The Santa Lucia Range sprawls down to the rocky coastline in Big Sur, California. This wall of mountains plunges into the Pacific along 90 celebrated miles (145 kilometers) of California coast. State and federal preserves protect the wild solitude that lures artists, seekers, and plain folk to Big Sur.
(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Big Sur: California's Elemental Coast," August 2000, National Geographic magazine)
October 12, 2008
Fisherman on the Yellowstone River, United States, 1997
Photograph by Annie Griffiths Belt
Deep in thought on his boat near the snowy banks of the Yellowstone River, a fisherman examines his bait. The Yellowstone River is the longest undammed river remaining in the lower 48 states, flowing for 670 miles (1,078 kilometers) through Wyoming and Montana before ending in North Dakota, where it joins the Missouri River.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "The Yellowstone, the Last Best River," April 1997, National Geographic magazine)
October 13, 2008
Iceberg, Jakobshavn Fjord, Greenland, 2007
Photograph by James Balog
At four miles (six kilometers) wide and several thousand feet thick Jakobshavn Isbræ disgorges icebergs like these faster than any other of Greenland's glaciers. Its output, accelerated by global warming, totals some 11 cubic miles (45 cubic kilometers) of ice each year.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "The Big Thaw," June 2007, National Geographic magazine)
October 14, 2008
Tribal Dancers, Ndumu Game Reserve, South Africa, 1996
Photograph by Chris Johns
Dance for South Africa's Zulu is like storytelling, with each movement imbued with historical and cultural significance. Here, the crimson skirt of a tribeswoman sways during a performance at the Ndumu Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "A Place for Parks in the New South Africa," July 1996, National Geographic magazine)
October 15, 2008
Persian Ruins, Persepolis, Iran, 1999
Photograph by Alexandra Avakian
The ancient city of Persepolis in modern-day Iran was one of four capitals of the sprawling Persian Empire. Built beginning around 520 B.C., the city was a showcase for the empire's staggering wealth, with grand architecture, extravagant works of silver and gold, and extensive relief sculptures such as this one.
The height of Persian rule lasted from about 550 B.C. until 330 B.C., when Alexander the Great overthrew the ruling Archaemenid dynasty and burned Persepolis to the ground.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Iran: Testing the Ancient Waters of Iran," July 1999, National Geographic magazine)
October 16, 2008
Wrestling Wolves, Ely, Minnesota, 1998
Photograph by Joel Sartore
Gray wolves, like these two wrestling at Ely, Minnesota's International Wolf Center, were hunted to near extinction in the western U.S. in the 1800s and early 1900s. But 34 years on the Endangered Species List and a successful federal reintroduction program begun in 1995 has helped the species recover dramatically. Western populations were delisted in February of 2008.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Return of the Gray Wolf," May 1998, National Geographic magazine)
October 17, 2008
Convent Tower, Trinidad, Cuba, 1994
Photograph by David Alan Harvey
The bell tower of the Church and Convent of Saint Francis rises above the cobblestone streets of Trinidad, Cuba, a colonial town so well preserved it's often referred to as a "museum city." Built by Franciscan monks in the early 18th century, the church now houses a museum focusing on the fight against counterrevolutionaries in the early days of communist Cuba.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "The Wild Mix of Trinidad and Tobago," March 1994, National Geographic magazine)
October 18, 2008
Grazing Eland, Drakensberg Range, South Africa, 2001
Photograph by Kenneth Garrett
The rich foliage, roots, and bulbs on the slopes of South Africa's Drakensberg Range attract a wide variety of mammals, including eland, the world's largest antelope species. Logging, overgrazing, and soil erosion, however, threaten this critical African habitat.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Paintings of the Spirit: Rock Art Opens a New Window Into the Bushman World," February 2001, National Geographic magazine)
October 19, 2008
Santa Lucia Range, Big Sur, California, 2000
Photograph by Frans Lanting
Greenery takes hold in crevasses and other spots on a denuded mountain in the Santa Lucia Range. Geologists suspect that the range emerged from two great blocks of rock that were riven by faults, including the San Andreas to the east.
(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Big Sur: California's Elemental Coast," August 2000, National Geographic magazine)
October 20, 2008
Stone Buddha, Lhasa, Tibet, 2003
Photograph by Galen Rowell
A tourist admires a brightly painted Buddha etched into the rock of a pilgrimage site near Lhasa, Tibet. The statue shows the Buddha in the earth-touching position with characteristic elongated earlobes and holding a begging bowl.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "275 Miles on Foot Through the Remote Chang Tang," April 2003, National Geographic magazine)