Around the World...Americas

Final stop: Americas

Since the Americas is my home continent, there is much that I love about it. The wide open spaces of the West, the soaring mountains, the deep forests, the rugged coastlines, the towering skyscrapers. Having only traveled to 19 of the 50 states, there is so much that I have yet to see. And let's not forget our neighbors Canada to the north, Mexico to the south and Central and Southern Americas as well. This land is rich in people and cultures and landscapes and experiences. Here are but a few of the things that I would dearly love to see for myself in the Americas: Grand Canyon, New York City, Canadian Rockies, Costa Rican rainforests, rainforests of Costa Rica, and the ruins of Macchu Picchu. 

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Grand Canyon

The grandeur of this natural wonder is breathtaking in pictures. I can just imagine how awesome it would be in person. The fact that is gorge started out as a river and drop by drop it eroded the earth to the form that we see today is incredible.

Just outside of the Grand Canyon is Havasu Falls. These turquoise waters and the striations of orange and red and yellow and brown on the surrounding rocks is just gorgeous. This is the most photographed spot in the Grand Canyon. Can you imagine the first explorers to find this wonder? They would have thought that they found paradise in the middle of the desert.

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New York City

I traveled to NYC once when I was about 19. I was suffering from pneumonia, it was winter. It was fun to see the sights like the Statue of Liberty and to ride in a taxicab (crazy!). We didn't get to see any big shows which I fully regret, but we did get to go shopping. I would love to see Central Park and to ride the subway, eat hot dogs from a street vendor and to take in as many shows as possible. But this shot I found of New York City as seen from a hotel room during a storm gives me another view of the City that Never Sleeps.

{Photo by Jim Richardson}

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Canadian Rockies


I have been to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. They are a magnificent site to see. The majesty of each peak is rivaled by the next. Traveling high into the mountains felt like climbing closer to heaven. It was incredible the change that the land went through. You would think that the mountains would all be the same, but it is so intriguing to see how the different levels change, the landscape, the wildlife.

{Photo by Sharon Foster}

 Mount Robson is the highest point in the Canadian Rockies. Only about 10% of those that attempt to scale the face of this foreboding mountain make it to the top. I would prefer to stay on the ground and marvel at its beauty instead.

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Costa Rican Rainforests


My very favorite coffee is Costa Rican with cream. And while it would be nice to visit a fair trade coffee plantation, I think that diving on into the ecosystem in Costa Rica would be divine.

{Glass frog photographed by Raymond Pauly}

This tiny little guy with the bulbous eyes is one of 13 different frog species native to Costa Rica. The skin of this amphibian is translucent giving it the appearance of glass. All the flora and fauna and birds and reptiles and creatures and living things in the Costa Rican rainforest would be spectacular to witness first hand.

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Machu Picchu



The Lost City of Machu Picchu in Peru is so remote that it is a wonder that potentially 1200 people could have lived here. This stepped village 7,000 feet above sea level is even more incredible when you know that they built this engineering marvel without the aid of draft animals, iron tools or the wheel.

{Photo by Frank Tophoven}

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Thanks for taking a birthday trip around the world with me! Stay tuned later this month for the reveal of the Challenge of Travel blog hop on September 1st!

Your turn...
What images do you associate with Americas? What countries would you long to see on this wide open continent?