I'm hoping this uploads. Here goes!!

Stonehenge_Rocks.doc (497 KB, 37 downloads)

Note to others: when I opened Stonehenge_Rocks.doc, the bottom half of the first page was empty, so I thought the Wordsworth poem was the end of the document and was about to close it when I noticed that the scroll bar seemed to indicate that there were more pages to read.

So be sure to scroll down and read the whole thing.

Having visited Stonehenge myself, my own impression was that seeing it up close wasn't much better than seeing it from the road. It's a little better to "go in", but if you're in a hurry, just driving by slowly will give 80% of the value of the site. The stones are plenty big, and impressive enough even at a distance.

Mary, I do hope you plan to submit this to the main site, either as a trip report or travel note or postcard.

Thanks Patrick - I tried to get the picture to load on the first page but I had to cut it to the point where it became meaningless.

As to not going in? I would say it would be a mistake. The distance from the road to the monument is at least 1/2 a mile. And that cheats the driver of being able to really see the monument. There was something about those crows or ravens or dark spirits flying close and checking us out that was truly eerie. And I am not one of those people who are into woo woo.

I agree with Mary on the huge difference between seeing the standing stones from the road and seeing them up close and personal.

Being near them and responding to the overall design and each stone's enormity was very powerful. But I'm one of those people kind of into the woo woo.

A haiku I wrote about them several years ago:
Bluestones at Stonehenge
Moss covered memorials
Dancing history

Colleen:

Love the Haiku.

Interesting though you saw them dancing and I saw them as rising out of the earth with deep roots. More like ents than fairies.

A bit off topic, but have to share:
Manhattanhenge

I pass by Stonehenge every time I drive to see my mother and even after years of exposure, it can still give a little tug at the emotions. I remember visiting very early in the morning on a school trip when you could still wander around at will and go right up to them. It was very 'woo woo' in the half light.