Canada's Glacier National Park, British Columbia

 

This is one of Canada's most dramatic and historically rich parks. Early explorers described the scenery as "fifty Switzerlands in One".  The park is home to over 100 glaciers, although they are shrinking fast due to climate change. 

Mount Revelstoke National Park, British Columbia

 

Revelstoke's forest is one of the rarest on earth. Towering old-growth cedar and hemlock trees thrive here, creating a lush and mossy inland forest. This is the only mountain in Canada's National Park system where you can drive nearly to the summit.

E.C. Manning Provincial Park, British Columbia; The Skyline Trail

The Skyline Trail in E.C. Manning's Provincial Park offers jaw-dropping views of a number of Cascade Peaks, including Hozomeen Mountain and its double-summit (8,186 ft-msl), located 14 miles south just across the U.S./ Canada border in Washington State. The peak was formed through a combination of geological processes over millions of years. It's primarily composed of metamorphic rock, which was shaped by intense heat and pressure. The dramatic appearance is due to uplifting and erosion. 
 

Barkley Sound's Broken Group Islands, part Canada's Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

The Broken Group Islands off British Columbia's Vancouver Island are a stunning archipelago in Barkley Sound, known for their natural beauty and ecological significance. The islands were traditionally used by the Nuu-chah-nulth Indigenous people for fishing and spiritual practices for thousands of years.
 

Lake Tahoe has water purity about the same as distilled water

 

North shore Lake Tahoe, Nevada. The water quality here is renowned for its clarity and purity. It's one of the clearest lakes in the world, with visibility exceeding 70 feet. The lake's high-altitude at 6,230 ft-msl and the surrounding environment contribute to the remarkable water purity, which hovers around 99.7%, or about the same as distilled drinking water.

One of the first high altitude meteorological observatories was established on Mt Rose summit, Nevada

A shout out to my alma mater. I still have my avalanche and snow engineering books from my courses. In the distance, on the 11,785-summit of Mt. Rose, Dr. James Edward Church of the University of Nevada established one of America's first high-altitude meteorological observatories on June 29, 1905. At the observatory, he carried out his famed snow studies and developed the modern science of snow survey. Dr. Church's Nevada system of snow survey is used throughout the world to predict seasonal water flow from precipitation stored as snowpack. In his honor, the north summit of Mt. Rose is named "Church Peak". 

It's really hard to pick only a dozen Sicily Photos

I'm a bit late, but I gave myself one minute to pick twelve photos to post representative of our time in Sicily. Very difficult since I came back with well over 300 great photos after three weeks on the island, visiting Catania, Siracusa, Noto, Ragusa, Modica, Scicli, Enna, Taormina, Aci Trezza, Mt. Etna, Cefalu, Palermo, Trapani, San Vito lo Capo, Marsala, Erica, Agrigento, Selinunte, Villa Romana Del Casale, and many more. I can't say enough about the natural beauty, food, culture and people on the island.