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Best National Park Scenery

May 24th 2010 02:09
In this article on Travel and Leisure, an in depth look is taken into finding the best National Park Views in America. Below is a selection from the article.


best national park spots
Leigh Lake, Grand Teton National Park, WY
Rumor has it that early French explorers named these mountains for the ample bosoms they were longing for back home. An easy and rewarding way to hone in on the range, according to the park’s public affairs officer, Jackie Skaggs, is to hike the eastern shore of Leigh Lake. “You’ll get stunning views of Mount Moran—the fourth highest peak in the Tetons—and the U-shaped Paintbrush Canyon.”



national parks of the USA
Sheep Mountain Table, Badlands National Park, SD
From the southern end of Sheep Mountain Table, you’ll get a sweeping view from the highest sod table around—those are 35 million-year-old Brule (layered sedimentary rock) and Sharps (volcanic ash) formations, along with the Cheyenne River, spread out below you. “On a clear day you can see all the way to the Black Hills, some 50 miles away,” says ranger Aaron Kaye. “Walk along the south end of the table, which is marked by a nice forested area of cedars and affords views to the valley floor about 300 feet below.”



best national park scenery
Mount Herard, Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, CO
In south central Colorado you’ll find North America’s tallest dunes and one of the area’s most varied hikes—walkers might spot everything from Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep to disk-eared pikas on the ascent up the 13,297-foot mountain. From the top, it seems all of Colorado is unfolding beneath you, including the sand dunes and the Sangre de Cristo Range. “There are no crowds any time of year,” says park ranger Patrick Meyers.


Yosemite National Park Scenery
Sentinel Dome, Yosemite National Park, CA
Abe Lincoln established Yosemite Valley as public land in 1864, with good reason: the area is chockablock with misty rapids, granite monoliths, and towering sequoia trees. Crowds flock by foot and car to Glacier Point, but you can catch the same view—without the hordes of gawkers—at Sentinel Dome. It’s only a one-mile hike from the valley floor, yet earns you a 360-degree view of the park (including El Capitan, Half Dome, and Yosemite Falls, the highest measured waterfall in North America).


pictures from National Parks
Hidden Lake, Glacier National Park, MT
Daniel Fagre, a U.S. Geological Survey ecologist, predicts that the remaining glaciers in Glacier National Park will have melted to a trickle by 2020—10 years sooner than earlier believed. Enjoy what remains by hiking to Hidden Lake, on the Continental Divide. You’ll pass pink and yellow monkey flowers, bear grass, and more than a few mountain goats before arriving in the midst of a 360-degree view of glacier-curved peaks, including Bearhat and Heavy Runner mountains.
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Snowy Scenes

January 22nd 2010 14:51
When winter arrives so does the snow!
The Big Picture as Boston.com produced this article which showcases everything that is beautiful about the white powder.


children playing in the snow
Children play with snow in the middle of the traffic roundabout at Columbus Circle in New York City.



snow covered trees
A woman walks in a park during a heavy snowfall in the center of Sofia, Bulgaria.



Deer in the snow
A deer pauses in Knole Park, Sevenoaks, Kent, England.



snow covered christmas tree
Snow covers the a decorated tree in front of the West Wing of the White House in Washington.



tobogganing
A boy slides down a hill on a plastic disk in New York's Central Park.

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Most Polluted Places on Earth

October 5th 2009 06:51
Our planet's population is racing towards the seven billion mark. It's becoming more and more difficult to find areas untouched by human hands. Even more disturbing however, is the growing number of areas so polluted by human activity they are no longer suitable for habitation at all, and despite this some poor souls still live there. Thanks to the Mother Nature Network, here are the most toxic places to live on Earth. View the full list here.

World's Most Toxic Places
Linfen, China
Linfen has more air pollution than any other city in the world. Sitting at the heart of China's coal belt, smog and soot from industrial pollutants and automobiles blacken the air at all hours. It is said that if you hang your laundry here, it will turn black before it dries.

most toxic places to live
Yamuna River, India
The Yamuna is the largest tributary of the Ganges River. Where it flows through Delhi, it's estimated that 58 percent of the city's waste gets dumped straight into the river. Millions of Indians still rely on these murky, sewage-filled waters for washing, waste disposal and drinking water.

nuclear waste in Russia
Lake Karachay, Russia
According to a report by the Worldwatch Institute on nuclear waste, Karachay is the most polluted spot on Earth. It was used by the Soviet Union as a nuclear dumping site, and now the radiation level here is so high that it's sufficient to give a lethal dose after just an hour of exposure.

most polluted city
Dzerzhinsk, Russia
The Guinness Book of World Records has named Dzerzhinsk the most chemically polluted city on Earth, and in 2003 its death rate exceeded its birth rate by 260 percent. More than 300,000 tons of chemical waste were improperly dumped here between 1930 and 1998.

Largest pile of rubbish
The North Pacific Gyre
An island of trash twice the size of Texas floats in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, circulated by the currents of the North Pacific Gyre. The trash, which is mostly made up of plastic debris, floats as deep as 30 feet below the surface.
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Wildflowers of Western Australia

October 2nd 2009 13:37
From June to November Western Australia attracts visitors from all over the world to admire its wildflowers which are as diverse and unique as you can imagine. There are over 12,000 different species scattered across 2.5 million square kilometres of terrain, some small areas even contain more varieties of flowers than the entire UK!


wildflower organics in Western Australia


wildflower place


wildflowers plant - WA


western Australia wildflower photos


western Australia wildflowers

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The Australian Outback

September 11th 2009 12:10
The Australian Outback is as vast, varied, intriguing, beautiful and unforgiving as anywhere on Earth. Mark Brown at Money Hacker has written a fantastic article introducing this area of our country to the world. Read his full article here or check out a sample below.



Ayers Rock - Uluru
Uluru
Uluru, or Ayers Rock. Lies 335 km outside the small central town of Alice Springs. The giant red monolith stands 348 m high and is 9.3 km in circumference. As the sun rises and sets, the reflection casts different light upon the sandstone making it appear as if it is changing colour. Its appearance also varies according to the time of year.


Australian Outback Sunset
Sunset
As the sun descends behind the horizon it illuminates the day left behind in a deep red. This particular cloudy sky catches the final rays of the sun’s light turning them a pinky/orange hue. The few trees that can survive the hostile climate and harsh landscape are cast in deep shadow against the dying light.



Road Train in the outback
Road Train
If you’ve never heard of them before, road trains are simply several carriages pulled by one truck. They are used to transport goods across the great distances of the Outback with some hauling up to 200 tonnes of freight, though the majority are between 80 to 120 tonnes.

Whether it may be coast to coast or to and from extremely remote communities, these workhorses transport all kinds of goods, including cattle, fuel, mineral ores and consumer goods. Coupling up several trailers has proved to be a cost-efficient way of transporting goods, especially to the most remote areas.



The red soil of Australia is truly a sight to behold, especially when the sun hits it, creating a fiery glow. An abundance of iron ore gives the soil its vibrant red colour but also, unfortunately, make it less suitable for cultivation. Coupled with a distinct lack of moisture across the continent, it means that much of the Outback remains a dry, barren dustbowl.
red earth of the australian outback
Red Earth




Aboriginal Rock Art
Aboriginal Rock Art
Australian Aboriginal rock art is thought to be tens of thousands years old. There have been some finds in the Olary region of South Australia that date back some 40,000 years. The rock art generally depicts everyday Aboriginal life as it once was. Examples include carving, as above, but there are also numerous paintings of animals, symbols and significant characteristics of Aboriginal life. These particular images are thought to be stars.



stargazing in the outback
Navigating by Starlight
The Outback provides one of the clearest views of the heavens above. A combination of low humidity and minimal interference from ambient electric light allow for perfectly clear views of the stars – the sort that most urban stargazers can only dream of! Out here it’s possible to truly grasp the enormity of the heavens as they open up and surround you for as far as the eye can see.




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Visions of Earth

June 19th 2009 03:12
Each month, National Geographic magazine features breathtaking photographs in Visions of Earth. Browse through visions of the world as seen through a photographer's eye. Here are some of this months best pictures. See more here.

Lone Bull Elephant
Zambia—A lone bull elephant breakfasts at first light near the precipice of Victoria Falls. With the Zambezi River near its seasonal ebb, once submerged walkways—and fresh foraging possibilities—present themselves.

[ Click here to read more ]
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360 View From the Top of Mt Everest

February 25th 2009 09:09
Mt Everest is the tallest mountain on Earth, standing at a staggering 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) above sea level. At that height visibility can be very low and conditions can be incredibly inhospitable, changing in an instant. However when the air is clear it does literally look like the top of the world. Below is an incredible 360 degree scenic view from the summit of Earth's highest mountain.


[ Click here to read more ]
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Beautiful Harbours of the World

June 20th 2008 13:09
There are so many beautiful harbours around the world, it's impossible to choose the best. Here are a few choice examples.


[ Click here to read more ]
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Christmas Lights

December 21st 2007 13:02
What a beautiful use of Christmas lights!

[ Click here to read more ]
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Abandoned Mine

July 27th 2007 14:16
These are some interesting pictures of an abandoned mine somewhere in the USA. It's becoming a bit of a tourist attraction.


[ Click here to read more ]
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Best View in the World?

July 25th 2007 13:53
Talk about a room with a view!


[ Click here to read more ]
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Landscape Wallpaper

May 7th 2007 09:36
Here are some truly amazing landscape pictures you can use as wallpapers for your desktop.
Just click on any of the images to open up a larger version, then right click on the picture and choose "Set as Background" or "Set as Wallpaper".
You can find even more here
[ Click here to read more ]
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Mount Fuji

May 2nd 2007 15:45
Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan. It is located near the Pacific coast of central Honshu. Mount Fuji is a well-known symbol of Japan and is frequently depicted in art and photographs, as well as visited by sightseers and climbers.

Mt. Fuji stands at 12,388 ft/3,776 m high and is part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. It is also an active stratovolcano


[ Click here to read more ]
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Grand Canyon

July 24th 2006 03:24
The Grand Canyon is a very colourful, steep-sided gorge, in northern Arizona, USA.
The canyon, created by the Colorado River cutting a channel over millions of years, is about 277 miles (446 km) long, ranges in width from 0.25 to 15 miles (0.4 to 24 km) and attains a depth of more than a mile (1,600 m). Nearly two billion years of the Earth's history has been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut through layer after layer of sediment as the Colorado Plateaus have uplifted
Bright Angel trail, Grand Canyon, Indian Gardens.
Looking down Bright Angel trail to the Grand Canyon. The green area is Indian Gardens.
Geologists continue to debate ideas about the formation of Grand Canyon. According to Geologist Wayne Ranney: "To date, geologists have been unable to determine the canyon's precise age and what specific processes were at work in carving it". There is no authoritative theory on the formation of Grand Canyon.

[ Click here to read more ]
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