Sunday, November 28, 2010

Pick one





 I'm going to enter a photo contest to try and win two free days with Vacation Dream Rentals. Entries must be from a previous stay in one of their rentals. These photos were taken in Yachats, Oregon on Sister's Week-end. Some of them are the same shot just different lighting or angle. I think if you double click on them you can make them full size. The winning photo will be featured on their Facebook page. Let me know which one you like best. The first one will be number one and so on down the list. Thanks!!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Honey Bee

 I have given Brooklyn a new nickname. It is Honey Bee. She is sweet like honey :-) Well, generally she is sweet. We all have our off days. Her first and last initials are both "B" and she has told me numerous times she would like to compete in a spelling bee. She just scored 199 out of 200 on a spelling test at school (but that is another story). However,  the number one reason I've taken to calling her Honey Bee is her sting on the soccer field. Whether she is playing goalie, fullback or forward she is a force to be reckoned with. She lunges, she plunges, she thrusts her body right in front of an opposing player to get at that ball. She will kick hard and she is not afraid of being kicked. Sometimes her enthusiasm is so great she will swing for a kick and completely miss the ball. A little more patience and control on her part wouldn't be a bad thing but once she perfects that we will be calling her Queen Bee. Sometimes I find myself getting a little embarrassed because she is so aggressive but today after the game a man we didn't even know came right up to Brooklyn, bent down to her eye level and said, "you are quite a player out there." She has not made a goal yet but she has prevented plenty of goals from being made by her opponents. Some of you know what a struggle Brookyn's life has been, wouldn't it be fabulous if she became a true soccer star?  O.K., it's only her second year, but grandmas can dream.





Sunday, October 17, 2010

Arches National Park and Canyonland, Utah

 There are no words or adjectives to describe the sheer beauty of this part of the country that would do it any justice whatsoever. This place of beauty  is called Utah. The name Utah comes for the Ute Indians and it means, top of the mountain. It should mean top of the world because that is what it feels like to stand on this ground and look for miles in every direction. Each turn of the road brings another and another and another magnificent, geological, natural sculpture.  We spent one day at Arches National Park http://www.nps.gov/arch near Moab, and I wish we could have stayed a week. We did the scenic driving tour but there is much, much more to see when hiking the trails and exploring this area to it's fullest. The town of Moab is actually a very small and we didn't have hotel reservations so fortunately we were able to find lodging at the Aarchway Inn. Not worth posting a website for but just beware if you are going to plan ahead and have a reservation in place if it is peak tourist season. We had no trouble finding a wonderful place to eat called Desert Bistro, http://desertbistro.com . The old ranch house decor is divided into two medium size dining areas and although the website says, gourmet southwestern cuisine, I had vegetarian lasagna that was fabulous and Dean had Elk which is said was equally as good as my handmade pasta dish.
From my perspective, this gorgeous piece of our great planet lies about two days driving time from Sacramento CA and I strongly urge anyone reading this blog to get a wild hair up their ass, jump in their car and drive there. You will not be sorry. Don't wait for that "right moment in time" or for someday.................just do it.







Saturday, October 2, 2010

Cog Wheel Railway to Pike's Peak

The thought of taking a train straight up the side of a mountain to the height of over 14,000 ft was pretty frightening to me. Even as I called to make the reservation I wasn't sure I could do it. My paratrooper son Ryan was stoked of course. The man in reservation said, "Oh yes, you're lucky, it is almost sold out for the Labor Day Week-end." "Right, lucky" I thought. But damn it, I have to start getting over some of these fears that limit me and keep me from experiencing life. "So how scary is it?" I ask the man on the phone. "Not scary at all. I have a fear of that kind of stuff too and I loved this trip when I took it." I was certain he was lying. He probably has to tell people that so they sell all the tickets. As it turned out, it wasn't nearly as terrifying as I had made it out to be in my mind. This is one website you should really check out, http://www.cograilway.com
The second of its kind, the Manitou Cog Railway was built in 1889.  It is an amazing feat of engineering which allows the train to climb as much as 25 feet for every 100 feet it moves forward. This is a 25% grade and the average over the entire line is 16%. It is the highest cog railroad in the world, reaching 14,115 feet. The train is completely enclosed and literally has cogs that drop into holes in the special track that propels the train forward. A grade of 2% is considered steep for a regular "adhesion" railroad so the advantage of the cogs was tremendous. Enough of the history and mechanics of the train. We boarded at 9:30 a.m. for the hour long pull up the mountain. It really was spectacular to look back down and see Colorado Springs from an almost aerial perspective. We found out that we would only have 45 minutes at the top to take pictures, visit the gift shop and eat a freshly made donut upon reaching the peak. Evidently the donut eating is a tradition of some sort but I never did fully understand why. As it turned out the 45 minute time frame was adequate. We should have had lead boots once we stepped out because its was so windy I feared we would be blown clean off the mountain. According to the official Pike's Peak website, http://www.pikespeakcolorado.com, the mountain was part of the Louisana Purchase. President Jefferson dispatched Zebulon Pike to discover the southwestern borders of the Purchase and so Pike set out to climb the Peak on November 24, 1806. I don't know what kind of explorer sets out to climb a mountain in November but a blizzard sent him scurrying back down the granite slope and the summit wasn't conquered until 1820 by a botanist named Dr. Edwin James. I'm  not certain what everyone was doing in the 14 years between the two ascents and I'm not quite sure why they named it Pike's Peak but it literally is a breath taking experience. At the 14,000 plus foot elevation and the 40 degree temperature, taking a breath was an effort. We were told there is only about 60% oxygen level at the top. The view is indescribable and on a clear day, which we had, you can see for about 150 miles in all directions. So once again quoting Via magazine, "If you are going..........." make a reservation, bring your camera, your coat and of course your lead boots.  All Aboard!!











Thursday, September 23, 2010

Garden of the Gods

Garden of the Gods, www.gardenofgods.com,  is a National Natural Landmark right in the city of Colorado Springs. It is 3 million years in the making. Three different type of rocks make up these elaborate formations, White Lyons Sandstone, Red Lyons Sandstone and Fountain Conglomorate (sand, gravel and mud). Many, many layers of this sedimentary rock has hardened and cemented over time and then given way to erosion, faulting and uplifting. The results are spectacular. As they say in the AAA magazine Via, "If you are going..." you can take the driving tour around the park which takes about 30 minutes. One should allow for stopping off at various view points for picture taking as we did, or if everyone can walk there are several nature trails to hike. Additionally, for the fit and foolish you can rock climb these monster rocks. We had 3 dogs and a handicapped person so we didn't get far but this park is free and someday Dean and I would like to hike the trails. Ryan and Sadie have already been hiking up the side of Pike's Peak so while they may visit the Park again someday, it is more of a hike for flat landers (rock climbing aside). We actually circled the park twice and finally ended up at the gift shop (of course). This Park has one of the more extensive gift shops I have ever seen. In addition to the usual souvenirs the shop had original art, jewelery and a nice little coffee counter. Also if you are going, try not to go on the week-end and for you photographers the best lighting for photos is at dusk or sundown. Unfortunately for me we were there in the middle of the day. It was quite bright out. 







Our day at Garden of the Gods was quite perfect but we have left our final big adventure for the last day of our visit. We will ascend Pike's Peak, 14,1100 feet elevation, on the Cog Railway......................

Friday, September 17, 2010

Arrival

So, after two and a half days on the road we finally arrive in beautiful, sunny Colorado Springs. Ryan and the three dogs, Dozer, Pokie and Sassy all came out to greet us. Ryan and Sadie have rented a small, old log cabin on 5 acres on the outskirts of Colorado Springs. They have their dogs, their two horses and all the peace and quite they have been longing for. The place is very well suited to them. Sadie is still at work so my two fellas and I relax in the yard until its time to meet Sadie for dinner. We decided to go to a place called the Craftwood Inn http://www.craftwood.com.  They feature game from the Colorado area including elk, wild boar, venison, pheasant and duck. Dean and Ryan had elk, Sadie had wild boar and I had........well, chicken. Hey, my father was a wildlife biologist, I know what that wild shit tastes like. All kidding aside, I had a taste of the elk and the boar and both were quite good.
The next day we went to this very local BBQ stand (pretty much just a smoker and a bathroom sized kitchen) and bought two large racks of ribs, preceded of course by some wonderful cheese and wine and beer. We ate  a lot which by most accounts is the best part of any vacation. That afternoon Sadie had to work as a volunteer at the Colorado Springs Annual Balloon Festival as part of her new job with USAA Credit Union. It was a bit of a hike but I crutched myself out to the open park area and Dean set me up in a folding chair beneath the shade of a big oak tree and we waited until dark. At about 8:00 p.m. approximately 30 balloons began performing what they call a "glow show." They spout off their flames and light up the whole park. It is a three day event that takes place every Labor Day Week-end in Colorado Springs. Two mornings in a row about 100 balloons take flight shortly after dusk. Then each evening they have a "glow show." The event is said to attract about 200,000 people over the 3 days. It seemed all 200,000 were trying to leave the park the same time we were that night. We needed to get home and get our rest as we were going to attempt Garden of the Gods the next day..........................

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Utah and Wyoming at 75 miles per hour








We had no idea of the magnificent countryside that lay in store for us as we traveled through Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado. As we continued heading east on I-80 in Nevada the first day, I was snapping pictures out the car window fearing I would miss shots of the interesting and ever changing terrain. In fact the majority of pictures I took on the trip were from the car window as I was confined to moving about on one foot. So very frustrating for a photographer. We did stop at Echo Reservoir for about 15 minutes to stretch. The website for US Parks shows where this is on the map in Utah http://www.us-parks.com/bor/echo-reservoir/echo-reservoir.html Also, as promised, I've included a few shots through my squashed bug filter (AKA the windshield). The AAA book mentioned some points of interest along I-80 East but we were anxious to arrive in Colorado Springs for the onset of Labor Day week-end and 4 wonderful days with Ryan and Sadie. One point in particular tickled our curiosity and that was a two ton, 13.5 foot tall statue of Abraham Lincoln that sits smack dab on I-80 between Laramie and Cheyenne, Wyoming, http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/8450. Evidently the statue was sculpted by a University of Wyoming Professor in honor of our 16th President's 150th birthday and used to sit along the Lincoln Hwy. Makes sense. However, according to the website the statue was moved when I-80 was completed in 1969. We didn't stop but I did catch a shot as we whizzed by. We made it as far as Cheyenne, Wyoming the 2nd day and stayed at a hotel called Little America Hotel, http://www.littleamerica.com/cheyenne/?gclid=CMGhn_Peh6QCFQY-bAodt1_JHQ. It was a great place with a very good restaurant called Hathaway's AND a gift shop. Dean was all worn down from all the driving (I can't drive right now you know) and in his weakened state he ended up buying me a beautiful white on white embroidered blouse with mother of pearl buttons and a waist length, taupe colored, water repellent jacket. Score!!!
From Cheyenne it is only about a 3 hour drive to Colorado Springs................................