From giant mountains to vast deserts, an American photographer spent a year capturing the diverse and beautiful landscape of the United States. The breath-taking images were taken by Randy P. Martin, 30, of Portland, Oregon, who travelled hundreds of miles across America and documented the most diverse and beautiful settings along the way. For Randy, the past year has seen him undertake countless road trips, navigate his route with maps made from napkins - with the help of Google Earth, walk miles across fields of lava rock and wake at 3am to see sunrise at 14,000 feet
HUNDREDS of hot air balloons decorate the sky above Turkey as the rising sun illuminates the spectacular scenery below .
SURROUNDED by a snowstorm, these young polar bears battle the elements - as well as each other .
SAILING peacefully across a river in the early morning light, a fisherman in China keeps a 1000 year old tradition alive .
A dog was SOW close to death after she dangerously swallowed a two-inch NEEDLE-Cute Shih Tzu Daisy could have pierced her intestines after eating the long needle and thread after finding it on the carpet .
A diver attempts to control rising numbers of lionfish by feeding the venomous species to Caribbean reef sharks .
An adorable orangutan named Pongo celebrates his first birthday at Zoo Atlanta, Georgia, America .
An adorable little squirrel wakes from a nap and pops out his tongue for the camera .
WITH HIS PAW covering his mouth, this cheeky cub looks amused by something .
WELCOME to the 125 decibel boombox bus that could damage your hearing if you party too close to its giant speakers .
TUGGING on the wing of his sibling, this needy owl is after some attention .
Pic By Graham Gibson/ HotSpot Media - SHARK HYPNOTIST BALANCES SHARK IN PALM OF HIS HAND- In Pic - Diver Tom and Caribbean reef sharks in the Bahamas- A SHARK hypnotist balances these predators in the palm of his hand by sending them to sleep with a gentle nose rub .
BLOWING bubbles underwater, this adorable polar bear slides into his tank for a playful dip .