分类必应美图下的文章

恶地国家公园，南达科他州 Badlands National Park, South Dakota (© Dennis Frates/Alamy)

Baddest of the badlands

Heading west on Interstate 90, peek out the driver's side as you approach Rapid City, South Dakota, for the first clue you've entered the Wild West: the expansive, layered landscape of Badlands National Park. It's enjoyed government protection since 1939, first as a national monument and more completely after it was upgraded to national park status on this day in 1978. The park protects 244,000 acres of dramatically eroded bedrock replete with fossil beds—as well as the nation's largest mixed-grass prairie, hosting bison, prairie dogs, and endangered black-footed ferrets.

Before it was a national park, Native Americans called the Badlands home for more than 10,000 years. The Lakota had displaced other tribes to control the region by about 150 years ago—the same time settlers from the East were undermining Native power structures throughout the frontier. In response to these incursions, many Lakota in the late 19th century embraced a cross-tribal spiritual movement known as the 'Ghost Dance.' It was a system of rituals—including the namesake circle dance often performed here in the Badlands—believed to impede the encroachment of white settlers and deliver Natives from violence. But those efforts seemed futile by late 1890 as, just south of here, conflicts culminated in the Wounded Knee massacre where US forces killed more than 250 unarmed Lakota men, women, and children.

The conflict and ensuing tragedy is one of American history's ugliest chapters—but it bears reflection during Native American History Month as we ponder the Badlands' past, as vast and multilayered as the bedrock that makes it up.

巴罗洛葡萄园的山丘，意大利皮埃蒙特 The hills of Barolo vineyards in Piedmont, Italy (© Marco Arduino/eStock Photo)

Autumn in Piedmont

This beautiful fall scene is in the Langhe area of Piedmont, one of the great winegrowing regions in Italy. More specifically, we're looking at the hills of Barolo, a town famous for its locally produced wine of the same name, made from Nebbiolo grapes. In addition to wine, Piedmont is known for its truffles, which are harvested this time of year. Piedmont chocolate is also highly prized. Bicerin, a popular coffee-chocolate drink from the city of Turin (which hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics), has been around since the 18th century. The piemontesi, as locals are called, know how to eat and drink. Salute!

德文特湖上的德文特岛房屋，英国坎布里亚郡湖区国家公园 Derwent Island on Derwentwater in the Lake District National Park, Cumbria, England (© Chris Warren/eStock Photo)

Languid life on the Lakes

Surrounded not only by the spectacular fells (moors) and pikes (peaks) seen here on the horizon but also lush, rolling farmlands, the lake known as Derwentwater is one of more than 30 bodies of water in North West England's Lake District. Rounder and broader in shape than its fingerlike brethren, Derwentwater is home to several small isles like this one—though the classical estate built here is an unusual interruption of this mostly-natural tableau.

We're seeing the island's boathouse, one of several buildings that a wealthy eccentric named Joseph Pocklington had erected shortly after his 1778 purchase of the island. The main building, Derwent Island House, is set out of view farther back on the woody isle. The estate once included a stone fort housing a cannon, often fired to incite playful 'raids' on the island during regattas Pocklington hosted each year on the lake. Critics of old—among them poet William Wordsworth, who famously loved the Lakes—decried Pocklington's additions as eyesores, but modern-day visitors gladly line up to visit the Italianate estate on the five days a year that it's open to the public.

大提顿国家公园中的野牛，怀俄明州 Bison in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming (© Brian Evans/Getty Images)

National Bison Day

If ever there was an animal that deserved some recognition, it's the bison. Since 2012, National Bison Day has been observed on the first Saturday of November to acknowledge the animal's cultural, historical, and economic significance—as well as its remarkable comeback. Bison were once plentiful in North America. Tens of millions strong in the 1800s, they roamed in great herds, helping to diversify and maintain the prairie habitat. They've also played several important roles in Native American cultures. Indigenous peoples have used every part of the bison for food, utensils, and clothing—and they pay tribute to the giant beasts in religious rituals.

Settlement of the American West caused habitat loss for the bison and that, combined with overhunting, nearly wiped out the species altogether—until ranchers, conservationists, and politicians teamed up to save them. In 1913, 14 bison from the Bronx Zoo were shipped to a wildlife refuge to revive the population. Fast forward to today, and more than 20,000 bison roam on public lands in the United States.

阿尔瓦拉辛，西班牙 Albarracín, Spain (© Domingo Leiva/Getty Images)

A medieval Moorish gem

Originally founded as the capitol of a small Moorish kingdom in the 10th century, Albarracín remains one the most perfectly preserved medieval towns in Spain. The town's narrow winding streets, centuries-old architecture, and dramatic defensive walls are all constructed with the pink-hued gypsum found throughout the region. Aside from its historical charms, Albarracín is also a popular destination for rock climbers who come to scale the red boulders and cliff faces outside the village's fortress walls.

秋季迁徙时正在游过科伯克河的驯鹿，阿拉斯加 Caribou swimming across Alaska's Kobuk River during fall migration (© Michio Hoshino/Minden Pictures)

Caribou on the move

Each fall a quarter million caribou come together to form the Western Arctic Caribou Herd, a group that makes an epic migration through northwest Alaska. In great numbers they move south from their calving grounds in the Utukok River Uplands to their winter range on the Seward Peninsula. Fall is also the time when scientists attach radio collars to members of the herd, to track their location and health, and to gain information that will help conserve the species. When spring arrives, they'll complete the trip again in reverse, covering a total of 2,000 miles each year, give or take.

One of the best spots to see the herd on the move is where the great masses of animals cross this river, the Kobuk, at Onion Portage. The name of the portage derives from an Inupiaq (Inuit) word meaning 'wild onions' for the many wild onions that grow here. But the native Inuit people don't come here just to forage for onions. For millennia, the caribou crossing has drawn native peoples who rely on caribou meat, a tradition that continues to this day.

从奎雷英山口看到的 Leum na Luirginn湖和Cleat湖，英国斯凯岛 Loch Leum na Luirginn and Loch Cleat seen from the Quiraing, Isle of Skye, Scotland, UK (© Sebastian Wasek/Sime/eStock Photo)

The sliding landscape of Skye

As the sun rises on the Isle of Skye, off Scotland’s west coast, it casts a golden glow on a landscape shaped by lava flows, erosion and glacial movement. An ancient landslip here runs for nearly 20 miles, creating a labyrinth of steep slopes, hidden plateaus and dramatic rock formations.

This particular section is known as the Quiraing and it is the only bit of the landslip which is still moving, albeit by just a few centimetres a year. Among numerous striking rock formations are a 120ft pinnacle known as The Needle and The Prison, an outcrop that looks like a medieval fortress. The Quiraing’s name is derived from the Old Norse ‘Kvi Rand’ (meaning round fold) and it is said that another local landmark, an elevated grassy plateau known as The Table, was used to hide cattle from Viking raiders.

The Quiraing’s sweeping panoramas make it a favourite with photographers and walkers, while various movies including Transformers: The Last Knight and 47 Ronin have also featured scenes from this fantastical landscape.

A very precious river

Autumn has settled here on the banks of the Chéran, a river of the Northern Prealps, a small region of Savoy, France. Nicknamed "the pearl of the Bauges" because of its remarkable character and the beauty of the landscapes it crosses, this mountain stream is conducive to many activities, including one you don't expect!

Gold miners have been visiting the Chéran since the middle ages – the 24-carat river known as one of the purest in the world - however the inhabitants of the region are confident that there will be no gold rush here.

万圣节之夜在黑暗的树篱 Halloween night at the Dark Hedges (© Audio: Emmett Cooke/Shutterstock; Cedric Hommel/Getty | Video: VanderWolf Images, Lario Tus, Parinya/Shutterstock; mputsylo/Getty Images)

'Twas a night just like tonight…

In the late 18th century, a wealthy landowner built an estate in County Antrim in what is now Northern Ireland. To make a scenic but imposing entryway, he had 150 beech trees planted on either side of the road (90 trees survive). The trees grew to form the Dark Hedges—a tunnel of trees leading up to the property. In the right conditions—say a gloomy autumn night with the moonlight casting shadows through the tree canopy—this road can be a little spooky.

If that isn't enough to tingle your spine, many travelers who've made their passage down Dark Hedges have reported seeing the Grey Lady—a spectral woman who crosses the path, only to vanish into the trees. And according to local lore, on Halloween, the Grey Lady is joined in her wanderings by the occupants of the nearby graveyard. We love a good ghost story on Halloween but, do you mind if we turn on the lights?

Let's get lost

Welcome to Mazezilla! This 11-acre corn maze in the Poconos region of Pennsylvania boasts a unique corn maze design each fall. Don't worry, if you take a wrong turn, you won't be lost forever. 'Corn helpers' are scattered throughout the maze to help confused maze-goers find their way again, and 'tower people' keep a watchful eye over the maze. This year, visitors to the maze are asked to wear masks, stay at least 6 feet apart, and take other precautions, but organizers are still promising a 'spooktacular 2020.'

While mazes and labyrinths date back more than 4,000 years, the first modern corn maze was created in Annville, Pennsylvania, in 1993. It was constructed on three acres of land and was named the world's largest corn maze by the Guinness Book of World Records. The current record for largest corn maze went to Cool Patch Pumpkins in 2014 for their 60-acre maze in Dixon, California.

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