Tagged: desert

Dazzling Dunes and Lagoons in the Desert: Bizarre Beauty in Brazil [29 PICS]

June 7th, 2014 Permalink

In Brazil, there is an very unusual national park in the desert. While you might expect to see rolling white sand dunes, you would not expect to see the area dotted with lagoons created by rainwater. Here’s a look at those dunes and lagoons in Lençóis Maranhenses National Park. [29 Photos]

Lençois Maranhenses, the Paradise of the dunes

Lençois Maranhenses is called a desert, but it’s not really. Instead paradise lagoons are hidden among the rolling white dunes. Photo #1 by LCjournal

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Adventure Lovers’ Paradise: Arches National Park [47 PICS]

January 28th, 2012 Permalink

Arches National Park is a gorgeous 76,679 acre landscape which preserves over 2,000 natural sandstone arches. The park is located in eastern Utah, right outside Moab which is an outdoor adventure lovers’ paradise. The park is in the high desert where the forces of nature like erosion have exposed millions of years of geologic history, diverse colors and textures of arches and very unusual rock formations. 43 arches have collapsed since 1970, yet still the beauty of nature here will leave you in awe. Arches National Park is an outdoor adventure lovers’ paradise with many activities such as backpacking, biking, camping, canyoneering, commercial tours, hiking, rock climbing and plenty to keep a photographer busy. According to the National Park Service, “To many, the most outstanding natural features of Arches are the park’s geologic formations. Over 2,000 catalogued arches range in size from a three-foot opening (the minimum considered to be an arch), to Landscape Arch which measures 306 feet from base to base. Towering spires, fins and balanced rocks complement the arches, creating a remarkable assortment of landforms in a relatively small area.” [47 Photos]

Arches National Park, Utah, Delicate Arch -- The iconography of time

Delicate Arch at Arches National Park ‘The iconography of time’ is the title given to this amazing long exposure capture. The photographer said, “Billions of years ago some of those stars sent their light on a journey to delicate arch long before its grains of sand had even settled to the bottom of a vast ocean. This complex intermingling of time and space and light fills me with much awe, wonder and inspiration. I live for these moments.” Photo #1 by Jason Corneveaux

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Lonely Yet Beautiful Death Valley Landscapes (40 PICS)

June 2nd, 2011 Permalink

Death Valley is a desert valley in California and Nevada, within the Mojave Desert which makes it one of the lowest, driest, and hottest locations in North America. Most of Death Valley National Park is located southeast of the Sierra Nevada range in the Great Basin and the Mojave Desert. All of these photos are of lonely yet exquisitely beautiful Death Valley and Death Valley National Park landscapes. [40 Photos]

Quarter Moon - A night time HDR of an outhouse at the Shoshone Mines - Death Valley

On the eastern edge of Death Valley sits the ghost town of Rhyolite in Nevada. This where the abandoned the Shoshone Mines can be found. The photographer noted, “Quarter Moon – A night time HDR of an outhouse at the Shoshone Mines.” Photo #1 by Hunter Luisi

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Magnificent Monument Valley – 46 Fantastic Photos – Navajo Nation Part 2

May 15th, 2011 Permalink

Magnificent Monument Valley is one of the most iconic and enduring landmarks of the American “Wild West.” Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park has isolated red mesas, buttes and a sprawling, sandy desert that has been photographed and filmed countless times. Crimson mesas and surreal sandstone towers rise hundreds of feet into the air, some as tall as 1,000 feet. The dramatic natural and rich red hues dominate the entire region that spans the border between Arizona and Utah. Both the beauty and the sheer size of the valley provide majestic scenery that overwhelms the senses as the play of sunlight and shadows holds a person spellbound. Monument Valley is not as much a valley as a wide flat plateau, interrupted by crumbling formations that are the last remnants of the sandstone layers that once covered the entire region. This is part two in an ongoing tribute to the Navajo Nation. (Canyon de Chelly National Monument was part one). We love these pics! [46 Fantastic Photos]

The Navajo name for the valley is Tsé Bii' Ndzisgaii (Valley of the Rocks). Monument Valley Power

The Navajo name for the valley isTsé Bii’ Ndzisgaii (Valley of the Rocks). The photographer called this shot of Monument Valley “Power”. Photo #1 by Wolfgang Staudt

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Wadi Rum: Spectacular Scenic Desert Valley of Lawrence of Arabia (41 Pics)

May 5th, 2011 Permalink

When people visit Petra – the rose red city half as old as time – they often trek through the stunning desert of Wadi Rum. This spectacularly scenic desert valley in the Kingdom of Jordan is where Lawrence of Arabia was filmed. Other movies shot here were Red Planet and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Some of the beautiful highlights in Wadi Rum include Red Sand Dunes, the Seven Pillars of Wisdom, and huge mountains. People say the best way to see Wadi Rum is by riding a camel or by way of hiring a four-wheel drive. While there are Lawrence of Arabia historical areas, experiencing nature is the biggest attraction of Wadi Rum. People come to camp under the stars, to ride Arab horses, to hike and for rock-climbing on the massive rock formations. We love these pics! [41 Pictures]

Jordan - Wadi Rum - Seven Pillars of Wisdom

Jordan – Wadi Rum – Seven Pillars of Wisdom. The photographer wrote, “Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph is the autobiographical account of the experiences of British soldier T. E. Lawrence while serving as a liaison officer with rebel forces during the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Turks of 1916 to 1918.”
“The title comes from the Book of Proverbs, 9:1: ‘Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars’ (KJV). Prior to the First World War, Lawrence had begun work on a scholarly book about seven great cities of the Middle East, to be titled Seven Pillars of Wisdom. When war broke out, it was still incomplete and Lawrence stated that he ultimately destroyed the manuscript. Later, during the Arab Revolt of 1917–18, Lawrence based his operations in Wadi Rum (now a part of Jordan), and one of the more impressive rock formations in the area was named by Lawrence “The Seven Pillars of Wisdom”. In the end, Lawrence decided to use this evocative title for the memoirs he penned in the aftermath.” Photo #1 by Salim Al-Harthy

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Devoured By The Desert: Creepy Kolmanskop Ghost Town (21 PICS)

March 31st, 2011 Permalink

There is a slowly sinking city in the desert of southern Namibia, Africa, a ghost town called Kolmanskop. In the 1900s, diamonds were discovered just sitting upon the sand, waiting to be found, so people from all over the world with diamond fever flocked from the port of Lüderitz to the once desolated lonely desert. Kolmanskop became a mining town, but after the First World War when diamonds sales dropped, the sand-clearing squad failed to show up. That was the beginning of the end; Kolmanskop turned into a ghost town being buried by sand and trapped in time. The TV show Destination Truth visited this ghost town since it is highly rumored to be haunted. They were not disappointed, having captured EVPs of ghosts whispering, seeing shadows, hearing footsteps, and having the fluff scared of out them in Kolmanskop. [21 pictures]

Kolmanskop

In Namibia, Africa, not too far from the port city of Lüderitz, the ghost town Kolmanskop is slowly sinking, being buried by sand to be trapped in time. Photo #1 by Michiel Van Balen

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