DOLORES RIVER

 The Dolores River flows for more than 200 miles through south-western Colorado, starting high in the San Juan Mountains and descending to its confluence with the Colorado River near the Colorado-Utah border.Dolores River was named “El Rio de Nuestra Senora de Dolores” when a Spanish trader encountered the river in 1765. But in many ways, the only sorrowful thing about the Dolores River is that like so many rivers in the West, it is, perhaps, too well loved. With headwaters at 14,000 feet and a nearly 230-mile run, the Dolores is a gateway to truly world-class scenery.

The autumn blaze of gamble oaks and narrow leaf cottonwoods bring glorious color to the banks of the Dolores River in San Juan National Forest

 

The San Juan National Forest encompasses about 1.8 million acres in the south-western corner of Colorado.  Terrain ranges from high-desert mesas to alpine peaks, with thousands of miles of back roads and hundreds of miles of trails to explore. Visitors can enjoy a variety of outdoor activities including hiking, mountain biking, hunting, fishing, alpine and nordic skiing, horseback riding, and camping.

Received from my penpal Diane in California

NEW JERSEY STATE CAPITOL

 New Jersey’s capitol is the most historic building in NJ state. The term “State House” harkens back to the time of its origination and remains as its popular name. THE STATE HOUSE is located in the heart of New Jersey's capital city, Trenton, situated on a bank of the Delaware River. This gilt-domed building, constructed in 1889. Second oldest capitol in continuous use in the U.S. (Maryland has the oldest), houses the NJ executive and legislative branches since 1792. For more than 200 years, New Jersey Senators, Assemblymen, and Governors have been making the laws of the state in this building. Today the State House continues to serve New Jersey as both a historical monument and a place of work. It's located in a beautiful area and holds so much of the state's history. And both the interior and exterior design and architecture of the building are absolutely jaw-dropping.

For more information visit: www.njleg.state.nj.us

THE PRAIRIES

Spreading over the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, the vast lands between Ontario in the east and the Rocky Mountains in the west are commonly called “the Prairies”. They constitute the great wheat-producing region of Canada and are a major source for petroleum, potash, and natural gas. With British Columbia they form the Western Provinces. The Prairies are Canada's breadbasket, three geometrically-shaped provinces which in addition to the wide-open expanses of flat prairie land also collectively include mountains, hills, lakes, shoreline, and metropolitan cities. 

Prairie rainbow

The prairie experience can be unforgettable. Here brightly-painted grain elevators dot distant horizons and mile-long trains can be seen  rushing their loads to market. Everywhere you look, you are reminded that this is grain country. A visit for the first time is to be overwhelmed by the expanse of both earth and sky.

This postcard received from PC user Pat

MT. RAINIER

 Mount Rainier, highest mountain (4,392 metres) in the state of Washington, U.S., and in the Cascade Range. It lies about 64 km southeast of the city of Tacoma, within Mount Rainier National Park. Rainier is sometimes referred to by its Native American name, Mount Tacoma, or Tahoma. The mountain has three major peaks: Liberty Cap, Point Success, and Columbia Crest. 

Mount Rainier looking over the serene Northwest landscape 

The English explorer George Vancouver sighted the summit on May 8, 1792, and named it for fellow navigator Peter Rainier. Rainier is noted for dense stands of coniferous trees on its lower slopes, scenic meadows (with a profusion of wildflowers during the warmer month) waterfalls and lakes, as well as an abundance of wildlife. The summer draws hikers, mountain climbers, and campers; the winter lures snowshoers and cross-country skiers. No trip to Washington State is complete without a Mount Rainier experience.

Visit Rainier, the Official Site of Mt. Rainier Tourism
 

WILDLIFE AUSTRALIA

A trio of Australia's fascinating wild creatures: 

• The termite-eating short-beaked Echidna. It is  among the few living representatives in the world of mammals that both lay eggs and suckle their young. Due to their small size and slow speed, the echidna protects itself by either hiding, or curling into a ball being protected by their spikey exterior. Sometimes called the porcupine of Australia. 

• The platypus lives in an aquatic environment like a fish, suckles its young like a mammal, lays eggs and has the bill of a duck! Platypuses are carnivores. They hunt worms, shrimp, insect larvae, and crayfish at dawn, dusk, and night. They live along streams and rivers in eastern Australia, including Tasmania.

• The Blue-winged Kookaburra, a giant kingfisher. Nielsen Park is inhabited by the kookaburra, easily identified by its call, which sounds like laughter. Kookaburras are very efficient breeders: one of the young birds is kept on in the nest to look after the next batch of hatchlings, leaving both parents free to gather food.

(left to right): Short-beaked Echidna; the Platypus; the Blue-winged Kookaburra