We just returned from an absolutely awesome 12-day trip WEST. (We = Barb, Bill, son Michael, DIL Kimberly, grandkids Avery & Lydia). We flew to Las Vegas and rented a minivan to do our touring and return home. Pictures can hardly do it justice, but I'll try.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Nature is too thin a screen; the glory of the omnipresent God bursts through everything."
July 6th, our take-off day was a beautiful sunny day. We even viewed the Grand Canyon from our airplane. Lydia (10) wrote in her journal, "I am so excited! It is beautiful everywhere. I can't write fast enough."
The Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, Bridge area were a first stop.
After dinner in Boulder City, Utah at Evans Old Time Grill and hotel check-in at the Renaissance, we DID LAS VEGAS and DO we did until we were all almost DONE (time change made for a 3am bedtime!). Here's a few sights....
The Botanical Gardens in the Bellagio were really neat...
We were nearly zombies by the time we got back to our hotel via the monorail, BUT it was well worth it!
Next day - Zion Canyon...
We shared a picnic lunch in a park outside the Canyon entrance.
I loved watching their smiling faces!!
a great day....on to the Grand Canyon
Beautiful skies...I love the clouds...so close you feel you can almost touch them
He hath made everything beautiful in His time... Ecclesiastes 3:11
Bryce Canyon - may be my favorite!!
as far as the eye can see
forever
a "toad on a rock"
angel's window
stately and majestic - hard to find words to describe it.
changing landscape as we head into Wyoming
The Grand Tetons
beauty out of the rocks
hi-yaah!
wading in the Salt River
Yep, we are "out West."
clowning at the Bar J Ranch...a definite "must go to" place. Great chuckwagon meal, wagon ride, and a wonderful show.
2 bears...
pool fun
I love this picture of our gentle, sweet Avery.
Jackson Hole, Wyoming - a great town to visit.
On our walk to The Bunnery Bakery and Restaurant, we passed many gorgeous flowers.
Yes, I do love taking pictures of flowers, BUT there are many other attractions to see...
right up Avery's alley
a dee-light-ful candy shop
The Million Dollar Saloon
...even prairie dogs at our feet
...and a gunfight in the center of town at sundown
Bill opening the gate at Mill Iron Ranch - a hightlight of our trip and memories we will never forget. Billed as the most scenic mountain horse back ride in Jackson Hole. We were anxious (and excited!) to get started.
Avery on Rodney
Lydia on Studley. (Mammaw on Banjo, Michael on Roy, Kimberly on Paint -- Bill, stayed at the Ranch talking with the owners). Novices on horseback (some more than others), but our leader Scott (and our gentle, well-trained horses) kept us on the path.
awesome views -- am I overusing the word 'awesome' ?
a stop on the trail
Mammaw's Banjo was a jewel of a horse, always taking great care to protect Mammaw from her own awkwardness.
lovely flower fields as we climbed the 2000 feet on our 1 1/2 hour trek up the mountain
OH MY! Even Michael experienced a little 'vertigo' as we neared the top!
We made it to the top - everyone still in the saddles!
Heading down...the instructions at this stage were to lean back in the saddle a little, hold onto the reins...and I said PRAY. WHAT a great experience! Kimberly said, "I've smiled so much watching you guys, my teeth are dusty."
Can it get any better? we asked as we headed toward Yellowstone.
the beautiful Grand Teton Mountain range
The Chapel of Transfiguration - Mammaw loves this place :)
the view out the picture window in the Chapel - WOW!
Avery on the Snake River
Snake River rafting - we passed on it. Looks calm here, but the river was 5X higher than usual due to mega snowfall in winter and generally much, much rougher than this.
Now, Bill looks very comfortable here, doesn't he?
birds
birds...
...and more birds.
Hi there, pretty.
..and the buffalo roam
whereever they want to
Yes, there's plenty of snow left...even in July.
Jenny Lake
We've arrived..Yellowstone-south entrance
from visitor center, we were about 25 minutes away from Old Faithful when we saw this sign...and we made it - in the pouring down rain - with 1/2-1 minute to spare, BUT we did see Old Faithful erupt :)... then we ate lunch in the van in a downpour (our only rain on the trip).
We headed out the East Entrance of Yellowstone and toward our cabin in the Wapiti Valley - close to Cody, Wyoming ..Creek Works Cabin. Waayy out - back a gravel/dirt road - passing an occasional cabin - uhhh..is this one ours?..Kimberly and I were praying it was not!
and then we came to ours...turned out to be a heavenly place :)
you get the idea..a lovely place
...and outside was even better!
sunset at the Creek Works Cabin
Headed out the next morning up the Shoshone River Valley toward the East Entrance to Yellowstone. A beautiful drive. I have a picture from this same spot from the trip Bill, Gregg, Michael, Jason and I made in 1985 and also from the trip Bill & I made in 2006. Love it!!
Steamboat Point - yellow-bellied marmot's playing around this rock.
From the road, we spied this pelican resting on a rock in the raging Shoshone River, so we went back and followed the wooden walkway out to see him.
now that I view the pictures...I'm a little leary...the water was raging beneath that wooden walkway!
guess the bison can't read
..and they go wherever they want to go
momma protection
pretty, pretty
like a postcard
YES!
a beautiful sight
picnicing in Yellowstone
this beauty joined us
Avery over the stream
Lydia --
fun in the snow
yes, it's still deep!
someone left a mini-snowman behind
the red marker helped measure the mega snowfall this past winter..around 700 inches!!
seeing Avery & Lydia on this rock precipes scared me to death...they said it was not straight down, but it looked like it from my angle.
I could stand this view for a long time
Mammouth Springs - the elk feel safe in town
a pretty little elk calf
a dormant hot spring cone
weird thermal area
Mamma Killdeer likes it
3 baby killdeer tag along
Upper Terrace Drive - water runoff over thermal springs
mud volcanos
doesn't even smell bad - but not the prettiest sight.
the underground is alive
a changing scene again
pretty Yellowstone Lake
a little bit of beauty out of the rocks
Lydia's least favorite spots were the outdoor privies. I thought I would just snap a shot as she exited this one and see if I could capture her distaste.... success!!
another postcard-like view
our last view of bison
this is Lydia's "no bear" look (Michael thought he saw a bear in a little stream, but when we turned and went back we discovered it was just a black rock. We did see 2 bear far up on a mountain...which was fine with me!)
Can you see why a herd of big horn sheep would be hard to spot? ...and these were right by the roadway!
Now, when they ran through the snow, they were easy to spot.
Said goodbye to Yellowstone and our fine cabin in the Wapitii Valley. Yellowstone was voted the favorite place we visited by the majority!
changing view again
so long snow - in the Black Hills National Forest
Prairie Dog Village - the little buggers were everywhere
Mount Rushmore - NOT! This is actually a picture of a picture in a visitor center. We (those of us who had been there before) were so shocked when we turned the corner to find the view of this great national monument blocked by a newly erected terrace and museum to draw people into the paid area, we just rushed on by and didn't go back. Avery said, "I could have looked on 4 coins" (or bills) A true disappointment - BUT we got over it!
Wall Drug Store and a good meal in the Cafe
fun time in the pool again tonight...and yes, both A&L jump in the 8ft end and swim!
simple and cool-looking fences
The Big Badlands
My feeling is "seen it once - seen it enough" - Bill likes it.
AGAIN
there is life
I've seen it!
"None here, Mammaw"
an Indian chief ??
a diamond in the rough
ahhh..the real prairie dog village
a rear salute
...but they couldn't resist a peak to see if we were still looking!
good-bye badlands -- but kinda pretty with the sky
Why do I like the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota? It's just so creative and has been around over 100 years and changes every year. Uses 3000 bushels of rye, oat head & sour dock tied in bunches and attached and 275 thousand ears of corn sawed in half lengthwise and nailed to building following the pattern created each year by local artists. It's an American Folk art icon.
The James River (I think~~)
Wind Turbines in Minnesota...Avery gave us all an education about these! Actually, they were one of the few things in Minn. (the Land of 10,000 Lakes) working. The government was shut down on July 1 and this was July 15th...no rest parks, no state government... uummm?
What better break in our long drive toward Indiana...a Petting Zoo in Waterloo, Iowa.
first time I'd seen peacock eggs..that's the truth, Randy.
..and one lonely and very vocal kitty cat
,,,and a evening stop at Putt Zone where Pappaw aced us as usual
but the kids were happy anyway
flowers to please Mammaw
...and fountains
a "leaping" basketball game by Lydia and Avery
..and a rousing round of Bot Boxers (robot-tron boxing)
We finished the evening at TACO Bell :)
Fields of green grain.... we're comin' home, baby!
a little blurry, but we didn't miss it - Back Home Again in Indiana!
..and home looks good!
Playful and Scout were glad to see Lydia and Avery..& likewise
...and Piston's face says it all for Mammaw :)
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My prayer of praise - Oh, God, you exceeded my expectations once again! Thank You! Thank You!
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