And (the latest) 8th great wonder of the world is...

Will wonders never cease?

Apparently not as long as there are web-based campaigns to name an eighth wonder of the world.

The latest, sponsored by the travel site VirtualTourist.com, gives the honor to Chile's Torres del Paine National Park, which garnered the majority of the 5 million votes cast.

Candidates were all over the map -- both literally and figuratively. Among the 300 nominations submitted by eager tourism bureaus were the usual suspects (the Galapagos Islands, Hagia Sophia, Stonehenge) and some truly curious contenders (the Iowa 80 Truckstop, the National Corvette Museum, the Bristol Motor Speedway).

Torres del Paine, in Chile's Patagonia region, is remarkable. I visited a few years back and marveled at its otherworldly combination of towering granite spires and iceberg-filled rivers. Some Yosemite habitues I hiked with opined that the California park pales in comparison.

But what's behind the perennial search for an eighth wonder of the world? Aren't seven enough?

Anyway, congratulations on the win, Torres del Paine. And, better luck next year, Iowa 80 Truckstop.