2012 자폐증의 달: Autism Awareness Month 2012

Autism Awareness Month 2012

April is Autism Awareness Month, a time to focus attention on those with autism and related pervasive developmental disorders. The Centers for Disease Control just released a study estimating that 1 in 88 children in the United States have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder -- up from an estimate of 1 in 156 ten years ago. According to the CDC, only part of this growth is related to increased awareness and early diagnosis. Recent efforts in early detection and educational intervention have shown encouraging results, bringing a measure of hope to often difficult family situations. Relatives and caretakers will tell you that working with those with autism can be both the most frustrating and the most rewarding experience of their lives. My only brother is autistic, and my family and I know these difficulties and rewards well. He's an adult now, living happily in a group home much like the one featured in the final four photos below by Kevin Wellenius. Many thanks to the families and photographers who are sharing their personal, intimate photos here today.

An autistic child peers from between curtains at the Consulting Center for Autism in Amman, Jordan, on March 30, 2010, one of the few places in the country that helps children with the condition. (Reuters/Ali Jarekji) 

Christopher Astacio stands in the doorway watching, as his daughter Cristina, 2, recently diagnosed with a mild form of autism, plays in her bedroom on March 28, 2012 in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews) 

The statue of Christ the Redeemer above Rio de Janeiro lit by blue lights during the Autism Speaks "Light It Up Blue" campaign on April 2, 2012. (Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images for Autism Speaks) 

Participants in the 10th Annual Walk Now For Autism Speaks at the Rose Bowl on April 21, 2011 in Pasadena, California.(Andrew D. Bernstein/Autism Speaks via Getty Images) 

Volunteers announce the final total of money raised by the 10th Annual Walk Now For Autism Speaks at the Rose Bowl on April 21, 2011 in Pasadena, California. (Andrew D. Bernstein/Autism Speaks via Getty Images) 

A boy relaxes with lights in a "Snoezelen" room during yoga classes for children in Lima, Peru, on January 27, 2012. These rooms are specially designed to deliver stimuli to the different senses using lighting effects, color, sounds, music, and are used mostly for people with autism, brain injuries or developmental disabilities, according to Paulina Contin, the instructor of the classes. (Reuters/Pilar Olivares) 

A boy, suffering from autism, reaches toward a beluga whale in Changfeng Park in Shanghai, China, on December 21, 2005.(Reuters/Aly Song) 

Aspiritech co-founder Moshe Weitzberg (left) works with employees, from left, Katie Levin, Rick Alexander and Jamie Specht, at the nonprofit enterprise that specializes in finding software bugs as they test a new program in Highland Park, Illinois, on September 8, 2011. Aspiritech hires only people with autism disorders. Traits that make great software testers _intense focus, comfort with repetition, memory for detail _ also happen to be characteristics of autism. Marc Lazar, Aspiritech's autism specialist works in the background.(AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) 

Ozark Center for Autism implementer Mellissa Stiffler works with student Payton Coffee, 3, during class in a temporary facility in Joplin, Missouri, on June 14, 2011. The school was destroyed by a tornado that wiped out much of the community a month earlier.(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) #

A tourist boat sails on River Danube as the dome of the Parliament building is bathed in blue light on the occasion of the World Autism Awareness Day, April 2, 2012, in Budapest, Hungary. (AP Photo/MTI, Balazs Mohai) 

Immaculate Murga, who is autistic, practices his letters and numbers in a classroom at the Little Rock Inclusive Early Childhood Development Center in Kenya's capital Nairobi, on March 15, 2012. Little Rock is one of the few schools providing education to children with special needs in the sprawling Kibera slums. (Reuters/Samantha Sais) 

A Romanian child suffering from autism smiles as he holds balloons during a rally dedicated to World Autism Awarness Day, in Bucharest, on April 2, 2011. Around one hundred people gathered downtown with colorful balloons, a symbol of the diversity of people who suffer from autism. (Daniel Mihailescu/AFP/Getty Images) 

Ethan Johnson, left, finds Elliot, right, in the closet while playing hide and seek at Elliot's home on November 19th in Eagan, Minnesota. Both boys have autism and their play dates are part of therapy that teaches them to interact with other children. This photo was originally part of a story in the Minnesota Daily: Treating Autism. Original photo here. (© Jules Ameel) 

An autistic child walks next to a teacher during a therapy session at the Dora Alonso Autismo Center in Havana, Cuba, on February 11, 2008. (Reuters/Enrique De La Osa) 

Professional golfer Ernie Els of South Africa, with his son Ben who suffers from Autism, during the Els for Autism Pro-am at The PGA National Golf Club on March 12, 2012 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (David Cannon/Getty Images) 

Thara Marie Santiago, a girl with autism, rehearses inside a washroom before she performs in Autismusical, a free public concert sponsored by a mall as a venue for individuals who have autism to showcase their different talents as well as to highlight world autism awareness day, inside a mall in Quezon City, Philippines, on April 2, 2009. (Reuters/John Javellana) 

An autistic child wears a toy mask as he plays at the Consulting Center for Autism in Amman, Jordan, on March 30, 2010.(Reuters/Ali Jarekji) 

Great Buddha of Hyogo is illuminated in blue light to mark World Austin Awareness Day on April 2,2012 in Kobe, Japan. Around 2,000 iconic buildings and landmarks around the world are shining a blue light during the Autism Speaks third annual Light It Up Blue Campaign to show support of Autism Awareness Day and Month, raising awareness of autism. (Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images for Autism Speaks) 

Photographer and father Jason Wilkie, on this portrait of his son: "Inside that mind. I wish I could see at times. I think it would be fascinating to know what goes on in there." Original photo here. (© Jason Wilkie) 

An autistic child cuddles a pony during a training session in a club in Paris, France, on November 8, 2003. (Reuters/Philippe Wojazer) 

(1 of 4) Since 1984, Curt Brown (standing) has been a foster parent to several adult men with autism, living with them in his home in Gardiner, Maine. He has forged a deep familial bond with many of the residents, but the commitment has also come at the expense of other goals, including personal relationships. As he turned 65, Curt confronted what lay ahead for him, as well as for the seven men living with him. Here, a group evening meal is emblematic of the family environment Curt has created for his residents. Around the table are (clockwise from left) Graham Weston, Ben Brendahl, Lee Calderwood, Keith Keller, Aaron Bridgham, Timmy Barton, and John Williamson.(© Kevin Wellenius) 

(2 of 4) After finishing the evening chores, Curt rests briefly as Graham Weston, a resident since 1994, stands at his customary spot in the kitchen. "It's a lot of years," Curt says. While there have been many theories about how best to provide for adults with autism, "ultimately what we found was the most successful was making a cohesive family unit... and treating everybody as a valid family member," says Curt. (© Kevin Wellenius) 

(3 of 4) "I love you," Curt says to Aaron after moving his belongings to a new home. In addition to Aaron, three of the other residents moved to a new home in Rome, Maine. The three remaining residents continue to live at Curt's home in Gardiner, but its operation has been taken over by an agency. (© Kevin Wellenius) 

(4 of 4) Lee Calderwood (left) and Curt Brown hug in the living room of Curt's home in Gardiner, Maine. "It's a life pretty full of love," says Curt. "Who gets to say 'good night' and 'I love you' to two or three or four people every single night of the wee?"(© Kevin Wellenius) 

미국의 아름다운 국립공원: America's National Parks

America's National Parks

Acadia

Acadia National Park in Maine boasts the highest mountain on the U.S. Atlantic Coast and was the first national park east of the Mississippi River. Visitors beware: temperatures can vary 40 degrees -- from 45 degrees to 85 degrees in the summer and from 30 degrees to 70 degrees in the spring and fall.

Rocky Mountain

Bear Lake, with mountainside aspens changing colors in mid-autumn, is one of the popular attractions in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.

Badlands

The climate in South Dakota's Badlands National Park is extreme. Temperatures range from minus 40 degrees in the dead of winter to 116 degrees in the height of summer. Visitors are drawn to the park's rugged beauty as well as the area's rich fossil beds.

Yosemite

One of the nation's first wilderness parks, Yosemite is known for its waterfalls, scenic valleys, meadows and giant sequoias.

North Cascades National Park

The North Cascades National Park complex offers something for everyone: Monstrous peaks, deep valleys, hundreds of glaciers and phenominal waterfalls. The complex includes the park, Ross Lake and Lake Chelan National Recreation Areas.

Zion

This spectacular corner of southern Utah is a masterpiece of towering cliffs, deep red canyons, mesas, buttes and massive monoliths.

Redwood

Created in 1968, Redwood National Park is located in Northern California. Today, visitors to the national park can enjoy the massive trees as well as an array of wildlife.

Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree National Park is located in southeast California. The area was made a national monument in 1936 and a national park in 1994. Outdoor enthusiasts can go hiking, mountain biking and rock climbing.

Great Smoky Mountains

Straddling the Tennessee-North Carolina border, Great Smoky Mountains National Park encompasses more than 800 square miles in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Visitors can expect mild winters and hot, humid summers, though temperatures can differ drastically as the park's elevation ranges from 800 feet to more than 6,600 feet.

Arches

More than 2,000 natural sandstone arches, many of them recognizable worldwide, are preserved in Utah's Arches National Park. Temperatures can reach triple digits in the summer and can drop to below freezing in the winter

Arches National Park, Utah

Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon

Grand Teton

The Snake River flows through Grand Teton National Park, and the jagged Teton Range rises above the sage-covered valley floor. Daytime temperatures during summer months are frequently in the 70s and 80s, and afternoon thunderstorms are common.

Haleakala

Visitors watch the sun rise at 10,000 feet in Haleakala National Park in Maui, Hawaii. If weather permits, visitors at the top of the mountain can see three other Hawaiian islands.

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon National Park is perhaps the most recognizable national park. Nearly 5 million visitors view the mile-deep gorge every year, formed in part by erosion from the Colorado River. The North and South rims are separated by a 10-mile-wide canyon

Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park, America's first national park, was established in 1872. The park spans parts of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. Grizzly bears, wolves, bison and elk live in the park. It is well known for Old Faithful and other geothermal features.

Mount Rainier

Glaciers. Rainforests. Hiking trails. Mount Rainier National Park, located in Washington state, offers incredible scenery and a diverse ecology. The park aims to be carbon neutral by 2016.

Hawaii Volcanoes

Two of the world's most active volcanoes can be found within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. In 1980, the national park was designated an International Biosphere Reserve; in 1987, it was added as a World Heritage Site.

Everglades

Everglades National Park covers the nation's largest subtropical wilderness. It is also a World Heritage Site, an International Biosphere Reserve and a Wetland of International Importance. Visitors to the park can camp, boat, hike and find many other ways to enjoy the outdoors.

Glacier

A view from atop the Grinnell Glacier Overlook trail in Glacier National Park. With more than 700 miles of trails the park is known for its glaciers, forests, alpine meadows and beautiful lakes.

Bryce Canyon

Located in southwestern Utah, Bryce Canyon National Park is known for its distinctive geological structures called "hoodoos."

Crater Lake

The brilliant blue Crater Lake, located in southern Oregon, was formed when Mount Mazama, standing at 12,000 feet, collapsed 7,700 years ago after a massive eruption. Crater Lake is one of the world's deepest lakes at 1,943 feet.

Olympic

Washington state's Olympic National Park offers visitors beaches on the Pacific Ocean, glacier-capped mountain peaks and everything in between. Keep the weather in mind when visiting, though, as roads and facilities can be affected by wind, rain and snow any time of year.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon

A woman stands among a grove of a Giant Sequoia trees in Sequoia National Park in Central California. The trees, which are native to California's Sierra Nevada Mountains, are the world's largest by volume, reaching heights of 275 feet and a ground level girth of 109 feet. The oldest known Giant Sequoia based on its ring count is 3,500 years old.

Denali

Alaska's Denali National Park spans 6 million acres and includes the 20,320-foot Mount McKinley, North America's tallest peak. Many park visitors try to catch a glimpse of the "big five" -- moose, caribou, Dall sheep, wolves and grizzly bea

Kenai Fjords National Park

The National Park Service considers the 8.2-mile round-trip on Harding Icefield Trail in Alaska's Kenai Fjords National Park to be strenuous, saying hikers gain about 1,000 feet of elevation with each mile.

Death Valley

California's Death Valley encompasses more than 3.3 million acres of desert wilderness. In 1849, a group of gold rush pioneers entered the Valley, thinking it was a shortcut to California. After barely surviving the trek across the area, they named the spot "Death Valley." In the 1880s, native peoples were pushed out by mining companies who sought the riches of gold, silver, and borax.

Wind Cave

Bison graze in Wind Cave National Park in the southern Black Hills of South Dakota. Millions of bison were slaughtered by white hunters who pushed them to near-extinction by the late 1800s. Recovery programs have brought the bison numbers up to nearly 250,000

Canyonlands

The Lower Basins Zone is outlined by the white rim edge as seen from the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park, Utah.

Shenandoah

Fall colors blanket the Shenandoah National Park, drawing tourists to Skyline Drive to view the scenery.

America's Lesser-Known National Parks

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado

In this case, the name does not say it all. Sure, Great Sand Dunes features 30 square miles of flowing sand — Star Dune, the highest, is 750 feet — but within its 150,000 acres, you’ll also find forested trails, alpine lakes and the 13,000-foot peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The biggest “crowds” come in late spring to swim in Medano Creek, a short-lived snowmelt stream that flows across the sand. Come summer and fall, those with a taste for adventure (and a high-clearance 4WD vehicle) can enjoy high-country hikes and fall foliage via the primitive Medano Pass Road.

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

With famous neighbors including Bryce, Zion and Arches national parks, it’s not surprising that some visitors to southern Utah completely miss Capitol Reef. That’s too bad because within its 400 square miles stand the white reef-like domes that give the park its name, the monoliths of Cathedral Valley and the 100-mile-long geological wrinkle known as Waterpocket Fold. The park is also home to the largest fruit orchard (2,600 trees) in the National Park system, so after a day in the outdoors, head to the Gifford Historic Farmhouse in the Fruita Historic District for fresh-baked pies of peach, pear, cherry, apple and apricot.

Lassen Volcanic National Park, California

Mt. Rainier may be more imposing, but if you want to get a sense of the explosive energy beneath your feet, Lassen’s the place. (It also gets one-third as many visitors.) From the main park road, you can view the results of the 1915 eruption in the aptly named Devastated Area, experience ongoing hydrothermal activity amid the bubbling mud pots of Bumpass Hell or make the 2,000-foot climb to the summit for the big-picture view. For a more remote experience, head to the northeast corner of the park, where the 700-foot-high Cinder Cone rises above a moonscape of lava beds and painted dunes.

Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota

Talk about a water park: With just a few short roads that barely pierce its borders, this park in northern Minnesota is a boater’s paradise of bays, islands and passages. Those without their own watercraft can rent canoes to paddle to remote islands and campsites, visit historic sites via a pair of large tour boats or recall the days of the 17th-century voyageurs by joining a 26-foot North Canoe voyage. This year, the park is celebrating its 35th anniversary with a variety of special events, including several nighttime Starwatch Cruises on Rainy Lake on board the Voyageur tour boat.

Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska

Less than 2,000 visitors last year, but almost 500,000 caribou each spring and fall. In other words, the only crowds you’ll experience at Kobuk will likely have antlers and four legs apiece. In fact, this roadless expanse, just north of the Arctic Circle, is so remote that the U.S. Geologic Survey still hasn’t named some of its river drainages. But for those who are prepared for a true wilderness experience, rafting the Kobuk River, hiking the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes or climbing among the Baird and Waring ranges that ring the park can be the adventure of a lifetime.

Big Bend National Park, Texas

The “Big,” of course, refers to the sweeping arc the Rio Grande makes along this park’s southern border, but it also applies to the park’s approach to diversity. At 800,000 acres, Big Bend is home to more species of birds (450), butterflies (180) and cacti (60) than any unit in the National Park system. It’d take years to see it all, but for a quick trip, hike the high-country trails of the Chisos Basin, float the Rio Grande between the sheer walls of Santa Elena Canyon and bone up on local history along the new Dorgan-Sublett Trail near Castolon.

Channel Islands National Park, California

The five islands of this park — Anacapa, Santa Cruz, San Miguel, Santa Rosa and solitary Santa Barbara — are just a boat ride or scenic flight from the sprawl of Southern California, yet feel worlds away. In fact, while 350,000 people visited the park’s visitor centers on the mainland last year, only one quarter of them actually made it to the islands themselves. Add in 125,000 acres of protected waters and you’ve got a park that’s part American Galapagos (145 species are found here and nowhere else) and part playground for hikers, divers, boaters and whale watchers.

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

With its cliff dwellings and stone villages, this park in southwest Colorado features some of the best-preserved remnants of the Anasazi people, who lived here from A.D. 600 to A.D. 1300. Unfortunately, many visitors zip in and out, driving the Mesa Top Loop Road or visiting well-trod ruins like Balcony House and Cliff Palace. This summer, however, the park is offering three new ranger-guided tours, including a two-hour, three-mile hike to Mug House; a six-mile, six-hour tour of the Wetherill Mesa area, and an eight-hour, eight-mile hike to several remote dwellings hidden in the recesses of Navajo and Wickiup canyons

Biscayne National Park, Florida

Although Biscayne lies on the doorstep of Miami, it’s actually part of the Florida Keys, a 172,000-acre expanse of crystalline water dotted with sea-grass shallows, patches of coral and 30 keys and islets. In summer, when winds are calm and the bugs are bad, stay on the water with a guided snorkel trip to the natural aquaria around Shark Reef or Bache Shoal; when fall winds pick up (dispelling the mosquitoes), take a three-hour tour to Boca Chita Key where you can climb the 65-foot ornamental lighthouse for panoramic views of the park, Key Biscayne and downtown Miami.

Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska

No roads, no visitor facilities and no designated trails — if it’s solitude you seek, this 13,000-square-mile park above the Arctic Circle has your number. (Total number of visitors last year: 9,975.) Some visitors arrive by bush plane; others hike in via Anaktuvuk Pass, but all would be advised to plan ahead, either by using a guide service or being appropriately self-sufficient and wilderness-savvy. The rewards? Endless days under the midnight sun in summer, caribou migrations in spring and fall and panoramas of wild rivers, glacier-carved valleys and the craggy peaks of the Brooks Range year-round.

Great Basin, Nevada

Given Great Basin’s location — just off U.S. 50, aka The Loneliest Road in America — it’s hardly surprising that the park accounted for a measly .03 percent of visits (85,000) to the National Park System. Most visitors come to tour the limestone wonderland of Lehman Caves or hike amid the gnarled, 4,000-year-old bristlecone pines on Wheeler Peak. It’s also popular (relatively speaking) with stargazers who come to the park because it boasts some of the darkest night skies in the Lower 48. Consider joining them August 6–8, when the park will hold its first-ever Great Basin National Park Astronomy Festival.

Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida

Seventy miles west of Key West and surrounded by the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Dry Tortugas saw just 52,000 visitors last year — probably because you have to take a ferry, seaplane or private boat to get there. Once on site, visitors can tour the hulking Civil War–era Fort Jefferson, stroll the beach of Garden Key (most of the other islands are closed to the public) and snorkel amid conchs, corals and kaleidoscopic fish. (Park personnel are monitoring the local waters for oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill, but are currently reporting no evidence of contamination.)

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska

The largest park in the National Park system spans 13.2 million acres, features nine of the 16 highest peaks in the country and boasts the continent’s greatest assemblage of glaciers, yet received less than 60,000 people last year. Crowds? Not a problem. Most visitors drive the 60-mile McCarthy Road to visit the rustic town of the same name, tour the Kennecott Mill site or hike up to the toe of Root Glacier. If that sounds too busy, opt instead for the lesser-traveled Nabesna Road, which offers equally stunning scenery and more chances to see wildlife.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado

Rocky Mountain National Park got 2.8 million visitors last year. Black Canyon of the Gunnison? Less than 175,000. Cut steep and deep by the thundering Gunny, the canyon’s near-vertical walls rise as high as 2,700 feet above the water and provide a vivid (and vertiginous) view of 2 billion years of geology. Most visitors stick to the more-developed, easier-accessed South Rim, so consider the more primitive North Rim for equally impressive views with even fewer people. “There’s only a quarter of a mile between them,” says Chief of Interpretation Sandy Snell-Dobert, “but it’s so much quieter.”

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Let’s face it, without Teddy Roosevelt, the U.S. would probably have far less protected space than it does, so a visit to his one-time homestead is more than appropriate. (Besides, it gets half as many visitors as the better-known Badlands.) Most visitors hit the South Unit, snapping pictures of T. Roo’s cabin and the Painted Canyon, while others venture to the North Unit to see prairie dogs and river views. Only a handful make it to the remote Elkhorn Ranch Unit, which Chief of Interpretation Eileen Andes says features “the best view of the Little Missouri and maybe the best view in North Dakota.”

Isle Royale National Park, Michigan

Closer to Ontario than Michigan, this island park in Lake Superior is only accessible by boat or seaplane, which probably explains why it saw only 15,000 visitors last year. For day trippers, easy trails around Windigo and the lodging and tour services at Rock Harbor offer scenic views and glimpses of island history; for canoers, kayakers and backpackers, the bays, interior lakes and backcountry trails are as wild as they come. Ferries and water taxis can transport you to remote docks scattered along the 45-mile-long island; after that, you’re on your own.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas

Heading to Carlsbad Caverns? If so, consider adding a visit to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, which sits just an hour away, sees less than half as many visitors and offers some of the Southwest’s most surprising topography. Check out the unexpectedly lush vegetation in McKittrick Canyon, the 265-million-year-old marine fossils along the Permian Reef Trail and the backcountry trails off the park’s remote Dog Canyon entrance. Prefer some company? This summer, the park is offering its first Hike with a Ranger program, which will offer full-day backcountry hikes with a ranger on the last Sunday of the month.

National Park of American Samoa, American Samoa

They don’t come much more remote — or more scenic — than this little beauty, which is located 2,600 miles southwest of Hawaii, spread across four islands and blessed with tropical rainforests, pristine beaches and gin-clear waters teeming with fish. Start your visit with a scenic drive to Vatia on the main island of Tutuila, then hop a flight to Ofu or Olosega for beachcombing and snorkeling. More intrepid visitors should also visit Ta’u, the fourth island, which is considered the birthplace of the Polynesian people. “Access is difficult,” says Park Ranger Sarah Bone, “but the reward will pay for itself several times over.”

America the Beautiful

We're celebrating our country’s splendor with photos that capture its vast and unique beauty. Some are familiar: Niagara Falls (left) or Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. Others are more obscure: a forgotten garage on Route 66 or sun-bleached cliffs in the West. In our daily lives, we're apt to overlook the magnificence around us.

A full moon rises behind downtown St. Louis and the Gateway Arch. The 630-foot-tall stainless steel arch stands as a memorial to westward expansion.

Sun shines on the 100-foot thick "bathtub ring" of bleached sandstone earlier this year, the result of a six-year drought that has dramatically dropped the reservoir's level. Above are the red Navajo sandstone cliffs of Llewellyn Gulch canyon on Lake Powell near Page, Ariz.

An old garage on the former Route 66 in Daggett, Calif. The highway opened in 1926, stretching from Chicago to Los Angeles. In 1985, it was decommissioned as a federal highway.

An autumn sunset drapes El Capitan and the Yosemite valley with warm light in Yosemite National Park.

Water rushes through Deer Creek Canyon on the Colorado River.

General Sherman Tree, the world's largest living thing, stands tall in Sequoia National Park in California

The aurora borealis rises high above the Alaska Range in Denali National Park.

Horses gallop across a field on a horse farm near Lexington, Ky.

Elk graze in the meadows of Yellowstone National Park with Mount Holmes (left) and Mount Dome in the background.

Flowers bloom in Gettysburg battle field in Pennsylvania. The battle here in July 1863, a victory for the Union, ended the second invasion of the North by General Robert E. Lee's army.

Manicured and clean, Chicago's Wrigley Field is ready for a game between the Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals in August 2002.

Tourists take a horse-drawn carriage ride outside of Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

Mt. Rainier as seen from the Wonderland Trail near Mowich Lake in Mt. Rainier National Park, Wash.

Skiers make their way down the slopes at Heavenly Ski Resort in South Lake Tahoe, Calif.

Ice begins to form on the surface of Lake Michigan as the sun rises in Chicago.

Shadows create wave patterns on the dunes at White Sands National Monument in Alamagordo, N.M.

Waves crash against the rugged coastline of Big Sur, Calif.

Tourists visit the nation's capital, with the Washington Monument in the background.

Golfer Payne Stewart takes a swing from the ninth fairway during the 1991 PGA Tour AT&T Pebble Beach golf tournament in California.

A full moon illuminates the night landscape in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

The Bubbles, a pair of mountains at Acadia National Park, Me., are reflected in the clear waters of Jordan Pond.

Light from the early morning sun turns a puff of steam from Mount St. Helens in Washington into a bright orange cloud.