Spectacular natural events

do you have front row seat to something special?

[lorax]

About this time here in the heart of Vermont, USA we see the beginning of a yearly, spectacular event - the annual fall foliage. The leaves on our trees will turn shades of orange, red, gold and then brown before they fall to the ground. It's a wonderful sight to see if you ever get the chance to be here. The peak of our natural wonder is usually in the first week or two of October. Watching the leaves begin their annual change made me wonder if anyone else has a front row seat to something wonderful in their own backyard.

[lawman]

I watch my yard become golden brown from fallen pine needles. :)

[ergophobe]

Well Greg... I suppose I do, but it isn't the fall foliage. We have only one Sugar Maple that someone planted down by the chapel. Otherwise just oaks and aspens and lots of fir and pine.

That said, if I turn 180 degrees and look out my window as I type this, I have Glacier Point and Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.

I posted recently that I saw four bears before 6:00am the other day. One solo adult and a mother and two cubs a bit later (and a bit closer: the mother bluff charged). Later that day, I went to the dentist and saw a fifth bear on the walk home. That being afternoon, he caused the full-on "bear jam" with gawkers all around.

[lorax]

It doesn't need to be foliage. Tedster went on a trip to Hawaii a few weeks ago and reported on the lava fields. Imagine living within walking range of something like that? Or in your case - Yosemite. It is you backyard and I think that counts!

[tim222]

On clear days, I can see the Hollywood sign from my balcony. When it's smoggy, the sign "disappears"

:)

[steve40]

Having been lucky enough to have spent fall in Vermont for 2 years over 20 years ago , I have to agree fall is breathtaking up there and the drive from Boston to Vermont is spectacular.

The couple of other areas that have left me in awe of the wonder of nature and those living there

1 Northern California to Southern Oregon just about any where on the coast road

2 Northern California Giant Redwoods which truly make me feel humble through the majesty of them and to realise they existed on this earth long before me and will still be standing majestic long after I have gone

steve

[youfoundjake]

Spectacular natural events

Well, i live in california, so, when the big earthquake hits, I will have front row seats watching the rest of the United States falling into the ocean...
or is it california that falls into the ocean?
either way, front row seats, break out the popcorn.

[weeks]

I'm looking at a major drought in this area, with extremely high temperatures. It's really special.

[ergophobe]

You know, I wasn't thinking "events" though you said it. Some things that are amazing

- spring blooms of Camas Lilly in the bogs

- Moonbows (google that) aka spraybows

- Stellar's Jays fighting beak to beak (stopped working and watched that one for about 20 minutes - some mating/territory thing)

- a slow-burning forest fire at night (watched one through half the night a couple of months ago). We like slow-burnign forest fires because they eat up the fuel that would eventually go into a fast-moving conflagration.

- and a once-only event that I did get a picture of: alpenglow so strong on Sentinel Rock that, looking through the trees, at first I thought I was seeing a forest fire. Traffic stopped totally - not a car moved for 20 minutes during that event, about two years ago.

[grandpa]

Spectacular natural events - the first frost eliminating most of the ticks and chiggers in these woods. That was be so spectacular!

Not so much an event, it's been happening for eons, is this beautiful mountain range full of natural quartz crystal. I'm still in awe just walking in these mountains and through the woods. And every day I try to walk just a bit farther. It's all been discovered, but not by me.

[buckworks]

Aurora borealis flickering in the star-studded winter sky, like multicolored flames in slow motion.

[katana_one]

Wow. You people are really making me miss living up north right now - I spent some time growing up in the Hudson Valley region of New York. The Catskill Mountains can be gorgeous in the Fall.

Now I live in northeast Florida, and I'm hard pressed to come up with anything worth sharing in this thread. Does a front row seat to hurricane season count?

[stever]

Looking down on a sea of clouds from a green or snow-covered mountainside. Quite frequently get that weather pattern with fog or clouds down in the valley below and clear blue skies and sunshine up here.

Our trees are also just starting to turn, and although we are mostly conifers, there are enough larch and maple to give some great contrast to the dark green.

[phranque]

watching a great white egret, fishing in the river, then taking off and flying past.

Wow. You people are really making me miss living up north right now - I spent some time growing up in the Hudson Valley region of New York. The Catskill Mountains can be gorgeous in the Fall.

me too.
i spent many years there and visit often...

[Rugles]

1 Northern California to Southern Oregon just about any where on the coast road

2 Northern California Giant Redwoods which truly make me feel humble through the majesty of them and to realise they existed on this earth long before me and will still be standing majestic long after I have gone

I will be doing that drive down the coast on Hwy 101 in 4 weeks. Can't wait.

Here in wine country when I step outside the office this time of year I can smell the grapes in the air. Not very natural but it is cool.

[edited by: Rugles at 2:46 pm (utc) on Sep. 20, 2007]

[jimbeetle]

You miss a lot growing up in the big city. My first look at the Milky Way streaming across the middle of the darkest sky simply amazed me.

[katieray]

Went rafting down the Ocoee river in Tennessee last weekend. Olympic class 5 rapids, whole raft flipped, and we all rode the rapid with just life jackets...Love those rivers! We go two or three times a year. And the Cherokee National Forest (although in severe drought) is still breathtaking.

[Matt Probert]

About this time here in the heart of Vermont, USA we see the beginning of a yearly, spectacular event - the annual fall foliage. The leaves on our trees will turn shades of orange, red, gold and then brown before they fall to the ground. It's a wonderful sight to see

You should visit England! The colours of the trees in autumn, plus the smells. It helps that we have so many different varieties of trees, broad leaf deciduous and evergreens.

Matt