1116 Search Results for "national parks"

• brendadbla

  • Points:952
  • Views: 10
  • Since: 1 day ago

• On the way to Torres del Paine

  • From: rsundeen
  • Description:

    This photo was taken on the hghway between Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine National Park, Argentina. Our van had broken down and while we waited to be picked up I started taking photos of the expansive landscape.

  • 4 days ago
  • Views: 20
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• Woodrow Wilson Bridge from Nat

  • From: rooneycat
  • Description:
  • 6 days ago
  • Views: 29
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• Sunset At National Harbor

  • From: rooneycat
  • Description:

    Sunsetting on the Potomac at National Harbor.

  • 6 days ago
  • Views: 34
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• Sunset

  • From: rooneycat
  • Description:

    Sunset at National Harbor

  • 6 days ago
  • Views: 34
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• Casa Grande Big Bend

  • From: Linda Brannen
  • Description:

    Casa Grand in the Chisos Basin in Big Bend National Park.

  • 6 days ago
  • Views: 28
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• Our Budget Travel Trip to Irel

  • From: CliffK
  • Description:

     

    

    Tuesday it was time to say farewell to Kinsale and head west, to the fabled Ring of Kerry. Again, we had plans for spending the next two nights in one place: Kilarney. With an early-enough start, we were able to drive much of the Ring on Tuesday, traveling clockwise so as to avoid following the tour buses. Here it is time to point out that driving in Ireland is not for the faint of heart. The roads are very narrow, one lane in each direction hemmed in on either side by a stone fence or a hedge, yet marked as 100 km/h (about 60 mph). Often you have buses or trucks coming at you from the other direction that are wider than their lanes. I realized that this is why all the buses go the same direction around the Ring of Kerry (clockwise): otherwise, they would never be able to pass one another. Then there are driveways, and people come to a complete stop to turn left into a driveway and there is no way to go around them. I'm sure it does not help that so many of the other drivers are Americans, just as inexperienced as I am in driving on the left side of the road. There is no theme park ride as terrifying as taking one of those blind curves quickly and having a vehicle suddenly materialize, coming at you from the other direction, seemingly on the wrong side of the road. "EEEEP!" was a frequent exclamation on this trip. Anyway, the beautiful views of the fields and cliffs and sea were just incomparable, with yet another beautiful scene just around the next bend. Stopping for ocean vistas and to explore ring forts and castle ruins quickly filled the day, and it was after dark when we rolled into Killarney and checked into our hotel. A short walk brought us to the Danny Mann pub, just in time to get a great table for dinner and a live music performance by The Irish Weavers, a traditional Irish folk music group that puts on a very entertaining show.

     

    

    
    
    

    Wednesday we woke to beautiful blue skies and sunshine. This was our day to explore the Dingle Peninsula. We were scheduled to meet Tim Collins, who runs Sciuird Archaeological Tours, at 10:30 in Dingle. Thankfully we got an early start, as we were hardly out of Killarney when we ran into a road construction detour. Or at least a roadblock indicating that our chosen route was closed. We ended up driving here, there and everywhere on backroads trying to find our way back to the main highway, but eventually we made it with all of about three minutes to spare. Tim drives a sixteen-passenger van, so the group is small and flexible, and he gives a very informative and enjoyable tour, with time to get out and explore the sights and even stop for tea along the way. The sights on the Dingle Peninsula are every bit as beautiful as on the ring of Kerry, and it was great to be able to enjoy them with local commentary. We joined one of the other couples on the tour for lunch afterwards in Dingle and swapped travel stories. On the way back to Killarney, we had to stop at the Inch Strand, a beautiful and inviting stretch of beach that seemingly goes forever. It was the middle of October, but I rolled up my pants and waded into the surf and shared the scene with a sparse group of people playing on the beach and surfing the waves. The water was warm enough that I would have gone all the way in had it not been for the fact that I would still have an hour to drive in wet pants.

    Thursday was to be our last full day in Ireland. I woke up early enough to go for a run in Killarney National Park, part of which was just across the steet from our hotel. After breakfast we headed first on the road towards Kenmare, so we could stop and take the tour at Muckross House. Muckross is surrounded by beautiful gardens, and the tour and history of the house are very intersting. Stops at Torc Waterfall and Ross Castle allowed for more photo opportunities, and then it was time to head back towards Shannon.

     

     

     

    

    Along the way, we stopped in Adare to do a little exploring and enjoy another pub dinner. Adare is a quaint town with several picturesque thatched-roof buildings. We enjoyed a delicious Shepherd's Pie and a pint of Guinness, and then it was time to head towards the airport. Our final night was basic lodging at the Park Inn across from the Shannon airport terminal, which made our final departure much less hectic than other trips I've experienced.

    We are left with many wonderful memories of this trip, and are already wondering how quickly we can go again. Delicious food, beautiful sights, fun music, informative tours, friendly people, and learning about the history of this unique place. But one of the best experiences was also one of the simplest, as we got to listen in on two locals in a country store as they introduced themselves to each other. I just wish I had had a tape recorder with me, as these two women, formerly strangers, discussed the quality of products in the shop in language that was polite, respectful, and so musical in its quality that it could have been a song.

     

     

  • Blog post
  • 1 week ago
  • Views: 25

• Our Budget Travel Trip to Irel

  • From: CliffK
  • Description:

     

    

    This trip actually began last June, when I was notified by email that I had won the Budget Travel Photo Contest with a photo I had taken in Costa Rica. My wife didn't even know I had submitted an entry, and she was in a meeting all afternoon, so I could not call her. We were meeting friends for dinner and had all of five minutes in the car together for me to inform her, "Um, honey, I have some news for you..." She screamed and quickly responded, "Well, I guess we know how we're going to use our furlough days this year!"

    After doing our research, we settled on a region (southwest Ireland) and a time frame (October, after the high season but before it gets too cold). I worked with Una at Sceptre Tours to iron out the details, and before we knew it we were on our way.

    We flew directly into Shannon, arriving at 7:00 a.m. on a Friday morning with a full day ahead of us. A friend had told us how beautiful it was to fly into Shannon where you could see all the green as you were landing. Well, at 7:00 a.m. on an October morning, the sun had yet to rise and it was still pitch black. Not to mind, we got our rental car and hit the ground running (that is, with a little adjustment for getting used to driving on the left side of the road). First stop: Galway. Although it was raining, we weren't going to let a little rain deter us from having fun. After stopping at the TI, we walked through Eyre Square (aka John F. Kennedy Park) and explored the old town center. We stepped inside the Collegiate Church of St. Nicholas, where I was impressed with the testament to the Widow Jane Eyre's generosity, commemorated on a plaque. We then walked, struggling to keep our umbrellas open against the wind and the rain, to the much more modern Galway Cathedral. This is a cathedral you want to visit during the day so you can better see and appreciate a more modern approach to stained glass artwork. Keep an eye out for the Irish Holy Family, where Mary is knitting and Jesus is offering tea to Joseph. Also look for the mosaic (hidden the day we were there behind a curtain, but that did not stop us) of John F. Kennedy.  Needing some lunch, we found our way to Busker Brownes, where my wife had Aubergine and Sweet Potato Gratin and I had delicious Irish Seafood Chowder, accompanied by tasty brown soda bread. We did not want to sit too long and let our jet lag overcome us, so we got back to our car and pushed on, driving northwest toward Letterfrack and the Kylemore Abbey. One of the best ways to combat jet lag is to spend time outdoors, and so our first activity at Kylemore was to tour the walled garden. Still nice in October, this must be even more beautiful in the middle of summer. The Abbey itself is lovely, though only a few rooms are open to tour. Also on the grounds is a small Neo-Gothic church, which is also worth a visit. Finishing at the Abbey, we still had a relatively short drive to Clifden and our first night accommodations at the Abbeyglen Castle Hotel. We checked in, dropped our bags in our room, and then walked about a mile into town to find a light supper. Back at the hotel, we headed downstairs to a common room where we thought we could sit by a fire and write in our journals. Ha! The combination of the warmth of the fire and the full day of touring, on top of our jet lag, and we were both dozing after writing only a sentence or two. However, it was also very effective: we got to bed early, got a full night's sleep, and when we woke up in the morning, we were both effectively over our jet lag.

    Saturday morning we woke up to the first of our full Irish breakfasts: a lavish buffet spread of cereals, yogurt, fresh fruit, rolls, eggs, bacon, sausage, and the traditional Irish accompaniments of grilled tomatoes and black and white pudding. Although we had another full day ahead of us, we decided we did not have to be held hostage to our agenda and allowed ourselves to backtrack a bit, driving back towards Letterfrack and the Connemara National Park. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day to hike, so we took the trail to the top of Diamond Hill. This wasn't the Ireland I was expecting: instead of the lush greens one hears about, this area was still beautiful but much more in shades of brown. Partly this was due to the season, but also the geography, as the terrain is very wet and boggy. We made it to the top of the hill, and were rewarded with wonderful views both of the harbor and of Kylemore Abbey from above. Once back in the car, already past noon, we headed out towards our next destination: back past Galway and on to the Burren. The Burren is a region of massive outcroppings of rock that have been scoured by glaciers, rich in archaeological sites, the most famous of which is the Poulnabrone Dolmen. One look at this landscape and it is no wonder why there are so many stone fences and stone buildings in this country. It was getting late, and we had one more goal for this day: to get to the Cliffs of Moher. I had hoped we'd have a beautiful sunset looking out over the Atlantic from the cliffs, but although the sunset itself was obscured by fog, it was still light when we arrived and we enjoyed the day dwindling away to twilight while there. After another full day, we recognized the wisdom of our chioce to go in October: pleasant weather for hiking and no crowds to contend with. Saturday was the night of our castle stay, so we drove (now in the dark) back to Dromoland. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that they had upgraded us from a standard to a deluxe room. This is not your drafty medieval castle: the room was quite spacious and luxurious. Sunday morning I went for a run on the castle grounds, through a wooded area where I came upon (and frightened) many pheasant.

    Friday and Saturday were both extremely full days, but this was our first time in Ireland and we wanted to see everything. Recognizing the need to slow down a bit, we had planned to spend two nights at our next stop: Kinsale. Driving south past Cork on Sunday we got our first taste of the beautiful green countryside that Ireland is so famous for. As the sun breaks through the clouds, the lush green fields just pop out at you. Kinsale very much has a small-town feel, located on a beautiful, well-protected harbor, rich in history. It is one of Ireland's "Tidy Towns," a competition first launched by Bord Failte in an effort to improve the appearance of towns and villages throughout the country for the main tourist season. In addition to just wandering the streets and exploring the shops and restaurants, we took the "Historic Stroll in Old Kinsale." Our guide, Barry, was a wealth of information about the history of Kinsale, from the occupation by the Spanish Armada to thenearby sinking of the Lusitania, including stories as well of the real Robinson Crusoe. Fun side trips included Charles Fort across the harbor and the Cobh Heritage Center, about a 45-minute drive. Our mainstay through most of Ireland was basic pub food, which we enjoyed, but in Kinsale ("the Gourmet Capital of Ireland"), we had to try a nicer restaurant. We couldn't have been happier than with a visit to Jim Edwards, where we had a delicious meal of grilled salmon.

     

     

  • Blog post
  • 1 week ago
  • Views: 27

• Crystallinity

  • From: horbinsr
  • Description:
    I shot this mineral laden runoff stream at the Lower Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park.
    

    
    The bright patterns were created by the sun casting light reflections on the stream bottom. The blue is the reflection of the sky on the waters surface.
    
    To capture all that was happening with the light and water, I had to lay on my stomach and hold my camera just inches above the stream, using several special filters to control the reflections in it's surface.
    
    Note all the small plants (algae) that grow in this acidic water.

  • 1 week ago
  • Views: 21

• World's largest spring-fed

  • From: Linda Brannen
  • Description:

    Balmorhea State Park, Texas, spring fed swimming pool.

  • 1 week ago
  • Views: 36

• Mule Ear Peaks

  • From: Linda Brannen
  • Description:

    Muel Ear Peaks are in Big Bend Texas

  • 1 week ago
  • Views: 24
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• Fort Ruins

  • From: Linda Brannen
  • Description:

    Old Indian Fort Davis, in Fort Davis, Texas. 

  • 1 week ago
  • Views: 23

• Torc Waterfall

  • From: CliffK
  • Description:

    Torc Waterfall in Killarney National Park

  • 1 week ago
  • Views: 31

• Muckross House Gardens

  • From: CliffK
  • Description:

    Muckross House Gardens in Killarney National Park

  • 1 week ago
  • Views: 17
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• Muckross House

  • From: CliffK
  • Description:

    Muckross House in Killarney National Park

  • 1 week ago
  • Views: 16
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• Diamond Hill Hike

  • From: CliffK
  • Description:

    Looking back on the hike to the top of Diamond Hill in Connemara National Park.  

  • 1 week ago
  • Views: 8
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• Diamond Hill

  • From: CliffK
  • Description:

    Atop Diamond Hill in Connemara National Park

  • 1 week ago
  • Views: 9
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• Yosemite Valley

  • From: Travellermama
  • Description:

    View from Glacier Point of Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park

  • 1 week ago
  • Views: 14
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• Double Arch in Arches National

  • From: Travellermama
  • Description:
  • 1 week ago
  • Views: 18

• View from Greenwich Park

  • From: joibart
  • Description:

    View of National Maritime Musuem from Greenwich Park (near the Royal Observatory and the Prime Meridian).

  • 1 week ago
  • Views: 26
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