Yes, it is time again to discuss, "The Incredible Beauty of the Geography of..the U.S.A."

[Stuart G]

...You got a taste for this kind of land or that kind of ocean..or a lake or a stream. Well, we got it right
here in the U.S.A. You like big cities?..Ok we got them too. You like caves? Yes we got a few. How about
mountains?... islands?....jungles?...(I guess you haven't been to the Everglades, I have) ..
...Well there is more...People?..Yes people from all over the world come here to live..Why?....
...guess again, I ain't in charge of that..My grandparents came from Russia to live here. Something about .."A New Way of Life."..I never asked them. (too young)
...Deserts?...Go to southern Arizona. National Parks? Quite a few all over.."Empty?"...I have never been to Alaska, they say it is empty up there. You name it we got it. Look around..There is some
incredible beauty right here in the U.S.A.

......................... So, what else is new?.....

[niyad]

1. Right in my area, we have the Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak, and the Paint Mines, to name but a

few of our natural wonders.

[Stuart G]

2. Thank You for your comment..Near me, there is Lake Michigan................

..Watching the sun come up over the lake is incredible..After a 3 hour drive (or a little more) I can watch the sun go down in Michigan on the other side of the lake.
.... I have never done that in one day, but it is worth a try......I am not saying fly 3000 miles...I am saying drive 80 - 100 miles to the other side of the lake, might be worth it on a clear sunny day. Think about that one.....

and, for diversity we have very strange animals at drive-ins...hit the link below:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215450906

[niyad]

3. I have seen sunrises and sunsets on both oceans, across the Lakes, across the deserts, and other

spectacular views. Greet the Winter Solstice at the Garden. Drove the "loneliest road in America" accompanied by a full moon. Watched a meteor shower in the Mojave.

This is a beautiful land.

[planetc]

4. This is a fine topic. Have you heard of the Finger Lakes in New York State?

Many years ago, I went to school in St. Louis. Someone asked me where I was from, and I incautiously replied "New York." He said "Oh, I have a cousin in Brooklyn."

Please be aware that there is a fine, rather large state, all north of New York City. Let me tell you about the Finger Lakes: a collection of deep blue long lakes left by the retreat of the last glaciers. These lakes are set amongst gentle rolling hills covered in green, as they are too steep to farm. You cannot drive five miles in any direction without coming upon a graceful vista of green and blue, with farms and cows distributed here and there (there are flat places between the lakes). And some years ago, someone realized that the eastern slopes of these lakes would be a fine place to grow grapes, and make wine. So they did! And now you can take a wine tour. It's recommended that you designate, or hire, a driver, so you can sample the products of the seven or eight vineyards you can visit in a few hours. You'll have lunch at one of the bistros that some vineyards run, and if you live in the neighborhood, you can listen to live music on the weekend.

That will take you through the summer. And in the fall, the leaves turn.

Personally, I think there is no season that is not a tapestry of beauty in this part of New York State.

I rest my case.

[electric_blue68]

8. NYS has some beautiful scenery...

I was quite young when we visited the Finger Lakes, so I remember very little. It had to nice because I have no bad memories.

In my ? tweens we visited the Aidarondaks. Lovely!
Almost fogot -- Niagra Falls! Beautiful!

[smirkymonkey]

9. I am from upstate NY originally, although I have been a Bostonian for years.

I grew up a bit further east of you in the Adirondack foothills, but I think upstate NY is one of the most naturally beautiful places I have ever seen, including your area all the way to the VT/MA border, down to the Hudson Valley region. The Adirondacks are extraordinarily beautiful.

NY State is just blessed with so much beauty and I miss it so much sometimes. My parents still live up there and two of my siblings are in New England with me, with another down in the Baltimore area. I

did live in San Francisco for a while and thought it was very nice, but tired of it after a while and longed for the east coast. I don't think I could ever live any other place than the northeastern US, other than Europe.

[Claire Oh Nette]

5. Blue Ridge Mountains

Smokey Mountains to the west.

Nice little slice of heaven here south of Asheville.

[mitch96]

6. There is SO much to see right here in the good o'l USA...

I did long distance motorcycle touring and have been to 49 states...Absolutely beautiful if you look and get off the super slab..Crater lake in Oregon, Canyonlands in Utah.. Hill country in Texas. Gulf beaches and the Keys... Like others have said the Blue Ridge mountains are not to be missed..Hell just follow the light houses on the coast to see some beautiful stuff...
And when your all done there is Canada!!!
m

[Kid Berwyn]

7. West Virginia

From Lawrenceville to Bishop and Greenbank and all the beautiful places, people, life and history in between.

[electric_blue68]

10. This is my 11th month here so missed it till now. But I'm ready...

NYS, New England and Pennsylvania for family vacations back in the early-mid '60s. Rolling hills, forests, orchards, lakes, dark starry nights. Lovely. Oh, yeah, and FLA when I was 5 1/2. I remember the night flight going, and climbing a the lower part of a sloping palm tree.

Then 2 mega trips by bus, and tours at destinations that I saved up for as a young adult which was for both cities, and countryside.

'79
•Passing through the San Francisco Mountains (North AZ)
•The High Desert of Arizona and Navajo & Hopi Nations
•Canyon De Chelle Just from the top looking down
•Agathla "peak" (about a 1,000 ft high volcano plug)
•Driving through then sleeping out in sleeping bags in Monument Valley
•The Grand Canyon (only daytime)
•Some smaller but beautiful canyons in the Navajo Nation
•The Pacific Ocean
•The "skinnier" Sequoia trees
•passing the Sandia Mountains
•Petrafied Wood area that was not part of the Nat'l Park

Visited SF, LA - CAL
Stayed with my dad's friends in Alberqueque, NM

'80
•The Black Hills of South Dakota
•On motorcycle by my cousin - •Red Rocks Amphitheatre
and •Echo Lake (10,000+ ft) NE of Mt Evans. When you looked NW you could see the snow-capped mountains of The Continental Divide
•Garden of the Gods
(back to the Navajo and Hopi Nations)

Such incredible countryside! 💖


What spurred me to go was a early '79 National Geographic documentary about US National Parks and perhaps talking about encroaching pollution.
I practically jumped out of my chair thinking
'I have to go there NOW!'
About 4-5 months later after having saved up, I headed
out. A friend was heading to Texas from CAL so we met in Flagstaff, AZ and visited The Navajo & Hopi Nations, Canyon de Chelle (he took the tour), then after a motel we headed to visit and sleep out over night in Monument Valley. Next day we headed back to Flagstaff. He headed Eastward, and I headed Westward.