YOU might say that L.B.J. planted the seed of the idea. When the President suggested that American vacationers could do their country and themselves a good turn by visiting the U.S.A. this summer, he focused new interest on the variety and quality of places to go. This week's cover story, illustrated with lots of color pictures, examines the best resorts in the country.

To get the pictures, we deployed 14 photographers across the continent. It sounds like a dream assignment, but it did have some problems. Photographer Joern Gerdts, who lives in one of the most famed resorts of them all--Aspen--was, of course, assigned to cover that haven. But Aspen, for all its glory, was still in the cool, quiet "melting season." So Gerdts, feeling slightly subversive, slipped away to Colorado Springs, where he caught the guests at the Broadmoor in poolside relaxation.

Bruce Roberts' assignment included the Hound Ears Golf and Ski Club, a remote mountain resort in western North Carolina whose nearest commercial airport is 50 miles away at Hickory. Club Owner Grover Robbins meets his guests at the airport, shuttles them in his own plane to the club, lands them on the fairway. To prepare for shooting one such arrival (no one was sure just where the craft would put down), Roberts took a few practice turns on an electric golf cart, then waited for Robbins. As the plane dipped down, Roberts set off with cart steering gear in one hand, Nikon in the other. His shot of Robbins landing was taken at top cart speed.

Part of the photographers' mission was to find a cover picture, and the man who succeeded is Atlanta's Jay Leviton. How did he spot Cover Girl Michael Anderson? He saw her on the beach at Sea Island and found his judgment confirmed by a knowing Atlanta reporter who covers many stories in that area for TIME --his wife, Joyce. Mrs. Anderson, said Joyce, "is easily the most graceful, the prettiest and the most natural-looking girl in any crowd." Since grace, beauty and nature, as well as a lively and informative guide to Summertime U.S.A., are the substance of the story, the editors looked at Leviton's pictures and agree with his choice. We think the readers will, too.

ENGINEERS now have something less than two years in which to accomplish one of the most intricate and delicate moving jobs in history--the removal to safe high ground of the fabled 3,000-year-old Temples of Abu Simbel on Egypt's Upper Nile (TIME, Nov. 23, 1959, et seq.). When the High Dam at Aswan is completed, the backed-up Nile waters will have inundated the present site of the temples. Last week an exhibition depicting this vast rescue operation opened in the Exhibition Center of the TIME & LIFE Building in Manhattan, the first place in the U.S. where it will be on view.It is open to the public, without charge, and will be on view through Aug. 1.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.