Saturday in the park
I think it was the Fourth of July…

…a real celebration
Waiting for us all

It seems fitting that July 4th does fall on a Saturday this year. (Tip of the hat to Chicago for giving us that perfect soundtrack…)

Happy 250th Birthday, America!

Coincidentally, millions of international visitors have descended on the U.S. for the World Cup during this season of America’s semiquincentennial. I’m sure you’ve seen or read about some of what these fans have been posting as they’ve road-tripped between match host cities. The food, the hospitality – even the air-conditioning – all sorts of things have clearly made a lasting, positive impression. Most striking to me, though, are comments about the diverse beauty of our landscapes.

It’s all absolutely true, of course – but fantastic to hear it expressed with such fresh wonder by those seeing these things for the very first time.

We live in a vast country that’s so geologically and ecologically varied we can experience just about every major biome on the planet without ever pulling out a passport. If that’s not an embarrassment of riches, I don’t know what is. America the Beautiful, indeed.

The U.S. is truly a photographer’s paradise.

Nature’s Infinite Palette
From the tundra to deserts; from chaparral to grasslands; from temperate forests to jungle vegetation; each region offers a unique combination of flora, fauna and climate.

A Landscape of Extremes
Our geography is defined by dramatic contrasts. In California, you’ll find the lowest and hottest spot in North America—Death Valley—yet less than 90 miles away stands the tallest peak in the lower 48: Mount Whitney. On the opposite coast in New Hampshire, the summit of Mount Washington famously experiences some of the most violent weather on Earth, while just below it lie the silent, serene ponds of the Pemigewasset Wilderness.

Living Superlatives
The United States is home to both the largest living things on Earth (Giant Sequoias) and the tallest (Coastal Redwoods). Out in the Pacific, Hawaii’s Mauna Loa is the largest active volcano on the planet, while its neighbor, Kīlauea, is one of the most continuously active. In fact, just last week Kīlauea reached its 50th episode related to an eruption which began in December 2024, breaking the all-time episodic record for a Hawaiian volcano.

Underneath the hills of Kentucky, you'll find the planet’s longest known cave system at Mammoth Cave, with over 400 miles of mapped passageways. Yellowstone National Park contains roughly 500 geysers: more than in the rest of the world combined. And back in Hawaii, you can see what is technically the tallest mountain in the world. When measured from its true base on the ocean floor, Mauna Kea rises 33,000 feet to its peak. Of course, these are just a few examples.

The Parks
We’re surrounded by beauty; you don’t need a national park to immerse yourself in it. That said, how lucky are we to have our public lands? That’s an idea that originated in America – a concept that was, at the time, revolutionary.

When President Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant Act in 1864, setting aside the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias for preservation, he drew the blueprint for conservation. The idea of protecting vast, wild areas and holding them in trust for the public is one of our greatest, most forward-thinking legacies.

A Birthday Resolution

As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday, there will be plenty of fireworks shows. (Fun trivia: Did you know that the biggest fireworks display west of the Mississippi is right here in Idaho Falls? This year they'll shoot off exactly 18,915 shells during a 31-minute show. That's an average of more than 600 shells a minute.)

But perhaps the best way to celebrate the United States is by getting outside and truly seeing it - both with your own eyes and through a lens.

Those World Cup fans have reminded us of something we too easily take for granted: this country is extraordinary, heterogeneous, and spectacularly beautiful.

You don’t need a passport to find a view that will completely take your breath away.

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!

America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

~Katherine Lee Bates