Take a look at these high res photos of the Skyrim landscape from this blog. Great stuff!

http://thedreamseekerphotography.wordpress.com/2012/02/06/the-beauty-of-skyrim/

Yes, Skyrim is a pretty province to explore.

I have a view of the mountains and perhaps Bleak Falls Barrow as my laptop background.

Aside from the dragons, bandits and the like, Skyrim looks like a place that I'd like to take a vacation at. Plenty of opportunities for hiking, river rafting, camping and etc.

I have frequently, in playing this game, just stopped at different times - sunrise, snowstorms, night and just... looked around me in amazement. I've seen mist drifting over areas at night, clouds moving across the sky, hiking along a river in a rainy day, crossing a mountain meadow and watching the grass and flowers swaying. The silhouette of an elk on an outcropping, with one of the moons in the background, then watching it move off looking natural. It's a beautiful game - I thought I would hate the wintry setting, but I don't - I love it.

I totally agree with you both. I'm really excited for the mods that improve the graphical prowess of the game engine.

Ditto, i have played since day one, and even now it makes me stop and look at the stunning settings from mountain tops to wild outdoors, to mages firing lightning in the sky at Dragons in the distance in the dark. to the prevailing wind
howling in your ears and hearing a fox grunting with breath, totaly amazing the depth of this game, just stop and smell the roses in your quests, its another world....

Best game this century for me without a question of a doubt, look how alight these forums are....

Those pics are truly inspiring. Skyrim makes me dislike real life. You can walk around for hours in Skyrim, and every sight it magnificent. Buy I could drive for miles and still not find a single spot that looks as glorious as that.

If the machines take over and put us into a Matrix-style dream state, I want them to upload me into a Skyrim program and let me live the rest of my life in the greatest game I own.