分类必应美图下的文章

普莱斯湖中冰封的秋叶，北卡罗莱纳州朱利安·普莱斯纪念公园 Autumn leaves frozen in ice, Price Lake, Julian Price Memorial Park, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina (© Richard Bernabe/Offset by Shutterstock)

Headed to the High Country

Sometimes the transition from fall to winter is an abrupt one—as demonstrated by these pristine, colorful leaves seemingly frozen in time. The cold might convince you we're enjoying a customary leaf-peeping tour of frigid New England—but we're hundreds of miles farther south.

Set in the High Country of western North Carolina, Julian Price Memorial Park is just one stop along the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway. Running nearly 500 miles from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to North Carolina's portion of the Great Smoky Mountains, 'America's Favorite Drive' is one of the most popular attractions of the National Park System.

鸟瞰勃朗峰山脉中的南针峰，法国 Aerial view of the Aiguille du Midi in the Mont Blanc massif, France (© Amazing Aerial Agency/Offset by Shutterstock)

Atop the Needle of Chamonix

With these dramatic clouds, the shard-like pinnacles of the Aiguille du Midi (Needle of Midday) resemble the spires of a ruined Alpine cathedral. This is just one of the many spectacular peaks of the Mont Blanc massif, the storied Alps range in eastern France that stretches across the border into Italy and Switzerland. It was here in France's Chamonix valley that mountaineering first became a sport in the mid-1700s. This dramatic peak was summited in 1818, a feat that helped to popularize mountain climbing throughout Europe.

Skilled mountaineers still climb the Aiguille du Midi, but these days the rest of us can choose to reach the top the easy way. A cable car to the summit went into service in 1955 and is still considered the highest vertical-ascent cable car in the world. Visitors can climb aboard in the valley town of Chamonix and ride to the top of the Aiguille du Midi—more than 9,000 vertical feet—in under 20 minutes. The cable cars and viewing platform were upgraded in recent years, and a new feature called 'Step into the Void' was added in 2013. It allows courageous tourists to stand in a glass room jutting out from the mountain and look down through the glass floor with more than 3,000 feet of free air under their feet.

被北极光映衬出轮廓的因努伊特石堆，加拿大西北地区 Inukshuk silhouetted against the Northern Lights in Barren Lands, Northwest Territories, Canada (© Mark Duffy/Alamy)

A symbol of culture and communication

In Arctic Canada, an inukshuk is a monument that is built and placed by the Inuit who were the first people to inhabit the region. It is used as an aid for navigation, hunting tasks and sits as a centre for communication as well. An Inukshuk is made of stacked stones and is an integral part of the Inuit culture. Every stone in the structure has a purpose. It could be a warning of danger, pointing to a fishing spot or even indicating where food is hidden. Since the Inukshuk serves as an important form of communication, destroying one is strictly prohibited in Inuit culture.

The human-like stone figure pictured here is commonly mistaken to be an inukshuk. The Inuit call it inunnquaq, which refers to ‘in the likeness of a human.’ This structure consists of a figure that resembles a human with arms, legs and a head. While it doesn’t necessarily serve the same purpose as the inukshuk, it stands as a popular cultural symbol that was also used as an emblem for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Andy Goldsworthy's 'Wood Line' installation along Lovers' Lane in the Presidio of San Francisco, California (© Chris LaBasco/Alamy)

Take a hike near Lovers' Lane

For those of you who love getting outside, you're in luck! Today is Take a Hike Day, an activity the American Hiking Society says will make you happier as you enjoy the great outdoors. And what better way to take a hike than a walk down Lovers' Lane in San Francisco's Presidio? The sinewy trail we see in today's photo is called 'Wood Line' and was designed by the environmental artist Andy Goldsworthy. By using felled eucalyptus trees, Goldsworthy intended this land art to eventually biodegrade and fade back into the forest floor. It's one of four of his works within this national park that once served as a US military outpost.

No matter where you are, we hope you'll find the closest trail to explore. The US National Trail System maintains more than 55,000 miles of National Scenic, Historic, or Recreational trails through some of the most beautiful, interesting parts of the country, so you have plenty of hikes to choose from.

混交林，菲森，巴伐利亚，德国 (© Erich Kuchling/DEEPOL by plainpicture)

The interior of the Abu Simbel Great Temple in Egypt (© George Steinmetz/Getty Images)

A temple, preserved

These temples, commissioned by Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II around 1264 BCE, would not be around for us to photograph if it weren't for the efforts of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). A couple centuries after the Abu Simbel temples were completed, Ramesses' empire had collapsed and the sands of the Nubian region of North Africa began to consume them. European explorers 'discovered' Abu Simbel in the early 1800s, leading to massive efforts to excavate and preserve the ruins of the great pharaoh's monument to himself.

But it wasn't until the 1950s, when the Egyptian government began drawing up plans for the Aswan High Dam, that preservation of Abu Simbel and other historic sites took on extra urgency. Planners knew the dam would flood the banks of the Nile, submerging the temples. So, the United Nations' UNESCO branch set to work on a solution to keep Abu Simbel preserved and accessible. In 1968, UNESCO's first major project was to literally move the massive temples to higher ground. They succeeded, of course, safeguarding one of the world's great archaeological sites. Out of this effort emerged UNESCO's drive to protect the world's most important sites of both cultural and natural heritage. To date, UNESCO has protected more than 1,000 World Heritage Sites across 167 countries that are ‘irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration.'

日本北海道 (© Hiroshi Yokoyama/eStock Photo)

What are these blooms?

Lupins usually hit peak bloom around mid- to late-November in the Mackenzie region on New Zealand's South Island. This image shows the burst of color along the shores of Lake Tekapo, famed for its annual lupin blooms. The colorful carpets of purples, pinks, blues, and whites along waterways and roads look stunning, drawing tourists to the area, and locals appreciate the economic benefits that come with these visitors. But lupins hail from North America, and in New Zealand, they're considered invasive species that crowd out native flora, ruining the habitat for birds like the wrybill, banded dotterel, and other species that live along the waterside.

Beloved by some, rued by others, lupins are said to have taken hold here thanks to local resident Connie Scott. As the story goes, back in the 1950s, Scott scattered lupin seeds along a main highway to add some color to the barren landscape and the blooms have been spreading ever since. Scott's remembered these days as the 'Lupin Lady.' A beautiful legacy? Suppose it depends on your point of view.

Decorating for Diwali

During Diwali, the 5-day festival of lights, vibrant patterns of all shapes and sizes are created on the floor out of materials such as colored rice, sand, and flower petals. The charming Indian folk art, called rangoli, is usually made by the entrance of a home to welcome guests and deities, and is said to bring good luck on special occasions. Celebrations might be a bit different this year, but buildings will still be brightened by these decorative drawings, twinkling lights, and small oil lamps, known as diyas.

Diwali, which means 'row of lights' in the ancient language of Sanskrit, is commemorated every fall by millions of Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and some Buddhists in India and across the world. Each religion marks different historical events and stories, but what they all have in common is the concept of new beginnings, the triumph of good over evil, and the victory of light over darkness. Today marks the third day of Diwali, when festivities reach their peak.

Upstate autumn

Paddle out onto Connery Pond in the Adirondack Mountains region of New York and you may be treated to this mist-shrouded peekaboo tease from Whiteface Mountain. We're in the North Elba region of New York, where the town of Lake Placid is known to many as the two-time home of the Winter Olympic Games, in 1932 and again in 1980. The Alpine skiing events in 1980 were held right on the slopes of Whiteface Mountain.

But let's not get ahead of the seasons. In autumn, when this photo was taken, the forests of the Adirondacks burst with kaleidoscopic color. It does look a bit brisk out there though, so make sure to pack a cozy sweater.

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