There"s a good chance the occupants of that car you can see in this photo, winding along a remote highway in the Highlands of Iceland, won"t encounter any other visitors to this desolate region. Accessible only during the summertime, roads across the Icelandic Highlands pass through mostly uninhabited volcanic desert. Frequent volcanic activity in the area creates a porous topsoil full of chemical compounds that aren"t conducive to plant growth. Besides, much of the rainfall is quickly absorbed so plant life only appears alongside glacial rivers. Despite this seemingly unwelcoming environment, adventurous travelers come to the Highlands every summer to see firsthand an ecosystem so unearthly that NASA conducted training missions here for some of its Apollo astronauts.
Up in the Highlands
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
Bohemian Switzerland
-
Summertime in Alaska
-
Halfway Day
-
Field of Light at Sensorio by Bruce Munro
-
Lace up your hiking boots for Mountain Day
-
It’s Giving Tuesday
-
One giant leap for penguins
-
A Latino art exhibition in Denver
-
A national icon
-
Red lechwe, Okavango Delta, Botswana
-
Celebrating 200 years of statehood
-
To Sua Ocean Trench
-
Buddha in the roots of a tree, Ayutthaya, Thailand
-
Of balloons and lost pantaloons
-
It’s Art Deco Weekend in Miami
-
Dancing waters of Dubai
-
Whales in winter
-
A courtyard scene from Spain
-
It s Bermuda s big day
-
Wandering Watkins Glen
-
Hezké svátky
-
What happened to these clouds?
-
World Elephant Day
-
Belgium celebrates its independence
-
Groovy!
-
A crane for good luck in today’s big game
-
New Year s Day
-
Autumn in Piedmont
-
It s fair season
-
It s only Wednesday