nature
The Science and Nature of Wanderlust, tourism, landmarks for nature buffs and more.
The Story of Yosemite
Yosemite is a beautiful national park based in Sierra Nevada. This wasn’t always the case for Yosemite. Evolution throughout the years have drastically changed what we know see one a trip to the south east. 91 million years ago we could trace a trend of volcanic activity in Yosemite. Composition indicated magma was present, but changed over time. Mineral compositions changed with certain magma deposits.” Hornblende and biotite crystallize at higher temperatures than quartz and feldspar, and so during cooling of a magma, these dark minerals generally crystallize earlier than the light-colored ones. This relation suggests that cooling of the magma started at the margins and progressed inward over time.” (Dallas L. Peck, 1987)
By Shane Cook6 years ago in Wander
I Hate the Snow
When I was little, there was nothing I wanted to see more than snow. Growing up in the suburbs of Melbourne, while there were certainly cool winters and plenty of rain, there was never any snow, and rarely opportunities to travel to places where there was such. Thus until the age of perhaps eight or nine, I had never seen or experienced real snow.
By Amelia Lockhart6 years ago in Wander
London's Kew Gardens
Nestled in Richmond, Kew Gardens is London's horticultural den of tranquility. It is certainly worth the trek to see this South-West London beauty, any time of year! I visited last month, camera in hand, to explore its 75 acres of lush landscape—where it's seemingly Golden Hour all day long.
By James Williams6 years ago in Wander
The Last and Only Eastern Prairie
It is hard sometimes to remember when you live in suburbia, that there are mysterious and haunting nooks and crannies. Hempstead Plains is one such place. It seems impossible, for those of us who were there before the mega stores and shopping centers, that everyone appears to have forgotten the old Long Island. Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic is commemorated by a sign, right in front of Macy's in Roosevelt Field Mall. That sums up our history from the developer's side. Today, we must make a stand to preserve what remains of the only true prairie east of the Appalachians.
By Monica Bennett6 years ago in Wander
Joshua Tree National Park
It was a long drive into the desert. Hungover from the night before and forever in a rush, we hit the freeway with only music and conversation to distract us from the unbearably straight roads to the desert. After a few hours containing only the occasional pit stops to stretch our legs we arrived in the National Park and drove straight towards the cliff that held view of the Coachella Valley and San Andreas fault. In one direction we could see the journey we had just made and the mountain range we had driven though; in the other it was a clear view to the US/Mexico border 96 miles away. So, we just stood there; taking it all in. Every direction you looked you saw something new or notable.
By H.W. Wright6 years ago in Wander
The Blue Layer: Free Diving
In the modern everyday world, silence is rare. Cars, people, phones, and everyday background noise rattle our eardrums every hour, of every day of our lives. To those who are lucky enough to be able to hear (and it is without a doubt a privilege), the world is a constant sympathy of sounds. Constantly changing, intensifying, moulding the way we take in information and engage in every day life. But isn't it nice sometimes to be quiet?
By Smoke & Slate6 years ago in Wander
Best Waterfalls in Washington
Panther Creek Falls I love the location of this waterfall. I saw it in the middle of winter. It was snowing and everything was covered in white as this waterfall trickled down a rock wall high up in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. This waterfall is located near the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge and the whole area is gorgeous!
By Shawntelle Moncy6 years ago in Wander
Stranded—10 Days That Changed Our Lives
There are certain days, where we feel drawn in a certain direction. Maybe it’s fate playing her cards, maybe it’s some other spiritual force, we’ll never know. There will be no reason, no logical explanation, just an inexplicable urge to follow that road. This time, unknown to us, it would be a time we’d never forget. A time we’d learn so much of what it means to struggle. What it means to be stripped bare of everything we’re so falsely told we need in this life, and what it means to blindly and boldly trust, let go and fall into the safety net of Mother Nature.
By Kader Folles6 years ago in Wander