Category Archives: environment

The High Desert bursts forth in a symphony of colors

It has been fascinating to watch the vast variety of plants burst forth with they spring time blossoms here in New Mexico’s High Desert environment for the first time. Below are a series of photographs from the past week showing … Continue reading

Posted in art, climate, deserts, diversity, ecosystems, entertainment, environment, fun, geography, hiking, landscape architecture, natural history, nature, peace, pictures, Science, tourism, Travel, weather, Wildlife, xeriscaping | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Scaling peaks of stone despite achy bones: A memoir and and an aspiration

I wish I had discovered my passion for peak hiking earlier in life. Not realizing it until my early 60s has left me with less time to explore summits than I would have preferred. Despite the delay, the rewards often … Continue reading

Posted in art, book reviews, books, culture, deserts, ecosystems, entertainment, environment, family, fun, geography, Geology, health, hiking, history, infrastructure, land use, logistics, Love, Maps, Mining, mountains, natural history, nature, peace, pictures, placemaking, planning, pollution, psychology, reading, recreation, rivers/watersheds, spatial design, Statistics, sustainability, topography, toponymy, tourism, trails, transportation, Travel, visual pollution, walking, water, Wilderness, Wildlife, Women, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Tallest & most prominent volcanic plugs/necks in the USA

Chat.openai.com defines and describes a volcanic plug as follows: “A volcanic plug, also known as a volcanic neck or lava neck, is a type of volcanic landform that forms when magma hardens inside a volcanic vent or conduit. When a … Continue reading

Posted in ecosystems, environment, geography, Geology, hiking, history, land use, mountains, natural history, nature, pictures, placemaking, recreation, spatial design, Statistics, topography, toponymy, tourism, trails, Travel, volcanoes, walking, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The 50 largest canyons in the USA by land area

Below are the 50 largest canyons in the United States, ranked by land area. Using chat.openai.com, the list was generated and known errors were removed/corrected. *In addition, several parks containing multiple canyons, like Canyonlands, Cedar Mesa, Zion, Bryce, and Grand … Continue reading

Posted in ecosystems, environment, fun, geography, Geology, hiking, historic preservation, history, land use, Maps, mountains, natural history, nature, place names, recreation, rivers/watersheds, spatial design, Statistics, topography, toponymy, tourism, Travel, walking, water, Wilderness, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Backyard birds: Comparing central New Mexico with northwest Lower Michigan

Moving across the country offers a unique opportunity to witness a diverse range of songbirds in one’s backyard. The amount of variation between the two ecosystems is substantial. While central New Mexico near Albuquerque is located at the northern edge … Continue reading

Posted in Animal rights, Animals, art, climate, deserts, diversity, ecosystems, education, entertainment, environment, fun, geography, Great Lakes, lakes, land use, mountains, natural history, nature, pictures, rivers/watersheds, Science, songs, States, topography, tourism, Travel, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Twelve planning lessons from Durango, Colorado

There are few cities in this country that can grasp your heart and soul as quickly as Durango, Colorado. From the moment of arrival, the city quickly absorbs you into its charming aura. It may be the snow-capped mountains drenched … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, Advocacy, Alternative transportation, Animal rights, Animals, archaeology, architecture, art, bicycling, bike sharing, Biking, branding, business, charities, cities, civics, civility, climate, climate change, colleges, commerce, Cuisine, culture, diversity, downtown, economic development, Economy, ecosystems, education, entertainment, entrepreneurship, environment, fitness, fun, geography, Geology, government, health, hiking, historic preservation, history, homelessness, Housing, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, Maps, marketing, Mining, mountains, Native Americans, natural history, nature, Passenger rail, peace, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, politics, pollution, psychology, rail, Railroads, recreation, revitalization, rivers/watersheds, schools, Science, social equity, spatial design, Stairway networks, Statistics, sustainability, third places, topography, toponymy, tourism, Trade, traffic, trails, transit, transportation, Travel, urban design, urban planning, walking, water conservation, water trails, Wildlife, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why do former Western mining towns more often appear to recover while Eastern ones continue to decline? A comparative analysis from a human and A.I.

There are many thoughts on this issue and it can be much more complex that just a single reason. As a result, it was decided to compare this blog author’s thoughts on the subject to those of chat.openai.com to see … Continue reading

Posted in art, books, business, cities, commerce, Communications, culture, economic development, education, energy, entertainment, entrepreneurship, environment, film, geography, Geology, government, health, historic preservation, history, humanity, infrastructure, land use, literature, Maps, Mining, mountains, movies, music, Native Americans, natural history, nature, opinion, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, politics, pollution, psychology, recreation, revitalization, social equity, songs, spatial design, Statistics, sustainability, technology, Television, topography, tourism, Trade, Travel, unemployment, urban planning, visual pollution, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Scaling the sands: Toughest dune hikes trekked to date

As one who loves to scale to new heights, whether it be mountains, hills, ridges, lighthouses, dunes, or towers, I’ve got to admit some of the toughest treks have been trying to hike/climb sand dunes. While the other climbs involve … Continue reading

Posted in deserts, ecosystems, environment, fun, geography, Geology, health, hiking, history, land use, logistics, mountains, natural history, nature, pictures, place names, planning, Skies, Statistics, topography, toponymy, tourism, trails, Travel, walking, water, weather, Wilderness, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A global map of active solar observatories

The map provided below identifies the currently active solar observatories on Earth. While other observatories may include some facets of research related to the Sun, this map identifies those optical and radio observatories whose primary purpose is the study and … Continue reading

Posted in aerospace, Africa, Asia, Astronomy, China, civics, Communications, digital communications, education, engineering, environment, Europe, geography, government, history, humanity, India, infrastructure, land use, Latin America, light pollution, Maps, military, mountains, nature, North America, Oceania, Outer Space, pictures, place names, planning, politics, pollution, Radio, Russia, Science, Skies, solar, South America, space, spatial design, technology, tourism, Transportation, Travel, urban planning, visual pollution, weather | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Forgotten fallout: The victims of the Trinity Site atomic bomb test

Generally, history has identified the residents of Hiroshima, Japan as being the first to die and suffer the horrific consequences of an atomic bomb. There is no doubt they were the first to die and the extent of their suffering … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, archaeology, atomic age, charities, civics, deserts, economics, environment, family, Food, geography, government, health, Health care, history, humanity, injustice, military, Native Americans, pictures, politics, pollution, poverty, racism, Science, States, Statistics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment