Lightning strikes near Church Rock, New Mexico, USA

© Tim Fitzharris/Minden Picture

Blessed with beauty

If this stormy shot stirs your spirit, it’s OK: They call this wind-carved edifice Church Rock for a reason. This enchanting landscape, with its characteristic streaky red rocks and wild rock formations, is found in the US state of New Mexico. Patchwork borders separate sovereign Navajo Nation grounds and private land from that administered by government agencies. Church Rock was the crown jewel of a state park before it was returned to the Navajo in 1989, while the city of Gallup now maintains the nearby parkland. To the east, a more ancient boundary line crosses Route 66 - the Great Continental Divide, which marks the border between North America's Atlantic and Pacific-destined waters.