标签美国下的文章

白沙国家公园的日落，新墨西哥州，美国 Sunset at White Sands National Park, New Mexico (© Image Professionals GmbH/Alamy Stock Photo)

1,001座白色沙丘 1,001 Mexican dunes

白沙国家公园的沙丘，新墨西哥州

今日图片展示了新墨西哥州白沙国家公园最令人叹为观止的自然奇观，一片闪耀梦幻光芒的白色沙丘，这里有地球上规模最大的石膏沙丘。这片广袤的沙漠占地超过145,000英亩，沙丘高度可达60英尺，展现出其他地方难以见到的独特景观。这座公园不仅是自然奇观，更是历史瑰宝，这里发现了距今约23,000年的化石化人类脚印，被认为是北美最古老的人类遗迹之一。

今天是白沙国家公园于1933年由总统赫伯特·胡佛设立为保护区的周年纪念日。还有什么比沉浸在白沙美景中更适合庆祝的方式呢？在这里可以徒步旅行、沙丘滑沙，或者沿风景优美的公路驾车欣赏美景。无论是其丰富的历史，还是叹为观止的日落，白沙国家公园都是一个令人心驰神往的旅行目的地。

Dunes at White Sands National Park, New Mexico

Today's image features the dazzling beauty of White Sands National Park, New Mexico—a surreal expanse of glistening white gypsum dunes, the largest of its kind on Earth. Spanning more than 145,000 acres, these ever-shifting dunes rise up to 60 feet tall, creating a landscape not seen in many places. This park isn't only a natural wonder but a historical treasure, with fossilized human footprints dating back as far as 23,000 years, some of the oldest in North America.

Today marks the anniversary of White Sands being established as a protected site in 1933 by President Herbert Hoover. What better way to celebrate than by immersing yourself in its beauty? Enjoy activities like hiking, sledding down the dunes, or taking a scenic drive. Whether for its rich history or jaw-dropping sunsets, White Sands National Park is a wish-list destination that will leave you in awe.

尖峰国家公园的高峰步道，圣贝尼托县，加利福尼亚州，美国 High Peaks Trail at Pinnacles National Park, San Benito County, California (© yhelfman/Getty Images)

诞生于火，历久弥坚 A monumental milestone

加利福尼亚州尖峰国家公园成立纪念日

欢迎来到加州中部的尖峰国家公园，布满了锯齿状山峰、石塔、巨石和奇特的洞穴。1908年，当时西奥多·罗斯福总统将该地区指定为国家纪念地。随后在2013年，尖峰正式升级为国家公园。在庆祝其成立周年之际，让我们花点时间欣赏这个地方。2300万年前的一次火山喷发，造就了公园独特的地貌。这段炽热的历史创造了高耸的岩柱、峭壁和塌落巨石形成的堆积洞穴。经过数百万年的板块构造运动，这片土地向北推移，使公园远离了最初的火山发源地。真是一段漫长而奇妙的旅程！

公园内有各种徒步路线，既有轻松的步道，也有极具挑战的攀爬路径。例如，今日图片中展示的高峰步道，以陡峭的攀爬和狭窄通道著称，极为考验体力；而熊谷水库则提供了更悠闲的漫步体验。此外，尖峰国家公园也是多种野生动物的家园，包括山猫、野兔、黑尾鹿，以及啄木鸟和蝙蝠等鸟类，吸引着众多野生动物爱好者。公园最珍贵的宝藏之一是曾濒临灭绝的加利福尼亚神鹰。通过成功的保护计划，这些雄伟的鸟类被重新引入，成为尖峰国家公园引以为傲的成就。

Anniversary of Pinnacles National Park, California

Jagged pinnacles and spires, monoliths, and unusual caves—welcome to Pinnacles National Park in central California. President Theodore Roosevelt designated the area as a national monument in 1908, and Pinnacles would earn its status as a national park in 2013. As we celebrate the park's anniversary today, let's take a moment to appreciate this landscape. Pinnacles owes its formations to an ancient volcanic eruption that occurred 23 million years ago. The fiery beginnings made towering spires, cliffs, and talus caves, which are created by falling boulders wedged into narrow canyons. Over millennia, tectonic forces shifted the landmass northward, leaving the park far from its volcanic birthplace. Talk about a journey!

Pinnacles offers a variety of trails, from easy walks to challenging climbs. The High Peaks Trail, featured in today's image, tests your stamina with steep climbs and narrow passages, while Bear Gulch Reservoir provides a more relaxed stroll. Pinnacles is home to a range of wildlife including bobcats, jackrabbits, and black-tailed deer, and bird species like woodpeckers and bats, making it attractive for wildlife enthusiasts. Among the park's many treasures are once-endangered California condors, which were reintroduced here in a successful conservation effort.

水晶码头的圣诞树，太平洋海滩，加利福尼亚州，美国 Christmas tree at Crystal Pier, Pacific Beach, San Diego, California (© SamAntonioPhotography/Getty Images)

冲浪、沙滩和圣诞老人 Surf, sand, and Santa

水晶码头的圣诞树，圣地亚哥，加利福尼亚州

圣诞老人有足够的跑道可以降落，但要想光临你家的烟囱，那就只能祝你好运了。今天，我们在加利福尼亚州圣地亚哥的太平洋海滩为圣诞节做准备。虽然这里可能不会下雪，但在阳光明媚的南加州，圣诞节前仍然充满了节日气氛。在圣地亚哥的圣诞小径上，有许多美丽的圣诞树，其中一棵20英尺高的圣诞树位于装饰一新的水晶码头尽头。

Christmas tree on Crystal Pier, San Diego, California

Santa has plenty of runway to land his sleigh, but good luck trying to find a chimney. Today, we're getting ready for Christmas at Pacific Beach in San Diego, California. While it might not snow here, there's still plenty of yuletide spirit leading up to Christmas in sunny Southern California. Among many beautiful examples on San Diego's Christmas Tree Trail is the 20-foot tree at the end of a festively decorated Crystal Pier.

Stretching out 872 feet into the water, the pier has been a Pacific Beach icon since 1927. Once home to a ballroom and carnival-like midway, Crystal Pier has since become a mellower vacation destination and one of the few places on the West Coast with rental accommodations over the ocean. Open to the public during the day and 24/7 for hotel guests, the pier is an ideal place to take in panoramic coastal views, watch whales and surfers at play, do some fishing, or bathe in glorious coastal sunsets. Pacific Beach also has a lively restaurant, bar, and club scene if eggnog isn't your thing. There are certainly colder places to spend Christmas, but perhaps no place cooler than Crystal Pier.

莫诺湖的石灰华地层，加利福尼亚州，美国 Tufa formations on Mono Lake, California (© Susanna Patras/TANDEM Stills + Motion)

石灰华塔的崛起 The rise of tufa

加州莫诺湖上石灰岩的形成

在时间的缓慢流逝下，凝灰岩——一种多孔石灰岩，成为大自然中最壮观的地貌之一。虽然这些塔在许多地方都能找到，但今天的图片展示的是加利福尼亚州莫诺县的莫诺湖。当富含钙质的淡水从几条小溪流入湖中，与湖中的碱性水混合后，就形成了这些结构。几个世纪以来，这种相互作用导致碳酸钙堆积，在湖面上形成了石灰华塔。为了保护这些塔，加利福尼亚州议会于1981年建立了莫诺湖图法国家自然保护区。

莫诺湖是一个迷人的沙漠湖泊，湖水呈弱碱性，没有天然出口。这里的生态系统欣欣向荣，生活着数十亿只盐水虾和碱蝇。这些小生物是加利福尼亚海鸥和黑颈䴙䴘等各种候鸟必不可少的零嘴。太平洋航道是鸟类从阿拉斯加一直飞往巴塔哥尼亚的主要迁徙路线，而莫诺湖作为食物供应地，是航道上一个极为重要的中转站。

Tufa formations in Mono Lake, California

Shaped by the slow passage of time, tufa—a type of porous limestone—emerges as one of nature's most spectacular formations. While these towers can be found in many places, today's image shows some at Mono Lake in Mono County, California. These structures develop when calcium-rich fresh water, percolating up through springs and vents, mixes with carbonate in the lake. Over centuries, this interaction caused calcium carbonate to build up, forming tufa spires above the lake's surface. To preserve the tufa towers, the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve was established in 1981.

Mono Lake is a fascinating desert lake with hypersaline and alkaline waters and no natural outlet. It supports a thriving ecosystem teeming with billions of brine shrimp and alkali flies. These tiny creatures are essential snacks for a variety of migratory birds, like California gulls and eared grebes. As a food source, Mono Lake is a critical pit stop along the Pacific Flyway, a major migration route for birds journeying from Alaska all the way south to Patagonia.

州立公园，索诺玛海岸，美国加利福尼亚州 Sonoma Coast State Park, California (© Rachid Dahnoun/Tandem Stills + Motion)

潮汐与暮色 Tides and twilight

索诺玛海岸州立公园，加利福尼亚州

索诺玛海岸州立公园拥有风景如画的沙滩、天然拱门和幽静的海湾。该公园建于1934年，涵盖了詹纳湾和博德加湾之间17英里的北加州海岸线。野生动物爱好者可以在这里看到海豹、海狮、鲸鱼以及各种鸟类，比如鹀鸟、莺、雀、麻雀和黄鹂。历史爱好者可以探索海蚀柱形成的痕迹，这些痕迹据说是四万年前在该地区游荡的猛犸象留下的。公园内还有一些历史遗迹，比如19世纪初俄罗斯人在博德加湾建造的堡垒。公园附近的罗斯堡是由俄美公司于1812年建立的。这个定居点标志着俄罗斯殖民在北美最南端的扩张。该要塞主要作为毛皮贸易的枢纽，专注于在太平洋沿岸捕猎海獭。到19世纪30年代中期，毛皮贸易逐渐衰落，1841年，这座堡垒被卖给了美国企业家约翰·萨特。

Sonoma Coast State Park, California

Sonoma Coast State Park offers a picturesque retreat with its sandy beaches, natural arches, and secluded coves. Established in 1934, the park encompasses 17 miles of Northern California coastline between Jenner and Bodega Bay. Wildlife enthusiasts can spot seals, sea lions, whales, and a variety of birds like towhees, warblers, finches, sparrows, and orioles. History buffs will enjoy exploring the sea stack formation with rubbing marks believed to have been made by mammoths that roamed the area 40,000 years ago. The park is also home to historical sites like Bodega Head, where Russians built a fort in the early 1800s.

Fort Ross, near the park, was established in 1812 by the Russian-American Company. This settlement marked the southernmost expansion of Russian colonization in North America. The fort primarily served as a hub for the fur trade, focusing on hunting sea otters along the Pacific coast. By the mid-1830s, the fur trade had declined, and in 1841, the fort was sold to John Sutter, an American entrepreneur.

巨型海藻森林中的加州海狮，下加利福尼亚，墨西哥 California sea lion in a forest of giant kelp, Baja California, Mexico (© Claudio Contreras/Minden Pictures)

海中的“狮子王” The lion king of the sea

海藻森林中的海狮，下加利福尼亚，墨西哥

从哥斯达黎加到阿拉斯加，漫步在这些城市的任何一座码头上，你都可能听到海狮嬉闹的叫声在空气中回荡。加州海狮（如图所示）经常在北美西海岸的岩石海岸边上晒太阳。这些海洋哺乳动物属于鳍足动物，经常被误认为是海豹。有一个简单的方法可以区分这两种动物：看它们的耳朵，海狮有明显的耳朵皮瓣，而海豹没有。

海狮与巨型海藻还有着独特的关系，今天的图片拍摄于墨西哥的下加利福尼亚，图中那些长长的水下植物在理想条件下可以长到175英尺，它们随着水流轻轻摇曳，形成一道美丽的风景。海藻森林是各种海洋生物的家园，如海狮和小型无脊椎动物，海蜗牛、对虾和水母等，还有多种鱼类也生活在其中，如鳕鱼，石斑鱼和濑鱼等。厚厚的海藻在水中摆动，海狮穿梭其间，捕食藏在叶子里的鱼儿。另一方面，海狮也会反过来把海藻当成庇护所，利用海藻来躲避鲨鱼等掠食者。它们藏在褐藻的叶子间，与周围的环境融为一体，迷惑敌人的眼睛。海藻生长迅速，是各种海洋生物繁衍生息的理想栖息地。

Sea lion in a kelp forest, Baja California, Mexico

Take a stroll along almost any marina from Costa Rica to Alaska, and you'll likely hear the playful barks of sea lions echo through the air. California sea lions, like the one pictured, are a common sight basking in the sun along the rocky shores of North America's western coast. These marine mammals, belonging to the pinniped group, are often mistaken for seals. An easy way to distinguish between them is by looking at their ears—sea lions have visible flaps, seals don't.
Sea lions also have a special relationship with giant kelp, seen in today's image from Baja California, Mexico. These towering underwater plants, which can grow up to 175 feet in ideal conditions, sway gently with the currents, creating beautiful scenery. Kelp forests are home to a diverse array of marine life, including sea lions, tiny invertebrates like snails, prawns, and jellyfish, and a wide range of fish, like cod, rockfish, and wrasse. Sea lions twist and turn through the thick kelp strands, hunting fish hiding within the leaves. They also use kelp as refuge from predators like sharks, blending in with the fronds of the brown algae to avoid detection. Kelp's rapid growth makes it an ideal habitat for marine life of all types to thrive.

透过海湾拱门看到双拱门，拱门国家公园，犹他州，美国 Double Arch seen through Cove Arch, Arches National Park, Utah (© Jeff Foott/Minden Pictures)

拱门之下 Underneath the arches

拱门国家公园周年纪念日

头顶一片蓝，脚踩一片红，在这里，目之所及处尽是红色。欢迎来到犹他州拱门国家公园！这片超凡景观的故事开始于6500万年前，当时这里是一片干涸的海床。随着时间的推移，地质力量扭曲和挤压着这片土地，将砂岩扭曲成隆起和凸起状态。再后来，风和水雕刻出了拱门，尖峰，鳍状岩和平衡石，也就是现在矗立在这片区域的这些岩石。公园里有2000多座天然石拱，是地球上此类地质结构最集中的地方。在今天的照片中，我们可以看到其中两座石拱：透过海湾拱门看到双拱门，双拱门中较大的那座拱门跨度为144英尺，高112英尺，是公园内最高、第二长的拱门。

大约在1万年前，人类踏足了这片区域。弗里蒙特人和古普韦布洛人一直在这里生活到14世纪。后来，犹他人和派尤特部落在该地区建立了家园。1929年，它被指定为国家历史遗迹。然而，直到1971年11月12日，它才成为一个国家公园。如今，每年有超180万游客来到拱门国家公园游玩。

Arches National Park marks 53 years

Red as far as the eye can see and clear blue skies overhead: Welcome to Arches National Park in Utah. The story of this otherworldly landscape started 65 million years ago when a dry seabed stood here. Over time, geological forces warped and squeezed the land, twisting the sandstone into lumps and bumps. Later, wind and water carved out the arches, pinnacles, fins, and balanced rocks that now stand in this area. The park has more than 2,000 natural stone arches, the highest concentration of these structures anywhere on Earth. In today's image, we can see two of them: Double Arch, as seen through Cove Arch. The larger arch of Double Arch spans 144 feet and is 112 feet tall, the tallest and second longest of the park's arches.

Humans arrived in the area around 10,000 years ago. Fremont and Ancestral Pueblo people lived here until the 14th century. Later, the Ute and Paiute tribes made their homes in the area. In 1929, Arches was declared a national monument. However, it wasn't until November 12, 1971, that it became a national park. Today, more than 1.8 million visitors come to Arches National Park every year.

日落的阴影 Shades of sunset

石狮海滩，奥林匹克国家公园，华盛顿州

奥林匹克国家公园始建于1938年，是一处未受污染的荒野胜地。该公园位于华盛顿州奥林匹克半岛，占地近1,440平方英里。从冰川覆盖的高山到温带雨林，这里的生态系统如迷宫般错综复杂，既是野生动物的家园，也是探险家和历史爱好者的度假胜地。公园内的石狮海滩宁静美丽，太平洋的浪花拍打着海蚀柱和沙岸，正如今天的图片所示。这个国家公园被认定为国际生物圈保护区，拥有600英里长的小径，徒步旅行者可以沿着海岸线徒步跋涉，在“拱门点”观赏海滩的海拱门。游客可以近距离观赏奥林匹斯山，这里有红胸䴓、冬鹪鹩和斑点猫头鹰等300多种鸟类。观赏完美景后，游客还可以在新月湖中畅游一番。阿拉瓦角以北的沿海荒野地区，包括那里的海滩，2000多年来一直是太平洋西北海岸马卡部落的家园，游客可以在附近的马卡保留地了解其文化。

Shi Shi Beach, Olympic National Park, Washington

Olympic National Park, established in 1938, offers an escape into unspoiled wilderness. It covers nearly 1,440 square miles on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. With a labyrinth of ecosystems that range from glacier-capped mountains to temperate rainforests, the park is a home for wildlife and an International Biosphere Reserve. Within it lies Shi Shi Beach, a serene stretch where the Pacific laps against sea stacks and sandy shores, as seen in today's image.

From here, you can follow one of the park's many trails and trek along the coast to see the beach's sea arch at Point of the Arches, an outcrop that has over 30 sea stacks, columns of rock rising from the beach. Within the park, visitors can get a closer look at Mount Olympus, spot over 300 bird species like red-breasted nuthatches, winter wrens, and spotted owls. They can also take a refreshing swim in Lake Crescent. The coastal wilderness area north of Cape Alava, including Shi Shi Beach, has been home to the Makah Tribe of the Pacific Northwest Coast for over 2,000 years. Visitors can gain an insight into their culture at the nearby Makah Reservation.

从濒临灭绝到成为国家的象征 From near extinction to national icon

美洲野牛，黄石 国家公园，美国

很久很久以前，在北美一望无际的草原上，生活着一种强壮威武的动物，名叫美洲野牛。这些动物是许多美洲原住民部落生活的重要组成部分，可以为他们提供食物、衣服和工具。19世纪末，由于过度捕猎和疾病，它们的数量急剧下降，从多达6000万头下降到不足1000头。于是，一群环保主义者、农场主和美国原住民加入了拯救野牛的行列。现在，有50多万头野牛重新在大自然中漫步，许多都在黄石国家公园这样的保护区内生活。今天，在每年11月第一个星期六的美国国家野牛日，我们向这些高贵的动物致敬：它们是美国精神和人们为拯救它们所做出的不懈努力的见证。

从野牛镍币到野牛州旗，野牛是美国文化中根深蒂固的象征，所以美国野牛在2016年被正式指定为美国的国家哺乳动物也就不足为奇了。野牛是北美最大的哺乳动物，俄罗斯也曾引进过野牛。虽然野牛族群复苏了，但故事还没有结束。这些动物仍然面临着各种挑战，比如栖息地的丧失和猎杀的威胁。

National Bison Day

Once upon a time, in the boundless grasslands of North America, there roamed creatures of great strength and majesty—the American bison. These animals were a key part of life for many Native American tribes, providing food, clothing, and tools. Their population dwindled perilously low in the late 1800s, falling from as many as 60 million to fewer than 1,000 due to excessive hunting and disease. Enter a group of conservationists, ranchers, and Native Americans who stepped in to save the species. Now, over 500,000 bison roam again, many in protected areas like Yellowstone National Park, featured in today's image. Today, on National Bison Day, observed every first Saturday in November, we honor these noble creatures—a testament to the American spirit and the monumental conservation efforts to save them.

It's no wonder the bison was officially named the national mammal in 2016. From the buffalo nickel to state flags, they are a deeply embedded symbol in American culture. Bison are North America's largest mammals, and they have been introduced as far away as Russia. While the bison has made a heroic recovery, the story isn't over. These animals still face challenges, including habitat loss and hunting.

博迪州立历史公园，莫诺县，加利福尼亚州，美国 Bodie State Historic Park, Mono County, California (© Julien McRoberts/Tetra Images, LLC/Alamy Stock Photo)

“淘金热”后的鬼城 Ghosts of the gold rush

博迪州立历史公园，加利福尼亚州

在加利福尼亚州博迪鬼魅般的寂静中，时间仿佛都静止了。这个曾经繁荣一时的淘金小镇始建于1860年。博迪以W.S.博迪的名字命名，他是一位发现了黄金的探矿者，但在目睹小镇崛起之前不幸死于一场暴风雪。当地发现大量金矿后，居民增加到近1万人，酒吧、舞厅和酿酒厂鳞次栉比。但随着金矿枯竭，小镇的财富也随之消失。矿场关闭，人口减少，到1915年，这个地方被遗弃了。现在，博迪的街道已经空无一人，木质建筑也已破败不堪。

如今，这里已成为美国保存最完好的鬼城之一。漫步在街道上，你可以窥探尘封的房屋和店面，甚至还能发现辉煌时期的瓷器碎片和方形钉子等小物件。传说中，博迪的鬼魂守卫着这个小镇，那些带走纪念品的人可能会被诅咒。如果这还吓不倒你，那你亦会被告知：把纪念品带回家也是违反公园规定的。因此，如果哪天真的来到博迪，请务必只带着回忆离开，以免镇上的鬼魂跟着你回家。

Bodie State Historic Park, California

In the ghostly silence of Bodie, California, it feels like time stands still. This mining camp became a booming gold rush town in the 1870s, after a cave-in revealed a rich vein of gold. Bodie was named after W.S. Bodey, a prospector who died in a blizzard before seeing the town's rise. When large deposits were found there, it grew to nearly 10,000 residents, with saloons, dance halls, and breweries lining its streets. But as the gold ran dry, so did the town's fortunes. The mines closed, the population dwindled, and by 1915, the place was abandoned. Bodie's streets are now empty, its wooden buildings frozen in decay.

Today, Bodie is one of America's best-preserved ghost towns. Wandering through the streets, you can peer into dusty homes and storefronts, and even find small artifacts like shards of china and square nails from the glory days. Legend has it that Bodie's ghosts fiercely guard the town, and those who take souvenirs risk being cursed with bad luck. Taking items home is also strictly against the park's rules. So, be sure to leave with nothing but memories—lest the town's spirits follow you home.

星空迷