Yeah! :) Those springs show us just how incredible life can be. :) If global warming reaches the point of catastrophic extinctions, it will be from places like these springs where life re-evolves.
I'd like at least a month - maybe a whole year so I could see the various parts in their different seasons. I'd love to hide out it places where I could watch the natural behaviors of the animals.
It would be between Yellowstone and Glacier. I am afraid Yellowstone would be to crowded. After I go to Glacier this coming Spring it will be Yellowstone because will not have been there.
I've been to many of them. I've never been to the most popular ones out west. I grew up spending a lot of time in the Great Smoky Mountains and if I had my choice, right now that is where I would enjoy being. There is nothing like Autumn in the Smokies and Blue Ridge.
It is sooo beautiful there. For me, this is home. No matter where I go this is the vista I carry within my heart. I love the Smokey Mountains. Sadly It's been far too long since I visited those misty elevations. I miss it. There are so many fun things to do near that National park, but truthfully its the inner serenity I feel when I am high atop those rising summits, especially in Autumn, amidst the changing colours of the leaves, breathing in the cool crisp air, that reminds me there is still beauty in this world and we don't always have to go far to find it. The great thing about nature is that it is usually all around. A simple pleasure and yet magnificent. All it takes is opening the door.
The Smokies are really nice. I was last there about 4 years ago, and first there when I was too young to remember it. Only being 4 hours from what I knew as home most all my life, I've been in the area a few times, not just for pleasure. All the beautiful Autumn leaves are spectacular. Although the Appalachians are one of the poorest areas in the nation, the landscape is amazing! Just don't go pissing off any rednecks!
I remember the first time I ever went to The Grand Canyon, I thought I knew what to expect. I had of course seen all the pictures of it that one sees from time to time, I had also studied it in school and naturally had heard all about it from others who had been blessed with the opportunity to visit there. Still, nothing could have truly prepared me for what I saw and experienced as I walked toward the edge of that vast expanse of chasm, I felt an incredible rush of wind sweep thru, and while perched precariously on the edge, I looked out across what seemed like endless miles of breath-taking, awe inspiring beauty. It was a powerful experience that I still feel today. In a supernatural way it whispered to my spirit of God's handiwork, and in a natural way it was a reminder of the wonder of Earth and nature. Now, I just need to add Mt. Rushmore to my list of stops to make on my travels. I would like to see it someday. Very nice pics you posted, Stu Bee.
Stu's picture is the next best thing to being there. I loved going to Rushmore.....you just drive over and have a look. No touristy stuff (that we saw), no traffic, no charges. It was in March when we went but there were like three or four cars of people looking up at the magnificent work.
What a great but insanely tough question! Hmmmmmm. I'm thinking. Can I see them all in a year and then make a decision? Don and I have annual passes. My mom and dad gave them to us for Christmas last year. Unfortunately, we didn't have an opportunity to use them as we would have liked.
There are so many and such little time. I'm lowering my head in self-annoyance and not wanting to admit..... I've yet to see Yosemite. I know. It is pathetic, especially if you knew all the times I shoulda, woulda, coulda, gone. It is on the list of MUSTS to do next year.
Yosemite seems an excellent choice! I'm a little obsessed with the pictures of Horsetail Falls' firefall. I think you should go in late February, when there's a decent chance to see something like this!