• Tagged bizarre, China, Fengdu City of Ghosts, ghost city, ghosts, photos, pics, pictures, places, strange, temple, travel, WTF

Most folks have seen some totally freaky things coming out of Japan, bizarre game shows or festivals, and people are like WTF Japan? Well how about WTF China??? Fengdu Ghost City: This place was once ancient temples, but now has become a tacky amusement park. Instead of Mickey Mouse and happy stuff, visitors move closer and closer until visiting Hell. WTF China?!? Fengdu, the “City of Ghosts,” is situated at the northern end of the Yangtze River. It attracts tourists from all over China to learn about Chinese ghost culture and the afterlife. Visitors are constantly reminded here that good is rewarded with good, and evil is rewarded with terrifying and torturous evil. [34 WTF Freaky Photos]

• Tagged animal, environment, frogs, nature, photos, pics, pictures, red-eyed tree frog, tree frog, treefrog

Although science fiction has not yet made a B-Grade cheesy movie where glowing red-eyed tree frogs become attacking vampire frogs, these stunningly colored frogs are famous for their ruby red peepers. Scientists believe the red-eyed tree frog developed its vivid scarlet eyes to shock predators and escape from being the prey in that instant of pause. Red-eyed tree frogs are iconic rain-forest amphibians and are often photographed for magazines to promote the cause of saving the world’s rain forests. [16 Photos]

• Tagged dinosaur, environment, erosion, fossils, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument Park, monument, National Park, nautre, Oregon, painted hills, photos, pics, pictures, places

The Painted Hills are nature’s eye candy in a kaleidoscope of colors. This truly unique scenic marvel is within the heavily eroded volcanic deposits of Oregon at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument Park. Entombed in the natural beauty are well-preserved plant and animal fossil records which span more than 40 of the 65 million years of the Cenozoic Era. Best of all is the mind-blowing and stunning beauty. Can you hear nature calling to you, adventurers? We love these pics! [50 Fantastic Photos!]

• Tagged animals, Hindu, India, Karni Mata, photos, pics, pictures, places, Rat Temple, rats, temple, travel

Holy rats, rats rats! This isn’t Disney World and Mickey Mouse. In India, there is a temple filled with rats on purpose! It’s called Karni Mata, the Rat Temple, and these photographers were brave enough to get close to the rats so we don’t have to get any closer than these wild photos. At this temple, the rats are considered sacred and are protected. If you kill one, you must replace it with a rat made out of solid gold. [32 Photos]

• Tagged Earth's Bulls-Eye, Eye of Africa, geology, nature, pics, pictures, Richat Structure, Sahara, space

Since the beginning of space missions, the Earth’s bulls-eye caught the interest of astronauts in the otherwise featureless Sahara Desert. Over the years, it has become a landmark for astronauts. At first, the circular pattern was thought to have been a meteorite impact, but now the 31 mile wide bulls-eye, called the Richat Structure, is believed to be uplifted rock, a circular anticline, laid bare by erosion. Some people call this bulls-eye in the Sahara the “Eye of Africa.” [14 pics]

• Tagged abandoned, Africa, architecture, desert, diamonds, environment, ghost town, ghosts, haunted, images, Kolmanskop, nature, photos, pics, pictures, sand

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]

• Tagged bizarre, Black Rock Desert, environment, Fly Geyser, geothermal, geyser, geysers, images, nature, Nevada, phenomena, photos, pics, pictures, places, travel

Mother Nature didn’t create this bizarre geothermal wonder located in the Nevada desert, but neither did aliens. The vividly multicolored Fly Geyser phenomena is the result of an accident by man. Since the 1960s, the volcano-shaped Fly Geyser has continuously spewed hot water, as if morphing the land and environment into its own ecosystem and desert habitat.

• Tagged animals, Berlin, Germany, Knut, photos, pics, pictures, places, polar bear, polar bears, Thomas Doerflein, travel, zoo

When the polar bear cub Knut was rejected by his mother, Berlin zoo keeper Thomas Doerflein took over his care. Knut was an adorable white and fluffy baby which soon skyrocketed Knut to fame. Knut became a superstar polar bear and had a very special relationship with Doerflein. Yet recently Knut was found dead at the Berlin Zoo. He was only a little over 4 years old. Here is a 30 picture tribute in memory to a one-of-a-kind superstar polar bear. R.I.P. Knut.

• Tagged Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon National Park, images, nature, New Seven Wonders of Nature, photos, pics, pictures

No matter how many times you gaze at the gorgeous Grand Canyon in Arizona, it will look slightly different depending upon the play of sunlight and shadows on the mutlicolored rock walls. Being 277 miles long, about a mile deep, and up to 18 miles wide, there are almost limitless places to take photos. The Colorado River is believed to have carved out the steep canyon over 17 million years ago. As one of the world’s most spectacular natural attractions, Grand Canyon National Park has more than 5 million visitors per year. It’s a finalist in the New 7 wonders of nature competition. The Grand Canyon is an outdoor adventurers delight and we highly recommend visiting it at least once during your life. Believe it or not, seeing the the power and grandeur of nature at the Grand Canyon can change your life. We love the Grand Canyon and we love these pics!

• Tagged lightning, nature, photos, pics, pictures, storms, thunderstorms, weather

Whammo! Zap! Strike! Yikes! Live Dangerously — Ride the Lightning! Spring is nearly here in the U.S. which means rain, but sometimes the rain doesn’t sweep in nice and gentle. Sometimes storms are wicked dangerous. One thing most all of us have in common worldwide is thunderstorms and the lightning that comes with those storms. The National Weather Service reports more than 3,000 deaths a year from lightning strikes, with 4-5 times many more people injured by lightning. Yet we are spellbound, staring at the awesome scary power of lightning. Some photographers are great at capturing that split second of nature’s zapping fury. Here are 45 wicked pics of lightning. We love these pics!

• Tagged Bled Castle, Bled Island, Bled Lake, castle, Castle Bled, fairytale, lake, nature, photos, pics, pictures, Slovenia

In Slovenia, there is a place that seems like something out of a fairytale. That place is beautiful Bled Island which is in the middle of an emerald green mountain lake, Bled Lake, with spectacular Castle Bled perched high on a cliff and overlooking this fairytale kingdom. We love these pics! [20 Pictures]

• Tagged architecture, history, holiday, Ireland, Irish, nature, photos, pics, pictures, quotes

Before St. Patrick’s Day last year, the Library of Congress asked for, and posted, more than 100 color photochroms of Ireland taken between 1890 – 1900. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day this year, here’s a look at some of those same spots in Ireland as captured in pictures over a hundred years ago, then again today. This post is sprinkled with a generous dose of Irish sayings and blessings to bless your little Irish heart and every other Irish part. Even if you’re not Irish, blessings never hurt anyone. [17 Pictures]