nature
The Science and Nature of Wanderlust, tourism, landmarks for nature buffs and more.
All Aboard the Empire Builder
My favorite place has no address. It greets you at the base of the escalator at 11:53 on a Saturday evening and can only be experienced in the liminal landscapes that stretch between its stations - first the city lights that bleed into farmland before hardening into wilder plains, and finally, the climb.
By E. B. Rowland20 days ago in Wander
Downeast. Runner-Up in Twenty-Four Hours Challenge.
For as long as I can remember, my family has gone up to Branch Lake in Ellsworth, Maine for some amount of the summer. My grandparents owned a camp there and my mother spent much of her childhood there. My family rented a camp for a period of time each summer before purchasing our own.
By Raistlin Allen20 days ago in Wander
Small Town Guide Ferndale California
Hidden in a River Valley It’s easy for travelers on Highway 101 to pass by Ferndale, California. Five miles west of the fabled highway, the town is situated between heavily forest hills to the south; farmlands and the marshy mouth of Eel River to the north; and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The town center is nearly tucked away in the small river valley and can be barely seen from the heavily used highway
By Dean Traylor20 days ago in Wander
Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Honorable Mention in Twenty-Four Hours Challenge.
Twenty Four Hours - The Prompt: What's the perfect way to spend twenty-four hours somewhere you know well? Take us along. Every place has its hidden favorites. The coffee shop with the perfect morning order, the view worth staying for until sunset, or the shortcut that somehow makes every trip better. For this challenge, take us through the perfect twenty-four hours in a place you know well. It could be your hometown, the city you live in now, or somewhere you return to again and again. Show us what makes this day special by taking us from one stop to the next. Share the moments, places, and little details that make this experience feel like it could only happen there.
By Denise E Lindquist20 days ago in Wander
My Day, My Way. Runner-Up in Twenty-Four Hours Challenge.
Want to spend a day with me? Let’s see what my perfect twenty-four hours look like. I’m retired, so I’ll stay in bed until I feel like getting up. When I wake up, I will doze for a bit before waking again. Then I’ll lie there a while, letting random thoughts float through my mind. After reciting what day it is, I'll decide the order of my perfect day. I won’t make myself get up early and get busy. I will move slowly and deliberately, breathing deeply. When I get out of bed, I must first push up the blackout shades; then the glorious morning greets me through the window.
By Andrea Corwin 22 days ago in Wander
Desert Ride
Heat radiates from the ground as the landscape stretches for miles. The sun beats down like a beast on all its inhabitants. Yet when the rain falls, the landscape blooms in color and offers a needed break from the sun. The beauty of that place would remain if I had my perfect day. The perfect day would be to visit the Grand Canyon. Exploring the area was enjoyable until the last accident. The day was almost 2021, but it was cut short by a car accident, and in the longer story, my story, It Was The Perfect Day. The desert is a beautiful place with abundant life, but it can also be quite dangerous. The perfect day would start by catching a train that goes by the Grand Canyon. The scenic ride would be like that of old, when the cowboys and Indians once roamed. The desolate landscape would be a different world from my trees and springs. The sight of so much life surviving with the least amount of water. As the train ride would chug on at the perfect speed, the time for pictures would come, with the plateaus and cactus as the focus. As the canyon comes into view, it would be breathtaking and well worth the early morning. The colors would reflect the giant hole in which the Colorado River flows. The place is huge.
By Sarah Danaher22 days ago in Wander
Twenty-Four Hours in Brocas-les-Forges
The perfect twenty-four hours in Brocas-les-Forges would begin before the village properly wakes. Not because there is something spectacular to see at six in the morning, but because this is exactly the kind of place where the ordinary becomes clearer when almost nobody else is moving.
By Alain SUPPINI23 days ago in Wander
Someplace Else. Honorable Mention in Twenty-Four Hours Challenge.
Our 24 Hours begins the night before- We arrive late, the sun has set, the dog is panting, he knows the winding road and what it leads to- tires crunching on the rocky drive-way, and two hearts in the warm-lit window of the A frame at the base of the lake. They smile and wave and they come to meet us.
By Amber Grace24 days ago in Wander
The Magic of San Carlos. Runner-Up in Twenty-Four Hours Challenge.
The perfect stay in San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico, starts with oceanside accommodations. I recommend The Hotel Fiesta Real, as shown above. The rooms aren't luxurious but look at the view! It's quiet, affordable, and conveniently located, and you won't be spending much time in your room anyway. One nice thing about San Carlos is that they cater to Americans, so most often, you will find someone who speaks English, at least to some extent.
By Julie Lacksonen25 days ago in Wander
A Day in...Hamilton?. Honorable Mention in Twenty-Four Hours Challenge.
You don’t go to Hamilton; you end up there. I looked over the notes for this Challenge, and I realized that I would have to choose a place that I know too well. Tokyo was a temptation, as was the East End of London, Queens, New York, and a place called Ontario, California (strange to know that there is another Ontario out there). But no, I had to pick something close to me; a place that I cannot escape from.
By Kendall Defoe about a month ago in Wander
