Al Hajar Al Gharbi in Oman

Al Hajar Mountains for two ranges: the Al Hajar al Gharbi Mountains and the AL Hajar ash Sharqi (Eastern Al Hajar) Mountains. They are divided by the Wadi Samail (the largest wadi in the mountain zone), a valley that forms the traditional route between Muscat and the interior.

Al Hajar al Gharbi Mountains and the AL Hajar ash Sharqi form a nearly continuous morphologic barrier with altitudes of 1,000 - 2,000 m asl, which is interrupted by a few passes with lower elevation, in particular at Wadi Semail west of Muscat, and further north near Al-Buraimi.

The highest peak lies in the western Al Gharbi range and is known as Jebal Sham, or “Mountain of the Sun”. The mountain range appeared some 60-100 million years ago when earth movements force the Eurasian plate over the Arabian plate. Rocks form deep within the Earth’s mantle deep sea limestones and other sediments now lie hundreds of meters above sea level.

Rainfall over Al Hajar averages just over 300 mm a year, mostly from occasional frontal troughs passing over Oman in winter and spring and sometimes for summer storms.
Al Hajar Al Gharbi in Oman

Blue Ridge Parkway

The Blue Ridge Parkway emerged at the end of a century-long process of developing an American aesthetic and style for public parks, first in nineteenth century cities and later in the huge expanses of national parklands.

Forests occupy almost all of the area south and southeast of the Blue Ridge, as well as the higher mountain in other parts of the country such as Grandfather, Beech, Rich, Stone, Pine Orchard and Snake Mountains’ Elk, Harmon, Riddle, Howard and Rocky Knobs and hanging Rock Ridge.

The most common forest the Blue Ridge Parkway passes through is the oak-chestnut forest. Its dominant trees are oaks: white, northern red, black scarlet and chestnut oak are all found in one place or another.

Many other kinds of trees appear occasionally. Depending on conditions at a particular site, one may find red maple, any of several hickories, white pine, sourwood, black locust, black walnut and both eastern hemlock and American beech. Tracts of forest on Flattop Mountain and near the head of Winkler Creel protect the water suppliers of Blowing Rock and Boone. The forests are also of value in the control stream flow and erosion and I furnishing food and shelter for wildlife.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a wild flower lover’s paradise, offering a huge variety of native species during spring, summer, and fall. Some species can be found blooming over a considerably long period.
Blue Ridge Parkway