What's your favorite natural environment? Why?

It may sound like a "cop out" but all natural environments are my favorite place to be.  Wherever I am is my favorite.  It's like choosing your favorite child.  They are all beautiful in their own unique way.  I have lived at the ocean's edge, in the deciduous forests of the East Coast, in the mighty Rockies, and also in the desert.  Each place has its own special qualities with which I resonate.  One could think there isn't much to excite a person in the desert, but when you look closely there is so much beauty.

I love rock formations and the places where the rivers and rocks and forests meet each other.  I love sunrises and sunsets.  When I lived in Norfolk, VA I worked from 7 to 3 for awhile.  I never failed to see the beautiful sunrise, over and above the traffic.

Sunset is my favorite part of the day - the stillness, the calming, the midnight blue sky, and the orange and gold and red cloud formations.  And sunset happens wherever I am living.

I love the excitement of an approaching storm, whether in the mountains or the shore.  The strength and power and beauty of this transformational phenomenon are without comparison.  I once experienced a storm as I slowly drove up the steep side of Medicine Mountain, Wyoming.  I had seen the storm from a distance and became a little concerned that I was driving right into it.  As I moved higher and higher on the mountain the temperature got colder and colder, and frozen rain drops began falling onto my windshield.  I was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, and was feeling very vulnerable in the situation.  I was so aware of my smallness in comparison to the energy being exhibited all around me.  After reaching the summit of the mountain I drove through the rain to find a place to camp for the night.  I found a primitive site down a dirt road and backed into a spot.  When the rain was over I found myself at the edge of a beautiful meadow.  The sage and trees were sparkling from the rain drops left there.  Beautiful.