Lake Geneva, Switzerland.
And the Pacific Ocean.
Sydney Harbour. It’s just got such a high possibility of being stunningly beautiful at any given time of day/year.
The Tamar River, in Tasmania. Because I grew up on it. Especially the Cataract Gorge. Wow.
The Pacific Ocean in general just because it’s my big blue and I love it.
I haven’t much experience of bodies of water.
I’ll say the Irish sea in a storm. I love a rough ride.
Lake Baikal. It puts all other lakes to shame.
Oh, and this is a particularly favourite body of water from my childhood. My all time favourite place to visit on the Isle of Man when I was a kid.
I grew up on the shores of Lake Champlain, so I’m giving it my vote for sentimental reasons. Plus it really is an excellent body of water - scenic beauty, historical significance, interesting geography, and a sea monster - what more could you ask for?
First the hints:
It’s the largest lake in Oregon.
The dam that forms it was the world’s tallest at the time of construction.
Give up?
Owyhee reservoir in SE Oregon. Don’t worry, most Oregonians don’t know about it either. Hot, desert, steep lava rock canyon walls dropping down into cool water.
It’s a toss-up between Lake Louise in Banff National Park in Canada, or Moraine Lake, also in Banff National Park.
Wow! GingerOfTheNorth, that picture of Moraine Lake literally took my breath away. Simply magnificent!
I was thinking of maybe Lake Huron or Georgian Bay, or perhaps one of the gazillion of lonely lakes up in Kawarthas Crown Land, but…
…it’d have to be the crick. The trickle that winds through my town. Sluggish and stagnant in summer, raging and muddy in spring, flooding the basin below the tracks and freezing in winter, clogged with debris and litter all year round. There was the deep spot where you could catch minnows, and where it passed through a very dark and slimy culvert, and the place where it made a kind of peninsula we built a fort on, and the quick-running part we sailed boats down, and…yeah. The crick.
And then there was this spectacular lake that I shot somewhere in Canada. Don’t know the name of it, but the colors were phenomenal. This photo is completely unretouched.
I’ve spent many hours sitting on the pier in Philadelphia where the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers come together. Watching the might of the river going by is so huge to me.
One little bit of Lake Erie where my family spent a couple of weeks every summer when I was a kid.
Way down a ravine 1000 yards from my house where a little creek runs by. Spent hundreds of hour goofing off there as a kid, and later sneaking beer as a teenager.
My all time favorite is sitting on the patio overlooking my inground pool. My little corner of the world, martini in hand and all is right in the world.
Blue Mesa Reservoir. The contrast between the blue water and the stark Rocky Mountains is just breathtaking, and it just seems to go on and on as you drive along. There’s just so much geology, all naked and visible and uncompromising.
Lake Tahoe. We make an annual trip there.
For sentimental, Lake Michigan. I’ve spent a lot of time in and on that one.
Although I am not much of a traveler, I will have to say that along the US Eastern Seaboard any of the Atlantic running from Kitty Hawk to Cape Hatteras is my favorite.
There is tons of history (first flight, lighthouses, first attempt at colonization at Roanoke, etc) and tons of natural wildnerness that has been preserved. Serene, quaint in some areas, and generally a really unique experience. Ah, I love in there.
Interesting question! I’ve rarely seen a body of water that I didn’t like. I like yBeayf’s nomination–Baikal is one of the most mysterious, bizarre places I’ve been. I didn’t stay nearly long enough. San Francisco Bay is also beautiful, as are many places along the US west coast where cliffs overlook the sea. Another on my list is Lake Toba, a volcanic crater lake in the mountains of Sumatra, Indonesia. I spent my 38th birthday there, alone, and it was my best birthday so far.
My favorite, though, would probably be the Andaman Sea, off the west coast of Thailand. It’s become far too touristy these days, but there are still islands where one can escape the throngs of backpackers. Of course I’ve been in love with Thailand for a long time–I even like the filthy canals of Bangkok. But the Andaman sea is one place I just keep going back to. I hope the islands there are recovering from the recent tsunami disaster.
My quick default answer is the Chesapeake Bay. The water, the sailing, the crabs, the built up western shore, the small towns on Eastern shore and the northern watershed / Susquehanna river area - love it all. I learned most of what I know of environmental concerns through the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
And for the sentimental, spent so much time there I know it inside and out, Lake Marburg in Codorus State Park near Hanover, PA.
Some pics and articles on my favs: http://my.tbaytel.net/culpeper/
Canadian North Shore of Lake Superior is toppers.
In additon to those already mentioned (the Pacific Ocean and my beloved San Francisco Bay), there’s also Crater Lake in Oregon, which is the water-filled caldera of Mount Mazama. I’ve been there in person twice, and when I fly from California to the Pacific Northwest, I always try to get a window seat on the side of the plane that will let me see Crater Lake from the air. Simply stunning!
