Ron Schott pegged Challenge #2 as Wizard Island, Crater Lake, Oregon. He even got the exact viewpoint it was taken from. He is a Google Earth-fu Master. He’s also brought us up to $20.
This next one is some geology by air. Name the fascinating geologic location framed by the window and the wing, and you’ll be the next to get a $10 donation to the Secular Student Alliance in your honor!
If no one identifies it by 3:30pm Pacific, I’ll start posting hints in the comments. I’m also putting a Schott Rule in effect: other folks will get a chance, but if no one’s identified it by 4, Ron can take the crown once again. Believe me when I say there’s no picture I can post that will stump him for long. That’s true for Earth, and I suspect that if I flew to Mars and posted a photo of some previously-unknown-to-humankind location, he’d have it pinpointed in about 10 seconds. Maybe 20.
Ready? Go!
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For those who wish to donate themselves, the button still works fine:
If I don’t respond or fish a comment out of moderation quickly, forgive me: my internet connection is playing silly buggers off and on today. Your time stamp still counts, so no worries.
Hurry up folks, because even though I can’t answer until 4:00pm PDT, I’ve not only found this one – I’ve GigaPanned it. ;-)
Hint #1: This is in eastern Washington, and it has to do with enormous floods…
Banks Lake, just north of the (once) mighty Dry Falls thanks to the Missoula Floods
Grand Coulee? (not the dam, but the channel)
Three GigaPans I’ve shot that fall within (or just outside of) the view outside the window above:
1) Dry Falls: http://www.gigapan.com/gigapans/31447
2) Perch Lake: http://www.gigapan.com/gigapans/31491
3) Sun Lakes SP: http://www.gigapan.com/gigapans/31586
and a bonus one further downstream: http://www.gigapan.com/gigapans/31517
It’s the Grand Coulee Equalizing Reservoir, aka Banks Lake. It occupies a once dry coulee washed out by the Bretz Floods. Its original purpose was to “equalize” power output from the Grand Coulee dam by pumping water uphill to Banks Lake during periods of low demand then allowing it run back down during peak demands. The same units that comprise the motors/pumps are also the turbines/generators. It hasn’t been used that way to any significant extent for decades because the water is all used for irrigating the central Washington desert.
Shorter version: Cole Kingsbury wins!