+
upworthy
Heroes

7 absolutely stunning nature photos that will make you want to take a road trip ASAP.

Stellar.

Road trips.

For some, there's nothing better. For others, they're a waking nightmare that never ends (except for the occasional stop at Denny's).


If you find yourself in the latter camp, these seven photos may very well change your mind.

All of the photos were taken on federal public land, courtesy of the U.S. Department of the Interior's excellent Instagram account (which far too few people know about). They're places you can go to right now, by car, if you live in the mainland U.S.

And they're all out of this world.

7. Man-made beauty and natural beauty combined in Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California

Nothing compares to the golden hour at #GoldenGate National Recreation Area in #California. Photographer Eric DaBreo was in search of the the perfect #sunset when he took this pic of the Golden Gate Bridge from @goldengatenationalparks' Marshall Beach. Photo from www.sharetheexperience.org.
A photo posted by U.S. Department of the Interior (@usinterior) on

6. The mind-bending scale of North America's tallest mountain in Denali National Park, Alaska

A #caribou wanders across the #tundra in the shadow of #Denali in #Alaska's Denali #NationalPark. Photo by Daniel A. Leifheit (@danleifheit), National Park Service. #nature #wildlife #animals
A photo posted by U.S. Department of the Interior (@usinterior) on

5. The starkness of a desert lightning storm in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah

An amazing display of #nature's power as a #lightning bolt tears through the sky over Grand Staircase-Escalante #NationalMonument's Devils Garden in #Utah. Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument spans nearly 1.9 million acres of America's #publiclands. From its spectacular #GrandStaircase of cliffs and terraces to the wonders of the #Escalante River Canyons, the Monument is truly a treasure. Adam Haggerty captured this amazing shot in the middle of a rain storm using a 10-second exposure. Photo from www.sharetheexperience.org.
A photo posted by U.S. Department of the Interior (@usinterior) on

4. The night sky as ancestors saw it in Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

While the still blue waters of #CraterLake astonish visitors during the day, it's the dark sky with millions of #stars that leaves visitors awestruck during nights. Seen in this picture is the Sagittarius arm of #MilkyWay stretching over #WizardIsland at Crater Lake #NationalPark in #Oregon. The green light on the horizon -- that's a phenomenon called airglow. Photo by Sankar Salvady (www.sharetheexperience.org).
A photo posted by U.S. Department of the Interior (@usinterior) on

3. A perfect spring day in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

Happy first day of #spring! Now is the perfect time to start planning a visit to America's gorgeous public lands. Pictured here is a meadow of wildflowers at #MountRainier #NationalPark in #Washington at #sunset. Photo by Danny Seidman (www.sharetheexperience.org).
A photo posted by U.S. Department of the Interior (@usinterior) on

2. A group of startled, adorable baby owls in Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Utah

This was our same expression when we reached 500,000 followers on @Instagram this weekend! This pic of the baby burrowing #owls at #BearRiver Migratory Bird Refuge in northern #Utah is one of our most popular -- with more than 5,000 of you commenting on the photo by Katie McVey, @USFWS. Our account wouldn't be what it without all of you! That's why this week we'll be featuring some of your favorite #publiclands. Be sure to tell us in the comments your favorite #nationalpark, #wildliferefuge or other public lands.
A photo posted by U.S. Department of the Interior (@usinterior) on

1. The purple mountain majesties of Glacier National Park, Montana

Another spectacular photo submitted to the America's Great #Outdoors photo project. This one of Avalanche Lake in Glacier National Park by @brandonmkopp just had to be shared. See the full list of photos at flickr.com/groups/summerago. #glacier #nationalpark #montana #publiclands #avalanchelake #lakes #photography #HDR #mountains #instagood #instacool
A photo posted by U.S. Department of the Interior (@usinterior) on



If you can't get yourself as far as Montana or California, never fear! America's national parks are in every state, cheap to visit, and — I'm using very technical language here — the jam.

According to some, they were America's best idea (though I think even Ken Burns would agree that Wrestlemania is a close second).

So, uh ... road trip, anyone?

A pitbull stares at the window, looking for the mailman.


Dogs are naturally driven by a sense of purpose and a need for belonging, which are all part of their instinctual pack behavior. When a dog has a job to do, it taps into its needs for structure, purpose, and the feeling of contributing to its pack, which in a domestic setting translates to its human family.

But let’s be honest: In a traditional domestic setting, dogs have fewer chores they can do as they would on a farm or as part of a rescue unit. A doggy mom in Vancouver Island, Canada had fun with her dog’s purposeful uselessness by sharing the 5 “chores” her pitbull-Lab mix does around the house.

Keep ReadingShow less

A nasty note gets a strong response.

We've all seen it while cruising for spots in a busy parking lot: A person parks their whip in a disabled spot, then they walk out of their car and look totally fine. It's enough to make you want to vomit out of anger, especially because you've been driving around for what feels like a million years trying to find a parking spot.

You're obviously not going to confront them about it because that's all sorts of uncomfortable, so you think of a better, way less ballsy approach: leaving a passive aggressive note on their car's windshield.

Satisfied, you walk back to your car feeling proud of yourself for telling that liar off and even more satisfied as you walk the additional 100 steps to get to the store from your lame parking spot all the way at the back of the lot. But did you ever stop and wonder if you told off the wrong person?

Keep ReadingShow less
Innovation

A student accidentally created a rechargeable battery that could last 400 years

"This thing has been cycling 10,000 cycles and it’s still going." ⚡️⚡️

There's an old saying that luck happens when preparation meets opportunity.

There's no better example of that than a 2016 discovery at the University of California, Irvine, by doctoral student Mya Le Thai. After playing around in the lab, she made a discovery that could lead to a rechargeable battery that could last up to 400 years. That means longer-lasting laptops and smartphones and fewer lithium ion batteries piling up in landfills.

Keep ReadingShow less
Health

8 nontraditional empathy cards that are unlike any you've ever seen. They're perfect!

Because sincerity and real talk are important during times of medical crisis.

True compassion.

When someone you know gets seriously ill, it's not always easy to come up with the right words to say or to find the right card to give.

Emily McDowell — a former ad agency creative director and the woman behind the Los Angeles-based greeting card and textile company Emily McDowell Studio — knew all too well what it was like to be on the receiving end of uncomfortable sentiments.

At the age of 24, she was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin's lymphoma. She went into remission after nine months of chemo and has remained cancer-free since, but she received her fair share of misplaced, but well-meaning, wishes before that.

On her webpage introducing the awesome cards you're about to see, she shared,

"The most difficult part of my illness wasn't losing my hair, or being erroneously called 'sir' by Starbucks baristas, or sickness from chemo. It was the loneliness and isolation I felt when many of my close friends and family members disappeared because they didn't know what to say or said the absolute wrong thing without realizing it."

Her experience inspired Empathy Cards — not quite "get well soon" and not quite "sympathy," they were created so "the recipients of these cards [can] feel seen, understood, and loved."

Scroll down to read these sincere, from-the-heart, and incredibly realistic sentiments.

Keep ReadingShow less
Health

This woman's powerful 'before and after' photos crush myths about body positivity

"Body positivity is about saying that you are more than a body and your self-worth is not reliant on your beauty."





Michelle Elman, a body positivity coach, helps people who are struggling to find confidence in their own skin.

After persevering through numerous medical conditions and surgeries in her own life, Elman realized a few years ago that body positivity wasn't just about size or weight. Things like scars, birthmarks, and anything else that makes us feel different of self-conscious have to be a part of the conversation, and she tries to make the movement accessible to everyone.

Sharing her own journey has been one of her most effective teaching tools.

Keep ReadingShow less
via wakaflockafloccar / TikTok

It's amazing to consider just how quickly the world has changed over the past 11 months. If you were to have told someone in February 2020 that the entire country would be on some form of lockdown, nearly everyone would be wearing a mask, and half a million people were going to die due to a virus, no one would have believed you.

Yet, here we are.

PPE masks were the last thing on Leah Holland of Georgetown, Kentucky's mind on March 4, 2020, when she got a tattoo inspired by the words of a close friend.

Keep ReadingShow less