Bartley J. D'Alfonso has travelled extensively in the great outdoors. This native of San Diego worked in Yellowstone and Mount Rainier National Parks, and has hiked and camped throughout the American west. His website Foto Enterprise is www.bdalfonso.zenfolio.com.
Chena Hot Springs
Fairbanks, AK
Sherman Library and Gardens
Corona Del Mar, CA
UC Irvine Arboretum
Irvine, CA
Mount San Jacinto State Park
Idyllwild, CA
Chena Hot Springs
Fairbanks, AK
Chena Hot Springs
Fairbanks, AK
Roger's Gardens
Corona Del Mar, CA
Mount San Jacinto State Park
Idyllwild, CA
Five times daily the Chena Hot Springs Resort offers guided tours of its Aurora Ice Museum, where sculptures made of crystal clear ice have been carved into jousting knights, samurai swordsmen, life size chess pieces, and bears. Embedded inside them are colored lights which slowly change colors. Step up to the Aurora Ice Bar, sit on the felt covered ice stool, and order your souvenir "appletini" cocktail, poured into a frozen ice martini glass. Here the temperature is a cool 20°F and offers sanctuary from the minus -16 below zero wind chill outside. Weddings are held here, and so are ice carving workshops. Built in 2004, this cathedral of ice blocks is open year round.
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Five times daily the Chena Hot Springs Resort offers guided tours of its Aurora Ice Museum, where sculptures made of crystal clear ice have been carved into jousting knights, samurai swordsmen, life size chess pieces, and bears. Embedded inside them are colored lights which slowly change colors. Step up to the Aurora Ice Bar, sit on the felt covered ice stool, and order your souvenir "appletini" cocktail, poured into a frozen ice martini glass. Here the temperature is a cool 20°F and offers sanctuary from the minus -16 below zero wind chill outside. Weddings are held here, and so are ice carving workshops. Built in 2004, this cathedral of ice blocks is open year round.
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So what if the temperature is sixteen degrees below zero? Who really cares as the wind chills the air even more? Just put on your swimwear and glide into the outdoor 109°F thermal pool, and let the soothing mineral waters keep you feeling warm. You're at the 440-acre Chena Hot Springs Resort, about 70 miles outside of Fairbanks, inside Alaska's interior. During winter season guests can speed thru the forest on dog sled rides, take in guided snowmobile touring, and take a late night, bumpy snow-coach ride up a ridge to see the Northern Lights. Summer season offers horseback rides, bicycle rentals, all-terrain-vehicle tours, and rafting trips. All year long you can sip a cocktail in the ice bar inside the Aurora Ice Museum, and get a souvenir martini glass made of crystal clear ice.
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Your frozen fingers are too stiff to adjust your camera settings. The -19 degree temperature hurts your ice-cold nose, even with a woolly scarf wrapped around your face. You stomp your boots in the icy snow to try and keep them feeling warm. Suddenly, what you've been waiting for, begins to appear, waking your drowsy eyes. The Aurora Borealis shimmer overhead in the night sky, slowly waving like large ribbons blowing in the wind. In one part they're brightly lit, only to slowly fade away and become intensely bright in another band of lime green color. Though they seem close, this natural light show actually occurs sixty miles overhead, caused by the sun's coronal mass ejections, as they wrap around Earth's polar regions. Alaska's interior is a prime spot to enjoy this gift of our solar system.
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Your frozen fingers are too stiff to adjust your camera settings. The -19 degree temperature hurts your ice-cold nose, even with a woolly scarf wrapped around your face. You stomp your boots in the icy snow to try and keep them feeling warm. Suddenly, what you've been waiting for, begins to appear, waking your drowsy eyes. The Aurora Borealis shimmer overhead in the night sky, slowly waving like large ribbons blowing in the wind. In one part they're brightly lit, only to slowly fade away and become intensely bright in another band of lime green color. Though they seem close, this natural light show actually occurs sixty miles overhead, caused by the sun's coronal mass ejections, as they wrap around Earth's polar regions. Alaska's interior is a prime spot to enjoy this gift of our solar system.
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The coastal town of Corona del Mar in southern California translates as "Crown of the Sea," and this crown is set with a dazzling jewel—the Sherman Library and Gardens, founded in 1966. This botanical collection of 1,500 plants encompasses exotic succulents from the deserts, fragrant flowers from native areas, and rare vegetation from the tropics. Its Mediterranean-style garden settings make it a popular place for weddings and parties. The research library is housed inside an adobe building, specializing in the history of the Pacific Southwest. Every season features new plantings and gardening workshops, which are in much demand.
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The coastal town of Corona del Mar in southern California translates as "Crown of the Sea," and this crown is set with a dazzling jewel—the Sherman Library and Gardens, founded in 1966. This botanical collection of 1,500 plants encompasses exotic succulents from the deserts, fragrant flowers from native areas, and rare vegetation from the tropics. Its Mediterranean-style garden settings make it a popular place for weddings and parties. The research library is housed inside an adobe building, specializing in the history of the Pacific Southwest. Every season features new plantings and gardening workshops, which are in much demand.
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The coastal town of Corona del Mar in southern California translates as "Crown of the Sea," and this crown is set with a dazzling jewel—the Sherman Library and Gardens, founded in 1966. This botanical collection of 1,500 plants encompasses exotic succulents from the deserts, fragrant flowers from native areas, and rare vegetation from the tropics. Its Mediterranean-style garden settings make it a popular place for weddings and parties. The research library is housed inside an adobe building, specializing in the history of the Pacific Southwest. Every season features new plantings and gardening workshops, which are in much demand.
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The coastal town of Corona del Mar in southern California translates as "Crown of the Sea," and this crown is set with a dazzling jewel—the Sherman Library and Gardens, founded in 1966. This botanical collection of 1,500 plants encompasses exotic succulents from the deserts, fragrant flowers from native areas, and rare vegetation from the tropics. Its Mediterranean-style garden settings make it a popular place for weddings and parties. The research library is housed inside an adobe building, specializing in the history of the Pacific Southwest. Every season features new plantings and gardening workshops, which are in much demand.
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Roses and tulips and pottery, oh my! You'll feel like Dorothy in The Land of Oz when shopping at Rogers Gardens home and garden store in coastal Corona del Mar, California. Inside this 7-acre gardening paradise are native and exotic plants and shrubs, seasonal flowers, designer pottery, gurgling fountains, floral displays, and patio furniture to make a Sultan envious. But it's more than a nursery alone - there are shops offering home décor, ornaments, scented candles, kitchen condiments, crafted gardening and barbequing tools, and outdoor-themed gifts. This local landmark is so popular that tours are offered!
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