When Emmylou Harris recorded Leonard Cohen’s “Ballad of a Runaway Horse,” he wrote her this note:

“Dear Emmylou Harris,
Thank you for singing that song of mine.
You brought it to a place I could never get to.
And thank you for putting into the crowded air,
and establishing it there for all to feel,
the beauty, the dignity
and the loneliness of America itself.
In the midst of all the bewildering directions
your voice takes us home.
With deep gratitude,
Leonard Cohen” 

Lake Baikal, in eastern Siberia, Russia, is the oldest (20-25 million years) and deepest (5,315 feet) freshwater lake globally. It holds 20% of Earth’s freshwater. You can see objects 40 meters deep in its clear waters. In winter, it freezes into stunning turquoise ice shards, some towering up to 39 feet, due to heavy winds.