Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Angkor Wat





The ruins of the ancient city of Angkor Wat in the forests of Cambodia.

Tikal


The evocative ruins of the Mayan city of Tikal in the forest of Guatemala, shrouded in mist. (These were used in the film Star Wars).

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Chebika Oasis







Chebika Oasis, Tunisia

Another Roger Dean kind of place.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Seoraksan




Seoraksan, South Korea

This image in particular is very evocative. I can't help but imagine dragons nesting in these peaks....

Hall's Bay Arch Waterfall




Hall's Bay Arch Waterfall, Utah

(Yeah, ok, so I like waterfalls with arches over them. :-)

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Richat Structure



The Richat Structure in the Sahara Desert of Mauritania is a nearly circular formation almost 50 kilometers in diameter (30 miles). It was once thought to be an impact crater, but is now thought by some to have been caused by uplifted rock sculpted by erosion. For those who care, it lies pretty close to 19.5 degrees latitude. Nevertheless, the Richat Structure remains a mystery.

Val Verzasca






    Val Verzasca, Switzerland

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Ófærufoss

Ófærufoss is a waterfall situated in the Eldgjá chasm in central Iceland. Until 1993 a natural bridge spanned the top of the falls, but it collapsed after a violent storm.


Bandiagara - Land of the Dogon





Bandiagara, in Mali, is the home of the Dogon. The escarpment has its own waterfall, cliff dwellings, and meandering paths into the oasis-like valleys. It's hard to imagine a place that combines more beautiful features in one scene than Bandiagara.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Kumano Kodu






The Kumano Kodu is an ancient footpath between shrines in Japan that wanders through beautiful forests and mountains, and was paved with stones and logs to keep the rain from washing away the trail.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Goðafoss



A waterfall in Iceland that pours around and between two massive rock outcrops.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Malis al Jinn





Even though Malis al Jinn (in Oman) is only a name given to this cave by westerners, by any other name it is still impressive. It is not the largest cave room in the world, but it's close, and it's certainly the largest one that you can actually get a well-lighted view of.

In some of these pictures you can see people and/or the tiny glow from their headlamps.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Tushuk Tash a.k.a. Shipton's Arch

Tushuk Tash (天洞), a.k.a. Shipton's Arch, China, the tallest natural arch in the world at 1200 feet.

Discovered in 1947 by famed british explorer Eric Shipton, then dropped from the Guinness Book of World Records because it's existence could not be verified. Rediscovered in May 2000 by National Geographic.