The word “Nantahala” is a Cherokee word meaning “Land of the Noonday Sun”.
Dry Falls (aka. Upper Cullasaja Falls) is a popular 65-foot (20.1 m) waterfall located 3 miles northwest of Highlands. Dry Falls flows on the Cullasaja River and is part of a series of waterfalls on an 8.7-mile (14 km) stretch of the river that includes Bridal Veil Falls and eventually ends with Cullasaja Falls.
As the river flows over a protruding bluff, and when the waterflow is low, it is possible to walk safely behind the waterfall and keep fairly dry.
The Cullasaja Gorge is located in North Carolina between the towns of Highlands and Franklin, and is mostly protected as part of the Nantahala National Forest.
The fast-moving Cullasaja River is a tributary of the Little Tennessee River, which ultimately flows into the Mississippi River. It has several waterfalls along its 61 mile length, which include:
Assos is a village on the west coast of the Greek island of Kefalonia. It was founded under Venetian rule and it served as the administrative capital of northern Cephalonia from 1593 onwards.
The famous Myrtos beach is located a few miles south of Assos, and both areas are naturally popular on the tourist trail.
Navagio Beach or Shipwreck Beach, is an exposed cove and only accessible from the sea. It is often referred to as “Smugglers Cove”, on the coast of Zakynthos, in the Ionian Islands of Greece.
On 2 October 1980, during stormy weather and poor visibility, a freightliner, the MV Panagiotis, ran aground in the waters around Zakynthos Island on Navagio Beach. It is thought that the ship was smuggling contraband cigarettes, wine and women. Having been abandoned the ship now rests buried in the limestone gravel of the beach that now bears the nickname Shipwreck.
Rocky outcrops throughout this extraordinary area on the west coast of Ireland are host to an array of plantlife.
This karst landscape is a bed of limestone up to 800 metres thick, and was formed as sediments in a tropical sea around 325 million years ago. Fossil corals and ammonites are found within the strata.
Mist rolls in over the Sapa rice terraces in northwest Vietnam. The district of Lao Cai is located about 260 miles from Hanoi, and one way to get there is by travelling on an overnight train journey that winds its way slowly through the hills while gaining altitude on the way.
This area is popular for trekking, staying in homestays and generally meeting the local hill-tribe people called the Hmong.
Rice terraces have been built into the mountain slopes for cultivation by reclaiming the land from nature. Views of this epic scenery are frequently subdued by thick mist rolling through the valley’s, but even when it’s cloudy, the local hill-tribe people (Hmong) fill the towns and villages with colour.
Approximately 236 miles northwest of Hanoi in the northern part of Vietnam lies the district of Sapa.
Known for its extensive rice terracing on the surrounding hills and mountains, travelers, trekkers and photographers are drawn to its overall beauty. Thousands of tourists come every year to trek the hundreds of miles of trails around the villages of Dao, Ta Van and Ta Phin and meet the Hmong people – a local ethnic group.
Spanish moss hangs off the trees in Brock Mill pond at Trenton, Jones County in North Carolina. The mill and 122 acre pond date back to the 1700’s when the first dam was constructed by hand.
Bison graze in the early morning under the magnificent backdrop of the Grand Teton mountain range. The location is close to the renowned Moulton’s Barn on Mormon Row near Jackson Hole.
Schwabacher’s Landing is a popular location for photographers to capture the dramatic Grand Tetons with a classic water reflection in the foreground. The site is on the Snake River in the Grand Tetons National Park around 16 miles north of Jackson Hole in Wyoming. The calm waters of the river, created by beaver dams, allow for those beautiful sunrise reflections.
The area is easily accessible from a dirt road off Highway 89. However, the gravel road had been closed to vehicles resulting in a four-mile hike to the landing spot offering numerous photo opportunities along the way.
Schwabachers Landing is a boat landing spot on the Snake River located a few miles north of the town of Jackson Hole in the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
This location is popular with photographers and naturalists alike, due to the wonderful sunrise reflections of the mountains in the calm waters (created by beavers dams) of the river. Wildlife, which includes moose, pronghorn, bald eagles and several water bird species, are frequently seen in the immediate vicinity.
Bryce amphitheater viewed from Inspiration Point. The distinctive geological structures are called hoodoos, and have been formed by erosion and frost weathering. The red, orange and white colors of the rocks from which the park’s delicate hoodoos are carved, was laid down as sediments in a system of cool streams and lakes that existed from 63 to about 40 million years ago.
Bryce Canyon is a National Park located in the southwestern part of Utah in the United States.
This interesting and well-photographed location on the Colorado River is located just a few miles from the town of Page, Arizona. Horseshoe Bend is about 5 miles downstream from Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell.
To view the bend you'll need to make a short walk (1.5 miles round trip) from the car park on US Route 89. Care must be taken near the cliff edge as the drop is around 1,000 ft (300m) to the Colorado River below.
There are infinite view points within Lower Antelope Canyon, but I kept on seeing faces of time carved by years of erosion to the Navajo sandstone rock which line the canyon walls.
This set of images portrays the peace and quiet of the slot canyon in the black and white photograph through to the more abrasive windy and dusty aspect.
Photo tours are available at both Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon through Dixie Ellis Canyon Tours.
The stunning interior of Antelope Canyon allows you to experience many extraordinary views, some of them by occasionally peering skywards. The thin strata of ‘flowing’ Navajo sandstone is caused by millennia of flash flooding and erosion leaving what is now one of the most magical places to visit, experience and photograph.
Lower Antelope Canyon photography tours are available from Dixie Ellis Tours and well worth taking.
