In my opinion, Glacier National Park has been the most beautiful place we have visited so far.  The most amazing would have to go to Canyonlands and Arches in Moab.  The most inspiring with all of the hiking and biking in beautiful scenery would have to go to the Grand Tetons.  And the most interesting with all of the wildlife, pools, & geysers would have to go to Yellowstone.

But Glacier wins the beauty contest.  

There is a 50-mile scenic drive through Glacier called the Going-To-The-Sun Road.  Right now the road is going through some construction, which looks to probably be required on a regular basis.   Every few miles you have to be prepared to stop, because it goes to a one-lane road and they have to let traffic in the other direction come through.  

We did not mind the wait. 

In fact, we enjoyed it. 

The glaciers, the mountains, the wildflowers, and the waterfalls are captivating.

I love the waterfalls...

Love, love, love the waterfalls.

The water in the rivers are clear and ice cold.  But after a day of hiking, it is rejuvenating to stick your feet in.  

The dry rocks look mostly white and grey, but stick them in the water and bright colors emerge.  Yes, this place is beautiful.  A treasure.










For more pics:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/e_e_b/sets/72157627410270901/

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In the Yellowstone Newsletter:

CAMPING WITH WATSON
Sherlock Holmes and Watson went on a camping trip.  After a good meal and a bottle of red wine, they lay down for the night and went to sleep.
Some hours later Holmes woke up, nudged his faithful friend and said, "Watson, I want you to look up at the sky and tell me what you see."  Watson said, "I see millions and millions of stars."  Sherlock said, "And what does that tell you?"

After a minute or so of pondering Watson said, "Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets.  Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo.  Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three in the morning.  Theologically, I can see that God is all-powerful and that we are small and insignificant.  Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day today.  What does it tell you?"
Holmes was silent for about 30 seconds and said, "Watson, you idiot!  Someone has stolen our tent!"



Pics from the Grand Tetons:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/e_e_b/sets/72157627513251298/

And Yellowstone:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/e_e_b/sets/72157627513330224/

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There is something very refreshing about being at the Grand Tetons.  The air here is different.  Crisp.  You truly want to be outside.  Up until this time, most of the mountains and terrains have been red, auburn, and orange.  Here the mountains are grey with beautiful tall trees and, even though it is August, still tipped off with snow.  We hiked up to Inspiration Point and in to the canyon where we were lucky enough to see a moose.  The sites are breathtaking, as is the hike. 

We spent some time in Jackson Hole, the area that includes Teton Village, Wilson, and the town of Jackson.  We had trout for breakfast at Nora’s Fish Creek Inn (Thanks for the tip, MJM), sandwiches at the Tavern overlooking the city center with the antler arches, and topped the afternoon off with a local beer at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, which is inlayed with silver dollars on the bar.

We then headed off to Yellowstone where, in certain places, has a very different odor….rotten egg to be more precise.  While the smell may not be preferable, the beautiful pools make it all worth it.

We decided to drive around Yellowstone to give us a little time to recover from our hike at the Grand Tetons.  This park is huge.   We decided to make the loop around to Old Faithful and then to Yellowstone Lake to Fishing Bridge, where you can no longer fish.  This small loop in Yellowstone was about 130 mile round trip.  The small loop.  And yes, we did get stuck in a buffalo traffic jam.

I finally have pictures ready for Moab.  There are a lot so you can flip through as quickly as you like, if you like.  While we still hold our amateur status as photographers, some of these are very good.  Then again, the sites were so amazing; it is hard to take a bad picture.   

http://www.flickr.com/photos/e_e_b/sets/72157627381406829/

I also have two videos if you want an experience of riding the RZR on some of the trails outside of Moab.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/e_e_b/sets/72157627444172166/

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Outdoor Playgrounds for All Ages

We have spent an amazing week in two incredible and completely different outdoor playgrounds.

First, Pagosa Springs…GORGEOUS.  Hiking, fishing, hot springs and all in a beautiful mountain setting with a quaint little town.  On the recommendation of a friend, and a future full time resident, we had a wonderful lunch at Kip’s.  The tacos and buffalo burger were awesome!

Next, Moab…UNBELIEVABLE.  The ultimate outdoor playground with a town that completely caters to it.  You name it…mountain biking, ATV off-road trails, hiking… Moab has some of the best in the country.

Everyone should make it a point to come to here at least once, even if just to see it.  Not only is this a fun place to play, it is a remarkable sight to behold.  It is no wonder some of my favorite photographers, including Peter Lik, have entire portfolios of this area.   

The vibrant colors of intense red, dirt orange, pine green, and lime yellow flow in and out of this changing landscape.  People say that God must be a painter…well God must be a sculpture too.  At one point in time, this land was flat with layers and layers of sediment, each with different deposition and erosion properties.  God put Mother Nature to work to flood the area, crisscross rivers, and split the land with earthquakes.  The canyons, mesas, domes, arches, and petrified dunes are true works of art.

We have over 300 pictures from this area I am still working my way through.  I will send out an update with the Flickr link once I have the photos uploaded.

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The Highway of Legends

And it was.

The Devil’s Stairs

Legend has it the devil came out from hell in the Cuchara Valley to survey the earth.  The devil came up the sandstone dikes of Stonewall, sat on the twin peaks, and plotted on how to make the world his.  God, learning of this of this, forbade the devil from ever returning, but the devil’s stairs still remain.

This scenic drive was a beautiful introduction to Colorado.  First Mountain peaks, first quaint little village, and first fox sighting of the trip.  Route 12 from Trinidad to Walsenberg is well worth the two-hour drive.  I recommend stopping by Cuchara for lunch and a little antique shopping.  I have a feeling if we were not currently living in the Cameo touring the country, we might be headed home with this old tractor.

If you want to see more pics, I have them on my flickr account.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/e_e_b/6019715598/

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Colorado…finally!  We are so happy to be here.  So far, this trip has felt more like work than play.  Riding for hours on end through Texas is about as fun as an eight hour meeting on how to manage Millennium pipeline.  Dealing with RV technicians reminds me a little too much of dealing with IBM, everything is on their time schedule.  And the 110 ° that was more like 125 ° in the sun kept us trapped in the camper, like I used to feel trapped at my desk when it was a nice day outside.  

It doesn’t take long once you leave Texas for the temperature to drop and the scenery to improve.  Trinidad Lake State Park is so close to the border of New Mexico but feels a world away.  I love these pics…

 

If you want to see more picks, I have them on my flickr account.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/e_e_b/sets/72157627246224841/

And Dixie is happy to be here too...

We miss you all!

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