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Showing posts with the label luray

Scent of spring: Songbirds, cherry blossoms, and warmer days

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    Spring, perhaps the most awaited season of the year, is about to grace this region of the world with its presence. I know spring is about to arrive in Delaware because after a series of unusually frigid mornings, which lasted from December through February, cheerful chirping of red-breasted robins, blue jays, and chickadees has now filled the morning air. In contrast to spring mornings, winter mornings are so hushed and uneventful that one may even question if birds exist in this land at all. To me, birdsongs are the harbinger of spring.  With the first sight of a bluejay perched on the backyard fence or a cardinal dancing on a leafless cherry branch, I know that my wait for spring is almost over, for I’ve learned from past experiences that an increase in bird activity signifies the approach of spring!  In this part of the world, during spring, nature comes alive with an abundance of activity. Everywhere I look, I witness signs of life. I witness new life in the ...

In the belly of the Earth

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Picture yourself standing in half-darkness amid naturally-forming calcite columns, cascades, stalactites and stalagmites sixteen storeys under the surface of the Earth. It is eerily beautiful down there. The ambience is primitive, and your surroundings feel uncanny, because your mind keeps telling you that all of this had formed over an estimated span of four million years. The limestone formations you see around you are still forming and changing every day.   The Daily Star link Luray Caverns, in Virginia, USA, is an active cave system. Located in the lush Shenandoah Valley, to the west of Blue Ridge Mountains in Luray, Virginia, Luray Caverns was discovered in 1878. Today, it is a registered National Natural Landmark (NNL), visited by some 500,000 people annually from all over the U.S. and the world. Before we decided on visiting this awe-inspiring feat of nature, we had to find out if it would be too cold in February. We found out that the caverns' temperature remains...