Simple’s Balloon Rides: Sea of Fables

“Just East of Ice Bay, the Sea of Fables is a sailors dream with many points of interest and stopping off areas” – that’s how this region of about 30 sims is described on http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Sea_of_Fables . Have a look there for a nice map and the location of the rezz zones. Read how this amazing work of the Moles from the Linden Department of Public Works was announced by Michael Linden on 10-20-2010 on the LDPW Blog: http://community.secondlife.com/t5/DPW-Department-of-Public-Works/Sea-of-Fables/ba-p/669426 – and from a non-Linden point of view the birth of the Sea of Fables is described here:  http://sllou.blogspot.com/2010/06/holy-moley.html …

The region is not only a sailors dream, but also one of the most rewarding places to ride a balloon 😉 All the regions are Linden owned and the islands are very beautiful examples of the craftsmanship of the Moles.

I did start at the rezz zone on Mirtoon Islands also called the “Isles of the Blessed” at (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mirtoon/93/163/21) and visited all the scattered Isles on my tour. You will find here a selection of the pictures I took en route.

Walkways and buildings on the Isles of the Blessed, here a “Golden Gazebo and Platform”, are made by Naughty Mole, the “sho.DragonChair” by Opti Mole.

Nice walkways and bridges connect all the small Mirtoon islands to allow for a small tour with nice views on the sea.

Then I rode north to visit the historical “Teen Grid Transfer Station – This is where our youngest Residents come to celebrate their transition to the Main Grid. Celebrate the spirit of Second Life!” on Baffin Island. The building is made by Lordfly Digeridoo, different creators for furnitures and decorations. This is older than the work of the moles 😉

On neighboring “Bacchus Island”, the “Hercules with Club (FINAL)” and the “Serpent Tree: Ladon” as on top of the hill in the background the “Atlas with Globe (FINAL)” are made by Garden Mole.

Still on Bacchus Island, this “Statue of Atalanta” and the “Fruit Tree C – Golden Apples” – yes, they let golden apples fall and roll down the hill – are made by Silent Mole.

Around the hill, Athena, Hera and Aphrodite by Silent Mole are debating on the right to the golden apple.

Hera has her own small island: “Hera’s Island” by Silent Mole.

Next I cross to “Poseidon Island”, a wonderful harbour village in greek style by Mysti Mole. There are some very beautiful places scattered around the Island for the visitor to explore and enjoy.

The building on “Joppa Island” is made by Bloomin Mole.

The same Bloomin Mole is the creator of the “Cave of the Gorgon” on “Gorgon Island”.

And the same Bloomin Mole is also the creator of the buildings on “Seriphos Island” with this “God Seated_SF_GOD_Bloomin_OB”.

And still the same Bloomin Mole also created the amazing complex building on “Perseus Island”.

Riding back to the West of the Sea, I passed “Hephaestus Isle” created by Hyper Mole.

To me the highlight of my visit to the Sea of Fables was walking the path up “Mount Olympus” made by Naughty Mole –

to find some rest playing a harp made by Myopic Mole on top 😉

Last of the landmarks en route was the vivid “Orwood Volcano” by Crazy Mole, a small brother of the Volcano of Ichelus I visited on my Balloon Ride here.

I also passed some really amazing privately owned residences around the coastline – so I’m sure I will return some time soon for another tour along the shores of the Sea of Fables.

And on another tour I will have a look at the underwater creations by the moles mentioned on the wiki – but first I have to find me a submarine I like 😉

always

be nice and have fun …

and Good Winds!

Simple’s Balloon Rides: Around Nascera

Nascera is the continent of the Linden Homes – “ready-to-move-in homes belonging to a themed community and available only to premium account members”. Read all about this on http://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Linden-Home-overview/ta-p/700103. There are several landmasses with Linden Homes visible on the map now. But it seems, they still are all called Nascera 😉

Read how they were announced back in 2009 on http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Land-and-Sea-General/Linden-Home-Beta-is-now-Open/ba-p/651219. Michael Linden posted about the Nascera Roads and Seas in Feb 2010 on http://community.secondlife.com/t5/DPW-Department-of-Public-Works/Nascera-Roads-and-Seas/ba-p/655434. I didn’t find much information more about the Linden regions on the Wiki or in the Blogs, so decided to send Simple on a Balloon Expedition into the Unknown – yes, neither Simple nor Traveling ever set food on this continent before 😉

There are some rezz zones on the different Nascera continents listed on http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Rezzing_Zones#Nascera.

Of course, Simple did choose for his expedition the oldest of the Nascera continents. There is a rezz zone listed for Misacs, the region where the strip of Linden owned sims begins before the void in the SE of the landmass.

Landing on the bridge there at (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Misacs/200/159/24), I discovered, that the whole watercourse in this region is set as rezz zone with a return time of 10min set.

The colours in Nascera are very bold, so I decided on a modified “[TOR] MIDDAY – Nostalgika” for the sky, rezzed my Balloon and started west.

First thing I noticed, was the amazing number of Moles and Lindens involved in the making. Simple didn’t pass many large buildings, but a lot of different themed public grounds and sceneries. The strip of regions are offering a collection of very atmospheric landscapes with a wide collection of amazing Mole work scattered throughout. It was a very rewarding trip, and I’m sure, I did miss alot of stuff, just because of the height I was flying 😉

To make a start to the recital: Garden Mole created bridges and mushrooms and the “LDPW Salmon Totem” in the picture above, Inconspicuous Mole tree and flowers, Igneous Mole rocks, Freerange Mole trees, Silent Mole benches and the “Wooden Wagon” above, Molly Linden made trees and more mushrooms, Naughty Mole the iron lamps in this region. I try to give the names of the creations and creators, Simple documented in the pictures here. But do not depend on the list, there are for sure more Mole creations to find …

This elegant “Wisteria and leaf roof” with “Leaf Chair EDG” and the fitting Table are made by Misty Mole. The “Leaf Lamp EDG” is created by Molly Linden.

These mysterious statues swimming just under the water surface are also created by Misty Mole.

The “LDPW MDB Firepit Set” and the “LDPW MDB Lounger Set” are made by Crafty Mole.

The “Elderglen Wishing Well – touch to make a wish” on the small peak over the lake is a creation of Igneous Mole. The “DPW.Swan – SwimmingCritter Script by Railway Mole” is made by Opti Mole.

Following the lakes and creeks through the regions, Simple passed this marvellous “Leaf bridge” by Misty Mole. The House and the garden in the background are creations of Molly Linden.

In this section of the Park, the scenery was decorated by some “MDB Small Bridge” and a fountain both made by Naughty Mole.

Simple rode the Balloon always west, arriving in Poach at the wide waterarm in the SW of Nascera. There on the road waited this “Ice Cream Truck v0.17 textured” by Myopic Mole. I decided to follow the protected waterregions north until the large bridge, visible on the map.

On my way, I passed the “MDB bus-depot 2.0” by Sylvan Mole. Sadly, there seem to be no bus lines connected …

The wonderful skyline of “Sequoia Tree Large Leaves Lower” by Garden Mole and the “Big Tree Red2” and “Giant Tree 2” by Freerange Mole on the other shore.

The Linden Homes are directly bordering the road along the shoreline. Simple most liked these japanese styled areas.

Finally the Balloon reached the bridge over the arm of the sea. This large building is made by Molly Linden.

The “Nipon-Stone-Light-02B” on the landings are made by Crazy Mole.

Here I ended this first expedition. These rather low-level decorated regions proved a very nice area to ride my Balloon. They may not be full of remarkable architecture, but the landscapes and parkgrounds are very beautiful examples of the craftsmanship of the Moles. Me, I will sure visit this continents soon again 😉

Until then,

be nice and have fun …

and Good winds!

Simple’s Balloon Rides: Around Jeogeot Bay

The plan was to start at the northern end of the bay at Sacrelle, to follow then the eastern coast of Jeogeot into the bay to the South always staying over the protected ocean regions. To turn then at the Vulcano Island of Ichelus, to visit the Zebrasil Info Hub and the home of Michael Linden at Shamon, before cruising west and following the western coastline of the bay back to the North. The trip crosses about 25 regions, so I confined myself to taking pictures only at the most remarkable places 😉

The rezz zone at Sacrelle (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sacrelle/210/174/30) is around the “SLSA buoy location KC#25”, you find this place inworld in search too. The SLSA is the Second Life Sailing Association – “Do you love sailing? Have you always wanted to know how sailboats work? Check out the the SLSA! We enjoy sailing across the virtual waters of Second Life, competitively and recreationally. SLSA members sail realistically-modeled boats that react to the actual wind. The SLSA is free to join. Real-life and virtual sailors alike at all levels of ability are always welcomed. Visit slsailing.com and Slsailing.org for more information. Formerly Second Life Sailing Federation”.

To correct any misunderstandings beforehand: The Balloon is not realistically-modeled nor does it react to the actual wind 😉

To honour the day, I choose a more colourful texture to the tube and, as I want this to be a bright sunny day, I set the sky to a slightly modified “[TOR] SUNSET – Holy romance” 😉

There seem to be some sailing races round Jeogeot bay. This is one end of a raceline by Yuu Nakamichi. You find the Ensel rezz zone at (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Ensel/138/136/23) here, around the “Mooring Bouy – hybrid float” by Michael Linden. Sailing is a very popular sport and pastime in secondlife. There is a lot of information to find on the wiki (http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Sailing_in_Second_Life) and even more on the external forum of the sailors of secondlife at http://www.slsailing.net/forum/index.php.

In sight of Michael Linden’s “Linden Lighthouse v3.0” on the headland, I turn south.

The islands scattered around the bay like this one in Myatzo are rare. The circling “Sea Gull 3” is made by Silent Mole.

I spent some time admiring the View of the coast in Guksu into “One Dream – Land with a RIVER! Terraformable, this is SPECIAL LAND! Lots of landmarks point too here. We have been living here since 2006, and since we moved to our own sim, this land is now for sale. Buy it fast or it will be sold!”.

The region is owned by the One Dream group.

Too bad, access is restricted to members of the group.

In nearby Wylder there is a rezz zone around the “SLSA buoy location KC#21” at (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Wylder/162/134/27). Gam, the Region to the west, is also protected, so I took a swing round there before returning at Pleiablo on my path to the south again. A wonderful scenery came into view then from the next region, Locksley.

The “Cornish Beach Hut- Chocolatev2” is made by Tilly Kiranov / LOVE interiors. The “[TUFF] Brown Fishing Boat v1.3” is created by Rya Nitely, read more about her products on http://tuffoldboats.blogspot.com/.

I cruised then over Lemongrass to the Qui Quon rezz zone around the “SLSA buoy location KC#9” at (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Qui%20Quon/204/90/26).  To follow the coastline, I swing there to the east, but there is nothing especially remarkable build on the coast of Dagjin.

There is a rezz zone around “SLSA buoy location KC#8”, in the next region, Chiyok at (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Chiyok/101/95/30). The Linden owned coast here is still completely bare 😦

Therefore I crossed straight through Damien to Glasso. But this region too is a homestead region with just about 100 prims used for some scattered plants. A lot of opportunities for some Mole creativity 😉 The whole area has an unfinished look to me, like the creators just made a first draw, to come back later to complete the sceneries. The same in Kyat Lun, 87 prims used, same in Orgamast, 108 prims used …

From there, before turning west to the volcano, I found this amazing building in the NW corner of Giyeok.

A sight wich more than compensates the long dry spell en route 😉

It consists of several parcels, one is the “XEMOR – Art Gallery”. It is owned and created by Romex Torricelli and set to The Sun and Moon group. The parcels are claimed Sep 2007 (!). Not all parts of the building are open to the public.

Uncountable the details in this creation. I almost couldn’t stop myself taking pictures 😉

Then I cruised west to the Volcano Island at Ichelus: “The Volcano – Looming over the nearby village. What horrible sacrifices keep the magma in check?” Lucky me, that I had the rised the draw distance beforehand, so I realized early enough, that this monster is actually throwing up huge glowing lava rocks! I decided to admire the volcano from a safe distance first, not to put my Balloon in danger before I took some pictures 😉

As I lowered the Balloon carefully, I found even a “Diving board!” by Mini Mole ready to jump into the flowing Lava made by Deep Mole. Buildings in the village are made by Naughty Mole. The volcano has damage enabled, so take really care when visiting.

I myself took too much risk in trying to lower the Balloon on the Lava, and promptly I was kicked away: “Second Life: You died and have been teleported to your home location”. The Balloon died too and was returned to my inventory. I think the heat was too much for both of us 😉 After a restart to clear any aftereffects, I went back, death is not reason enough for a dedicated explorer, to abandon his mission 😉

The rezz zone there at (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Ichelus/48/132/2), I found in search inworld. From there I turned north.

In Zebrasil, I passed the nice Info Hub there. The Tiki buildings are made by Naughty Mole.

Then I reached Michael Lindens homeplace in Shamon. There is a rezz zone just next to it around the “SLSA buoy location KC#11”  at (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Shamon/124/43/35).

The Head Mole of the Linden Department of Public Works has some amazing watercrafts docked. Mr. Michael Linden seems to be a collector and he has still some 11’000 prims available on his region 😉 Just two examples in detail out of this wonderful exhibition.

The “dolphin seeker Steam boat v1.5.7” is made by hoohaa Anaconda.

This “:1942: 17m-tantei-s01/ v1.0” is created by Kuroe2 Noel.

Then I crossed the bay, to follow the westshore regions north.

From the Ocean region Mitford, I had a good sight into this wonderful place in Quigley.

It is the “Yukon industry – It is a shop of the military base style that builts in the sea. There are an original tank, a helicopter, a submarine, and a commodity of arms etc. The vehicle of ghibli also is putting it^^” owned by Peel Bearcat, the land is set to the Yukon Foundation group.

On the headland in the NW corner of Panetalla, a “Linden Lighthouse v2.0” by Eric Linden warns, that the strip of protected water regions is ending here.

So I turned to the east and reached via Bestimax the Redazillion region, where I continued north, following the coastline again. There is a rezz zone around the “SLSA buoy location KC#10” at (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Redazillion/142/66/25). In Norvan again, there are only 226 prims used and the beach almost bare.

In Axcombe I passed the “Axcombe Race Start / Finish Line”. This is one end, a “Little BIGhorn tugboat” by Joepie Korobase 😉

Next by, in Kajjis, again only 184 prims in use, there is a rezz zone around the “SLSA buoy location KC#23” at (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Kajis/110/79/24). The list of empty regions is sadly to continue: in Jharmelion 102 and in Kyun Kar just 149 prims used. The rezz zone there is located around the “SLSA buoy location KC#24” at (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Kyun%20Kar/66/32/27).

And already I return to the palm islands of Sacrelle, where I started the ride.

I ended the circuit with a closer look into the parcel located on the North beach of neighboring Gloaming Vale: “The Elfenland – Mystic, Mieten, Entspannen,Verlieben, Zauber, Liebe, Exotic, ShopRelax, Meer, Natur, Fuchur, Elfen, Abenteuer, Tauchen, Kleidung. Mystic, rentals, relax, fall in love, magic, love, Exotic, shop, relax, sea, nature, Fuchur, elves, adventure, diving, clothes”. It is set to the Elfenland group and the scenery is created by Annamaria Boa.

It was a really long trip, a little tiresome because the water regions are mostly not decorated, but the spare points of interest are surely worth the distances to cross 😉 And the tour stimulated my appetite to start with sailing in secondlife – I so wish, there were 26 hours on a day 😉

be nice and have fun …

and Good winds!

Simple’s Balloon Rides: Ice Bay

Some places in second life, you just have to explore from the air. As the Talakin Waterbird is more a sports equipment than a vehicle to scout unknown territories, I gave in to another of my long time wishes and bought myself a christmas present 😉

The “ND-Hot Air Balloon Sculpty w/cuddle v3.4.2” by Nicole Designs, made by Nicoladie Gymnast 😉 It carries pilot and 4 passengers. A sophisticated dropdown menu lets you change textures and colors of balloon, basket and floor separately. It has different cruise modes and several separate camera angles for pilot and passengers. And it is copiable. The only drawback so far: The sit animations are not modifiable – so the pilot is stuck in a static pose and has to hold a passenger in the arm the whole tour over 😉

Looks a little bit stupid, when the pilot does not ride with such an intimate friend 🙂

To get used to this new toy, I have chosen to explore Ice Bay, 6 regions extending the Sansara Snowlands to the east into the Sea of Fables. This wide inland Ocean on the Sansara subcontinent is a real Sailors Dream, with many areas of interest to visit. I found Ice Bay singly mentioned on the map (http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Sea_of_Fables), there was no entry for any point of interest or rezz zone.

But a closer look on the map saved me from an extended search for a place to rezz my Balloon. In the NW corner of Svan, a bright green marking was shouting “COME SAIL” – and I guessed correctly – there was a rezz zone to the parcel 😉

The facility is offered by the ~Second Wind~ group as “Aspen Sailing Resource Center – Come Sail With Us – A sailing resource center with information about sailing, yacht clubs, and SL sail boats to welcome all SL residents to sailing”. There is a small detached rezz zone on the water at (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Svan/234/204/27). The Center offers a lot of different sailboats for free and a lot of information about sailing in secondlife in a wonderful scenery.

First, I spend a very rewarding hour playing around with sky and light presets. This white ice was outblinding any color in my familiar settings! In the end, I decided to use the very dramatic, only slightly modified “[TOR] SUNSET – Oriental delight 1” from Torley 😉

To the east, behind the first large icefield, I passed over this amazing ship by Lia Woodget, the parcel is set to the Black Spot group. The slowly drifting icefields of Ice Bay are made by Crazy Mole.

First I was heading to the north to Kara, I originally planned a roundtrip …

In Biscay, the icefields are changing to isolated small drifting icebergs. I turn south after the last one and follow the eastern coast. There are very wonderful sceneries to enjoy along most of the shores of Ice Bay.

These parcels in Lakeville are owned by the Little Dreams Skyboxes group.

While crossing the border to Amundsen, I was suddenly kicked out of the basket and dropped on the seaground. I could recover, nothing stucked or broken, but the Balloon was out of sight – so i started with a new one at the rezz zone again.

On second try, I had no problems crossing from Barents to Laptev in the south from there to Chukchi to the east and from there back to Amundsen. But the Balloon was nowhere to find, it seems to be lost in the void – since this day, it did not return to my inventory. That’s why I only buy vehicles wich are copiable 😉

Cruising over the icefields, I found two more creations by Crazy Mole. First this “Sledge_01_IceBay_CRA_OB”.

Then on the next iceberg, the “LPDW_ICE_Kano_01V2”. The eskimoes left them without leaving any trace …

For sure the best way to enter Ice Bay is from the Drawbridge region, where it connects to the Sea of Fables. This beautiful house towering over the pier is made by Saphron, owned by Kayleen Saphir and set to the Little Dreams Skybox group.

While rising the draw distance to have a look into the fjord, I crashed again 😦

Obviously my latop reaches its limits with this settings – at least this time I was able to recollect the balloon …

I’m absolutely confident, that more mole creations could be found underwater – but me, I have seen enough ice for now. Perhaps I will return another day – I still miss a submarine in my vehicle collection 😉

Ice Bay is a small but very beautiful area to explore. Just too bad there is no protected rezz zone for miles around. I recommend to do like I did, select on the map a promising place along the coast and look from there for a parcel wich has building enabled to the public. It shouldn’t prove too difficult, this seems to be a very friendly, openhearted and generous neighborhood. And as ever: All will be well, as long as you make a little effort yourself to

be nice and have fun …

Good winds!