The UK’s largest motorcycle show takes place at the NEC in Birmingham from November 17-25. It is a central meeting point for all biking enthusiasts, young and old, newcomers and old-timers. The show is representative of the very best of the British motorcycle Industry and is supported by major manufacturers, many of the motorcycle manufacturers were represented at this year show. Entry on the day costs £25 for adults, £15 for over-65s and just £1 for accompanied 11-16 year-olds (accompanied children under 10 go free).

credit: REDMAXSPEEDSHOP.COM

Mount Rainier National Park, with 236,381 un-spoiled acres, was established in 1899, 17 years before the National Park Service was formed, making it one of the oldest in the nation. Ascending to 14,410 feet above sea level, Mount Rainier stands as an icon in the Washington landscape. An active volcano, Mount Rainier is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous U.S.A., spawning six major rivers. It is the most prominent peak in the Cascade Range. Mount Rainier last erupted approximately 150 years ago. Coniferous trees dominate and the lower slopes have dense forests of giant Douglas firs, western red cedars, and mountain hemlocks. During the warm months the alpine meadows are covered with wildflowers that bloom progressively higher up the slopes as the summer passes. The park’s wildlife is abundant and varied and includes deer, Roosevelt elk, bears and mountain goats and there are also more than 140 bird species. One of the park’s most scenic drives runs from the Nisqually entrance to Paradise. This 80 mile drive winds through river valleys, lowland forests and glaciated peaks and offers some magnificent views. Nearly two million visitors a year come to Mount Rainier National Park for hiking, moutain climbing, backpacking, and more.

Welcome to Mount Rainier National Park

White River

White River

Fryingpan Creek Bridge

Narada Falls

Narada Falls

Trail of Shadows

Trail of Shadows

Christine Falls

Nisqually River

Pinnacle Peak

Stevens Canyon Road

Tunnel, Stevens Canyon Road

Stevens Creek

Box Canyon

Box Canyon

Roots of a Giant

Grove of the Patriarchs Trail

Mount Rainier and Louise Lake

Mount Rainier in Reflection Lake

Mount Rainier

credit: Ashlyn G

The Lower Geyser Basin is the largest geyser basin in terms of area in Yellowstone and probably the world. It covers over 12 square miles along the lower valley of the Firehole. It is home to approximately 100 geothermal features. Combined, these features cover five square miles and include all four types of features, including fumaroles, hot springs, geysers and mud pots. The area looks most impressive in the early morning when the temperature is low. Columns of steam can be seen all over the geyser basin coming from the boiling pools of water.

White Dome Geyser

White Dome Geyser

Clepsydra Geyser

Pink Cone Geyser

Pink Cone Geyser

Great Fountain Geyser

Great Fountain Geyser

Great Fountain Geyser

Fountain Paint Pot

Fountain Paint Pot

Silex Spring

Bisons at Fountain Paint pots

credit: YellowstoneNPS

The country’s 10th national park, Montana’s Glacier preserves 1 million acres of glacier-carved peaks and valleys, pristine turquoise lakes and streams, and dense ancient forests for all to enjoy. Glacier National Park is a part of the world’s first international peace park. The vision for a park was to celebrate peace and friendship between the United States and Canada. Glacier has welcomed over 100 million visitors to the park. The park’s annual visitation has been rising over the past five years, hitting a record high of 2,946,681 in 2016.

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The Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery, near the center of the Cemetery is the home of the Tomb of the Unknowns where Unknown American Servicemembers from World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam are interred. This site has also hosted the state funerals of many famous Americans, such as General of the Armies John J. “Black Jack” Pershing, as well as annual Memorial Day and Veterans Days ceremonies. Every American President of this century has presided over holiday gatherings at this site. About 5,000 visitors attend each of the three major annual memorial services in the Amphitheater. They take place Easter, Memorial Day and Veterans Day and are sponsored by the U.S. Army Military District of Washington. The Amphitheater is constructed mainly of Vermont-quarried Danby marble. The marble in the Memorial Display Room is imported Botticino, a stone mined in Italy. The Memorial Display Room, between the amphitheater and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, houses plaques and other tributes presented in honor of the four service members interred at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A small chapel is beneath the Amphitheater stage. The names of 44 U.S. battles from the American Revolution through the Spanish-American War are inscribed around the frieze above the colonnade. The names of 14 U.S. Army generals and 14 U.S. Navy admirals prior to World War I are inscribed on each side of the amphitheater stage.

credit: Tim Evanson

The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the British Science Museum Group of National Museums and telling the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It is said to be the largest railway museum in the world and is home to several famous locomotives. Collection includes over 1,000,000 objects from over 300 years of railway history.

Opening times:
10am – 6pm daily,

Admission:
Free entry

credit: Timitrius

The exhibition will be presented on the National Mall between the National Gallery of Art and the National Air & Space Museum. DC will feature two iconic presidential automobiles. President Taft’s 1909 Steam car will be on display from April 14 –19 and President Reagan’s 1962 Willys ‘Jeep’ CJ-6 will be on display from April 20 – 26. The event is free and open to the general public.

credit: Rose PT

Native American people have occupied the Carrizo Plain for at least the last 10,000 years. The Carrizo Plain National Monument lies primarily within the historical territory of the Chumash people. This 50-mile stretch of protected land includes the Temblor and Caliente Mountain Ranges and Soda Lake, the largest natural alkali lake in the state. This lake is a unique sight, whether it’s full of water and frolicking birds, or dried out with dust devils spinning across it. All of this natural beauty and diverse wildlife sits in California’s Central Valley, better known for industrial agriculture than for wildflowers. This location may help explain why, as the Bureau of Land Management puts it, the “Carrizo Plain National Monument is one of the best kept secrets” in the state.

credit: mypubliclands

Joshua Tree National Park is located in southeastern California. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act. The park encompasses nearly 800,000 acres of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts, conserving two separate desert ecosystems at different altitudes. The name of the park is derived from the distinctive Joshua Tree, a tall-growing variety of the yucca genus that grows prevalently within its boundaries. In the higher Mojave portion of the national park, a forest of the strange Joshua Trees and a number of unique rock formations called Inselbergs are protected. In the lower Colorado portion, the Pinto Basin exhibits the typical plants of this hotter Sonoran Desert.

credit: mlinksva

Vermilion Cliffs National Monument is located on the Colorado Plateau in northern Arizona. It includes the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness. The Monument borders Kaibab National Forest to the west and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area to the east. The 3,000-foot escarpment of the Vermilion Cliffs reveals seven major geologic formations in layer-cake fashion. This remote, unspoiled 294,000-acre national monument is a geologic treasure of towering cliffs, deep canyons, and spectacular sandstone formations.

credit: mypubliclands

The park encompasses more than 6 million acres in a complete sub-arctic ecosystem. It features North America’s highest mountain, 20,320-foot tall Mount McKinley. The aurora is a beautiful, phenomenon, occurring year-round. Only in the fall, winter and early spring, is there enough darkness to allow us to see the northern lights when they occur. The aurora borealis occurs when a coronal mass ejection, a massive burst of solar wind and magnetic fields, interacts with elements in the earth’s atmosphere. Coronal mass ejections are often associated with other forms of solar activity, most notably solar flares.

credit: DenaliNPS

The National Cryptologic Museum is the National Security Agency’s principal gateway to the public. It shares the Nation’s, as well as NSA’s, cryptologic legacy and place in world history. The Museum houses a collection of thousands of artifacts that collectively serve to sustain the history of the cryptologic profession. This museum is free. This museum is recommended for people who want to learn about military history and code breaking. Lots of stuff on the Russian and Japanese as well as the code talkers during WW II

TUNNY Cryptographic Machine

TUNNY Cryptographic Machine

TUNNY Cryptographic Machine

TUNNY Cryptographic Machine

STURGEON Cryptographic machine

STURGEON Cryptographic machine

STURGEON Cryptographic machine

ENIGMA machine

ENIGMA machine

ENIGMA machine

ENIGMA machine

ENIGMA machine

Japanese Navy RED Cipher machine

Japanese Navy RED Cipher machine

Japanese Navy RED Cipher machine

Japanese Navy RED Cipher machine

Japanese Navy RED Cipher machine

US Navy Cryptanalytic Bombe

US Navy Cryptanalytic Bombe

US Navy Cryptanalytic Bombe

US Navy Cryptanalytic Bombe

credit: brewbooks

Zion National Park covers an area of 229 square miles and offers a spectacular landscape of sandstone cliffs, deep canyons and expansive plateaus. Zion National Park is a vast wilderness of rock formations that includes the world’s largest arch – Kolob Arch – with a span of 310 feet (94.5 m). Zion Park is a source of amusement and enjoyment for more than 2 million people visiting it each year. Hiking is a very popular activity when it comes to visiting Zion National Park in the summer time. Hikers can hike to Big Springs. Zion National Park is home to approximately 386 different types of wildlife, including 8 types of fish, 32 amphibians and reptiles, 75 mammals and 271 birds. It is home to three ecosystems and has over 900 different species of plant-life. Many are indigenous to the valleys and canyons and can only be seen here.

Slickrock Cascade

The Waterfall Room

Behind the Subway

Behind the Subway

The Subway

The Subway

The Hike

Watchman formation

The Chute

Archangel Falls

Zion

credit: Glenn Merritt

More than 12,000 Union soldiers are interred at the beautiful National Cemetery in Chattanooga, Tennessee, located near Orchard Knob. The park-like setting includes 121 acres of land, making it the largest cemetery in the state. With more than 37,000 interments presently, the cemetery is near capacity and will be closed to new interments in 2015. Only veterans, their wives and families may be buried here. Chattanooga is considered to be one of the few national cemeteries, if not the only one, where three civil war battle sites can be viewed.

credit: Robert Lz

During National Police Week, the U.S. recognizes the service and sacrifice of U.S. law enforcement and pays tribute to those who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Police Week includes the annual candlelight vigil at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Judiciary Square in Northwest DC, as well as National Peace Officers Memorial Day services at the US Capitol.

Police Week Border Patrol Drill Team

Police Week Border Patrol Drill Team

Police Week Pipe & Drum Competition

Police Week Pipe & Drum Competition

Police Week Border Patrol Honor Guard Inspection

OFO Honor Guard Competition

OFO Honor Guard Competition

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Valor Memorial & Wreath Laying Ceremony

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Valor Memorial & Wreath Laying Ceremony

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Valor Memorial & Wreath Laying Ceremony

credit: U.S. Customs and Border