Jennifer Sims

In the Peruvian Andes, the ruins of the ancient Inca city of Choquequirao, a cousin to the more visited Machu Picchu, can only be reached by foot or mule. However, a proposed cable car could make the site more accessible to travelers.

The endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) is found in the coastal waters and bays of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean. Each summer, from April to August, Sea Turtle, Inc., located on South Padre Island, patrols the beaches for nesting Kemp's ridley turtles. The eggs are incubated in a corral, and the hatchlings are then released back into the Gulf of Mexico.

Leonardo’s “Mona Lisa” is believed to depict Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, a Florentine silk merchant. Every year, millions of visitors jostle for a view at the Louvre Museum in Paris. The painting, protected by a thick layer of glass that must be cleaned regularly, has never been restored.

A California sea lion hunts for fish on a kelp paddy at Cortes Bank, a seamount off the coast of San Diego. It's a trove of marine life that deserves protection, conservationists say.

Cliff Walk Trail in Newport