The Hamilton Pool Nature Preserve in Texas Oct 3, 2011 Located approximately 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Austin, Texas, the Hamilton Pool Preserve is a historic swimming hole which was designated a preserve by the Travis County Commissioner’s Court in 1990. Located 3/4 mile upstream from its confluence with the Pedernales River, Hamilton Creek spills out over limestone outcroppings to create a 50 foot waterfall as it plunges into the head of a steep box canyon. The waterfall never completely dries up, but in dry times it does slow to a trickle. The preserve is home to the Golden-Cheeked Warbler, and a great variety of other birds. A unique natural area surrounds this pool, collapsed grotto and canyon, formed by thousands of years of water erosion.
Beautiful Planet - Oh I so want to go to the ISS! Indian Ocean Maldives “The sunny side of life” is a catchphrase used to attract tourists to the Maldive Islands. Well it certainly looks heavenly from the ISS. Time to order a large drink, you know, one with a lot of fruit and a little umbrella, then stretch out on a hammock and just enjoy life, watching what I can only imagine a marvelous sunset. I for one am very pleased that the astronauts on the ISS (heroes in my humble opinion) keep sharing images of our beautiful planet with the rest of us. The real kick is, we’ve seen images like this before, created in special effect studios in Hollywood. [34 pictures] Hint: Use “J” and “K” keys to navigate from picture to picture. Pacific Ocean Hawaii Aloha! Aurora Australis, New Zealand I do not think I have ever seen the Aurora from inside the Aurora itself. East coast of Spain at Night Looking southward on to the east coast of Spain, at night, with the Balearic sea as a dark cloak. Image credit: NASA/ESA Image: NASA/ESA Image Credit: NASA/ESA
20 Must-See Places Before The World Ends Marvel at the Magnificent Marble Caves [35 PICS] Can you imagine something happening that would endanger these exquisite azure caverns? It might if Chile continues with plans to build five hydro-power dams in Patagonia. Photo #7 by © Jorge Leon Cabello The water has eroded the marble to create cavities and marble caves. Amazing geological formations on Chilean side of Lake Carrera. It would be a real shame if the hydro-power dams damage the lake and the marble caves on top of the surrounding natural habitats for wildlife. View of the lake and where to find the marble caverns in the Aysen region of Chile.
50 Images from National Geographic`s 2010 Photo Contest | Top Design... Writen by Bogdan / Comments Off on 50 Images from National Geographic`s 2010 Photo Contest This is one of the most anticipated annual photo contests. The deadline for the submissions is on November 30th so if you have an interesting photo, submit it. Below you can see 50 images collected from different categories. An Indian wrestler smears mud on his head before starting wrestling in Kolkata, India, March 30, 2010. A supercell thunderstorm rolls across the Montana prairie at sunset. Freediver waiting over 800 ft of water for something substantial to come up from the depths. The Great Pyramids. The Music Of Love. Liquid Planet. Brown bear, Buskin River, Kodiak Alaska. Fleet week 2010, standing on Alcatraz island as the Blue angels fly over head. A Wrinkle in Time. This picture was taken in Suradita Village, West Java, Indonesia (2010). Cosmic. The child in us. Cloud and ship. After the Crash. Giraffes at Savannah. A worker in a Bangladesh market taking a much deserved smoke break. Oasis.
The Mind-Blowing Mount Roraima - All That Is Interesting - StumbleUpon Mount Roraima is the highest of the Pakaraima mountain chain in South America and one of the world’s most extraordinary natural geological formations. The 31 square kilometer summit area of Mount Roraima is defined by 400 meter tall cliffs on all sides and includes the borders of Brazil, Venezuela, and Guyana. The tabletop mountains of the Pakaraima’s are considered some of the oldest geological formations on Earth, dating back to over two billion years ago. The result is the staggering landscape of Mount Rariama which we tour below in photographs and video:
The 40 Most Spectacular and Mindblowing Photos of Nature A lifetime is not enough to see what nature has to offer and all its beauties, along with its weirdness at times. There’s always something new happening in the world that people can hardly explain and sometimes mysteries are never solved. Pxleyes presents a stunning showcase of 40 images dedicated to the spectacular nature events from all over the world: a show of natural lights and colors, impressive rocky mountains and structures, tons of beautiful blue eyes and many other interesting elements, some almost unheard of. All images show only NATURAL elements, non altered by human hand or post editing software! It is all genuine and happening somewhere in the world. This might help in picking the next vacation destination The Great Blue Hole – Belize Yellowstone Northern Outburst Wall of Light Cappuccino Coast – Pacific When Light Meets Ice Light Pillars, Jackson WY Light Pillars – from a distance Cave of Crystals, Mexico Pink and White Terraces Ice Circle – River Otter Terraced Rice Field, China
Bucks-climbers Spending their lives in the mountains climbing, mountain goats reach this incredible virtuosity, excelling in this mastery of many other animals that seem more suited for this purpose. A herd of alpine goats, or IBEX At the 50-foot near-vertical dam Cingino in the Italian Alps. Horned climbers attracted here because of the salt, which they lick from the stones. IBEX live at high altitudes, up to 4600 m, thus escaping from predators. Collection of Beautiful Lakes A lake is the landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth’s eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature. Who doesn’t believe that God has created images of Paradise here in this world? I believe, if one wishes to get the glimpse of the heavenly glory, then they better start discovering the world and they shall see for themselves. There exist such charismatic views, so blissfully divine a look they give. Only seeing is to believe. If you have a passion to discover some of the most breathtaking places of the world, then following are some of the most beautiful ‘lakes’, simply beyond belief –. Lake Tahoe, USA Light of hope by Ayie Permata Sari Beautiful lake somewhere in Norway Above Sammamish by Sparth Lake Peyto by Gregory Boratyn Ashi Lake, Japan by Ricardo Bevilaqua Holy Sunset – Ohrid Macedonia Granite Reflections by David Richter Situ Gunung Lake by ismyday The tale of the Sampaloc Lake by Niko Lazo Tranquil lake by AtomicZen Obersee by Béla Török
Still Looking For Paradise? Maldives - justpaste.it Double chain of twenty-six atolls… The Republic of Maldives, or simply the Maldives, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean. It consists of approximately 1,190 coral islands grouped in a double chain of 26 atolls, along the north-south direction, spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometers, making this one of the most disparate countries in the world. The atolls are composed of live coral reefs and sand bars, situated atop a submarine ridge 960 kilometers long that rises abruptly from the depths of the Indian Ocean and runs from north to south. Crystal clear waters, beautiful white sand beaches, swaying palm trees and fabulous dive sites – that’s why the Maldives, is known for being one of the best tropical holiday destinations in the world. ...and no need to climb ;) With an average ground level of 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level, it is the lowest country on the planet. Summer never ends ... Crystal clear waters and azure blue lagoons... Resorts in the Maldives
High Speed Liquid and Bubble Photographs by Heinz Maier It never ceases to amaze me: just when I think I’ve seen every possible permutation of an artform or technique—be it figurative sculpture, stop motion animation, or in this case, high speed photography—somebody comes along and manages to do something radically different. German photographer Heinz Maier says that he began taking photographs less than a year ago in late 2010. He claims to not know what direction he’s heading in just yet, right now he’s experimenting with macro photography, mostly insects, animals, and these delicate high speed water droplets. Personally, I think he’s found a great direction. There are so many things happening here to make these photographs simply outstanding: the lighting, the colors, the occasional use of symmetry in the reflection of water, let alone the skill of knowing how to use the camera itself. It’s hard to believe these aren’t digital.
The Buried Life | What Do You Want To Do Before You Die? Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia The stunning Plitvice Lakes National Park lies in the Lika region of Croatia. The park is surrounded by the mountains Plješevica, Mala Kapela, and Medveđak, which are part of the Dinaric Alps. The 16 blue-green Plitvice Lakes, which are separated by natural dams of travertine, are situated on the Plitvice plateau. Waterfalls connect the lakes, and the tallest waterfall is Veliki Slap at 70 meters (230 feet) tall.