Granite Ghosts
- Neil Armstrong
"The block of granite which was an obstacle in the pathway of the weak becomes a stepping-stone in the pathway
- Thomas Carlyle
© Richard Coffey - All Rights Reserved
Red Trail - Hemlock Hills
Photo: Rich Coffey
(click to expand/collapse)
Music:
Who can’t but wonder—as you pass by mighty granite cliffs and traverse massive rocky outcroppings—what secrets of the violent past these granite ghosts may hold? As Neil Armstrong said: “Rocks Remember!” The earth’s ancient history of enormous volcanic activity and the periodic upheaval of mountains and chasms has turned much of the earth’s surface into a rugged and varied landscape. Massive sheets of ice over a mile thick and the subsequent wild torrent of glacier melt eons ago has carved the spectacular scenery in many of our river valleys in the northeast.
"In your face" synths and harmony in fourths throughout, this grandiose “stadium rock” fusion piece was composed to capture that euphoric feeling of wonderment when discovering (and feeling dwarfed by!) these ancient remnants from the past...
Photos:
All the photos in the Slide Show were taken on various mountain biking adventures in the Northeast. Some of you who have ridden in these parks may recognize the trails... they are listed below:
New York
- Conde Creek - Charlton, NY
Connecticut
- Pequonnock River Valley State Park - Trumbull, CT
- Bennetts Pond/Hemlock Hills/Wooster Mountain - Ridgefield, CT
- Woodway Park - Springdale, CT
Vermont
- Perry Hill (Rasta Mountain) - Waterbury, VT
Rhode Island
- Burlingame - Charlestown, RI
Neil Alden Armstrong (1930 - 2012) was an American astronaut and engineer, and the first person to walk on the Moon. He was also an aerospace engineer, naval aviator, test pilot, and university professor. Interestingly, in the late 1950s, Armstrong applied at a local Methodist church to lead a Boy Scout troop. When asked for his religious affiliation, he labeled himself as a deist. Deism is a philosophical position that posits that God does not interfere directly with the world.
Neil Armstrong
Thomas Carlyle (1795 - 1881) was a Scottish philosopher, satirical writer, essayist, translator, historian, mathematician, and teacher who was considered one of the most important social commentators of his time. Once a Christian, Carlyle lost his faith while attending the University of Edinburgh, later adopting a form of deism.
Thomas Carlyle
What Do Deists Believe?
- God exists and created the universe.
- God gave humans the ability to reason.
For deists, human beings can know God only via reason and the observation of nature, but not by revelation or by supernatural manifestations (such as miracles) - phenomena which deists regard with caution if not skepticism. Deism is related to naturalism because it credits the formation of life and the universe to a higher power, using only natural processes. Deism may also include a spiritual element, involving experiences of God and nature.
Deism