Ever since the premier of the movie, The Bucket List, folks have been compiling their own lists! I am no different, but being a typical Libra I have many lists. This is my Bucket List for Nature, places of unrivaled beauty that would be a feast for my senses: swimming in pristine waters, gazing upon gargantuan mountain ranges towering above verdant valleys, breathing crisp clean air, standing next to magnificent trees that have stood sentinel for centuries on a forest floor. Nature is astounding in its breadth and I long to see and sample it!
1. The Valley of the Ten Peaks
Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
Canada is a massive country, much of it unspoiled or unpolluted by the commercial and industrial pursuits of mankind. This mountain range, the valley of the ten peaks, hovering over this enchanting lake, I have found alluring ever since I first happened upon a picture of it. I can just imagine the crisp, clean air with a slight chill and the vast pool of shimmering water with hues of blue and turquoise and green!
2. The Sequoias
Sequoia National Park, The Sierra Nevada, California
I have always been fascinated by trees. And the trees in the Sequoia National Park are centuries old and tall beyond imagining. I think it takes almost two dozen people, holding hands, to surround one. Imagine standing in solitude for centuries while the world moves around you, being wrapped in the garments of the seasons.
3. The Great Seas of the World
Often when I watch a movie I pay close attention to the surroundings. In the remake of the Clash of the Titans and the Pirates of the Carribean series, they visit some of the most sterling waters on the planets. The seas of Greece, the Aegean and Ionian, and the Carribean never cease to mesmerize me, bound as they are by stunning cliffs and coastlines.
4. New Zealand
Ever since the Lord of the Rings, I have longed to see this pristine island in the South Pacific with its phenomenal mountain, cradling valleys with clear lakes and springs and fields that go on for miles.
5. Mosi-oa-Tunya (the smoke that thunders) or Victoria Falls
Between Zambia and Zimbabwe, Africa
Sure there is Niagra Falls in my own back yard but I have always dreamed of Victoria Falls. While it is "not the highest or widest, it does claim to be the largest" in the world. I love these falls because of the river that snakes through it. It looks ferocious and unyielding full of danger with its rocks inconveniently jetting out along the river's path. I want to hear the thunder of the falls, smell the mist as it rises up from the river and feel the spray of the falls.
6. Red Wall Canyon Death Valley National Park, California
There is something about rivers that snake through canyons of towering rock that my mind cannot seem to wrap itself around. I have had dreams of places such as this where the two elements, water and earth meet. These were places of such astonishing beauty that I could understand why I would encounter them in a dream, they were unreal! But the pictures of Red Wall Canyon that I have seen come pretty close to those scenes in my dreams.
7. The Grand Canyon
Obviously, a given considering the above. This natural wonder of the world seems to go on forever. I would love to explore it via plane (not sure I could withstand a helicopter), boat and mule to take as much of it in as humanly possible, to get some clue as to its the breadth and scope.
That is my bucket list for nature. I am sure I will see some of them in my life time. They all seem rather similar, of course. I could probably kill several birds with one stone simply by going to New Zealand!
Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
Canada is a massive country, much of it unspoiled or unpolluted by the commercial and industrial pursuits of mankind. This mountain range, the valley of the ten peaks, hovering over this enchanting lake, I have found alluring ever since I first happened upon a picture of it. I can just imagine the crisp, clean air with a slight chill and the vast pool of shimmering water with hues of blue and turquoise and green!
Sequoia National Park, The Sierra Nevada, California
I have always been fascinated by trees. And the trees in the Sequoia National Park are centuries old and tall beyond imagining. I think it takes almost two dozen people, holding hands, to surround one. Imagine standing in solitude for centuries while the world moves around you, being wrapped in the garments of the seasons.
Often when I watch a movie I pay close attention to the surroundings. In the remake of the Clash of the Titans and the Pirates of the Carribean series, they visit some of the most sterling waters on the planets. The seas of Greece, the Aegean and Ionian, and the Carribean never cease to mesmerize me, bound as they are by stunning cliffs and coastlines.
Ever since the Lord of the Rings, I have longed to see this pristine island in the South Pacific with its phenomenal mountain, cradling valleys with clear lakes and springs and fields that go on for miles.
Between Zambia and Zimbabwe, Africa
Sure there is Niagra Falls in my own back yard but I have always dreamed of Victoria Falls. While it is "not the highest or widest, it does claim to be the largest" in the world. I love these falls because of the river that snakes through it. It looks ferocious and unyielding full of danger with its rocks inconveniently jetting out along the river's path. I want to hear the thunder of the falls, smell the mist as it rises up from the river and feel the spray of the falls.
There is something about rivers that snake through canyons of towering rock that my mind cannot seem to wrap itself around. I have had dreams of places such as this where the two elements, water and earth meet. These were places of such astonishing beauty that I could understand why I would encounter them in a dream, they were unreal! But the pictures of Red Wall Canyon that I have seen come pretty close to those scenes in my dreams.
Obviously, a given considering the above. This natural wonder of the world seems to go on forever. I would love to explore it via plane (not sure I could withstand a helicopter), boat and mule to take as much of it in as humanly possible, to get some clue as to its the breadth and scope.
That is my bucket list for nature. I am sure I will see some of them in my life time. They all seem rather similar, of course. I could probably kill several birds with one stone simply by going to New Zealand!
I am going to write my own bucket list! Thank you for inspiring me! lol
ReplyDeleteSho' nuff!
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