7 is the Unfair-est Number of Them All

There is a new contest on to determine the New 7 Wonders of Nature. The event, which will last to 2011, comes two years after the worldwide polling event to determine the New 7 Wonders of the World. The 28 finalists, which includes the Amazon, Grand Canyon, and Great Barrier Reef, are expected to draw around 1 billion voters.

While the finalists are beautiful landmarks that span this great globe, most are places the majority see in pictures or on TV. Sure, the Grand Canyon isn't an unattainable vacation for most, but Table Mountain in South Africa? The Sundarbans delta in West India and Bangladesh? The average American, European, or Asian is not going to see these places firsthand. So why is it right to judge the 7 Wonders of Nature based on pictures on the internet?

I'm not saying these places aren't worthy of 'wonder' distinction - they truly are amazing and magnificant. But for me, and other, wonders of nature aren't necessarily soaring mountains across the Kenyan landscape. Last night in Phoenix, we had a terrific monsoon. Sitting in my car, I watched lightening scream across the sky, illuminating desert and the White Tanks. Or what about watching the waves crash against rocks at the San Francisco Bay? My husband is from England and let me tell you, looking across the rolling green hills of Dorset with a summer sunset is nothing short of spectacular. I could go on and on...

Wonders of nature don't have to be postcard destinations set against backdrops of warm sunrises. They are those places that take us away from our dour lives and bring smiles. The wonder of those places, sunny or raining, small or large, no matter what or where they are, is that they remind us how incredible our planet is.

To vote on the New7Wonders of Nature, go to http://www.new7wonders.com/

So tell me - what is your Wonder of Nature?