day 57, Volcanoes of Kamchatka, Russia

I have just heard form my very, very dear friend Valery (www.postcrossing.com/user/hardsoft ) who is currently in Kamchatka....Russia.
There are more then 600 active volcanoes on the Earth and 29 of them are located on Kamchatka!

He says that there quite a few so called "volcanic regions" in the world but none with the same kind of natural beauty as Kamchatka.

Hmm, since we are not that far away from him, we are going to the Kamchatka peninsula...one of the miracles of the world and one of the most interesting sights in the wild nature of Russia.

This is the area of majestic mountains, huge volcanic lakes, moon landscapes of ancient eruptions, bubbling hot springs, and steaming geyser valleys.

Since we are so very behind schedule we are going to see take a helicopter tour of the area .......let's go...we will start in the south....

Wow, there is Gorely!!

It consists of five overlapping strato volcanoes and is one of the most active in southern Kamchatka; and is currently in an eruptive phase.

........are we are now we are flying over Viluchinskiy volcano,

an inactive volcano.......just look at the beautiful flora in the area......

what's up ahead?......Avachinski volcano!

This is an active strato volcano which has also been designated a Decade Volcano, worthy of particular study in light of its history of explosive eruptions and proximity to populated areas.

next....Karymsky , another strato volcano.

It is the most active volcano of Kamchatka's eastern volcanic zone, a symmetrical strato volcano constructed within a 5-km-wide caldera that formed during the early Holocene. Much of the cone is mantled by lava flows less than 200 years old.

and finally....

Kluchevskoy, the highest active volcano of Eurasia.

Its steep, symmetrical cone towers are a mere 100 km (60 miles) from the Bering Sea.
The volcano is part of the natural UNESCO World Heritage Site Volcanoes of Kamchatka.

Klyuchevskaya Sopka is considered sacred by some indigenous peoples, being viewed by them as the location at which the world was created. It is said that when the god Volkov created the world, this was the point at which he held it, and so it remains unfinished, unsealed, thus the volcanic activity.

You know, not everyone can afford to travel like we do in helicopters, so very soon everyone will be able to enjoy these sights:

http://profy.com/2009/06/24/kamchatka-volcanoes-will-now-erupt-online/

like we did

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s4mmMO0zhw

We would have loved to have gone on some hikes...

Oh look....there are some brown bears fishing for salmon..

.....alas.....our next destination awaits....so we must hurry along now....

Thanks so much for this invitation Valery....we absolutely loved it........