I have just completed 12 days of TheTravelzine emails sent during my vacation. I was so inspired by the "WOW" moments that I spent some time contemplating my own. I would like to share a couple with you.

1.In 2001, during a 12-day backpack to the Gates of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Brooks Range, Alaska), I woke one morning at 2:00 am and crawled out of my tent. To my surprise and delight the sky was alive with dancing lights. I quickly woke my trek mates and we stood in our T-shirts in the chilly night air watching the Northern Lights perform the most incredible show. This experience fulfilled one of my "must see before I die" goals, causing my companions some concern about flying home with me :-) It ranks at the top of my WOW moments.

2.Standing at Inti Punku "The Gate of the Sun" and watching the early morning sun-rays magically reveal the lost city of Machu Picchu...an incredible WOW moment after 4 rigorous days of trekking and almost as incredible as discovering the Southern Cross in the Peruvian sky our first night out.(Peru 2004).

3.After a long hike to the top of Cold Mountain (Black Mountain Range,NC), my companions and I set up camp and laid face up on the ground as evening cast its shadows across the mountain. We watched nature's most spectacular prime-time show...millions of stars twinkling in the late October night. I never get tired of star watching and am always WOW'd by nature.

Beverly Knoxville, TN