocious Inc. does NOT recommend use of this trail. Although it is not illegal to climb the abandoned "Ledge Trail", the trail can be quite dangerous, particularly in the downward direction. Hiking novices should never attempt the hike in either direction. Never attempt the hike during the wet winter months!
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In the 1960s the National Park Service removed the trail from park maps due to several rock slides that covered parts of the trail.
But during the summers prior to the landslides, a ranger would lead daily hikes up the trail to the "Firefall" platform. At dusk a pile of glowing embers was pushed over the cliff, an epic Celtic show!
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| Circa 1960 |
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| Let the Show Begin! |
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| Although the summer "Firefalls" were ultimately stopped due to ecological concerns , they had become a California icon. The Rock mega-band "Firefall" derived its name from the spectacles.
Calidocious Inc. hopes to one day re-stage a series of eco-friendly, high tech., "Firefalls" using modern LED or 'Light Emitting Diode' technology.
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A collection of several thousand "Asterisk" fireballs like the one below ( 2 inches/5 cmm tall), when pushed over a cliff, would create a similar effect to the original Firefall.
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The "Asteriks" contain multiple superbright LED lights which are powered by watch batteries. To maximize battery life, the fireballs also contain a magnetic switch which is actuated just prior to deployment.
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Note: Although the "High Tech. Firefalls" would be relatively easy to implement from a technological standpoint, it is not likely one will ever actually happen. The cost involved in lobbying the National Park Service for permission to stage a 'Zero Impact Firefall' would be substantial- in addition to the cost of the 'fireballs' themselves. Nonetheless, Calidocious Inc. feels the "LED Yosemite Firefall" is an idea worth pursuing, albeit a "back burner".
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| "Firefall" circa 1960 |
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| 'Fireball' on base with 25¢ Coin nearby |
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| As a 'Belgian (Celtic) bonus', the 'Firefall' colors would be the same as the colors of Belgium!
For more information, please contact Calidocious® Inc. at Zeelands@sbcglobal.net.
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| Belgian 'Firefall' Flag |
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