Last night while the Blackhawks were fighting to win the Stanley Cup, I ventured down to see the John Hancock building. It is a 100 floor building overlooking downtown Chicago. When I got there, I was told I could not use my tripod, so I put my camera on top of my camera bag and anchored it with the stretchy cords on my bag.
John Hancock Center at 875 North Michigan Avenue in the Streeterville area of Chicago, Illinois, is a 100-story, 1,127-foot[3] (344 m) tall skyscraper, constructed under the supervision of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill,[3] with chief designer Bruce Graham and structural engineer Fazlur Khan.[4] When the building topped out on May 6, 1968,[1] it was the tallest building in the world outside New York City. It is currently the fourth-tallest building in Chicago and the sixth-tallest in the United States, after the Willis Tower, the Empire State Building, the Bank of America Tower, the Trump Tower Chicago, and the Aon Center. When measured to the top of its antenna masts, it stands at 1,506 feet (459 m).[5] The building is home to offices and restaurants, as well as about 700 condominiums and contains the third highest residence in the world, after the Trump Tower also in Chicago and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. [6] This skyscraper was named for John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company, a developer and original tenant of the building.
The 95th floor has long been home to a restaurant, the latest tenant being "The Signature Room on the 95th Floor." While patrons dine, they can look out at Chicago and Lake Michigan. The Hancock Center's observation deck facilities (called the Hancock Observatory) compete with the Willis Tower's Skydeck across town. The Hancock Center is in a commercial district, while the Willis Tower is in the financial district. The Hancock Center 94th floor observation deck displays exhibits about the city of Chicago. Maps explain the view in each direction and a special meshed-in area allows the visitors to feel the winds 1,030 feet (314 m) above ground level. The observation deck also features an audio guide narrated by actor David Schwimmer. The 44th-floor sky lobby features America's highest indoor swimming pool.
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Tags: John Hancock downtown Chicago Michigan night Big John Blackhawks Stanley Cup sundown observatory Michigan Avenue
Schwabacher’s Landing is one of America’s most spectacular viewpoints, a location that truly showcases the immense beauty of Grand Teton National Park. Just south of Yellowstone National Park, the north-south Teton Range stretches about 40 miles across Wyoming. Bison and elk often are seen grazing in the sparse fields along the base of the mountain range. Toward the northeastern side of the mountains is Jackson Lake. With more than 10 miles of shoreline, the lake offers beautiful crystal-clear reflections in the early morning. The trip to Schwabacher’s Landing is simple. If you’re leaving from Jackson Hole, go north on I-89 for about 16 miles. There’s a small gravel road on your left, where you’ll see a wooden sign: “Schwabacher’s Landing Road.” This road dead-ends in a gravel parking lot, and the trek to the famous vantage point is a stone’s throw from your car. Schwabacher Landing sits at the end of a one-mile gravel road in Jackson Hole about 8 miles from the entrance to the Grand Teton National Park. The landing was formerly a common starting point for rafting trips, but the river channel has shifted westward, making access difficult. We left Yellowstone early in the morning because I wanted to make sure we got to the Schwabacher Landing to catch the morning sun. When we got there there were already a dozen photographers with tripods at various places along the waterfront. This was an incredible stop and a great place to capture the reflections of the Tetons against still water.
YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7HB98jcI1s
Tags: Yellowstone fumeroles geysers National Parks Thermophiles bacterium Upper Geyser Basin Lower Geyser Basin Norris Geyser Basin Undine Falls Wraith Falls Tower Falls Silex Spring Grand Prismatic Emerald Springs Mud Volcano Mystic Falls vacation Montana Wyoming Idaho bears Brink of the Lower Falls Artist Point Mammoth Terraces Elk Bison Grizzly Bears Black Bears hiking Old Faithful Old Faithful Inn Snow Lodge Robert Reamer Black Sand Basin Biscuit Basin Morning Glory Pool Heart Pool Lions Group Chromatic Pool Grand Geyser Beehive Geyser Doublet Pool Emerald PoolSteamboat Springs Cistern Spring Mystic Spring Green Dragon Spring Porcelain Basin Hurricane Vent Constant Geyser Mudpots Liberty Cap Limestone Mammoth hydrothermal Canary Spring Palette Spring Mound Jupiter Terraces TNC11 Photo Contest Photo Contest TNC12
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I took this photo from a high vantage point on Big Bend Ranch looking over Presidio into Mexico after a storm had passed. The quietness of the desert after a storm is magical....and the smell....ahhhhh. The smell of the desert after a rain is heavenly.
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Tags: desert Texas storm sunsets Big Bend Texas State Parks Texas Thunderstorms CloudsStormsSunsetsSunrises top20texas @20 bestoftexas
Throughout Yellowstone, the ribbons of color and the thermal pools and springs are usually formed by thermophiles, "heat loving orgainisms." These organisms-algae, bacteria, and archaea--are primitive forms that have inhabited the earth for almost four billion years. Cyanobacteria, which are common in the Old Faithful area thrive in temperatures up to 167 degrees. Other thermophiles exist in even hotter water. Research on some of these life forms has sparked revolutions in an array of scientific fields. In 1966, Dr. Thomas Brock discovered a bacterium, "Thermus Aquaticus," in a Yellowstone hot spring. Scientists extracted an enzyme from this bacterium, which has contributed to developing DNA "finger-printing, a powerful tool widely used in criminal and medical research. Numerous other thermophiles have been found in Yellowstone, each producing unique enzymes potentially important to society. This points out the important point that even the smallest forms of life should be appreciated.
Tags: Yellowstone fumeroles geysers National Parks Thermophiles bacterium Upper Geyser Basin Lower Geyser Basin Norris Geyser Basin Undine Falls Wraith Falls Tower Falls Silex Spring Grand Prismatic Emerald Springs Mud Volcano Mystic Falls vacation Montana Wyoming Idaho bears Brink of the Lower Falls Artist Point Mammoth Terraces Elk Bison Grizzly Bears Black Bears hiking Old Faithful Old Faithful Inn Snow Lodge Robert Reamer Black Sand Basin Biscuit Basin Morning Glory Pool Heart Pool Lions Group Chromatic Pool Grand Geyser Beehive Geyser Doublet Pool Emerald PoolSteamboat Springs Cistern Spring Mystic Spring Green Dragon Spring Porcelain Basin Hurricane Vent Constant Geyser Mudpots Liberty Cap Limestone Mammoth hydrothermal Canary Spring Palette Spring Mound Jupiter Terraces TNC11 Photo Contest Photo Contest TNC12
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Balmorhea is like finding a sapphire in the middle of the desert. Really! Imagine swimming in a pristine pool with lots of fish, two endangered. We stopped here on the way to the Hotel Limpia and eventually Big Bend Ranch State Park. The photo here shows the "kiddy pool" at the far right....you can tell by the lighter color of blue which has been concreted. The dark middle is the 25 feet deep actual Springs which brings in a million gallons of water per 24 hours. If you go, bring your swim mask and snorkel to really see the fish as you swim. Later on in the day, around 5pm, and most of the public had gone, a 5 ft. Gopher Snake came out of hiding for a meal or for the warmth of the sun on the concrete....she/he was a beauty!
Balmorhea State Park is located on 45.9 acres in the foothills of the Davis Mountains southwest of Balmorhea in Reeves County. Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the early 1930s, the park was deeded in 1934 by private owners and Reeves County Water Improvement District No. 1. The park was opened in 1968. San Solomon Springs has provided water for travelers for thousands of years. Artifacts indicate Indians used the spring extensively before white men came to the area. In 1849, the springs were called Mescalero Springs for the Mescalero Apache Indians who watered their horses along its banks. The present name was given by the first settlers, Mexican farmers who used the water for their crops and hand-dug the first irrigation canals. Situated about four miles west of Balmorhea, Texas, the 45.9-acre Balmorhea State Park was constructed by Company 1856 of the Civilian Conservation Corps, or CCC, between 1936 and 1941. The CCC was established as a New Deal program by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression as a way to employ people that would have otherwise been out of work. Many of the state parks in Texas were developed during this time. The 77,053 square ft San Solomon Spring is the focal point of Balmorhea State Park. From 22 to 28 million gallons of water flow through the spring-fed swimming pool each day. Other CCC structures in the park include a limestone concession building, two wooden bathhouses, an adobe superintendent residence, and San Solomon Courts, an early expression of the modern-day motel, constructed of adobe bricks. All of the CCC buildings are constructed in a Spanish Colonial style with stucco exteriors and tile roofs. Visitors to Balmorhea State Park can enjoy a swim in the CCC-constructed pool and, if staying overnight, may choose to relax in one of the historic rooms at San Solomon Courts. The lobby of the park office includes several photographs of the CCC at work in what is now Balmorhea State Park. When visiting the park, take time to see what the park property looked like in the late 1930s and what it looks like today. Balmorhea State Park is a substantial monument to the construction skills and hard work of the CCC crew and their supervisors.
Tags: Texas water Balmorhea desert Solomon Springs Ft. Davis natural springs peace Princess Stand in the Rain Angi English HDR HDR Photography conservation endangered endangered species Mescalero Springs Mescalero Apache Indians Roosevelt Great Depression CCC Texas State Parks.