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  • A hiker uses friction to stem over a pool of green water in Zebra Slot Canyon, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah, USA. From Hole-in-the-Rock Road, hike east on a well-trodden but unmarked path, 5 miles round trip with 450 feet total gain to Zebra Slot.
    20.10US1-0173.jpg
  • Water droplets form balls on a leaf of skunk cabbage (Lysichitum americanum, in the Calla Lily Family, Araceae), on the hike to Lake 22, in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington, USA. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    05L22_091_Skunk-cabbage-water-drops.jpg
  • Admire colorful microbial mats contrasting with turquoise water at Grand Prismatic Spring overlook in Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA. Starting from Fairy Falls Trailhead (OK5), walk 2 miles round trip to the Grand Prismatic Spring overlook, up a side trail. Grand Prismatic is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world, next to those in New Zealand. The sterile blue water in the pool’s center is too hot to support life (87 degrees Centigrade or 188 F). Pure water selectively absorbs red wavelengths of visible light, making the center deep blue. But in cooler water along the edges, microbial mats of thermophilic (heat-loving) cyano-bacteria and algae thrive. Yellow, orange, and red pigments are produced by the bacteria as a natural sunscreen. As a result, the pool displays a spectrum of colors from the bright blue water of the center to the orange, red, and brown algal mats along the edges. Summer mats tend to be orange and red, whereas winter mats become dark green. Yellowstone was the first national park in the world (1872), and UNESCO honored it as a World Heritage site in 1978.
    1709US1-3956_Yellowstone-NP-WY.jpg
  • Admire colorful microbial mats contrasting with turquoise water at Grand Prismatic Spring overlook in Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA. Starting from Fairy Falls Trailhead (OK5), walk 2 miles round trip to the Grand Prismatic Spring overlook, up a side trail. Grand Prismatic is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world, next to those in New Zealand. The sterile blue water in the pool’s center is too hot to support life (87 degrees Centigrade or 188 F). Pure water selectively absorbs red wavelengths of visible light, making the center deep blue. But in cooler water along the edges, microbial mats of thermophilic (heat-loving) cyano-bacteria and algae thrive. Yellow, orange, and red pigments are produced by the bacteria as a natural sunscreen. As a result, the pool displays a spectrum of colors from the bright blue water of the center to the orange, red, and brown algal mats along the edges. Summer mats tend to be orange and red, whereas winter mats become dark green. Yellowstone was the first national park in the world (1872), and UNESCO honored it as a World Heritage site in 1978.
    1709US1-3978_Yellowstone-NP-WY.jpg
  • Admire colorful microbial mats contrasting with turquoise water at Grand Prismatic Spring overlook in Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA. Starting from Fairy Falls Trailhead (OK5), walk 2 miles round trip to the Grand Prismatic Spring overlook, up a side trail. Grand Prismatic is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world, next to those in New Zealand. The sterile blue water in the pool’s center is too hot to support life (87 degrees Centigrade or 188 F). Pure water selectively absorbs red wavelengths of visible light, making the center deep blue. But in cooler water along the edges, microbial mats of thermophilic (heat-loving) cyano-bacteria and algae thrive. Yellow, orange, and red pigments are produced by the bacteria as a natural sunscreen. As a result, the pool displays a spectrum of colors from the bright blue water of the center to the orange, red, and brown algal mats along the edges. Summer mats tend to be orange and red, whereas winter mats become dark green. Yellowstone was the first national park in the world (1872), and UNESCO honored it as a World Heritage site in 1978. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1709US1-4013-16-Pano_Yellowstone-NP-...jpg
  • Water reflects morning sun which shimmers underneath a pedestrian bridge in the Ghetto, in Cannaregio sestiere, Venice (Venezia), Italy, Europe. The Venetian Ghetto was where Jews were compelled to live under the Venetian Republic starting in 1516, and from this the word "ghetto" originates. Venezia, founded in the 400s AD, is capital of Italy’s Veneto region, named for the ancient Veneti people from the 900s BC. The romantic City of Canals stretches across 100+ small islands in the marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea, between the mouths of the Po and Piave Rivers. The Republic of Venice was a major maritime power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, a staging area for the Crusades, and a major center of art and commerce (silk, grain and spice trade) from the 1200s to 1600s. The wealthy legacy of Venice stands today in a rich architecture combining Gothic, Byzantine, and Arab styles. Venice and the Venetian Lagoon are honored on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
    13ITA-10005_Venice-Italy.jpg
  • A water lily, genus Nymphaea, blooms white & yellow in a pond at Allerton Garden, Kauai, Hawaii, USA. The genus name for water lilies, Nymphaea, is from the Greek nymphaia and Latin nymphaea, literally "water lily," inspired by the nymphs mythology. Allerton Garden is on the south shore of Kauai, Hawaii, USA, at address: 4425 Lawai Rd, Koloa, HI 96756. Nestled in a valley transected by the Lawai Stream ending in Lawai Bay, Allerton Garden is one of five gardens of the non-profit National Tropical Botanical Garden (ntbg.org).
    1701HAW-1910.jpg
  • Snorkelers: man & woman selfie in rippled water. We kayaked on a Kona Boys tour to the Captain Cook Monument in Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park starting from Napoopoo Pier, on the Kona Coast of the Big Island, Hawaii, USA. With one of the most pristine coral reefs for snorkeling in the state, Kealakekua Bay is protected as a State Marine Life Conservation District (MLCD). British Captain James Cook was the first European to reach the Hawaiian islands (in January 1778 at Waimea harbour on Kauai), and he named the archipelago the "Sandwich Islands." During his second voyage to the Hawaiian Islands, Captain Cook arrived at Kealakekua Bay in 1779. Thought by the natives to be a god, due to his arrival during a celebration and time of peace for Lono, Cook was treated royally. But the following month he was killed in a skirmish on the shores of Ka'awaloa Cove following a series of incidents between his crew and the Hawaiians. In 1874, the 27-foot monument was erected nearby in Cook's honor by his countrymen. On the lava flats behind Cook Monument are the ruins of the ancient village of Ka'awaloa. For this photo’s licensing options, please inquire.
    1701HAW-3391.jpg
  • Water drops collect like beads on leaves of lupines (Lupinus weberbauerii) in Tingopampa Valley, on the Santa Cruz Trek in Huascaran National Park, Peru, South America. Lupinus is a genus in the pea family (also called the legume, bean, or pulse family, scientific name Fabaceae or Leguminosae). UNESCO honored Huascaran National Park on the World Heritage List in 1985. Cordillera Blanca mountain range is in the Sierra Central of the Peruvian Andes.
    00PER-37-26_Lupine-drops.jpg
  • Water drops collect like beads on a maple leaf in late September in Superior National Forest, Minnesota, USA.
    03MN-G0034.jpg
  • Ripples on the water surface distorts this view of an orange and red sea anemone at the Seattle Aquarium, Washington. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010. At the Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, the Art Committee selected this 17x22 inch print for display in the Jones Pavilion Level 11 Orthopedic Inpatient unit art collection, 2011.
    0803AQU-16.jpg
  • The Water of Leith river flows through Dean Village, the site of old watermills in a deep gorge, in Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland, in Lothian on the Firth of Forth, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe.
    17SC1-4222_Scotland.jpg
  • Three oar boats moor in emerald water at Thirasia Island (or Therasia), Greece.
    01GRE-11-02_Three-docked-oar-boats-T...jpg
  • A traveler fills a water bottle at a fountain decorated with statue and flowers, in Scuol, Engadine, Switzerland, the Alps, Europe. Scuol (or Schuls) is the terminal station of the "Rätische Bahn" (RhB), at 1244 meters or 4081 feet elevation in Graubünden canton. The Swiss valley of Engadine translates as the “garden of the En (or Inn) River” (Engadin in German, Engiadina in Romansh, Engadina in Italian). Published in Ryder-Walker Alpine Adventures "Inn to Inn Alpine Hiking Adventures" Catalog 2006, and in Wilderness Travel Catalog of Adventures 2014.
    05ALP_4237-Scuol-fountain.jpg
  • Water drops collect like beads on a maple leaf in late September in Superior National Forest, Minnesota, USA.
    03MN-G0033.jpg
  • Icicles drip clear water. Washington, USA.
    04SNO-0006.jpg
  • Seaweed reaches to the undersurface of brightly reflecting water rippling in a colorful sealife tank at Oregon Coast Aquarium, Newport, Oregon, USA.
    2102OR2-705.jpg
  • Pinkerton Hot Springs soda water was bottled in 1892 for sale in Durango, Colorado, USA. James Harvey Pinkerton settled in the hot springs area in 1875. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1909US1-3718-19-Pano.jpg
  • Yellow boat bumpers reflect in rippled water of the Pacific Ocean. Puerto Ayora is capitol of Santa Cruz Island, and the largest town in the Galápagos Islands archipelago, a province of Ecuador, South America. In 1959, Ecuador declared 97% of the land area of the Galápagos Islands to be Galápagos National Park, which UNESCO registered as a World Heritage Site in 1978. Ecuador created the Galápagos Marine Reserve in 1998, which UNESCO appended in 2001. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    09ECU-5094_Galapagos.jpg
  • Two worlds: trees reflect on water surface with lily pads. Cadillac Heritage Nature Study Area, William Mitchell State Park, Cadillac, Michigan, USA. Walk the pleasant 2.5-mile Heritage Nature Trail on boardwalks and packed limestone starting from Carl T. Johnson Hunting and Fishing Center, through old-growth hardwood forest then around an old dike system which retains rich wetlands.
    1610MI-005.jpg
  • Hot springs water cools and deposits white travertine and hosts orange microbial mats at Orakei Korako Cave and Thermal Park, New Zealand, North Island
    07NZ_8055-Orakei-Korako-Thermal-Park.jpg
  • Water tumbles through Avalanche Gorge, in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
    02GLA-07-02_Avalanche-Gorge.jpg
  • Magnificent stained glass north window in St Giles' Cathedral. Given by merchant navy Captain Charles Taylor of Stonehaven in 1922, this window portrays nautical themes using rich blues, greens and purples: Christ walking on the water (lower section) and Christ stilling the tempest (upper section). St Giles' Cathedral (High Kirk of Edinburgh) is the principal place of worship of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh. Its distinctive crown steeple is a prominent feature of the city skyline, at about a third of the way down the Royal Mile. The church has been one of Edinburgh's religious focal points for approximately 900 years. The present church dates from the late 1300s and was extensively restored in the 1800s. Some regard it as the "Mother Church of Presbyterianism." The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Giles, a very popular saint in the Middle Ages and the patron saint of Edinburgh (also of cripples and lepers). Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, in Lothian on the Firth of Forth's southern shore, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe.
    17SC1-4367_Scotland.jpg
  • Purple water lily flower. The beautiful greenhouse in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden (Tokyo, Japan) grows many tropical and subtropical flowers. Shinjuku Gyoen originated during the Edo Period (1603-1867) as a feudal lord's Tokyo residence. Later it was converted into a botanical garden before being transferred to the Imperial Family in 1903 who used used it for recreation and the entertainment of guests. The park was almost completely destroyed during World War II, but was eventually rebuilt and reopened in 1949 as a public park. Access Shinjuku Gyoen park via three gates: Shinjuku Gate is a ten minute walk east from the "New South Exit" of JR Shinjuku Station or a five minute walk from Shinjukugyoenmae Station on the Marunouchi Subway Line. Okido Gate is a five minute walk from Shinjukugyoenmae Station on the Marunouchi Subway Line. Sendagaya Gate is a five minute walk from JR Sendagaya Station on the local Chuo/Sobu Line.
    1810JPN-8890.jpg
  • Lichen grows into polygons on sandstone polished by water, ice, and erosion in Zion National Park, Springdale, Utah, USA. The North Fork of the Virgin River carved spectacular Zion Canyon through reddish and tan-colored Navajo Sandstone up to half a mile (800 m) deep and 15 miles (24 km) long. Uplift associated with the creation of the Colorado Plateaus lifted the region 10,000 feet (3000 m) starting 13 million years ago. Zion and Kolob canyon geology includes 9 formations covering 150 million years of mostly Mesozoic-aged sedimentation, from warm, shallow seas, streams, lakes, vast deserts, and dry near-shore environments. Mormons discovered the canyon in 1858 and settled in the early 1860s. U.S. President Taft declared it Mukuntuweap National Monument in 1909. In 1918, the name changed to Zion (an ancient Hebrew name for Jerusalem), which became a National Park in 1919. The Kolob section (a 1937 National Monument) was added to Zion National Park in 1956. Unusually diverse plants and animals congregate here where the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert meet.
    11UT2-4006_Zion-NP-Utah.jpg
  • Lichen grows into polygons on sandstone polished by water, ice, and erosion in Zion National Park, Springdale, Utah, USA. The North Fork of the Virgin River carved spectacular Zion Canyon through reddish and tan-colored Navajo Sandstone up to half a mile (800 m) deep and 15 miles (24 km) long. Uplift associated with the creation of the Colorado Plateaus lifted the region 10,000 feet (3000 m) starting 13 million years ago. Zion and Kolob canyon geology includes 9 formations covering 150 million years of mostly Mesozoic-aged sedimentation, from warm, shallow seas, streams, lakes, vast deserts, and dry near-shore environments. Mormons discovered the canyon in 1858 and settled in the early 1860s. U.S. President Taft declared it Mukuntuweap National Monument in 1909. In 1918, the name changed to Zion (an ancient Hebrew name for Jerusalem), which became a National Park in 1919. The Kolob section (a 1937 National Monument) was added to Zion National Park in 1956. Unusually diverse plants and animals congregate here where the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert meet.
    11UT1-2126_Zion-NP-Utah.jpg
  • Fern fiddlehead with water drops. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, on the Big Island, Hawaii, USA. Established in 1916 and later expanded, the park (HVNP) encompasses two active volcanoes: Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, and Mauna Loa, the world's most massive shield volcano. The park portrays the birth of the Hawaiian Islands with dramatic volcanic landscapes, native flora and fauna, and glowing flowing lava. Most recently erupted in 1984, Mauna Loa may have emerged above sea level about 400,000 years ago and has likely been erupting for at least 700,000 years. Measured from its base on the ocean floor, it rises over 33,000 ft, significantly greater than the elevation of Mount Everest above sea level. HVNP is honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve.
    1701HAW-2264.jpg
  • The turquoise waters of Jancarurish Lake are colored by glacial flour from Nevado Alpamayo (19,511 ft or 5947 m), in Alpamayo Valley, Cordillera Blanca, Andes Mountains, Peru, South America. Day 7 of 10 days trekking around Alpamayo, in Huascaran National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site). This panorama was stitched from 6 overlapping photos.
    14PER-2247-52pan_Jancarurish-Lake_Al...jpg
  • Under Snowyside Peak lies a pretty silty green pond at 8779 feet elevation in Farley Lake Creek, high in Sawtooth Wilderness, in Blaine County, Idaho, USA. On October 6-7, 2020, starting from Tin Cup Trailhead, I hiked a clockwise loop 20 miles with an overnight stay at idyllic Twin Lakes. The first day to Twin Lakes was a moderate 7.4 miles with 2090 feet gain. The second day returned via Toxaway Lake and Farley Lake for 12.5 miles with 1260 feet up and 2940 feet down. For the most dramatic scenic build-up, I recommend backpacking 3 days counterclockwise staying at Toxaway Lake then Twin Lakes. (On a 2007 backpacking trip in August, we enjoyed staying 2 nights at Alice Lake and day-hiked to Toxaway.) The Sawtooth Range (part of the Rocky Mountains) are made of pink granite of the 50 million year old Sawtooth batholith. Sawtooth Wilderness, managed by the US Forest Service within Sawtooth National Recreation Area, has some of the best air quality in the lower 48 states (says the US EPA). This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    20.10US2-501-510-Pano.jpg
  • The peak of El Capitan (9901 feet or 3018 m elevation) reflects in Alice Lake in Sawtooth Wilderness, Blaine County, Idaho, USA. On October 6-7, 2020, starting from Tin Cup Trailhead, I hiked the Alice-Toxaway Loop clockwise for 20 miles including an overnight stay at idyllic Twin Lakes. The first day to Twin Lakes was a moderate 7.4 miles with 2090 feet gain. The second day returned via Toxaway Lake and Farley Lake for 12.5 miles with 1260 feet up and 2940 feet down. For the most dramatic scenic build-up, I recommend backpacking 3 days counterclockwise staying at Toxaway Lake then Twin Lakes. (On a 2007 backpacking trip in August, we enjoyed staying 2 nights at Alice Lake and day-hiked to Toxaway.) The Sawtooth Range (part of the Rocky Mountains) are made of pink granite of the 50 million year old Sawtooth batholith. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    20.10US2-212-13-Pano.jpg
  • Sawtooth Wilderness reflects in Stanley Lake at the boat dock. Sawtooth National Recreation Area, Idaho, USA. The Sawtooth Range (part of the Rocky Mountains) are made of pink granite of the 50 million year old Sawtooth batholith. Sawtooth Wilderness, managed by the US Forest Service within Sawtooth National Recreation Area, has some of the best air quality in the lower 48 states (says the US EPA), except when compromised by forest fires. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    20.10US1-1137-38-Pano.jpg
  • The peak of El Capitan (9901 feet or 3018 m elevation) reflects in Alice Lake in Sawtooth Wilderness, Blaine County, Idaho, USA. On October 6-7, 2020, starting from Tin Cup Trailhead, I hiked the Alice-Toxaway Loop clockwise for 20 miles including an overnight stay at idyllic Twin Lakes. The first day to Twin Lakes was a moderate 7.4 miles with 2090 feet gain. The second day returned via Toxaway Lake and Farley Lake for 12.5 miles with 1260 feet up and 2940 feet down. For the most dramatic scenic build-up, I recommend backpacking 3 days counterclockwise staying at Toxaway Lake then Twin Lakes. (On a 2007 backpacking trip in August, we enjoyed staying 2 nights at Alice Lake and day-hiked to Toxaway.) The Sawtooth Range (part of the Rocky Mountains) are made of pink granite of the 50 million year old Sawtooth batholith. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    20.10US2-182-183-Pano.jpg
  • The peak of El Capitan (9901 feet or 3018 m elevation) reflects in Alice Lake in Sawtooth Wilderness, Blaine County, Idaho, USA. On October 6-7, 2020, starting from Tin Cup Trailhead, I hiked the Alice-Toxaway Loop clockwise for 20 miles including an overnight stay at idyllic Twin Lakes. The first day to Twin Lakes was a moderate 7.4 miles with 2090 feet gain. The second day returned via Toxaway Lake and Farley Lake for 12.5 miles with 1260 feet up and 2940 feet down. For the most dramatic scenic build-up, I recommend backpacking 3 days counterclockwise staying at Toxaway Lake then Twin Lakes. (On a 2007 backpacking trip in August, we enjoyed staying 2 nights at Alice Lake and day-hiked to Toxaway.) The Sawtooth Range (part of the Rocky Mountains) are made of pink granite of the 50 million year old Sawtooth batholith.
    20.10US2-204.jpg
  • A peak reflects in Twin Lakes at sunrise in Sawtooth Wilderness, Blaine County, Idaho, USA. in Sawtooth Wilderness, Blaine County, Idaho, USA. On October 6-7, 2020, starting from Tin Cup Trailhead, I hiked the Alice-Toxaway Loop clockwise for 20 miles including an overnight stay at idyllic Twin Lakes. The first day to Twin Lakes was a moderate 7.4 miles with 2090 feet gain. The second day returned via Toxaway Lake and Farley Lake for 12.5 miles with 1260 feet up and 2940 feet down. For the most dramatic scenic build-up, I recommend backpacking 3 days counterclockwise staying at Toxaway Lake then Twin Lakes. (On a 2007 backpacking trip in August, we enjoyed staying 2 nights at Alice Lake and day-hiked to Toxaway.) The Sawtooth Range (part of the Rocky Mountains) are made of pink granite of the 50 million year old Sawtooth batholith. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    20.10US2-397-405-Pano.jpg
  • From stunning Panorama Ridge, Tom admires the vibrant turquoise color of Garibaldi Lake, which comes from glacial flour suspended in meltwater from Sphinx and Sentinel Glaciers. Above the lake rise Mount Garibaldi (2678 m or 8786 ft), a potentially active stratovolcano. Garibaldi Provincial Park is east of the Sea to Sky Highway (Route 99) between Squamish and Whistler in the Coast Range, British Columbia, Canada. A hiking loop to Garibaldi Lake via Taylor Meadows Campground is 11 miles (18k) round trip, with 3010 ft (850m) gain. Panorama Ridge is 6 miles (10k) RT with 2066 ft (630m) gain from either Taylor Meadows or Garibaldi Lake Campground (or 17 miles RT with 5100 ft gain from Rubble Creek parking lot). For licensing options, please inquire.
    1509CAN-1377_Garibaldi-Lake.jpg
  • See the Northern Patagonian Ice Field across General Carrera Lake, northeast of Puerto Guadal, Chile, South America. The glacially carved lake is surrounded by the Andes mountain range and drains to the Pacific Ocean on the west through the Baker River. The coast of the lake was first inhabited by criollos and European immigrants between 1900 and 1925. In 1971 and 1991, eruptions of the Hudson Volcano severely affected the local economy, especially that of sheep farming.
    2002PAT-0621.jpg
  • Since pre-Inca times, salt farmers at the saltworks (salinas) near Maras have evaporated salty water from a subterranean stream in Peru, South America. A rough dirt road connects Maras (in the Urubamba/Vilcanota River Valley, Sacred Valley of the Incas) with Cuzco (40 km north) and other towns. The cooperative system of pond farmers was established during the time of the Incas, if not earlier, and is traditionally available to any person wishing to harvest salt. Intricate channels redirect water flow through several hundred ancient terraced ponds. As water evaporates from the sun-warmed ponds, it becomes supersaturated and salt precipitates as crystals. A pond keeper closes the water-feeder notch, allows the pond to go dry, then scrapes and carries away the dry salt. Salt color varies from white to a light reddish or brownish tan, depending on "farmer" skills. Cropped from a 35mm film slide, 2003. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    03PER-11-09-Salinas-salt-pans_MASTER.jpg
  • Since pre-Inca times, salt farmers at the saltworks (salinas) near Maras have evaporated salty water from a subterranean stream in Peru, South America. A rough dirt road connects Maras (in the Urubamba/Vilcanota River Valley, Sacred Valley of the Incas) with Cuzco (40 km north) and other towns. The cooperative system of pond farmers was established during the time of the Incas, if not earlier, and is traditionally available to any person wishing to harvest salt. Intricate channels redirect water flow through several hundred ancient terraced ponds. As water evaporates from the sun-warmed ponds, it becomes supersaturated and salt precipitates as crystals. A pond keeper closes the water-feeder notch, allows the pond to go dry, then scrapes and carries away the dry salt. Salt color varies from white to a light reddish or brownish tan, depending on "farmer" skills.
    03PER-09-03-P1_Salinas_Inca-Salt-Pan...jpg
  • Colorful microbial mats coat terraces of Grand Prismatic Spring in Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA. Grand Prismatic is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world, next to those in New Zealand. The sterile blue water in the pool’s center is too hot to support life (87 degrees Centigrade or 188 F). Pure water selectively absorbs red wavelengths of visible light, making the center deep blue. But in cooler water along the edges, microbial mats of thermophilic (heat-loving) cyano-bacteria and algae thrive. Yellow, orange, and red pigments are produced by the bacteria as a natural sunscreen. As a result, the pool displays a spectrum of colors from the bright blue water of the center to the orange, red, and brown algal mats along the edges. Summer mats tend to be orange and red, whereas winter mats become dark green. Yellowstone was the first national park in the world (1872), and UNESCO honored it as a World Heritage site in 1978. Photo was published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.  Three overlapping images were stitched to make this panorama.
    04WY-0162-164pan-Grand-Prismatic-Spr...jpg
  • Since pre-Inca times, salt farmers at the saltworks (salinas) near Maras have evaporated salty water from a subterranean stream in Peru, South America. A rough dirt road connects Maras (in the Urubamba/Vilcanota River Valley, Sacred Valley of the Incas) with Cuzco (40 km north) and other towns. The cooperative system of pond farmers was established during the time of the Incas, if not earlier, and is traditionally available to any person wishing to harvest salt. Intricate channels redirect water flow through several hundred ancient terraced ponds. As water evaporates from the sun-warmed ponds, it becomes supersaturated and salt precipitates as crystals. A pond keeper closes the water-feeder notch, allows the pond to go dry, then scrapes and carries away the dry salt. Salt color varies from white to a light reddish or brownish tan, depending on "farmer" skills. Panorama was stitched from 2 overlapping photos.
    03PER-11-11-12pan_Salinas-salt-pans.jpg
  • Colorful microbial mats coat terraces of Grand Prismatic Spring in Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA. Grand Prismatic is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world, next to those in New Zealand. The sterile blue water in the pool’s center is too hot to support life (87 degrees Centigrade or 188 F). Pure water selectively absorbs red wavelengths of visible light, making the center deep blue. But in cooler water along the edges, microbial mats of thermophilic (heat-loving) cyano-bacteria and algae thrive. Yellow, orange, and red pigments are produced by the bacteria as a natural sunscreen. As a result, the pool displays a spectrum of colors from the bright blue water of the center to the orange, red, and brown algal mats along the edges. Summer mats tend to be orange and red, whereas winter mats become dark green. Yellowstone was the first national park in the world (1872), and UNESCO honored it as a World Heritage site in 1978.
    04WY-0099.jpg
  • A hippopotamus or hippo (Hippopotamus amphibius scientific name; from the Greek hippopotamos, hippos meaning horse and potamus meaning river), is a large, mostly plant-eating African mammal, one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae (the other being the Pygmy Hippopotamus). The hippo is semi-aquatic, inhabiting rivers and lakes in sub-Saharan Africa in groups of 5-30 hippos. During the day they remain cool by staying in the water or mud; reproduction and childbirth both occur in water, where territorial bulls preside over a stretch of river. They emerge at dusk to graze on grass. While hippos rest near each other in territories in the water, grazing is a solitary activity and hippos are not territorial on land. Despite their physical resemblance to pigs and other terrestrial even-toed ungulates, their closest living relatives are cetaceans (whales, porpoise, etc.). The common ancestor of whales and hippos split from other even-toed ungulates around 60 million years ago. The earliest known hippopotamus fossils, belonging to the genus Kenyapotamus in Africa, date to around 16 million years ago. The hippopotamus is recognizable for its barrel-shaped torso, enormous mouth and teeth, hairless body, stubby legs and tremendous size. Hippos have been clocked at 30 mph (48 km/h) while running short distances, faster than an Olympic sprinter. The hippopotamus is one of the most aggressive animals in the world, and are often regarded as the most dangerous animal in Africa. There are an estimated 125,000 to 150,000 hippos remaining throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, of which Zambia (40,000) and Tanzania (20,000-30,000) have the largest populations. They are still threatened by poaching for their meat and ivory canine teeth, and by habitat loss. Photographed in the Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, Washington.
    0809ZOO-226.jpg
  • An intriguing island of tufa towers reflect in alkaline waters at South Tufa Area, in Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve, Lee Vining, California, USA. The Reserve protects wetlands that support millions of birds, and preserves Mono Lake's distinctive tufa towers -- calcium-carbonate spires and knobs formed by interaction of freshwater springs and alkaline lake water. Mono Lake has no outlet and is one of the oldest lakes in North America. Over the past million years, salts and minerals have washed into the lake from Eastern Sierra streams and evaporation has made the water 2.5 times saltier than the ocean. This desert lake has an unusually productive ecosystem based on brine shrimp, and provides critical nesting habitat for two million annual migratory birds that feed on the shrimp and blackflies. Since 1941, diversion of lake water tributary streams by the city of Los Angeles lowered the lake level, which imperiled the migratory birds. In response, the Mono Lake Committee won a legal battle that forced Los Angeles to partially restore the lake level.
    1507CAL-2500_Mono-Lake-CA.jpg
  • Sierra Nevada peaks and tufa towers reflect in alkaline waters at South Tufa Area, Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve, Lee Vining, California, USA. Orange and yellow algae adds to the color palette of blues. The Reserve protects wetlands that support millions of birds, and preserves Mono Lake's distinctive tufa towers -- calcium-carbonate spires and knobs formed by interaction of freshwater springs and alkaline lake water. Mono Lake has no outlet and is one of the oldest lakes in North America. Over the past million years, salts and minerals have washed into the lake from Eastern Sierra streams and evaporation has made the water 2.5 times saltier than the ocean. This desert lake has an unusually productive ecosystem based on brine shrimp, and provides critical nesting habitat for two million annual migratory birds that feed on the shrimp and blackflies. Since 1941, diversion of lake water tributary streams by the city of Los Angeles lowered the lake level, which imperiled the migratory birds. In response, the Mono Lake Committee won a legal battle that forced Los Angeles to partially restore the lake level.
    1507CAL-2406_Mono-Lake-CA.jpg
  • Beautiful Hanakapiai Falls (300 feet high) is a slippery side trip from Kalalau Trail, on Na Pali Coast, Kauai, Hawaii, USA. A stunning day hike along the Kalalau Trail goes from Ke'e Beach to Hanakapiai Beach, with a rougher side trip to impressive Hanakapiai Falls, in Na Pali Coast State Wilderness Park on the island of Kauai. To reach Hanakapiai Valley's waterfall, follow the signed clay trails for a moderately strenuous 8.8 miles round trip with 2200 feet cumulative gain (measured on my GPS). Bring plenty of fresh water. I recommend boots with sturdy tread, hiking poles, plus water shoes for the several stream crossings. Arrive early to get parking at the trailhead in Haena State Park at the end of the Kuhio Highway (Hawaii Route 560). The gorgeous Kalalau Trail was built in the late 1800s to connect Hawaiians living in the remote valleys. No permit is needed for day hiking to Hanakapiai Falls. But hikers going onwards from Hanakapiai Beach to Hanakoa and Kalalau Valleys require a camping permit from the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (HDLNR).
    1701HAW-1060.jpg
  • An intriguing island of tufa towers reflect in alkaline waters colored with yellow algae at South Tufa Area, in Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve, Lee Vining, California, USA. The Reserve protects wetlands that support millions of birds, and preserves Mono Lake's distinctive tufa towers -- calcium-carbonate spires and knobs formed by interaction of freshwater springs and alkaline lake water. Mono Lake has no outlet and is one of the oldest lakes in North America. Over the past million years, salts and minerals have washed into the lake from Eastern Sierra streams and evaporation has made the water 2.5 times saltier than the ocean. This desert lake has an unusually productive ecosystem based on brine shrimp, and provides critical nesting habitat for two million annual migratory birds that feed on the shrimp and blackflies. Since 1941, diversion of lake water tributary streams by the city of Los Angeles lowered the lake level, which imperiled the migratory birds. In response, the Mono Lake Committee won a legal battle that forced Los Angeles to partially restore the lake level.
    1507CAL-2489_Mono-Lake-CA.jpg
  • Fuller Falls, along Fundy Trail Parkway, in Saint John County, Bay of Fundy, St. Martins, New Brunswick, Canada. In St. Martins, drive through the covered bridge on Big Salmon River Road and go 7 km to reach the start of the Fundy Trail Parkway, a 16 kilometer auto route along the Fundy coast ending at Big Salmon River, a former lumbering center. Bay of Fundy has the highest tidal range in the world, due to a resonance of being just the right length (270 km) matching the gravitational pushing cycle of the Moon that causes the tides. Coincidentally, the time it takes a large wave to go from the mouth of the bay to the inner shore and back is practically the same as the time from one high tide to the next. (You can see the effect of resonance for yourself by steadily pushing a long pan of water back and forth: an optimal pushing frequency for a given pan length will build up a high wave of water which sloshes out; but pushing too fast or too slow won't build up the big wave.) Two high tides occur per day, one when the ocean side is nearest the Moon, and one on the side of the Earth most distant from the Moon, about 12 hours and 25 minutes from one high tide to the next. The Bay of Fundy is on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The panorama was stitched from 7 overlapping photos.
    1410CAN-372-78pan_Fundy-Trail-Parkwa...jpg
  • A flock of geese flies over the International Fountain below the Space Needle. The International Fountain was built for the 1962 World's Fair at Seattle Center, Washington, USA, as a modernist water sculpture. With over 20 spouts, the musical fountain goes through programmed cycles of shooting water patterns, accompanied by recorded world music. The music is changed every month, and chosen to coordinate with the water patterns. The Space Needle (605 feet tall) annually hosts more than 1 million visitors, making it the number one tourist attraction in the Pacific Northwest. When the Space Needle was built in 1962 for the World's Fair, it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River. The entire Space Needle saucer does not rotate, only a 14-foot ring next tthe windows rotates on the SkyCity restaurant level. The 100 foot, or SkyLine, level was built in 1982. The original name of the Space Needle was "The Space Cage." The original name of the restaurant was "Eye of the Needle."  Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    0809SEA-033.jpg
  • Lower Falls, in Cataract Falls State Recreation Area –  Indiana's largest-volume waterfall. Mill Creek plunges 20 feet in the set of Upper Falls, and a half a mile downstream the Lower Falls drops 18 feet, for a total drop of 86 feet including intermediate cascades. Autumn foliage colors were brilliant but water volume was low for this photo in mid October 2015. The park's limestone outcroppings formed millions of years ago when the region was covered by a large shallow ocean. Cataract Falls State Recreation Area is an hour southwest of Indianapolis, near Cloverdale, Indiana, USA.
    1510SE-2069_Cataract-Falls_Indiana.jpg
  • Intriguing towers of calcium-carbonate decorate the South Tufa Area, in Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve, Lee Vining, California, USA. The Reserve protects wetlands that support millions of birds, and preserves Mono Lake's distinctive tufa towers -- calcium-carbonate spires and knobs formed by interaction of freshwater springs and alkaline lake water. Mono Lake has no outlet and is one of the oldest lakes in North America. Over the past million years, salts and minerals have washed into the lake from Eastern Sierra streams and evaporation has made the water 2.5 times saltier than the ocean. This desert lake has an unusually productive ecosystem based on brine shrimp, and provides critical nesting habitat for two million annual migratory birds that feed on the shrimp and blackflies. Since 1941, diversion of lake water tributary streams by the city of Los Angeles lowered the lake level, which imperiled the migratory birds. In response, the Mono Lake Committee won a legal battle that forced Los Angeles to partially restore the lake level. This panorama was stitched from 11 overlapping photos.
    1507CAL-2464-74pan_Mono-Lake-CA.jpg
  • Since pre-Inca times, salt farmers at the saltworks (salinas) near Maras have evaporated salty water from a subterranean stream in Peru, South America. A rough dirt road connects Maras (in the Urubamba/Vilcanota River Valley, Sacred Valley of the Incas) with Cuzco (40 km north) and other towns. The cooperative system of pond farmers was established during the time of the Incas, if not earlier, and is traditionally available to any person wishing to harvest salt. Intricate channels redirect water flow through several hundred ancient terraced ponds. As water evaporates from the sun-warmed ponds, it becomes supersaturated and salt precipitates as crystals. A pond keeper closes the water-feeder notch, allows the pond to go dry, then scrapes and carries away the dry salt. Salt color varies from white to a light reddish or brownish tan, depending on "farmer" skills. Panorama was stitched from 5 overlapping photos.
    03PER-09-02-06pan_Salinas_Inca-Salt-...jpg
  • Trekkers cross the outlet stream of Lake Carhuacocha (13,600 feet) in the Cordillera Huayhuash, Andes Mountains, Peru, South America. On the left, Yerupaja Grande (east face, 6635 m or 21,770 ft) is the second-highest peak in Peru, highest in Cordillera Huayhuash, and highest point in the Amazon River watershed. At center is Yerupaja Chico (20,080 feet). On right is Mount Jirishanca ("Icy Beak of the Hummingbird," 6126 m or 20,098 feet). Published in the following: 1) on the cover and inside of "Climbs and Treks in the Cordillera Huayhuash of Peru" guidebook Copyright 2005 by Jeremy Frimer, ISBN #0-9733035-5-7, Elaho Publishing; 2) Wilderness Travel 2005, 2007, 2013 Catalog of Adventures, and 2009-2011 web client survey; 3) "Fuentes, Conversacion y gramatica," a Spanish textbook by Rusch, Houghton Mifflin Company/Cengage Learning in 2004, 2011, 2013; 4) image for SteriPEN package, a handheld water purifier made by Hydro-Photon, Inc. of Blue Hill, Maine, 2007; 5) "Skills in Global Geography" Cambridge University Press, Australia textbook 2007; 6) Swedish trekking company site www.adventurelovers.se; 7) "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    03PER-38-18_Lake-Carhuacocha_stream-...jpg
  • Trees reflect in the tannin-stained water of Tidal River at Wilson’s Promontory National Park in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. Natural tannins leached from decomposing vegetation turn the water brown. Drive two hours from Melbourne to reach Wilson’s Promontory, or “the Prom,” which offers natural estuaries, cool fern gullies, magnificent and secluded beaches, striking rock formations, and abundant wildlife. Published on the back cover of "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    04AUS-20003_Tidal-River_Wilsons-Prom...jpg
  • Beautiful Hanakapiai Falls (300 feet high) is a slippery side trip from Kalalau Trail, on Na Pali Coast, Kauai, Hawaii, USA. A stunning day hike along the Kalalau Trail goes from Ke'e Beach to Hanakapiai Beach, with a rougher side trip to impressive Hanakapiai Falls, in Na Pali Coast State Wilderness Park on the island of Kauai. To reach Hanakapiai Valley's waterfall, follow the signed clay trails for a moderately strenuous 8.8 miles round trip with 2200 feet cumulative gain (measured on my GPS). Bring plenty of fresh water. I recommend boots with sturdy tread, hiking poles, plus water shoes for the several stream crossings. Arrive early to get parking at the trailhead in Haena State Park at the end of the Kuhio Highway (Hawaii Route 560). The gorgeous Kalalau Trail was built in the late 1800s to connect Hawaiians living in the remote valleys. No permit is needed for day hiking to Hanakapiai Falls. But hikers going onwards from Hanakapiai Beach to Hanakoa and Kalalau Valleys require a camping permit from the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (HDLNR). This image was stitched from multiple overlapping images.
    1701HAW-1040-46-Pano.jpg
  • Sunrise. Visit Hopewell Rocks (Flowerpot Rocks) at Hopewell Cape, near Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. Hopewell Rocks have one of most extreme tidal ranges in the world: up to 16 meters (52 feet) vertically. Waves and tides twice per day have eroded the base of the rocks faster than the tops, leaving arches and curiously shaped formations of dark sedimentary conglomerate and sandstone rock. For best photo lighting, go in morning (or spectacular sunrise) during the first low tide of the day, safe for 3 hours before low tide until 3 hours after. Walking the beach is easy until its southern end, where The Ledges, a ridge of slippery limestone, can be clambered over to reach Demoiselle Beach. Bay of Fundy has the highest tidal range in the world, due to a resonance of being just the right length (270 km) matching the gravitational pushing cycle of the Moon that causes the tides. Due to the bay's optimal size, the time it takes a large wave to go from the mouth of the bay to the inner shore and back is practically the same as the time from one high tide to the next. (See the effect of resonance by steadily pushing a long pan of water back and forth: an optimal pushing frequency for a given pan size will build up a high wave of water which sloshes out; but pushing too fast or too slow won't build up the big wave.) Two high tides occur per day, one when the ocean side of the Earth is nearest the Moon, and one on the side most distant from the Moon, about 12 hours and 25 minutes from one high tide to the next. The Bay of Fundy is on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Address: Hopewell Rocks Ocean Tidal Exploration Site (phone 506-734-3429), 131 Discovery Rd, Hopewell Cape, NB E4H 4Z5. The panorama was stitched from 12 overlapping photos.
    1410CAN-579-90pan_Hopewell_Bay-of-Fu...jpg
  • The M/S Explorer cruises in Antarctica in February 2005. Reuters News Pictures Service published this image in stories on the M/S Explorer, which sank after hitting an iceberg in 2007 and now lies sunk 600 meters deep in the Southern Ocean. Two and a half years after our successful trip, the Explorer, owned by Canadian travel company GAP Adventures, took on water after hitting ice at 12:24 AM EST on Friday November 23, 2007. 154 passengers and crew calmly climbed into lifeboats and drifted some six hours in calm waters. A Norwegian passenger boat rescued and took them to Chile's Antarctic Eduardo Frei base, where they were fed, clothed, checked by a doctor, and later flown to Punta Arenas, Chile. The ship sank hours after the passengers and crew were safely evacuated. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    05ANT-20059-1354.jpg
  • Gentoo Penguins (Pygoscelis papua) emerge from iceberg bejeweled waters of the Southern Ocean to waddle to their summer colony on Cuverville Island, Antarctica. The adventure cruise ship M/S Explorer anchors offshore in 2005. An adult Gentoo Penguin has a bright orange-red bill and a wide white stripe extending across the top of its head. Chicks have grey backs with white fronts. Of all penguins, Gentoos have the most prominent tail, which sweeps from side to side as they waddle on land, hence the scientific name Pygoscelis, "rump-tailed." As the the third largest species of penguin, adult Gentoos reach 51 to 90 cm (20-36 in) high. They are the fastest underwater swimming penguin, reaching speeds of 36 km per hour. Cuverville Island is in Errera Channel off the west coast of Graham Land, the north portion of the Antarctic Peninsula. Reuters News Pictures Service published this image in stories on the M/S Explorer, which sank after hitting an iceberg in 2007 and now lies sunk 600 meters deep in the Southern Ocean. The Explorer, owned by Canadian travel company GAP Adventures, took on water after hitting ice at 12:24 AM EST on Friday November 23, 2007. 154 passengers and crew calmly climbed into lifeboats and drifted some six hours in calm waters. A Norwegian passenger boat rescued and took them to Chile's Antarctic Eduardo Frei base, where they were fed, clothed, checked by a doctor, and later flown to Punta Arenas, Chile. The ship sank hours after the passengers and crew were safely evacuated.
    05ANT-10805_Cuverville-Island.jpg
  • A foam layer cake spins in a pothole eroded into Nonesuch Shale rock on the Presque Isle River before flowing into Lake Superior. Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Michigan, USA. Tannins leached from Cedar, Spruce and Hemlock trees color the water amber and brownish green. Churned soft water (having low mineral content) creates much foam.
    03MI-G0081_Presque-Isle-River_foam-c...jpg
  • Fall colors reflect in Mill Creek, upstream of Lower Falls in Cataract Falls State Recreation Area, an hour southwest of Indianapolis, near Cloverdale, Indiana, USA. Autumn foliage colors were brilliant but water volume was low for this photo in mid October 2015. The park's limestone outcroppings formed millions of years ago when the region was covered by a large shallow ocean.
    1510SE-11213_Cataract-Falls_Indiana.jpg
  • Lower Falls, in Cataract Falls State Recreation Area –  Indiana's largest-volume waterfall. Mill Creek plunges 20 feet in the set of Upper Falls, and a half a mile downstream the Lower Falls drops 18 feet, for a total drop of 86 feet including intermediate cascades. Autumn foliage colors were brilliant but water volume was low for this photo in mid October 2015. The park's limestone outcroppings formed millions of years ago when the region was covered by a large shallow ocean. Cataract Falls State Recreation Area is an hour southwest of Indianapolis, near Cloverdale, Indiana, USA.
    1510SE-5307_Cataract-Falls_Indiana.jpg
  • Sierra Nevada peaks and tufa towers reflect in alkaline waters at South Tufa Area, Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve, Lee Vining, California, USA. The Reserve protects wetlands that support millions of birds, and preserves Mono Lake's distinctive tufa towers -- calcium-carbonate spires and knobs formed by interaction of freshwater springs and alkaline lake water. Mono Lake has no outlet and is one of the oldest lakes in North America. Over the past million years, salts and minerals have washed into the lake from Eastern Sierra streams and evaporation has made the water 2.5 times saltier than the ocean. This desert lake has an unusually productive ecosystem based on brine shrimp, and provides critical nesting habitat for two million annual migratory birds that feed on the shrimp and blackflies. Since 1941, diversion of lake water tributary streams by the city of Los Angeles lowered the lake level, which imperiled the migratory birds. In response, the Mono Lake Committee won a legal battle that forced Los Angeles to partially restore the lake level.
    1507CAL-2429_Mono-Lake-CA.jpg
  • Sunrise. Visit Hopewell Rocks (Flowerpot Rocks) at Hopewell Cape, near Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. Hopewell Rocks have one of most extreme tidal ranges in the world: up to 16 meters (52 feet) vertically. Waves and tides twice per day have eroded the base of the rocks faster than the tops, leaving arches and curiously shaped formations of dark sedimentary conglomerate and sandstone rock. For best photo lighting, go in morning (or spectacular sunrise) during the first low tide of the day, safe for 3 hours before low tide until 3 hours after. Walking the beach is easy until its southern end, where The Ledges, a ridge of slippery limestone, can be clambered over to reach Demoiselle Beach. Bay of Fundy has the highest tidal range in the world, due to a resonance of being just the right length (270 km) matching the gravitational pushing cycle of the Moon that causes the tides. Due to the bay's optimal size, the time it takes a large wave to go from the mouth of the bay to the inner shore and back is practically the same as the time from one high tide to the next. (See the effect of resonance by steadily pushing a long pan of water back and forth: an optimal pushing frequency for a given pan size will build up a high wave of water which sloshes out; but pushing too fast or too slow won't build up the big wave.) Two high tides occur per day, one when the ocean side of the Earth is nearest the Moon, and one on the side most distant from the Moon, about 12 hours and 25 minutes from one high tide to the next. The Bay of Fundy is on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Address: Hopewell Rocks Ocean Tidal Exploration Site (phone 506-734-3429), 131 Discovery Rd, Hopewell Cape, NB E4H 4Z5.
    1410CAN-615_Hopewell_Bay-of-Fundy.jpg
  • Halo Lake panorama, Caverns of Sonora, Sutton County, Texas, USA. The world-class Caverns of Sonora have a stunning and sparkling array of speleothems (helictites, stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, coral trees, and other calcite crystal formations). National Speleological Society co-founder, Bill Stephenson said, after seeing it for the first time, "The beauty of Caverns of Sonora cannot be exaggerated...not even by a Texan!" Geologically, the cave formed between 1.5 to 5 million years ago within 100-million-year-old (Cretaceous) Segovia limestone, of the Edward limestone group. A fault allowed gases to rise up to mix with aquifer water, making acid which dissolved the limestone, leaving the cave. Between 1 and 3 million years ago, the water drained from the cave, after which speleothems begain forming. It is one of the most active caves in the world, with over 95% of its formations still growing. Sonora Caves are on Interstate 10, about half-way between Big Bend National Park and San Antonio, Texas. This panorama was stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    1403TX-364-366pan_Caverns-of-Sonora_...jpg
  • Hike Lower Calf Creek Falls trail 6 miles round trip (600 feet gain), in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah, USA. The beautiful cascade drops 126 feet (38 meters) from sandstone cliffs stained with fascinating patterns of desert varnish. Directions: From the town of Escalante, drive 15 miles east on Scenic Byway 12 to Calf Creek Recreation Area day-use parking and campground. More about desert varnish: Manganese-rich desert varnish requires thousands of years to coat a rock face that is protected from precipitation and wind erosion. The varnish likely originates from airborne dust and external surface runoff, including: clay minerals, oxides and hydroxides of manganese (Mn) and/or iron (Fe), sand grains, trace elements, and usually organic matter. Streaks of black varnish often occur where water cascades over cliffs, but wind doesn't sculpt its shape. Varnish color varies from shades of brown to black. Manganese-poor, iron-rich varnishes are red to orange, and intermediate concentrations are shaded brown. Manganese-oxidizing microbes may explain the unusually high concentration of manganese in black desert varnish, which can be smooth and shiny where densest. The panorama was stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    1303UT-2215-2217pan_Calf-Creek-Falls.jpg
  • Mount Robson (3954 meters or 12,972 feet elevation), highest peak in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, rises above Berg Lake, in Mount Robson Provincial Park, British Columbia, CANADA. Ground foliage turns red in mid September. Berg Lake (1641 meters or 5385 feet elevation) has a beautiful turquoise color created by glacial sediments suspended in the water. Leaves of low-growing bushes have changed from summer green to a blazing red color in late September. Mount Robson is part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site honored by UNESCO in 1984. Published in Sierra Magazine, Sierra Club Outings January/February 2004.
    95CAN-04-19-Mount-Robson_Berg-Lake.jpg
  • A hiker admires sea cliffs above the Pacific Ocean along the beautiful Kalalau Trail in Na Pali Coast State Wilderness Park, Kauai, Hawaii, USA. A beautiful day hike along the slippery Kalalau Trail goes from Ke'e Beach to Hanakapiai Beach, with a rougher side trip to impressive Hanakapiai Falls. To reach Hanakapiai Valley's waterfall, follow the signed clay trails for a moderately strenuous 8.8 miles round trip with 2200 feet cumulative gain (measured on my GPS), and bring plenty of fresh water. I recommend boots with sturdy tread, hiking poles, plus water shoes for the several stream crossings. Arrive early to get parking at the trailhead in Haena State Park at the end of the Kuhio Highway (Hawaii Route 560). The gorgeous Kalalau Trail was built in the late 1800s to connect Hawaiians living in the remote valleys. No permit is needed for day hiking to Hanakapiai Falls. But hikers going onwards from Hanakapiai Beach to Hanakoa and Kalalau Valleys require a camping permit from the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (HDLNR).
    1701HAW-0897.jpg
  • Upper Falls, in Cataract Falls State Recreation Area –  Indiana's largest-volume waterfall. Mill Creek plunges 20 feet in the set of Upper Falls, and a half a mile downstream the Lower Falls drops 18 feet, for a total drop of 86 feet including intermediate cascades. Autumn foliage colors were brilliant but water volume was low for this photo in mid October 2015. The park's limestone outcroppings formed millions of years ago when the region was covered by a large shallow ocean. Cataract Falls State Recreation Area is an hour southwest of Indianapolis, near Cloverdale, Indiana, USA.
    1510SE-5247_Cataract-Falls_Indiana.jpg
  • A foam layer cake spins in a pothole eroded into Nonesuch Shale rock on the Presque Isle River before flowing into Lake Superior. Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Michigan, USA. Tannins leached from Cedar, Spruce and Hemlock trees color the water amber and brownish green. Churned soft water (having low mineral content) creates much foam.
    03MI-G0086_Presque-Isle-River_foam-c...jpg
  • The impressive Hanakapiai Falls (300 feet high) is a slippery side trip from Kalalau Trail, on Na Pali Coast, Kauai, Hawaii, USA. A beautiful day hike along the Kalalau Trail goes from Ke'e Beach to Hanakapiai Beach, with a rougher side trip to impressive Hanakapiai Falls, in Na Pali Coast State Wilderness Park on the island of Kauai. To reach Hanakapiai Valley's waterfall, follow the signed clay trails for a moderately strenuous 8.8 miles round trip with 2200 feet cumulative gain (measured on my GPS), and bring plenty of fresh water. I recommend boots with sturdy tread, hiking poles, plus water shoes for the several stream crossings. Arrive early to get parking at the trailhead in Haena State Park at the end of the Kuhio Highway (Hawaii Route 560). The gorgeous Kalalau Trail was built in the late 1800s to connect Hawaiians living in the remote valleys. No permit is needed for day hiking to Hanakapiai Falls. But hikers going onwards from Hanakapiai Beach to Hanakoa and Kalalau Valleys require a camping permit from the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (HDLNR).
    1701HAW-1054.jpg
  • A shoreline pattern of green grass, orange pine needles, white rocks, yellow submerged rocks and green water at Glacier Lake. Eagle Cap Wilderness, Wallowa–Whitman National Forest, Wallowa Mountains, Columbia Plateau, northeastern Oregon, USA.
    1609WAL-153.jpg
  • Fall colors reflect in Mill Creek, upstream of Lower Falls in Cataract Falls State Recreation Area, an hour southwest of Indianapolis, near Cloverdale, Indiana, USA. Autumn foliage colors were brilliant but water volume was low for this photo October 21, 2015. The park's limestone bedrock formed millions of years ago from skeletal remains of marine organisms (such as coral, forams and molluscs) when the region was covered by a large shallow ocean. This panorama was stitched from 23 overlapping photos.
    1510SE-2001-23pan-Cataract-Falls_Ind...jpg
  • Vibrant fall colors reflect in Mill Creek, upstream of Lower Falls in Cataract Falls State Recreation Area, near Cloverdale, an hour southwest of Indianapolis, in Indiana, USA. Autumn foliage colors were brilliant but water volume was low for this photo October 21, 2015. The park's limestone outcroppings formed millions of years ago when the region was covered by a large shallow ocean. This panorama was stitched from 7 overlapping photos.
    1510SE-11236-42pan_Cataract-Falls_In...jpg
  • Upper Falls, in Cataract Falls State Recreation Area –  Indiana's largest-volume waterfall. Mill Creek plunges 20 feet in the set of Upper Falls, and a half a mile downstream the Lower Falls drops 18 feet, for a total drop of 86 feet including intermediate cascades. Autumn foliage colors were brilliant but water volume was low for this photo in mid October 2015. The park's limestone outcroppings formed from compressed layers of calcium-rich shells of sea life from millions of years ago when the region was covered by a large shallow ocean. Cataract Falls State Recreation Area is an hour southwest of Indianapolis, near Cloverdale, Indiana, USA. Vibrant autumn foliage colors glowed for this panorama stitched from 15 overlapping photos captured October 21, 2015.
    1510SE-11146-60pan_Cataract-Falls_In...jpg
  • Upper Falls, in Cataract Falls State Recreation Area –  Indiana's largest-volume waterfall. Mill Creek plunges 20 feet in the set of Upper Falls, and a half a mile downstream the Lower Falls drops 18 feet, for a total drop of 86 feet including intermediate cascades. Autumn foliage colors were brilliant but water volume was low for this photo in mid October 2015. The park's limestone outcroppings formed millions of years ago when the region was covered by a large shallow ocean. Cataract Falls State Recreation Area is an hour southwest of Indianapolis, near Cloverdale, Indiana, USA.
    1510SE-5237_Cataract-Falls_Indiana.jpg
  • Burney Falls is a beautiful National Natural Landmark on Burney Creek in McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, Shasta County, California, USA. The water comes from underground springs above and at the falls, which plunges 129 feet. The waterfall was named after pioneer settler Samuel Burney who lived nearby in the 1850s. The McArthurs settled nearby in the late 1800s and their descendants saved the waterfall from development, bought the property and gifted it to the state in the 1920s. The park is northeast of Redding, six miles north of Highway 299 on Highway 89 near Burney. The Pacific Crest Trail passes through the park.
    1412CA2-012-2_Burney-Falls.jpg
  • Burney Falls is a beautiful National Natural Landmark on Burney Creek in McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, Shasta County, California, USA. The water comes from underground springs above and at the falls, which plunges 129 feet. The waterfall was named after pioneer settler Samuel Burney who lived nearby in the 1850s. The McArthurs settled nearby in the late 1800s and their descendants saved the waterfall from development, bought the property and gifted it to the state in the 1920s. The park is northeast of Redding, six miles north of Highway 299 on Highway 89 near Burney. The Pacific Crest Trail passes through the park.
    1412CA-012_Burney-Falls.jpg
  • Burney Falls is a beautiful National Natural Landmark on Burney Creek in McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, Shasta County, California, USA. The water comes from underground springs above and at the falls, which plunges 129 feet. The waterfall was named after pioneer settler Samuel Burney who lived nearby in the 1850s. The McArthurs settled nearby in the late 1800s and their descendants saved the waterfall from development, bought the property and gifted it to the state in the 1920s. The park is northeast of Redding, six miles north of Highway 299 on Highway 89 near Burney. The Pacific Crest Trail passes through the park.
    1412CA-013_Burney-Falls.jpg
  • Leafy sea dragon / Phycodurus eques, Monterey Bay Aquarium, California, USA.  Phycodurus eques is a marine fish in the family Syngnathidae, which includes the seahorses. Its long leaf-like protrusions serve as camouflage in its native habitat  along southern and western coasts of Australia. The Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA) was founded in 1984 on the site of a former sardine cannery on Cannery Row along the Pacific Ocean shoreline. Fresh ocean water is circulated continuously from Monterey Bay, filtered for visibility during the day and unfiltered at night to bring in food. Monterey was the capital of Alta California from 1777 to 1846 under both Spain and Mexico. In 1846 the US flag was raised over the Customs House, and California was claimed for the United States.
    1212CA-1262.jpg
  • A Galápagos giant tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra, formerly Geochelone elephantopus) rests in a pool of water at the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS, operated by the Charles Darwin Foundation) in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos islands, Ecuador, South America. This species is the largest living tortoise and is native to seven islands of the Galápagos archipelago. Fully grown adults can weigh over 300 kilograms (661 lb) and measure 1.5 meters (5 feet) over the curve of the shell. They are long-lived with a life expectancy of up to 100-150 years in the wild. Populations fell dramatically because of hunting and the introduction of predators and grazers by humans since the 1600s. Only ten subspecies of the original twelve exist in the wild. Since Galápagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Foundation were established, hundreds of captive-bred juveniles have been released back onto their home islands.
    09ECU-5028_Galapagos.jpg
  • Palette Spring, Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA. Over thousands of years, Mammoth Hot Springs have built white travertine terraces. Algae and bacteria tint the travertine shades of brown, orange, red, and green. Terrace Mountain (including Minerva Terrace) at Mammoth Hot Springs is the largest known carbonate-depositing spring in the world. The Mammoth Hotel and Fort Yellowstone are built upon the old Hotel Terrace formation. Hot water from Norris Geyser Basin within the Yellowstone Caldera travels underground via a fault line through limestone and deposits calcium carbonate at Mammoth Hot Springs, outside of the active supervolcano’s caldera. Yellowstone was the first national park in the world (1872), and UNESCO honored it as a World Heritage site in 1978. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    04WY-0551.jpg
  • Dall sheep (Ovis dalli, or thinhorn sheep) on Tachal Dahl (Sheep Mountain) Ridge, St. Elias Mountains, in Kluane National Park and Reserve, Yukon, Canada. Hike Sheep Creek trail (10-15 km with 500-1200 m gain) for spectacular views of the Slims River Valley and surrounding mountains, plus Kluane Lake seen from Soldier's Summit on Tachal Dahl (Sheep Mountain) Ridge. In a startling case of global warming, over 4 days in spring 2016, the Slims River suddenly disappeared, leaving windswept mud flats creating clouds of dust in the formerly clear air. With its main water supply cut off, Kluane Lake will be isolated within a few years, shrinking below its outflow into the Kluane River (which flows into the Donjek River, White River, Yukon River, and eventually the Bering Sea). Kluane Lake chemistry and fish populations are rapidly changing. For the last 300 years, abundant meltwater from the Kaskawulsh Glacier has been channeled by ice dam to drain via the 150-meter wide Slims River, north into Kluane Lake. Between 1956 and 2007, the Kaskawulsh glacier retreated by 600-700m, which most scientists attribute to anthropogenic climate change. Meltwater flooding from accelerating retreat in 2016 carved a new channel through a large ice field, diverting all flows to the Kaskawulsh River, a tributary of the Alsek, which flows into the Gulf of Alaska. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1906AKH-3064-65-Pano.jpg
  • Wind sweeps clouds of dust over Kluane Lake from Slims River Valley, dried since 2016 glacial meltwater diversion, seen from Tachal Dahl (Sheep Mountain) Ridge, St. Elias Mountains, Yukon, Canada. Hike Sheep Creek trail (10-15 km with 500-1200 m gain or 1700-4000 ft) for spectacular views of the Slims River Valley and surrounding St. Elias Mountains, plus Kluane Lake seen from Soldier's Summit on Tachal Dahl (Sheep Mountain) Ridge. In a startling case of global warming, over 4 days in spring 2016, the Slims River suddenly disappeared, leaving windswept mud flats creating clouds of dust in the formerly clear air. With its main water supply cut off, Kluane Lake will be isolated within a few years, shrinking below its outflow into the Kluane River (which flows into the Donjek River, White River, Yukon River, and eventually the Bering Sea). Kluane Lake chemistry and fish populations are rapidly changing. For the last 300 years, abundant meltwater from the Kaskawulsh Glacier has been channeled by ice dam to drain via the 150-meter wide Slims River, north into Kluane Lake. Between 1956 and 2007, the Kaskawulsh glacier retreated by 600-700m, which most scientists attribute to anthropogenic climate change. Meltwater flooding from accelerating retreat in 2016 carved a new channel through a large ice field, diverting all flows to the Kaskawulsh River, a tributary of the Alsek, which flows into the Gulf of Alaska.
    1906AKH-2990.jpg
  • Miles Canyon Suspension Bridge, near Whitehorse, capital and largest city of the Yukon, Canada. At Miles Canyon and the former Whitehorse Rapids downstream, the Yukon River cuts through 8-million-year-old lava flows, the Miles Canyon Basalts. Salmon pooling above and below the rapids attracted humans who left tools here 2500 years ago, and likely other people arriving 8000-9000 years ago after the retreat of glaciers. These narrow cliffs and rapids also established the upstream terminus for paddle-wheelers during the Klondike Gold Rush, eventually helping establish the City of Whitehorse. Whitehorse was incorporated in 1950 at kilometer 1426 (Historic Mile 918) on the Alaska Highway. The town was named for the former Whitehorse Rapids (now drowned by a hydroelectric dam), whose pale-colored glacially silted waters resemble the mane of a white horse. The Yukon River originates in British Columbia and flows into the Bering Sea in Alaska. The name Yukon comes from a Gwich'in phrase meaning white water river. Although historically called "Yukon Territory", the territory is now officially called "Yukon" (after the federal government's Yukon Act in 2002). This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1906AKH-1053-p1-Pano.jpg
  • Hanging Lake, along East Fork Dead Horse Creek in Glenwood Canyon, White River National Forest, Colorado, USA. From the trailhead 7 miles east of Glenwood Springs along Interstate 70, follow the Glenwood Canyon Bike and Pedestrian Path east then ascend Dead Horse Creek (a tributary of the Colorado River), for 4 miles round trip gaining 1200 feet, including the nice side trip to Spouting Rock falls. Dissolved carbonate minerals color its water turquoise. The fragile shoreline is travertine, created when dissolved limestone from the Mississippian Period Leadville Formation is deposited in layers on rocks and logs. The shallow bed of Hanging Lake formed on a fault line where the valley floor above sheared and dropped.
    1709US1-0078_Hanging-Lake_CO.jpg
  • Upper Falls, in Cataract Falls State Recreation Area –  Indiana's largest-volume waterfall. Mill Creek plunges 20 feet in the set of Upper Falls, and a half a mile downstream the Lower Falls drops 18 feet, for a total drop of 86 feet including intermediate cascades. Autumn foliage colors were brilliant but water volume was low for this photo in mid October 2015. The park's limestone outcroppings formed millions of years ago when the region was covered by a large shallow ocean. Cataract Falls State Recreation Area is an hour southwest of Indianapolis, near Cloverdale, Indiana, USA. This panorama was stitched from 2 overlapping photos.
    1510SE-5255-56pan-Edit_Cataract-Fall...jpg
  • Upper Falls, in Cataract Falls State Recreation Area –  Indiana's largest-volume waterfall. Mill Creek plunges 20 feet in the set of Upper Falls, and a half a mile downstream the Lower Falls drops 18 feet, for a total drop of 86 feet including intermediate cascades. Autumn foliage colors were brilliant but water volume was low for this photo in mid October 2015. The park's limestone outcroppings formed millions of years ago when the region was covered by a large shallow ocean. Cataract Falls State Recreation Area is an hour southwest of Indianapolis, near Cloverdale, Indiana, USA.
    1510SE-5243_Cataract-Falls_Indiana.jpg
  • Autumn foliage colors reflect in Bays Mountain Reservoir. Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium is an attractive nature preserve in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA. Enjoy walking a 2.3-mile loop (and other trails) around the old city reservoir which provided water 1917-1944 and now serves as lake habitat. Bays Mountain Park is the largest city-owned park in Tennessee and was declared a State Natural Area in 1973. As part of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, the ridge of Bays Mountain runs southwest to northeast, from just south of Knoxville to Kingsport, in eastern Tennessee.
    1510SE-1046_Bays-Mountain_Tennessee.jpg
  • A woman in purple coat admires the gorge at Dragon Point, in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, near Montrose, Colorado, USA. Pressurized molten rock was forced into 1.7-billion-year-old metamorphic rock, forming pink pegmatite stripes on Colorado's highest cliffs. With two million years to work, the Gunnison River and weathering have sculpted a vertical wilderness of rock, water, and sky. This panorama was stitched from 6 overlapping photos.
    1503SW-1744-59pan-Edit_The-Painted-W...jpg
  • Burney Falls is a beautiful National Natural Landmark on Burney Creek in McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, Shasta County, California, USA. The water comes from underground springs above and at the falls, which plunges 129 feet. The waterfall was named after pioneer settler Samuel Burney who lived nearby in the 1850s. The McArthurs settled nearby in the late 1800s and their descendants saved the waterfall from development, bought the property and gifted it to the state in the 1920s. The park is northeast of Redding, six miles north of Highway 299 on Highway 89 near Burney. The Pacific Crest Trail passes through the park.
    1412CA2-014-2_Burney-Falls.jpg
  • Hike Lower Calf Creek Falls trail 6 miles round trip (600 feet gain), in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah, USA. The beautiful cascade drops 126 feet (38 meters) from sandstone cliffs stained with fascinating patterns of desert varnish. Directions: From the town of Escalante, drive 15 miles east on Scenic Byway 12 to Calf Creek Recreation Area day-use parking and campground. More about desert varnish: Manganese-rich desert varnish requires thousands of years to coat a rock face that is protected from precipitation and wind erosion. The varnish likely originates from airborne dust and external surface runoff, including: clay minerals, oxides and hydroxides of manganese (Mn) and/or iron (Fe), sand grains, trace elements, and usually organic matter. Streaks of black varnish often occur where water cascades over cliffs, but wind doesn't sculpt its shape. Varnish color varies from shades of brown to black. Manganese-poor, iron-rich varnishes are red to orange, and intermediate concentrations are shaded brown. Manganese-oxidizing microbes may explain the unusually high concentration of manganese in black desert varnish, which can be smooth and shiny where densest.
    1303UT-2186.jpg
  • Monterey Bay Aquarium, California, USA. The Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA) was founded in 1984 on the site of a former sardine cannery on Cannery Row along the Pacific Ocean shoreline. Fresh ocean water is circulated continuously from Monterey Bay, filtered for visibility during the day and unfiltered at night to bring in food. Monterey was the capital of Alta California from 1777 to 1846 under both Spain and Mexico. In 1846 the US flag was raised over the Customs House, and California was claimed for the United States.
    1212CA-1265.jpg
  • The last orange and yellow leaves drop in early November at the unique Natural Tunnel State Park, near Duffield, Virginia, where both a train and a river share the same natural limestone cave, measuring 850 feet (255 meters) long. The railroad has used this tunnel since 1890. Natural Tunnel began forming during the early Pleistocene Epoch and was fully formed by about one million years ago. The Glenita fault line running through the tunnel, combined with moving water and naturally forming carbonic acid may have formed Natural Tunnel through the surrounding limestone and dolomitic bedrock. After the tunnel formed and the regional water table lowered, Stock Creek diverted underground, then later took the path of least resistance through the Natural Tunnel, through Purchase Ridge, flowing south to join the Clinch River. Daniel Boone is believed to have been the first white man to see it. William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925) dubbed it the "Eighth Wonder of the World"; and the tunnel has been a tourist attraction for more than a century. Natural Tunnel State Park was created in 1967, and opened to the public in 1971. For a time, a passenger train line ran through Natural Tunnel, and today, the railroad still carries coal through it to the southeast USA. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    08VA-2041_Natural-Tunnel-SP-Virginia.jpg
  • The pounding Pacific Ocean has eroded bluffs to create Haystack Rock, a 235-foot (72-meter) tall monolith and many other sea stacks, on Cannon Beach, on the Oregon coast, at Ecola State Park. Haystack Rock is part of the Tolovana Beach State Recreation Site and is managed by Oregon Parks and Recreation below the mean high water (MHW) level, and above the MHW level by the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
    08ORC-198.jpg
  • The view from Miles Canyon Suspension Bridge, near Whitehorse, capital and largest city of the Yukon, Canada. At Miles Canyon and the former Whitehorse Rapids downstream, the Yukon River cuts through 8-million-year-old lava flows, the Miles Canyon Basalts. Salmon pooling above and below the rapids attracted humans who left tools here 2500 years ago, and likely other people arriving 8000-9000 years ago after the retreat of glaciers. These narrow cliffs and rapids also established the upstream terminus for paddle-wheelers during the Klondike Gold Rush, eventually helping establish the City of Whitehorse. Whitehorse was incorporated in 1950 at kilometer 1426 (Historic Mile 918) on the Alaska Highway. The town was named for the former Whitehorse Rapids (now drowned by a hydroelectric dam), whose pale-colored glacially silted waters resemble the mane of a white horse. The Yukon River originates in British Columbia and flows into the Bering Sea in Alaska. The name Yukon comes from a Gwich'in phrase meaning white water river. Although historically called "Yukon Territory", the territory is now officially called "Yukon" (after the federal government's Yukon Act in 2002).
    1906AKH-1036.jpg
  • Snow covers the Waputik Range above turquoise Peyto Lake (1860 m or 6100 ft), in the Canadian Rockies, Banff National Park, Alberta. Bill Peyto was an early trail guide and trapper in the Banff area. Suspended rock particles of glacial rock flour create its bright  turquoise colour. Bow Pass (2068 m or 6787 ft) is the highest point on the Icefields Parkway, and a side road leads to a nature trail to Peyto Viewpoint (and higher bus road to wheelchair access). The lake is fed by Peyto Creek, which drains water from Caldron Lake and Peyto Glacier (part of the Wapta Icefield). Peyto Lake is the origin of the Mistaya River, which heads northwest. Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885. Banff is part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site declared by UNESCO in 1984.
    1509CAN-2129_Peyto-Lake_Banff-NP.jpg
  • Enjoy walking a 2.3-mile loop (and other trails) around the old city reservoir which provided water 1917-1944 and now serves as lake habitat, in Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium, an attractive nature preserve in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA. Bays Mountain Park is the largest city-owned park in Tennessee and was declared a State Natural Area in 1973. As part of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, the ridge of Bays Mountain runs southwest to northeast, from just south of Knoxville to Kingsport, in eastern Tennessee. This panorama was stitched from 4 overlapping photos.
    1510SE-1060-63pan_Bays-Mountain_Tenn...jpg
  • Burney Falls is a beautiful National Natural Landmark on Burney Creek in McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, Shasta County, California, USA. The water comes from underground springs above and at the falls, which plunges 129 feet. The waterfall was named after pioneer settler Samuel Burney who lived nearby in the 1850s. The McArthurs settled nearby in the late 1800s and their descendants saved the waterfall from development, bought the property and gifted it to the state in the 1920s. The park is northeast of Redding, six miles north of Highway 299 on Highway 89 near Burney. The Pacific Crest Trail passes through the park. This panorama was stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    1412CA-045-47pan_Burney-Falls.jpg
  • Sunrise. Visit Hopewell Rocks (Flowerpot Rocks) at Hopewell Cape, near Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. Hopewell Rocks have one of most extreme tidal ranges in the world: up to 16 meters (52 feet) vertically. Waves and tides twice per day have eroded the base of the rocks faster than the tops, leaving arches and curiously shaped formations of dark sedimentary conglomerate and sandstone rock. For best photo lighting, go in morning (or spectacular sunrise) during the first low tide of the day, safe for 3 hours before low tide until 3 hours after. Walking the beach is easy until its southern end, where The Ledges, a ridge of slippery limestone, can be clambered over to reach Demoiselle Beach. Bay of Fundy has the highest tidal range in the world, due to a resonance of being just the right length (270 km) matching the gravitational pushing cycle of the Moon that causes the tides. Due to the bay's optimal size, the time it takes a large wave to go from the mouth of the bay to the inner shore and back is practically the same as the time from one high tide to the next. (See the effect of resonance by steadily pushing a long pan of water back and forth: an optimal pushing frequency for a given pan size will build up a high wave of water which sloshes out; but pushing too fast or too slow won't build up the big wave.) Two high tides occur per day, one when the ocean side of the Earth is nearest the Moon, and one on the side most distant from the Moon, about 12 hours and 25 minutes from one high tide to the next. The Bay of Fundy is on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Address: Hopewell Rocks Ocean Tidal Exploration Site (phone 506-734-3429), 131 Discovery Rd, Hopewell Cape, NB E4H 4Z5.  The panorama was stitched from 14 overlapping photos.
    1410CAN-459-72pan_Hopewell_Bay-of-Fu...jpg
  • Visit Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park as a day trip from El Calafate, in southwest Santa Cruz province, Argentina. Easy boardwalks give wide views of Moreno Glacier, an impressive wall of ice 200 feet high and 3 miles (5 km) wide flowing into Lake Argentina. The glacier flows up to 2300 feet thick and originates in the huge Hielo Sur (Southern Icefield) in the southern Andes mountains. For the past 90 years, its advancing has equaled melting (up to 2 meters per day, 700 meters per year), and the terminus has stayed at one location. Flowing ice periodically dams an arm of the lake which rises for a few years then breaks across the nose of the glacier as a crashing river (in March 2004 and 1991). In this 2005 photo, a narrow river flowed across the glacier face which calved large chunks of ice into the water with a loud crash several times per day. The foot of South America is known as Patagonia, a name derived from coastal giants, Patagão or Patagoni, who were reported by Magellan's 1520s voyage circumnavigating the world and were actually Tehuelche native people who averaged 25 cm (or 10 inches) taller than the Spaniards. Panorama stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    05ARG-40086-88pan_Moreno-Glacier.jpg
  • Visit Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park as a day trip from El Calafate, in southwest Santa Cruz province, Argentina. Easy boardwalks give wide views of Moreno Glacier, an impressive wall of ice 200 feet high and 3 miles (5 km) wide flowing into Lake Argentina. The glacier flows up to 2300 feet thick and originates in the huge Hielo Sur (Southern Icefield) in the southern Andes mountains. For the past 90 years, its advancing has equaled melting (up to 2 meters per day, 700 meters per year), and the terminus has stayed at one location. Flowing ice periodically dams an arm of the lake which rises for a few years then breaks across the nose of the glacier as a crashing river (in March 2004 and 1991). In this 2005 photo, a narrow river flowed across the glacier face which calved large chunks of ice into the water with a loud crash several times per day. The foot of South America is known as Patagonia, a name derived from coastal giants, Patagão or Patagoni, who were reported by Magellan's 1520s voyage circumnavigating the world and were actually Tehuelche native people who averaged 25 cm (or 10 inches) taller than the Spaniards.
    05ARG-40064.jpg
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