What is the greatest thing in Mother Nature you seen?

[wysknz1]

My sons being born...

[Predicto]

We were on the Big Island of Hawaii and we went down to see the Kilauea volcano early one morning. The lava flow had changed during the night and moved about a quarter mile east from where it had been, and it burned out the road. So we drove along the coastal highway and the road suddenly just ended at a ledge with a 40 foot wide fast moving sheet of red hot lava flowing past, right below your feet about 10 feet down. It was like being at the crack of Mount Doom. It was hard to breathe and my sneakers were melting. We dropped rocks in and watched them sink in and explode.

The road ran right beside the ocean there, so every time a wave came in, there was a huge hiss and cloud of steam, and the red lava would turn black, then cracks would appear as the top layer of cooled rock slid down into the ocean exposing the red lava underneath.

The funny thing is, for the next few years I thought that was just the way it was - go to the Big Island, get up close and personal with lava. I was sadly disappointed the next time I went there and all i could see was some steam rising up a quarter mile away.

[Park City Skins]

What is the greatest thing you seen happen in Mother Nature?

Happen? Hmmm. I remember when we lived in Fort Leavenworth back in 71-72,Mom Nature provided a storm but couldn't make up her mind whether she wanted it to be a snow or ice storm. Changed her mind several times during the night. When it was all said and done,the storm left about 8 inches of snow and ice,(in layers),with ice being the top layer. My dad was 6 feet 220 at the time and fell in the front yard. Never even cracked the top layer of ice. Needless to say,sledding was legendary the next couple days.

Couple of years later during the Summer,we were at a small horse show outside of Fort Campbell right near the Tennesse/Kentucky state lines. We're sitting there when the skies darkened and things started to look a bit ominous. I looked over at some very low clouds hovering nearby when the winds picked up,and the clouds suddenly started to spin,then get sucked up in to the cloud cover above. This happened several times. About an hour later we had evacuated,(quickly I might add),to a friends house. I was standing on the deck with my dad and a family friend when the sky turned that milky green and the clouds got that cotton ball look and then they started to move. It looked like the sky was boiling. Weird stuff.

I marveled at the randomness of tornado damage back in 79 when the remnants of Hurricane David moved in to NOVA. Funnel cloud formed right on our street but didn't quite set down before hopping back up again and moving towards WT Woodson,(it actually tried to set down again right near Rutherford pool off of Guinea road. Toppled trees like bowling pins). That whole quiet before the train passes by thing was in full effect when it passed over our house. Took a massive oak tree,(that was nearly dead),in our back yard,snapped it in half,and hurled to the ground so hard,that a branch from the tree was driven several feet in to the ground. Meanwhile about 200 yards down the street,a little tree was bent over. I've seen it snow 3 feet and more in a bit more than 12 hours twice in my life. Holy crap that was some serious snow.

As for greatest things I've seen in nature in general,wow. I tend to love her every day work,(as easily noticed by my photography),so that's a loaded one.
Bryce Canyon.



Zion's Park






Sundial Peak in Big Cottonwood Canyon.



Waterfalls nearby.



Slate Gorge in the Uintas.



One of several hundred small lakes in The Uintas at sunset. You walk over a small outcropping of rocks,a small lake. Walk over a rise,then downhill about 50 yards,another. Rinse. Repeat.



A rare "moment" near Scout falls in the Timps in Utah. Record amount of water content in the snow in 2011 provided these huge falls due to the prolonged runoff. Usually these falls are down greatly by the mid summer.



Lake Tahoe. Amazing place.




To name a few.




(Chose not to buy a camera when I was stationed in South Florida. Ah the keys and the everglades.

[Koolblue13]

I've been to Bryce and Zion. It was around 94 and I still have vivid images in my mind. Just breathtakingly beautiful landscape.

I love sunrises here. There are so many different colors in layers just before the sun comes up and you look out over the hills and valleys and see the occasional palm tree break the smooth landscape, sticking up out of nowhere. It's bright red and orange near the ground, with layers of clouds, looking like white lines, striping the lower sky, then turning to a bright blue with fat bright white puffy clouds jus kinda hanging there. It's amazing here. Everyday.

[Elessar78]

"Seen Happen", well the aftermath . . . A microburst. It's a very localized area of destruction. One hit here and there was this area of where thick old Oak trees were just snapped and there was a very clear radius of the destruction. It was crazy. it's like it just stopped and started.

[Huly]

Hurricane Hugo- Charleston SC The things that storm did were unbelievable!

Example- It moved an entire house off its foundation a few streets over and put it in the middle of a road but every book, wine glass etc was exactly where the owner left them nothing moved inside

[Koolblue13]

Hurricane Hugo- Charleston SC The things that storm did were unbelievable!

Example- It moved an entire house off its foundation a few streets over and put it in the middle of a road but every book, wine glass etc was exactly where the owner left them nothing moved inside

Hugo (Hell Under Gods Orders) sat on this poor little island for 24 hours. People say that not even a single blade of grass stood afterwards. Island still hasn't recovered completely. There are reminders everywhere. No power for 9 months in most places. I've heard some crazy stories about it.

[Stadium-Armory]

Living near the Rocky Mountains, I see majestic beauty every time I step outside.

None if it compares to watching my four kids grow up. Simply the most amazing piece of nature.