Of all the grand sights at Yellowstone National Park, one of my favorite photographs from there has turned out to be this close-up, abstract shot of Black Pool in the West Thumb Geyser Basin. As you can see, the pool is now blue, not black. A temperature change in 1991 killed off the bacteria that gave the pool is darker hue, and now it’s a brilliant azure. This brings out great textures in the water.
Lady Bowen Falls drops more than 500 feet into world-famous Milford Sound on New Zealand’s South Island. It’s one of only two permanent waterfalls in the fjord, though many more falls make an appearance after a good rain.
Despite it’s immense size, as evidenced by the trees in the photo, you can’t see the waterfall without taking a boat (cruise ship or kayak) or plane into the sound.
Wednesday marked the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Wilderness Act, which set aside areas “where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.”
Here are a few resources for learning more about the act and where you can go to explore: