HISTORY IN THE WORLD

CARLSBAD CAVERNS NATIONAL PARK

Carlsbad Cavern and at least 86 other known caves lie deep within a Permian-age fossil reef in the hinterlands of New Mexico, including Lechuguilla Cave, the nation's deepest and third-longest limestone cave at 1,567 feet. Carlsbad Cavern, one of the world's largest underground chambers and home to countless cave formations, is highly accessible via a variety of tours offered year-round.

Although most people come to explore the caves, the 46,766 above-ground acres of Carlsbad offer a short nature trail and more than 50 miles of primitive backcountry trails. A very long time ago, a shallow sea covered the area of what is now Carlsbad Cavern. Plants and animals lived and died in the sea. Their shells and skeletons piled on top of each other, making a reef.

Over time, many layers piled up, squashing the shells and making the layers hard, compact and thick. Then the sea dried up, causing the reef to be exposed to the air. Movements in the earth's crust pushed the reef upwards, forming a limestone mountain. Trees and other plants grew on the mountain, covering the old reef and causing cracks to develop in the limestone.

Rainwater sank into the soil and went down through the plants' roots and finally down through the cracks in the limestone. On its way through the atmosphere and the soil, the water absorbed carbon dioxide. A weak acid was chemically formed when the water mixed with the carbon dioxide. The resulting carbonic acid dissolved the calcite in the limestone. At some point, large rocks in the cave ceiling fell. This opened up chambers, like the Cavern's Big Room -- 25 stories high and a third of a mile wide. As water seeped and dripped its way into the Cavern, beautiful formations decorated the cave.

Bats
The many caves of Carlsbad Caverns NP are home to an abundance of bats. Join an evening bat flight program to learn more about these fascinating flying mammals.

Iceberg Rock
A single 200,000-ton boulder that fell from a cave ceiling thousands of years ago.

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CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK

The Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile-long wrinkle in the Earth's crust, extends from nearby Thousand Lakes Mountain all the way south to the Colorado River (now Lake Powell).

The most scenic portion of the Fold, found near the Fremont River, is known as Capitol Reef -- "Capitol" for the white domes of Navajo sandstone that resemble Capitol building rotundas, and "reef" for the rocky cliffs which present a barrier to travel, like a coral reef. This area is called the "Land of the Sleeping Rainbow" by the Navajo, in tribute to the brilliant hues of the canyon walls. The colorful free-standing monoliths, or temples, of Cathedral Valley have been formed by erosion of the soft reddish-orange Entrada sandstone. A visit to Capitol Reef National Park is a spectacular visual experience!

Capitol Reef National Park was established to protect these grand and colorful geologic features, as well as the historical and ancient cultural history that abound in the area.

Nearly 10,000 feet of sedimentary strata are found in the Capitol Reef area. These rocks range in age from Permian (as old as 270 million years old) to Cretaceous (as young as 80 million years old.) The Waterpocket Fold has tilted this geologic layercake down to the east. The older rocks are found in the western part of the park, and the younger rocks are found near the east boundary.

This layer-upon-layer sequence of sedimentary rock records nearly 200 million years of geologic history. Rock layers in Capitol Reef reveal ancient climates as varied as rivers and swamps (Chinle Formation), Sahara-like deserts (Navajo sandstone), and shallow ocean (Mancos shale).

Visitors to Capitol Reef are often curious about the orchards that lie within a mile or two of the visitor center. These trees are the most obvious remnant of the pioneer community of Fruita, which was settled in 1880. Usually no more than 10 families lived in Fruita at any one time, and the last resident moved away in 1969.

The early settlers planted these orchards to insure subsistence. Today, the orchards are preserved and protected as a Rural Historic Landscape. They hold approximately 2,700 trees and are composed of cherry, apricot, peach, pear, and apple, as well as a few plum, mulberry, almond, and walnut trees. The National Park Service now owns and maintains the orchards with a 2-person orchard crew that is kept busy year-round with pruning, irrigation, and orchard management.

Visitors are welcome to stroll in any unlocked orchard, and may consume as much ripe fruit as they wish while within the orchards themselves.

Cathedral Valley
The colorful free-standing monoliths, or temples, of Cathedral Valley have been formed by erosion of the soft reddish-orange Entrada Sandstone.

Land of the Sleeping Rainbow
The Capitol Reef area is called the "Land of the Sleeping Rainbow" by the Navajo, in tribute to the brilliant hues of the canyon walls.

Waterpocket Fold
This 100-mile-long wrinkle in the Earth's crust extends from nearby Thousand Lakes Mountain all the way south to the Colorado River (now Lake Powell). Capitol Reef National Park was established to protect this grand and colorful geologic feature.

Capitol Reef NP is located in south-central Utah. From Green River, Utah, take Hwy. 24 west through Hanksville; from Richfield, take Hwy. 24 east through the communities of Loa, Lyman, Bicknell, and Torrey.

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CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK

Canyonlands National Park preserves 527 square miles of colorful sandstone canyons, mesas, buttes, fins, arches and spires in the heart of the Colorado Plateau in Southeastern Utah.

Within the vast and remote reaches of this magnificent park lie two great rivers, wooded buttes and mesas, a maze of serpentine canyons, extensive grasslands, more than 100 square miles of rainbow-hued slickrock, and desert wildlife species including bighorn sheep.

Water and gravity have been the prime architects of this land, carving flat layers of sedimentary rock into the distinct landscapes seen today, and the park is divided into four unique districts by the erosive and life-giving Green and Colorado Rivers: the Island in the Sky, the Maze, the Needles, and the Rivers themselves.

Canyonlands is far removed from civilization, primarily a backcountry destination, and receives much less use than any other national park in Utah. Activities include sightseeing, hiking, camping, mountain biking, four-wheel driving, and river rafting. Green and Colorado Rivers The combined flow of the Green and Colorado Rivers spills down Cataract Canyon with remarkable power, creating a world-class stretch of whitewater.

Horseshoe Canyon Horseshoe Canyon is a detached park unit whose intriguing rock art is considered by many to be the most significant in North America. Other sights include spring wildflowers, sheer sandstone walls, and cottonwood trees.

Sandstone Spires The massive sandstone spires that give the Needles its name were created by erosion and fracturing, forming a crazy quilt pattern over the land.

Canyonlands National Park is located amid the immensely rugged terrain of southeastern Utah. It is comprised of three land districts which, though near each other on the map, lie a full 2-6 hours apart by car.

Needles District: From U.S. 191, take Utah 211 west to the Needles. Island in the Sky District: From U.S. 191, take Utah 313 south to the Island. Maze District: From Utah 24, take a graded dirt road east to the Hans Flat Ranger Station.

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BALI ISLAND IN INDONESIA

Bali is part of the Indonesian archipelago of 18,500 islands and lies approximately 8°C south of the equator. The overwhelming majority of the inhabitants of Bali are Hindu, (Well in actual fact a mixture of Hinduism, Buddhism and Animism).

Embrace the mystique of an enchanting island, Bali, the bewitching beaches, cascading landscapes and willowed hills! The serenity of the place would engulf you, while the rich cultural and religious heritage would inspire you and transcend your mind into a different plain. Immerse in the myriad ways of entertainment in Bali that spice up one's stay in this magical island. There are a whole lot of things to do in Bali, ranging from the viewing of traditional dance and music performances to cinemas in Bali, or embarking on a plethora of sporting activities in Bali. Bali Traveling Guide does not let your expectations down and serves considerable information on all the varieties of entertainment in Bali.

The traditional modes of entertainment in Bali are a celebration of its art and culture - music, the euphony of which reverberates in the air, and dance performances which cast a spell on the tourists. The Music Clubs and Theaters in Bali serve as proper venues to enjoy all these quintessential gems of Balinese culture. The Pasar Senggol in Bali in Grand Hyatt in Bali arranges varieties of dance performances like the monkey dance or the more epicurean dances based on tales of Ramayana. The Taman Werdi Budaya is a huge theater complex with a host of stages where a variety of performances can be enjoyed.
There are some cinema halls and complexes in different locations of Bali. Cinemas in Bali have become quite a popular form of entertainment in Bali. There is a cinema complex in Denpasar, in the west of the main local market. Here special focus is given on Asian cinema from various regions.

Traveling to Bali, the island surrounded by the sea, spearheads a lot of inshore and offshore sporting activities. Ranging from exciting water-sports like snorkeling, scuba diving to golfing, sports of the elites; everything is included within sports in Bali. Those keen to make the full of Entertainment in Bali in Indonesia, should try out these sports in the wonderful locations of the island.

History of Bali
Bali has been inhabited for a long time. Sembiran, a village in northern Bali, was believed to have been home to the people of the Ice Age, proven by the discovery of stone axes and adzes. Further discoveries of more sophisticated stone tools, agricultural techniques and basic pottery at Cekik in Bali's far west, point to the people of the Neolithic era. At Cekik, there is evidence of a settlement together with burial sites of around a hundred people thought to be from the Neolithic through to the Bronze Age. The massive drums of the Bronze Age, together with their stone moulds have been discovered throughout the Indonesian archipelago, including the most famous and largest drum in Southeast Asia, the Moon of Pejeng, nearly two meters wide, now housed in a temple in east Ubud. In East Java and Bali, there has also been a concentration of carved stone sarcophagi, which we can see in the Bali Museum in Denpasar and Purbakala Museum in ejeng.

Bali was busy with trade from as early as 200 BC. The prasasti, or metal inscriptions, Bali's earliest written records from the ninth century AD, show a significant Buddhist and Hindu influence; especially in the statues, bronzes and rock-cut caves around Mount Kawi and Gajah Cave. Balinese society was pretty sophisticated by about 900 AD. Their marriage portrait of the Balinese King Udayana to East Java's Princess Mahendratta is captured in a stone carving in the Pura Korah Tegipan in the Batur area. Their son, Erlangga, born around 991 AD, later succeeded to the throne of the Javanese kingdom and brought Java and Bali together until his death in 1049.

In 1284, Bali was conquered by Kertanegara, the ruler of the Singasari; until the turn of the century, saw Bali under its own rule under the hands of King Bedaulu of Pejeng, east of Ubud. 1343 AD, is an important date in Bali's history. It was then that the whole island was conquered by East Java under the mighty Hindu Majapahit kingdom. This resulted in massive changes in Balinese society, including the introduction of the caste system.

Balinese who did not embrace the changes fled to the isolated and remote mountainous areas and hill areas. Their descendants are known today as Bali Aga or Bali Mula that means the "original Balinese". They still live separately in villages like Tenganan near Dasa Temple and Trunyan on the shores of Batur Lake, and maintain their ancient laws and traditional ways. When Majapahit in East Java fell in 1515, the many small Islamic kingdoms in the island merged into the Islamic Mataram empire, Majapahit's most dedicated Hindu priests, craftsmen, soldiers, nobles and artists fled east to Bali, and flooded the island with Javanese culture and Hindu practices. Considering the huge influence and power of Islam at the time, it is worth pondering why and how Bali still remained strongly Hindu and Buddhist.

Batu Renggong, also known as Dewa Agung, means great god, became king in 1550, and this title became hereditary through the succeeding generations of the kingdom of Gelgel, and later Klungkung, until the twentieth century. Bali reached the pinnacle of its Golden Era under the reign of the Batu Renggong, the great god ruler. Bali's decline started when Batu Renggong's grandson, Di Made Bekung, lost Blambangan, Lombok and Sumbawa. DI Made Bekung's chief minister, Gusti Agung Maruti, eventually rebelled and reigned from 1650 till 1686, when he in turn was killed by DI Made Bekung's son, Dewa Agung Jambe, who then moved the court to Klungkung, and named his new palace the Semarapura, Abode of the God of Love.

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BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK

This is a land of geologic wonders, where erosion has carved colorful limestones, sandstones and mudstones into thousands of spires, fins, pinnacles and mazes in horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters along the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau in southern Utah.

Collectively called "hoodoos," these unique formations are whimsically arranged and tinted with colors too numerous and subtle to name.

Ponderosa pines, high elevation meadows and spruce-fir forests border the rim of the plateau, while panoramic views of 3 states extend far beyond the park's boundaries. Clear air and a lack of nearby large light sources creates unparalleled opportunities for star gazing.

Agua Canyon
Contrasts of light and color that are among the most satisfying in the park.

Bryce Amphitheater
The largest natural amphitheater in the park.

Natural Bridge
An arch formed by the combined forces of rain and frost erosion acting from the top of the rock.

Ponderosa Canyon
Multi-colored hoodoos framed by pine-covered foothills and the Table Cliffs Plateau to the north.

Located in south-central Utah, 85 miles northeast of Zion National Park. From north or south on U.S. 89, turn east on Utah 12 (7 miles south of Panguitch, Utah) and travel to the junction with Utah 63. Turn south (right) on Utah 63 and travel 3 miles to the park entrance. (Utah 12 continues east through the park.) From the east, travel west on Utah 12 to the junction of Utah 63. Turn south (left) to reach the park entrance.

A shuttle service is available from the airport. Sightseeing bus tours are available from St. George, Cedar City and Kanab, Utah.

Madain Saleh National Historic Park Saudi Arabia

This region, the Biblical Midian, is mostly undulating desert, interspersed with huge rocky outcroppings and lush oases.

Here, between 500 B.C. and 100 A.D., the same Nabatean people who carved the great structures of Petra, Jordan, created 125 monumental cut-rock tombs and facades, edifices up to 130 feet tall, still standing today in remarkable preservation.

BISCAYNE NATIONAL PARK

Biscayne National Park is known locally as a fantastic place for recreation. The park protects and preserves a nationally significant marine ecosystem with mangrove shorelines, a shallow bay, undeveloped islands, and living coral reefs.

The park is 95% water. It has protected these unique resources since 1968.

Cultural resources at Biscayne National Park represent well over 2,000 years of history, and some sites may be as much as 10,000 years old. These resources are rich with archaeological remains, at what has been a crossroads of maritime trade and exploration since the days of the earliest inhabitants of this area.

From the north to Convoy Point, take the Turnpike, and then the Homestead extension of the Turnpike south, to Exit 6 (Speedway Blvd.). Turn left from exit ramp south to S.W. 328th St. (North Canal Dr.). Turn left and go to the end of the road. Approximately 5 miles, entrance is on the left.

US-1: South to Homestead. Turn left on SW 328th St., and go the end of the road. Approximately 9 miles, entrance is on the left.

From South to Convoy Point: US-1, north to Homestead. Turn right on SW 328th St., and go to the end of the road. Approximately 9 miles, entrance is on the left.

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BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK

Big Bend National Park is a land of borders. Situated along the Rio Grande boundary with Mexico, it is a place where countries and cultures meet. It is also a place that merges natural environments, from desert to mountains to rolling river, creating a great diversity of plants and animals.

The park covers over 801,000 acres of west Texas in the place where the Rio Grande makes a sharp turn -- the Big Bend.

Author Fredrick Gelbach describes these borderlands aptly when he calls them "a carpet of interacting plants and animals deftly woven on a geologic loom." This statement conjures images of bold mountains, stark desert landscapes, and a ribbon of water slicing through it all. And indeed, Big Bend is a diverse natural area of river, desert, and mountains, a land of extremes -- hot and cold, wet and dry, high and low. To wander the shimmering desert flats, to ascend the rimrock of the desert mountains, to float the canyons of the Rio Grande, to be "on the border" is to experience sights and sounds and solitude unmatched anywhere else.

More than 150 miles of trails offer opportunities for day hikes and backpacking trips throughout this largest expanse of roadless public lands in Texas.

Elevations within Big Bend National Park range from 1,800 feet at the eastern end of Boquillas Canyon to 7,825 feet atop Emory Peak. These elevation changes produce an exceptional variety of microclimates, plants, animals, and scenic vistas.

At the heart of park lie the Chisos Mountains, a range born of fire during volcanic eruptions and igneous intrusions 40 - 60 million years ago then exposed by the incessant forces of erosion. Ascending the slopes of the Chisos, the thorns of the desert give way to evergreens like pinyon pine and juniper, and oak trees begin to appear. Some surprising species living at the very limit of their ranges can be found in the higher, moister areas, such as bigtooth maple, quaking aspen, and Douglas fir.

Although only 2% of the park is woodland, this area draws people like a magnet, especially in the summer, as daytime temperatures are usually about 20 degrees cooler than by the river. Here, in this mountain island surrounded by a desert sea, one can find flora and fauna unique to the Chihuahuan desert, and some unique to Big Bend.

Birdwatchers hope to gain a glimpse of the colima warbler, a bird that winters in Mexico and is seen in the US only in Big Bend. Mountain lions, black bears, and towering century plants also make the Chisos their home. Visitors to the Chisos are struck by the contrasts the mountains provide. Prickly pears and pine trees live side by side, and a snow-covered cactus is not an uncommon sight.

If the Chisos Mountains are the heart of Big Bend, then the desert floor is its soul. Ninety-eight percent of the park is desert, and, like the mountains, the desert is a land of contrasts. You can touch 400-million-year-old rocks with one hand and a day-old flower with the other, and temperatures can soar 50 degrees between dawn and midday.

Big Bend's desert landscape encompasses mesas, mountains, and dikes formed by volcanic activity; limestone ridges and cliffs formed 100 - 200 million years ago when shallow seas covered the area; and ever-changing arroyos that are dry most of the year, but subject to violent flash flooding during summer rains. Water is truly the architect of the desert, as its presence or absence determines the way the desert looks, its plant and animal life, and the way humans have been able to use it through time. The adaptations that allow creatures like the roadrunners, coyotes, or javelinas to survive here are no less than amazing, and even allow them to thrive. Think of the land not as burdened by its lack (or, in some months abundance) of water, but rather as blessed. It is this cycle of wet and dry, so unfamiliar to those from wetter climates, that makes possible the spectacular displays of bluebonnets, yucca blossoms, and other beloved wildflowers.

The one location where you can count on seeing water in Big Bend is along the Rio Grande, a riparian oasis that has been called the lifeblood of Big Bend. To drift through the majestic canyons of the Rio Grande with your oars touching two countries at the same time is to span time and space. Although the river, as the boundary between the United States and Mexico, looks like a solid line on the maps of the area, it is always changing, always going somewhere, and it takes us along on its current, opening our eyes to a panorama of towering cliffs, brilliant bird life, and grassy vegas or beaches.

Chisos Mountains
The Chisos Mountains are an isolated island of lush plant life and abundant animals in the middle of a desert sea.

Rare Birds
Big Bend has more types of birds, bats, and cacti than any other national park in the United States. A birdwatcher's paradise, it is home to about 450 avian species.

Santa Elena Canyon of the Rio Grande River
Long stretch of river confined between sheer limestone walls that rise as much as 1,500 feet above the water.

Three paved roads lead to the park:

1) U.S. 385 from Marathon, TX, to the north entrance.

2) State Route 118 from Alpine, TX, to the west entrance.

3) Ranch Road 170 from Presidio to Study Butte, and then State Route 118 to the west entrance.

Big Bend National Park headquarters is located 70 miles south of Marathon, TX, and 108 miles from Alpine, TX, via Hwy. 118.