Topaz Among Granite
When nature takes it back
I love water and bodies of water in any view while traveling — it makes everything more interesting. Among water reservoirs, I like untypical ones like lakes in flooded quarries. In most cases, they are wild and deserted. They often have unique colors. And there is some symbolism: this way, nature takes its back once people leave it alone.
One of such quarries is in my native city, Kryvyi Rih. Moreover, it is only 3 km from the house where I lived ⅔ of my life… and I saw it only once in miserable rainy weather. Finally, in the previous summer, I fixed this and caught the lake in much better condition.
The quarry is called Zhovtnevyi and is located in the Pokrovsky district. Granite was mined there until 2000. Once people stopped mining, underground springs filled the funnel with water. The lake’s depth is 35 meters. A street that leads to the quarry is also called Granitna.
I quickly found a viewpoint from which the lake was visible in all its glory. The shores are mostly steep and without access to water.
But there is also a gentle slope. It is noticeable thanks to a building with a blue roof.
That place is popular among summer vacationers. Conditions are wild, and everyone is responsible for himself. But this is still a good option because the big industrial city lacks beaches and clean water bodies.
On the opposite side of the lake, a white hill is located. It is also artificial. The overburden in the quarry was white.
Of course, we visited the hill. But first, let’s go down. One more perspective on the way to the beach:
And directly from the shore:
We met this cute pair on our way.
Then we went to the white hill, moving around the quarry counterclockwise. From one point, the lake looks like a heart (or upside-down ass?). We couldn’t skip it because people almost always photograph themselves there.
We found a short footpath to the top, but it has such a steep climb that it’s applicable only for thrill-seekers. Another road is long and serpentine. Soon, we saw the footpath we had walked on along the quarry. The Saksahan River is on the other side of it, but it is hidden in reeds. The towers on the horizon belong to mines.
Geometry of summer fields:
And panoramas of the city and the sky that became wonderful with the evening coming.
Finally, we found the correct way and reached the top. There was nothing to do here without new photos of the lake from a new perspective.
We couldn’t stay there longer because the night was coming, and the sky was burning above the city and its inhabitants.
The last photo is a ford on Saksahan that is shallow in that place. It could look like the village landscape… if not transmission towers and high-rise buildings. My native city has a lot of such contrasts, and I love it for them.
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