Tom Norring Photography: Recently Added Galleries and Collections

Bears

tom@norring.net (Tom Norring Photography) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 03:48:08 GMT

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Elephants

tom@norring.net (Tom Norring Photography) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 03:47:44 GMT

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Lions

tom@norring.net (Tom Norring Photography) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 03:44:03 GMT

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Leopards

tom@norring.net (Tom Norring Photography) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 03:43:06 GMT

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Garrapata Beach

tom@norring.net (Tom Norring Photography) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 03:34:29 GMT

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McNeill Alaska

tom@norring.net (Tom Norring Photography) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 03:31:18 GMT

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Mount Rainier

tom@norring.net (Tom Norring Photography) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 03:29:42 GMT

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Yosemite

tom@norring.net (Tom Norring Photography) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 03:28:31 GMT

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Aurora Borealis

tom@norring.net (Tom Norring Photography) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:50:33 GMT

]]>Huge solar storms produce the intense aurora borealis also called Northern Light.
Aurora Borealis occurs between 35 mi and 600 mi above the earth and is caused by high-speed electrons and protons from the sun, channeled toward the polar regions by the earth's magnetic field. These electrically charged particles enter the atmosphere and collide with air molecules (chiefly oxygen and nitrogen), thus exciting them to luminosity; near the 600-mile level, the light may be given off by electrons and protons combining to form hydrogen atoms.

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/polar-aurora#ixzz1mKKt7nHu

Iceland

tom@norring.net (Tom Norring Photography) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:43:33 GMT

]]>Iceland is the world's 18th largest island, and Europe's second largest island. The main island is 101,826 km2 (39,315 sq mi), but the entire country is 103,000 km2 (39,768.5 sq mi) in size, of which 62.7% is tundra. Lakes and glaciers cover 14.3%; only 23% is vegetated.
Jökulsárlón is the deepest lake, at 248 m (814 ft).
Geologically Iceland is a part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and marks the boundary between both the Eurasian Plate and the North American Plate. Many fjords punctuate its 4,970-km-long coastline, which is also where most settlements are situated. The island's interior, the Highlands of Iceland, is a cold and uninhabitable combination of sand and mountains.
Iceland has three national parks: Vatnajökull National Park, Snæfellsjökull National Park, and Pingvellir National Park.

Botswana

tom@norring.net (Tom Norring Photography) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 06:11:42 GMT

]]>Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana (Tswana: Lefatshe la Botswana), is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" (singular: Motswana). Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966. It has held free and fair democratic elections since independence.
Botswana is flat, and up to 70% is covered by the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the south and southeast, Namibia to the west and north, and Zimbabwe to the northeast.
A mid-sized country of just over two million people, Botswana is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world.
Population and wildlife is concentrated in the two delta areas. The first is the Okavango Delta created by the Okavango River. This river empties and disappears into the Kalahari Desert, where the water evaporates and disappears in the desert sand. The second is the Linyanti Reserve created by the Linyanti River (later named the Chobe River).

Bhutan

tom@norring.net (Tom Norring Photography) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 08:13:53 GMT

]]>The Kingdom of Bhutan is a landlocked nation in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalaya Mountains and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by China. Bhutan was separated from the nearby state of Nepal to the west by the Indian state of Sikkim, and from Bangladesh to the south by West Bengal. The Bhutanese called their country Druk Yul, which means "Land of the Thunder Dragon". Bhutan used to be one of the most isolated nations in the world. Developments including direct international flights, the Internet, mobile phone networks, and cable television have increasingly modernized the urban areas of the country. Bhutan balanced modernization with its ancient culture and traditions under the guiding philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH). Rampant destruction of the environment has been avoided. The government takes great measures to preserve the nation's traditional culture, identity and the environment. In 2006, Business Week magazine rated Bhutan the happiest country in Asia and the eighth-happiest in the world, citing a global survey conducted by the University of Leicester in 2006 called the "World Map of Happiness". Bhutan's landscape ranges from subtropical plains in the south to the Himalayan heights in the north, with some peaks exceeding 7,000 metres (23,000 ft). The state religion is Vajrayana Buddhism, and the population of 691,141 is predominantly Buddhist, with Hinduism being the second-largest religion. The capital and largest city is Thimphu. After centuries of direct monarchic rule, Bhutan held its first democratic elections in March 2008. Among other international associations, Bhutan is a member of the United Nations and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The total area of the country is currently 38,394 square kilometres (14,824 sq mi). Source: Wikipedia

Lake Tahoe

tom@norring.net (Tom Norring Photography) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 00:50:35 GMT

]]>Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada range of the United States. At a surface elevation of 6,225 ft (1,897 m), it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City, Nevada.
Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is 1,645 feet (501 m) making it the USA's second-deepest (the deepest is Crater Lake in Oregon, being 300 ft (91 m) deeper, at 1,945 feet (594 m) deep).
The lake was formed about 2 million years ago and is a part of the Lake Tahoe Basin, shaped during the ice ages. It is known for the clarity of its water and the panorama of surrounding mountains on all sides. The area surrounding the lake is also referred to as Lake Tahoe, or simply Tahoe.
Source: Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Tahoe

Mount Rainier

tom@norring.net (Tom Norring Photography) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 07:53:14 GMT

]]>Mount Rainier is a massive stratovolcano and the highest mountain in Washington and the Cascade Range. Mt. Rainier summit is at an elevation of 14,411 feet (4,027 m). It is the most popular mountaineering destination in the lower 48 states. It is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. The massive icefields can create huge lahars that during catastrophic eruptions can threaten the whole Puyallup River Valley.
On clear days it dominates the southeastern horizon in most of the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area. On days of exceptional clarity, it can also be seen from as far away as Portland, Oregon, and Victoria, British Columbia. With 26 major glaciers and 36 square miles (93 km2) of permanent snowfields and glaciers, Mount Rainier is the most heavily glaciated peak in the lower 48 states.
The summit is topped by two volcanic craters, each more than 1,000 feet (300 m) in diameter with the larger east crater overlapping the west crater. Geothermal heat from the volcano keeps areas of both crater rims free of snow and ice, and has formed the world's largest volcanic glacier cave network within the ice-filled craters, with nearly 2 miles (3.2 km) of passages. A small crater lake about 130 by 30 feet (40 by 9.1 m) in size and 16 feet (5 m) deep, the highest in North America occupies the lowest portion of the west crater below more than 100 feet (30 m) of ice and is accessible only via the caves. The Carbon, Puyallup, Mowich, Nisqually, and Cowlitz Rivers begin at the glaciers of Mount Rainier.
The sources of the White River are Winthrop, Emmons, and Fryingpan Glaciers. The White, Carbon, and Mowich join the Puyallup River, which discharges into Commencement Bay at Tacoma; the Nisqually empties into Puget Sound east of Lacey; and the Cowlitz joins the Columbia River between Kelso and Longview.
Source: Wikipedia

Garrapata Beach at Big Sur

tom@norring.net (Tom Norring Photography) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 07:25:49 GMT

]]>Garrapata State Park, an unknown Big Sur jewel, is a treasure to those who have discovered it. Garrapata State Park's unpopulated hiking trails provide access to both the beautiful Big Sur coastline and the breathtaking Santa Lucia Mountains and lie within a short drive of Carmel. Soberanes Point is named after the Ezequiel Soberanes Rancho that was once located there, while Doud River is named after the one-time Doud Ranch which owned a large section of what is now Garrapata State Park.
This park is subtly marked, with only one "Garrapata State Park" sign and nineteen discreetly numbered turnout markers, and aficionados prefer to keep it that way so it remains unspoiled. These numbered markers lead to some of the best Big Sur hiking trails. Garrapata State Park's redwood groves and spectacular coastline are largely hidden from the road, seen only by those who take to its trails.
Source: see Monterey
http://www.seemonterey.com/big-sur-california/garrapata-state-park-big-sur-california

Yosemite in Winter

tom@norring.net (Tom Norring Photography) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:26:03 GMT

]]>For tens of thousands of years, humans have changed, and have been changed by, this place we now call Yosemite. The Ahwahneechee lived here for generations, followed by the arrival of Europeans in the mid-1800s. The rugged terrain challenged many early travelers, with just a few—only 650 from the mid-1850s to mid-1860s—making the journey to Yosemite Valley by horseback or stagecoach. By 1907, construction of the Yosemite Valley Railroad from Merced to El Portal eased the journey, thereby, increasing visitation. Today, 3.5 million people enter the park’s gates to explore. We learn from the stories of those who walked Yosemite’s trails before us, allowing appreciation of their lasting footprints that led to conscious preservation.
Source: Wikipedia

People and places

tom@norring.net (Tom Norring Photography) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:23:41 GMT

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Kilimanjaro

tom@norring.net (Tom Norring Photography) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:30:09 GMT

]]>Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is an inactive stratovolcano in north-eastern Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa at 5,895 metres or 19,341 ft (the Uhuru Peak).Mount Kilimanjaro is among the tallest freestanding mountains in the world, rising 4600 m (15,100 feet) from the base.

The exact meaning and origin of the name Kilimanjaro is unknown. It is thought to be a combination of the Swahili word Kilima (meaning "mountain") and the Kichagga word Njaro, loosely translated as "whiteness", giving the name White Mountain. The name Kibo in Kichagga means "spotted" and refers to rocks seen on snowfields. The Swahili word Uhuru translates as "freedom", a name given to commemorate Tanzanian independence from Great Britain in 1961.
Source: Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kilimanjaro