Catalina Mountains, Arizona

Postcard US-4029693 to Belarus shows a storm brewing in the Catalina Mountains at Tucson, Arizona. Snow can be seen on the mountain peaks behind the Saguaro Cactus. Photo by Ray Manley.

Schwarzwald

Postcard DE-4247507 from Germany shows the Black Forest (Schwarzwald in German) that is a great forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany. Bordering France, it is bounded by the Rhine valley to the west and south. Its highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 meters or 4,898 feet.

It is known for its dense evergreen forests and picturesque villages, which inspired some of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales. The cuckoo clock, a pendulum-regulated clock that strikes on the hours with a sound like a common cuckoo's call and has an automaton cuckoo bird moving with each note, was said to be developed and evolved in the region since the 1700s. It’s a destination for hiking and biking at vast nature parks, and skiing in winter.

Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia

Outgoing postcard US-3372299 to Taiwan shows an aerial view of Virginia Military Institute (V.M.I), a state-supported military college in Lexington, Virginia. Allegheny Mountains in the distance, V.M.I is famous as a military and engineering school, frequently referred to as "the West Point of the South."

In keeping with its founding principles as the oldest state-sponsored military institution in the United States, V.M.I enrolls only military cadets and awards 18 baccalaureate degrees exclusively in 14 majors in Applied Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer & Information Sciences, Economics & Business, Electrical & Computer Engineering, English, History, International Studies & Political Science, Mechanical Engineering, Modern Languages & Cultures, Physics, and Psychology. V.M.I offers cadets strict military discipline combined with a spartan, physically and academically demanding environment.

Photo by Herbert Lanks.

Yuccas Blooming on the Desert

Postcard US-3285001 to Finland was a vintage linen card Yucca Whipplei blooming with a background of mighty San Jacinto Mountain in California.

Native to southern California, United States and Baja California, Mexico, Yucca whipplei ( Hesperoyucca whipplei) is a species of flowering plant in the genus Hesperoyucca, but closely related to, and previously usually included in, the genus Yucca. It is extremely drought tolerant and thrives in clay soils. The fiber from its leaves was used extensively by Native Americans for making sandal, cloth, and rope.

Shigar Valley, Skardu, Pakistan

Postcard PK-3925 from Pakistan shows a bird-eye view of the Shigar Valley in northern Pakistan that is associated with the Shigar River. A gateway to the high mountains of the Karakoram, the valley stretches about 170 km from Skardu to Askole in a remote and largely inaccessible area. There are several villages in the valley: the town of Shigar being the largest and Askole being the last settlement that is closest to yet still quite far from the high mountains. The Shigar Valley is known for mining a variety of gemstones.

Natural Beauty at Guinsa, South Korea

Postcard KR-104756 from South Korea shows a scenic drive led to Guinsa (救仁寺), Buddhism Temple of Salvation and Kindness, in the Sobaek Mountains near Danyang, South Korea. Originally built in 1945, Guinsa was burned down during the Korean War; and the reconstruction started in 1966. The campus, placed along a narrow valley surrounded on all sides by mountains, was chosen according to head monk Sangwol Wongak's (上月圓覺) interpretation of the Lotus Sutra (妙法蓮華經).

Mount Nemrut, Adıyaman, Turkey

Postcard TR-197954 from Turkey shows Mount Nemrut near Adıyaman in southeastern Turkey, a presumed royal tomb site built by King Antiochus I Theos of Commagene in 62 B.C. At its 2,134 m or 7,001 ft summit, there are a number of large statues with their heads separated and scattered throughout the site. Mount Nemrut was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

Dolina Triglavskih jezer

Postcard SI-98149 from Slovenia shows the Dolina Triglavskih jezer (Triglav Lakes Valley) in the Julian Alps in Slovenia. It is a rocky hanging valley above the tree line between the sheer sides of Mount Tičarica and Mount Zelnarica southwest of Triglav, the highest mountain in Slovenia and the highest peak of the Julian Alps at 2,864 meters or 9,396 feet.

The valley is also called the Seven Lakes Valley, although there are actually ten lakes in the valley. The lowest lake Črno jezero (Black Lake) is at 1,294 meters or 4,245 ft above sea level; the highest Jezero v Podstenju (Podstenje Lake) has an elevation of 1,993 meters or 6,539 feet. Each lake has a color varying from green, blue, brown to black.

I found this time-lapse video of a two-day hiking tour at the Triglav Lakes Valley on Youtube. The climbers made stops at Black Lake, at the beginning of their journey; at Big Lake next day, the largest and deepest lake also called Kidney Lake with an elevation of 1,831 meters or 6,007 feet; and near Green Lake at 1,988 meters or 6,500 feet, named after the algae living in the lake.

 

Mount Olympus

On this Earth Day came postcard GR-38421 showing Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece with 52 peaks, deep gorges, and exceptional biodiversity. According to Wikepedia, its highest peak Mytikas, meaning "nose", rises to 2,917 meters or 9,570 feet and is one of the highest peaks in Europe in terms of topographic prominence. Olympus was notable in Ancient Greek Mythology as the home of the Twelve Olympians. Mount Olympus is also noted for its very rich flora with several special species. It has been the first National Park of Greece since 1938, and a World's Biosphere Reserve.

Dolomiti, Italy

Postcard IT-255128 from Italy shows the Dolomite mountain ranges in northeastern Italy. According to Wikipedia, those mountain ranges "form a part of Southern Limestone Alps and extend from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley (Pieve di Cadore) in the east. The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley (Val Sugana). The Dolomites are nearly equally shared between the provinces of Belluno, South Tyrol and Trentino." They are home to many regional parks. In 2009, the Dolomites were recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Least Chipmunk

Postcard US-2205864 to Belarus was one of the several wildlife cards that I bought at the Mount Charleston Visitor Center. The description on the card says "the Least Chipmunk climbs swiftly and nimbly, often ascending tress to sun itself or build a summer nest. The winter nest is less sheltered and constructed of grass and other fibrous or downy material. It will use its large cheek pouches to carry food back to its nest. It feeds on seeds, fruit, insects and reptiles."

From Finland, with a Stamp Bearing Braille Text

Postcard FI-2007704 from Helsinki is gorgeous by itself. However, I was equally impressed by the stamp that came with the card. The stamp was the first issue in the series depicting Finnish national parks, issued in 2009. It shows the winter landscape of the Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park at western Lapland. The stamp is friendly to the visually impaired with the Braille text "1 lk. kl", the 1st class non-value indicator. The stamp was designed by Teemu Ollikainen and photographed by Pekka Luukkola.

The Pirin Mountains

On postcard BG-30315 from Bulgaria is the Pirin Mountains in southwestern Bulgaria, with Vihren as the highest peak shown in the background. Most of the mountain range is within the Pirin National Park. The mountain is named after Perun, the highest god of the Slavic pantheon and the Thunder and Lightning God.

International Mountain Day

International Mountain Day was designated as December 11 by the United Nations General Assembly in 2003. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) that leads the observance, it is an opportunity to create awareness about the importance of mountains to life, to highlight the opportunities and constraints in mountain development and to build partnerships that will bring positive change to the world’s mountains and highlands. The theme for 2013 is "Mountains - Key to a Sustainable Future".

Postcard US-2260961 to Belarus showcases one of the most beautiful mountains and major tourist destinations.in China -- Huangshan. Huangshan (黄山), literally Yellow Mountain, is a located in Anhui Province. The mountain ranges were a result of the uplift movement from an ancient sea during the Mesozoic era, about 100 million years ago; then they were carved by glaciers during the Quaternary. The area is now well known for its scenery, sunsets, peculiarly shaped granite peaks, Huangshan Pine trees, and views of the clouds from above. Huangshan is a frequent subject of traditional Chinese paintings and literature, as well as modern photography (source: Wikipedia). It was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990.

Alishan Forest Railway, Taiwan

Postcard TW-1051157 from Taiwan shows the Alishan Forest Railway (阿里山森林鐵路), a network of narrow-gauge (762 mm or 2.5 ft wide) railways originally constructed for logging in the Alisha mountain area in Chiayi County, Taiwan. Now it is a popular tourist attraction with unique Z-shaped switchbacks, many tunnels and wooden bridges.

Sunrise over Mount Zaō in Japan

Postcard JP-463262 from Japan shows a photo of beautiful sunrise at Mount Zaō (蔵王山) in Japan. Among the one hundred most famous mountains in Japan, Mount Zaō is a complex volcano that consists of a cluster of stratovolcanoes built up by layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. (Sources: Wikipedia) It is noted for a 360 m or 1,200 ft wide and 60 m or 200 ft deep crater lake Five Color Pond (五色沼) as the lake would change color depending on the weather.