Do you love the outdoors but work all day in a office? This is the daily reality for many of us.

Whenever I need some quick inspiration or a mental micro-vacation, I escape to outdoor webcams. The views are weather-dependent, of course, but that's part of the appeal. A few of my favorites:

Continental Divide, Colorado: This view from the Glacier Basin campground (below) in Rocky Mountain National Park offers an always-pleasing and sometimes-stunning view of meadows, forests and mountains. http://www.nps.gov/webcams-romo/glacier_basin.jpg

Yosemite National Park, Calif.: For several classic views of Half Dome, it's hard to beat this page. Yosemite is a personal favorite of mine, so these vistas are truly eye-candy for my soul. http://www.yosemiteconservancy.org/webcams

Great Smoky Mountains, N.C.: The view northeast from Purchase Knob is impressive, and the foliage show earlier this fall was fun to monitor. http://www.nature.nps.gov/air/webcams/parks/grsmpkcam/grsmpkcam.cfm

Mount Wilson (Calif.) Observatory: For those in sun-starved locales, you can't beat the blast of bright sunshine usually found in this panoramic view (below) of the San Gabriel Mountains above Los Angeles. The rare winter snowstorms can be pretty dramatic, too. http://obs.astro.ucla.edu/towercam.htm

Mount St. Helens, Washington: This one was better a few years back when there were regular smoke plumes coming from the crater. The volcanic activity has since ceased, but it's still fun to check on snow and weather conditions. http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/volcanocams/msh/

Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz.: The webcam at Yavapai Point takes in a sizable swatch of the canyon. This is best on puffy cloud days that offer a patchwork of sun and shadow on the amazing chasm. http://www.nature.nps.gov/air/webcams/parks/grcacam/grcacam.cfm

Canyonlands National Park, Utah: Also worth a look, this site offers 4 wide-ranging viewpoints of classic Southwestern scenery. Below is the view from their Colorado River cam. http://www.cnha.org/webcam.cfm

Old Faithful at Yellowstone National Park, Wyo.: It's hard to top the novelty of a live geyser cam. This is not one I check often, but how can a list of outdoor webcams not mention Old Faithful?  http://www.nps.gov/yell/photosmultimedia/yellowstonelive.htm  

OK, time to get back to work. What outdoor webcams do you recommend?

Below: A recent view from the Mount St. Helens webcam.