~ BALTIMORE CHARM ~

Baltimore ( /ˈbɒltɪmɔr/, colloquially /ˈbɒlmɔr/) is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore City in order to distinguish it from surrounding Baltimore County. Founded in 1729, Baltimore is the largest U.S. seaport in the Mid-Atlantic and is situated closer to major Midwestern markets than any other major seaport on the East Coast. Baltimore's Inner Harbor was once the second leading port of entry for immigrants to the United States and a major manufacturing center. The harbor is now home to Harborplace, a shopping, entertainment, and tourist center, and theNational Aquarium in Baltimore. According to Forbes, the city of Baltimore was rated 3rd best place to shop in 2010. After a decline in manufacturing, Baltimore shifted to a service-oriented economy.Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Hospital are now the city's largest employers.

At 620,961 in 2010, Baltimore's population has been decreasing considerably since the 1970s. The Baltimore Metropolitan Area has approximately 2.7 million residents; the 21st largest in the country. Baltimore is also the largest city in the surrounding associated combined statistical area of approximately 8.4 million residents.

The city is named after Lord Baltimore, a member of the Irish House of Lords and the founding proprietor of the Maryland Colony. Baltimore himself took his title from a place in Bornacoola parish, County Leitrim and County Longford, Ireland.Baltimore is an anglicized form of the Irish Baile an Tí Mhóir, meaning "Town of the Big House", not to be confused with Baltimore, County Cork, the Irish name of which is Dún na Séad.

Harbor East, Baltimore

Baltimore Museum of Industry

Baltimore skyline from Federal Hill

Baltimore skyline~Harbor East

Baltimore Public Works Museum

Baltimore Aquarium

Johns Hopkns Hospita

Engine House No. 6

Baltimore Smoke Stack

CAMDEN YARDS ~ Baltimore, MD

Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a Major League Baseball ballpark located in Baltimore, Maryland. Home field of the Baltimore Orioles, it is the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the 1990s and early 2000s, and remains one of the most highly praised.^[2] The park was completed in 1992 to replace Memorial Stadium. It is situated in downtown Baltimore a few blocks west of the Inner Harbor in the Camden Yards Sports Complex.

~BRYCE CANYON- UTAH~

Bryce Canyon National Park ( /ˈbraɪs/) is a national park located in southwestern Utah in the United States. The major feature of the park is Bryce Canyon which, despite its name, is not acanyon but a giant natural amphitheater created by erosion along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Bryce is distinctive due to geological structures called hoodoos, formed by wind, water, and ice erosion of the river and lake bed sedimentary rocks. The red, orange, and white colors of the rocks provide spectacular views for park visitors. Bryce sits at a much higher elevation than nearbyZion National Park. The rim at Bryce varies from 8,000 to 9,000 feet (2,400 to 2,700 m).

The Bryce area was settled by Mormon pioneers in the 1850s and was named after Ebenezer Bryce, who homesteaded in the area in 1874.^[1] The area around Bryce Canyon became a U.S. National Monument in 1923 and was designated as a national park in 1928. The park covers 56 square miles (145 km²) and receives relatively few visitors compared to Zion National Park and the Grand Canyon, largely due to its remote location. The town of Kanab, Utah, is situated at a central point between these three parks.

The Bryce Canyon Entrance

Bryce Canyon from Inspiration Point.

VARIOUS RANDOMS

Blackwater Falls ~ Blackwater Falls State Park is located in the Allegheny Mountains of Tucker County, West Virginia, USA. The centerpiece of the Park is Blackwater Falls, a 62-foot (19 m) cascade where the Blackwater River leaves its leisurely course in Canaan Valley and enters rugged Blackwater Canyon. It is among the most photographed venues in the state and appears on calendars, stationery, advertisements of all kinds and, most famously, on jigsaw puzzles. The River is named for its tannic acid-darkened water.

Smallest Church in 48 states ~ Silver Lake, West Virginia

The Monongahela National Forest is a national forest located in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It protects over 919,000 acres (3,719 km²; 1,436 sq mi) of federally-owned land within a 1,700,000 acres (6,880 km²; 2,656 sq mi) proclamation boundary that includes much of the Potomac Highlands Region and portions of 10 counties.^[2]

The MNF includes some major landform features such as the Allegheny Front and the western portion of the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians. Within the Forest are most of the highest mountain peaks in the state, including the highest, Spruce Knob (4,863 ft), also the highest point in the Alleghenies. Approximately 75 tree species are found in the Forest. Almost all of the trees are a second growth forest, grown back after the land was heavily cutover around the turn of the 20th century. Species for which the Forest is important include red spruce (Picea rubens), balsam fir (Abies balsamea), andmountain ash (Sorbus americana).

Beaten Barn- Silver Lake, West Virginia

Williamsburg, Virginia