Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Saturday: Off to the U.S. Virgin Islands!
Janny and I flew out on New Year’s Eve to spend a holiday with good friends. After an uneventful trip (meaning a really good one) we landed in St. Thomas to be greeted by our hosts, Phil and Kim, along with our buddies, Patrick, Frizz, and the Mers. Phil and Kim have a spacious home atop the mountains with an easterly view of the British Virgin Islands and the Caribbean green waters.



Boring Weather
While a large part of the U.S. mainland was “enjoying” cold temperatures and snow (including a freeze-threatening, very chilly Southwest Florida), we were “stuck” with ongoing temperatures in the mid 80s, sunny skies, and soft breezes. Fortunately, we were able to endure this temperature torture for the entire week.

Sunday: New Year’s Day on Megan’s Beach
Just five minutes from Phil and Kim’s home is Megan’s Beach, a world-class beach with white sand and gorgeous waters. After a leisurely morning start, the seven of us hung there most of the day, sunbathing and walking the beach. Surprisingly (at least to me), it was not crowded at all, making our stay all the more pleasant. I waded out waist to chest high and was able to catch a few brown pelican pics along with a brown boobie and spotted ray. Lots of fun.













Monday: Virgin Islands National Park
By 8:30 our group was dressed, fed, packed, and out the door. Phil took us down to the ferry station where he drove us aboard, and we took the car ferry to St. John, enjoying the scenery and a bonus rainbow on our short voyage.







Once on St. John, we drove into the Virgin Islands National Park. After a few minutes at headquarters, our group, now expanded to 14, took an open taxi through the park to the Reef Bay trailhead. Here, Ranger Don explained a little about our hike, and soon we were in line heading down the trail. Although only steep in a few areas, the 2.8 mile trail was uneven, quite so in some areas, rocky, and slick from the morning rain. Hence, good footgear, patience, and a watchful eye were mandatory to prevent slips and slides. Don has been employed by the Park Service on St. John for 27 years, and thus was a wealth of information. We learned the interesting history of the island, its shameful period of often-cruel slavery, and a lot about the flora and fauna of the park.

If interested in learning more about this hike or the National Park, check out this link: www.nps.gov/viis/





After snacking by a rocky pool carved with hieroglyphs, we visited the remains of an old sugar mill, then went down to the beach, boarded a dinghy, and then climbed aboard a trawler to return us to the park headquarters. Soon we were back on the ferry, into Phil’s van, and back to the homestead.

Tuesday: OMG!
As you probably know, St. Thomas is a popular place. For example, on this day, six cruise ships were docked in the harbors spewing out 20,000 folks or so for a daylong exploration of the island, filling the downtown and the most popular beaches. Hence, savvy locals stay home, go off-island, or take the road less traveled, which was our approach. After a morning and early afternoon lounging by the pool, we went down to the St. John Yacht Club* for both libation and a wonderful view of the water.

A Very Unexpected Connection
A mature gentlemen at a nearby table asked us where we were from. When he heard someone from our group say “Michigan,” he appeared to take interest. He said that he had an old girlfriend from Fremont. Jan said that that was where she was from. He said his old girlfriend’s name was Nancy Mullet. Jan replied, “That’s my mother!” OH, WOW! Sixty-three years ago they met at Camp Echo, and it appears that both had a crush on each other. He gave us his card and asked if Nancy would call. (Later she did--is the old flame being re-lit?)



*Most yacht clubs around the U.S. and many around the world “reciprocate,” meaning that if you are a member of one yacht club, you can show your credentials and be allowed in to enjoy the amenities of another yacht club. Of course, you are expected to do the same when your comrades visit your club. Since both Patrick and Phil are yacht club members in Michigan, we were welcomed with open arms.

Wednesday: Clouds and Biting Fish
Wednesday saw clouds and rain darkening the sunny sky every now and then. We did a few excursions by van and enjoyed the change of pace. Later in the day we headed back to Megan’s Bay, and I once again got into the water to try my luck photographing fast-diving, low-flying pelicans and boobies. It was hard to concentrate, though, as schools of fish seemed to take pleasure nibbling on my toes and legs.















We did some serious nibbling ourselves, as our day ended with an absolute feast at Phil and Kim’s. No one starved this trip.

Thursday: BVI Boating
The morning greeted us with a beautiful sunrise, an omen for a beautiful day.



By 8:30 we were on the dock, boarding the powerboat we had hired (along with a captain) for the day to explore the nearby British Virgin Islands. Our first stop was Tortola where we cleared customs, and then we cruised through a hard chilly rain on our way to Virgin Gorda. Soon the skies cleared and our wet clothes dried as we continued our journey south. Docking at Virgin Gorda, we walked, sloshed, climbed, and shimmied our way through The Bathes, a rock conglomeration formed at water’s edge. Fun experience, but a tad more challenging than we all had expected. From here we visited Jost Van Dyke before re-tracing our trip back through customs, and then back to St. Thomas.















Friday: Birds and Rain
Phil was kind enough to drive Jan and me to meet the 6:30 ferry to St. John.





We arrived a little before 7:00, had a bite to eat, and then took a taxi to the Francis Bay trailhead. Here we met seven other people for our guided birding hike. Our NPS guide was a very knowledgeable birder, as were many in our group. However, “Young Audubon” had the best ears, the best eyes, and maybe the most birding knowledge. Only 12 years old, his goal is to go to Cornell and become an ornithologist. The birders had a great day, identifying 27 different species. We had a good time, but the best moment for me was photographing a young brown boobie by the water’s edge. This handsome young fellow (or gal) was not afraid at all and seemed to pose for us as we admired his beauty.



After the walk, we took a taxi back to the ferry station and did a little browsing/shopping before ferrying back to St. Thomas. Here we took a taxi back to meet our group for lunch. The rest of the afternoon we did a little exploring--jumping into stores, restaurants, and bars to avoid the sudden downpours.

Old Stone Farm House
That evening we had a special treat--we had reservations at one of the nicest restaurants in the USVIs.

Our personalized menus displayed a dozen appetizers ranging from escargot to Maine lobster to ceviche to beef carpaccio. Jan had the Grapefruit Salad and I had the Fire and Ice Chilled Soup. The main courses included kangaroo, wild boar, West Indian Pumpkin Thaibbean Curry, Pad Thai noodles, sea scallops, Mediterranean Sea Bass, local wahoo, Angus filet, and shrimp. We all went back to the kitchen where the chef showed us our choices. The nice thing was that you could combine things into any combination you wanted. Jan had the sea bass and scallops, while I had the wahoo atop the Pad Thai noodles--very, very good. For desert we shared a couple Banana’s Foster flambes. Wonderful evening.

Saturday: Back Home
For our last morning, we went up to Mountain Top to enjoy the view from the highest point on St. Thomas. From there we started our journey home, arriving back home greeted by a pair of tail-wagging, wide-grinning pups.

Headlights

See you next week.

Tags: Wildlife photography, Bird photography, U.S. Virgin Islands

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - Jerry, Mitzy, and Jessie
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Tuesday we drove to Apopka to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with relatives and friends. On an early morning walk we ran across a pair of Sandhill Cranes.





Thanksgiving Extravaganza
We had a marvelous T-day as I hope all of you did. Here are a few pics.









Click here for more Thanksgiving pics.

Pups Across America

Here are shots of Mitzy and Jerry plus their rambunctious cousin, Jessie.

Headlights

See you next week.

Tags: photography

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - The Kids go boating

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Note that this blog is a continuation of last week’s Alaska photo trip. If you missed it and like photos of eagles, check out Blog 69: North to Alaska from October 30, 2011.

Rearview Mirror

Homer, Alaska, is one beautiful place. Known for its fishing (primarily halibut and salmon), commercial and recreational fishermen are abundant in season. Gorgeous scenery everywhere including mountains and glaciers. Nature lovers have lots to see with wilderness parks and wildlife refuges taking up much of the land of the Kenai Peninsula. Along with the large eagle population there are numerous birds of other breeds, lots of brown bears, whales, dolphins, otters, seals, and on and on. Anyone who enjoys nature and beauty will marvel at this place. http://www.homeralaska.org/



Friday: Picture Perfect
Just a gorgeous day with warm light and warm temperatures. Lots of fun shooting birds in flight and a few perched, majestic avian specimens.

Tides: For those of us from Florida and others on the sea, we are used to the rising and ebbing of tides and plan our boating accordingly. However, we ain’t seen nothing like Alaska tides! (Tides range from minus five feet for a low tide to 23-plus feet for a high tide.) We experienced a 23-foot tide, high enough to shut down the road. The good news is that it allowed us access by boat to almost anywhere.



















Saturday: Rain and Snow
The weather went from light clouds and dry, medium clouds and rain, and then dark clouds and heavy snow. Regardless, it was a great day for photography. I also took advantage of the changing weather to practice making blurs. See what you think.

Eagle-Seeking Voyages
The Homer Harbor (home to one of the vessels from the “Deadliest Catch”) is two-thirds down the Homer Spit, right inside Kachemak Bay. Each day the boat captains would take into consideration the tides, winds, and weather and concur with our photo leader as to where to hunt the eagles. Several times, for example, we were in China Poot Bay. Another way to think of it is that China Poot Bay connects to Kachemak Bay, which connects to Cook Inlet, which connects to the Gulf of Alaska, which connects to the Pacific Ocean.































Sunday: Drive to Anchorage



At 9:00 a.m. I met Aussie Mark in the windy dark morning. We drove slowly up the Spit* because the front desk clerk had told me that the combination of high tides (over 20 feet) and high winds was causing waves to toss rocks upon the road. As the skies lightened up and the wind went down, we enjoyed nice weather the first 75 miles or so of our trip west, north, east, and back west. However, from there we shifted from dry, easy-driving pavement to slick, snow-covered highway. We had plenty of time, however, so we just slowed down and enjoyed the view. The trip along the Alaska Scenic Byway took us through Anchor Point, Ninilchik, Soldotna, Sterling, Coopers Landing, and Hope before arriving at Anchorage. We detoured a little taking the Seward Highway and stopped along the way past Moose Pass to enjoy the pristine solitude made up of the black-and-white landscapes











At Anchorage I took the red-eye to Minneapolis, and then returned to Ft. Myers arriving at 1:30 Monday afternoon.

*If you are not familiar with the term, a spit is a deposit of sand that connects to land and extends into the sea--a big sandbar. Our motel, the Lands End, was at the end of the spit.

Monday through Saturday: Back on Pine Island



Fortunately I had no travel planned this week, and after unpacking from Alaska, I was able to “regroup” from our five-month motorhome trip. The weather was wonderful (high 70s to low 80s). While walking, biking, and driving around the island it was great to see the eagles in or around their nests (we have 16 active nests). Friday morning I took this pic of an eagle perched just west of the post office.

Pups Across America

Here are a couple shots of The Kids on a recent boat ride.

Tags: Homer, Alaska, photography, Bird photography

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Sunday: Preparation
Sunday was a day of preparation, catching up on work, and getting ready for my trip.

Monday: The Big Trip
Monday morning, the Pine Island Taxi picked me up at 4:00 a.m. and the big trip began.



Basically it was all day on planes, but things went smoothly, and I was in my hotel (the Lands Inn) in Homer by 8:00 p.m. Alaska time (midnight Eastern) after a sixteen-hour journey.

Tuesday
I awoke in the pre-dawn to the sound of wind and rain (sunrise was not until 9:07 a.m.). At 7:00 a.m. our group got together for breakfast. Nice group of people--six of the ten participants had been on past photo workshops with our leader, Artie Morris, a world-famous bird photographer. We had an Aussie, a Brit, and a Russian, with the rest being Americans coming from various states.

We then spent the remainder of the morning looking at past Homer eagle slides, discussing what to expect, and recommendations as to what to shoot. We had a group lunch, and then mid-afternoon headed for the boats. In just a few minutes we were in eight-foot seas and 30-knot winds. No worries, though, as there was room for the six of us and our gear to fit inside the cabin, and the ship and its captain were well-made for these waters. After about 20 minutes the waves calmed. It was chilly on deck but tolerable, as everyone was appropriately dressed. For about three hours we shot eagles in flight along with the always-present gulls. Great fun.











Late afternoon we motored home in much calmer waters, docked, unloaded, and returned to the Lands Inn. Three of us met for dinner (I had the halibut, which was excellent, complimented by a local ale) and talked photography. Back in my room, I edited shots for an hour or so and then went to bed. Great day.

Wednesday
Yikes! The weather was still a “challenge” with high winds and big waves, but no rain. My room was 20 yards from Kachemak Bay, and you could hear the sound (often “roar”) of the waves most all the time. Here is a morning view. At 9:30 a.m. we headed for the boats, stopping to shoot eagles and the occasional otter and other bird species. We returned at noon and then did the same routine in the late afternoon. Here are a few pics from the day.



















Thursday
Following a similar pattern, we made a morning and an afternoon boat cruise.

Headlights

I’m writing this at 6:15 a.m. on Sunday morning, and I need to pack to take the “adventurous” drive back to Anchorage. I’m riding along with Aussie Mark, and we hope to get some good photos along the way. Hence, I don’t have time to finish all the shots from the entire week as I usually do, but next week I will publish the pics from Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Should be fun....

Tags: Homer, Alaska, Bird photography

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

While Janny stayed in Apopka and helped Auntie with remodeling, I flew to Seattle on Sunday to run a services account management session for a client of my business partner Service Strategies. Upon my return to Orlando/Apopka, we packed up on Thursday and returned to Pine Island. Between unpacking, re-setting up my office, staying abreast of my consulting business, and preparing for next week’s trip to Alaska, I didn’t have much time for pictures. However, I did get one shot of Jerry in flight.



Nonetheless, I’ve selected a few of my favorites from our Motoring Across America ’11 for you to look at.

Headlights

Alas, Motoring Across America, at least our summer trip is over. However, I plan to keep posting the blog as long as I have something of interest to share. For example, I’m flying to Homer, Alaska, to photograph eagles. I’ll have some action shots for you next week.

Have questions or comments--send them in.

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - Jerry, Mitzy and Friends
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

After a wonderful stay, we finally left Michigan, taking the last of the Indian Summer weather with us. We headed south and east on back roads until hooking up to I-69. Normally we avoid interstates, but to save time we took them the entire trip back, going through Louisville, Nashville, Chatanooga, Atlanta, near Tampa then over to Auntie’s place.















Raptor Center
On Saturday, Auntie, Jan, and I went to the Avian Raptor Center to view the birds of prey and watch the Harris Hawks during the falconry session. Just a great place.

Pups Across America

Headlights

October 16-19: Visit Auntie in Apopka (Orlando area)
October 20: Arrive back on Pine Island
October 24-31: Alaska

Have questions or comments--send them in.

See you next week.

Tags: Pups Across America, photography, Bird photography

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - Jerry and Mitzy, over and under
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Alas, our coach repairs are taking much, much longer than hoped or anticipated, and we have been “forced” to stay in Kalamazoo. However, if one must be sequestered somewhere, this is it! Great host, wonderful home, beautiful setting, close to many friends, and near-perfect weather.

Quick Trip to Vegas
Early in the week I took a quick trip to Vegas to participate in my business partner’s, Service Strategies, executive summit. I ran a pre-conference workshop on leading a services account management organization then co-presented a keynote with a client. Excellent conference with a great bunch of people. We stayed at the brand-new, state-of-the-art Aria resort. You gotta love Vegas--as I opened my room door, the multi-, multi-sound system cranks up, a personal welcome greets me on the widescreen TV, and the drapes automatically open to a view of the city and the mountains.



Road Trip
Late Saturday morning, we took off in Jamers’ convertible with Mers at the wheel, neighbor Dave riding shotgun, with the Alexander’s in the back.



We headed north and west, taking back roads and moseying through downtown Kalamazoo, enjoying the near-perfect weather and the vibrant fall colors.







We stopped at The Pub in Richland to fuel up on homemade deviled eggs (they were awesome) and classic pub grub.



Gilmore Car Museum
From there we took more country roads to the Gilmore Car Museum, one of the top five car museums in the country. Here we viewed hundreds of classic cars on hundreds of manicured acres. If you are into cars, this is a must-visit kind of place (allow four hours). www.gilmorecarmuseum.org

























After a hugely enjoyable tour, we stopped for ice cream (Jan had a cone and Dave and I had malts) at the diner on the property. Mers spotted this frog attached to the diner door.



We then returned back to Mers’ home enjoying the warm wind and the pleasant scenery. Back at Jamers’ place we enjoyed a bonfire and another simple meal. Marvelous day.

Pups Across America

I really like these shots of Jerry and Mitzy. Out on the trail, a large branch had fallen across the path. As is their personality, Jerry leaped over it and Mitzy ran under it.

Headlights

We still are not 100% certain when BERT will be ready to travel, but we are hoping to leave Michigan by Wednesday morning. Because I have to fly to Seattle out of Orlando, we will have to beeline to Apopka, Florida once back on the road.

October 9-11: Kalamazoo, Michigan
October 12-15: Travel south
October 15-19: Visit Auntie in Apopka (Orlando area)
October 20: Arrive back on Pine Island

Note that since we will be back on the Island (hopefully) on October 20 and Motoring Across America will be officially completed for 2011, I will be in Alaska the following week and will be posting pictures of eagles at that time.

Have questions or comments--send them in.

See you next week.

Tags: Michigan, Gilmore Car Museum

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - Jerry and Mitzy in the garden
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Turkey Attack
The lower level of Jamers’ house is completely glass, and sitting in the office provides an eye-level view of numerous critter activities. One morning Jamers and I were alerted to a noise that sounded like someone taking a rubber hammer to a car hood--Whap! Whap! Whap! Looking out of the office window we saw a savage-looking giant tom turkey in full battle regalia attacking his window reflection. Studiously he scouted out his enemy, and then timed his lightning peck with precision, ferociously jabbing his rival. I’m amazed we didn’t see chips flying--quite a spectacle.

Quick Trip to Silicon Valley
I took a quick trip to Sunnyvale to do a services workshop for a Service Strategies client. The session went very well and the travel was non-eventful--excellent trip!

Neighbor House
Early one morning in the brisk dawn (38 degrees) I took this shot of the Johnson house, Jamers’ neighbor.



Pictures in the Attic
I’d be willing to wager that at least half of all those reading this blog have a shoe box or two of old prints, slides, or negatives shoved onto the shelf in a closet, buried in a box in the basement, or trapped in a trunk in the attic; memories of the past just sitting there--what a waste. Here is a fun assignment for you:

1. Find the boxes (this could be a challenge).
2. Sit down and leisurely go through them--memories will come flowing back as you view yourself at the county fair sitting on a pony at age nine, walking on water in Cancun with your old buddies, or seeing old classmates you haven’t thought about for twenty years wearing funny clothes.
3. Digitize them. No sense leaving them in the box! Get them scanned so you can enjoy them on your digital devices. I sent all our old pics to ScanCafe and was very pleased with the results. Not expensive and easy to do. http://www.scancafe.com/

Art Prize
Saturday, Janny, Jamers, our good friend, Donna, and I drove to Grand Rapids to view the works of the third annual Art Prize. We had a great time walking through the various exhibits. Here are a few pics from the day.

Pups Across America

Here is a pic of Miitzy in Jamers’ garden, plus a couple of “blurs” I took of the Kids on the trail that I then painted.

Headlights

We still are not 100 percent certain when BERT will be ready to travel, but here is what things look like as of now:

October 2-October 7: Kalamazoo, MIchigan
October 8-9: Travel south
October 9-11: Visit Friends in Kentucky
October 12-14: Travel south
October 15-19: Visit Auntie in Orlando area
October 20: Arrive back on Pine Island

Note that since we will be back on the Island (hopefully) on October 20 and Motoring Across America will be officially completed for 2011, I will be in Alaska the following week and will be posting pictures of eagles at that time.

Have questions or comments--send them in.

See you next week.

Tags: Michigan

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - Jerry and Mitzy enjoying the woods
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Work with a View
Since BERT, our coach, is in for work 30 miles to the north, we spent the week staying with our good friend, Jamers. I took over her office and worked in style with a picture-window view of her woods that had wild turkeys, deer, a large assortment of birds, and squirrels and chipmunks. At various times of day they would walk by the window on their way to nourishment at her feeders and water troughs. Here is a picture of Jamers’ gorgeous place in the woods.



Feast In South Haven
One night we drove over to South Haven for a feast prepared by Kim with help from Phil. We ate at Patrick and Jan’s place. Here is an evening shot of their beautiful home.



Cats Across America?
Here is a shot of Jamers’ cat, Max, along with neighborhood casts, Lily and Morey (painted version).







Trail Hikes
Jamers’ neighbor, Tom, showed us the wooded trail that goes through their neighborhood and beyond. Every day since he took us on it we walked the Kids letting them run free and enjoy the scents and the scenes. Really nice, peaceful trail.





Ribarama
Every year Jamers hosts a banquet for 50 or so of her friends that includes intricately prepared grilled pork ribs and chicken (special sauces), baked beans (to die for), a bar full of libations (the good stuff), and catered appetizers and side dishes--all just wonderful food. It was a delightful affair and afforded us the opportunity to re-connect with longtime friends--some I had not seen in a decade or more. It was especially nice as, our daughter-in-law, Kelly, and our grandson, Austin, flew in from Denver to attend, bringing her mom and dad, who live in the area, to “Ribarama.” Jamers pays for the whole thing but accepts donations for local non-profits. This year the event raised well over $700 to support the ASPCA and Loaves and Fishes. If the stars align, we hope to attend next year. Here is a shot of Jamers along with her trusted sous chef, Patrick, one of Patrick taking a “smoking” break (smoking ribs that is), Jamers and Cody, and Kim.

Pups Across America

Headlights

Because of our coach taking so long to be fixed up and my business schedule, we have had to make some modifications to our plans. Here is what things look like as of now:

September 25 - October 7: Kalamazoo, MIchigan
October 8 - 9: Travel south
October 9-11: Visit Friends in Kentucky
October 12-14: Travel south
October 15-19: Visit Auntie in Orlando area
October 20: Arrive back on Pine Island

Have questions or comments--send them in.

See you next week.

Tags: Michigan

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - Boardwalk Mitzy and Jerry Wannabe
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Sunday: Perfect Porkies



Wow! The weather here in the Porcupine Mountains of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula was magnificent--cool in the morning gradually warming to a blue-sky, soft-breeze low 80s.

Just at sunrise we took the Pups on a hike starting close to our campground, a two-plus mile trek that went on both sides of the Preque Isle River. In the course of our hike, we came upon Manabezbo Falls, Mandino Falls, and also Nawadaha Falls. Gorgeous.









After breakfast, we all loaded up in our car and took the South Boundary Road east and north for 36 miles to the park Visitor Center (you guessed it--this is a big park (60,000 acres). At the Visitor Center, along with viewing the exhibits, we took advantage of the free Internet, a nice treat when there is virtually zip for cell phone signals for 30 miles. From there we turned east, leaving the park to go through Silver City and into Ontonagon, where we first fueled up the car and then we fueled up ourselves at a local café (I had the meatloaf plate special and Jan had a taco salad). We also bought a couple tomatoes the size of cantaloupe from an old geezer in a pick-up truck. After touring this interesting town, we headed back into the park, first driving through the modern campground to check it out. Like our primitive campground, this one is right on Lake Superior and has the same awesome views plus water and electricity. Several sites have ample room for BERT, so we would certainly consider staying there in the future.

Next we drove to Lake of the Clouds, one of Michigan’s main natural attractions. The view was nice, but the harsh light made it unacceptable for photos. From here we retraced our tracks and were back in camp by mid-afternoon. We sat outside enjoying the weather and watching our fellow campers.



Monday: Travel Day



We left the campground early, heading south for 16 miles on the same country road we had come in on. At Wakefield we turned east on 28 and drove it a couple hundred miles through the middle of the Upper Peninsula, driving through 26 small towns and one bigger one (Marquette) before settling in on Lake Superior at the Tourist Park Campground in Munising. We parked within 30 feet of the water with a wonderful view. This is about as good as it gets for our kind of camping--great view, full hook-ups, excellent WiFi, close to all sorts of things. We had fresh trout and whitefish at Dogpatch, a local restaurant, and then enjoyed our camp setting and the 82-degree afternoon.



Tuesday: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore



During the night the temperature dropped, the winds increased, and the rains started, so once again we awoke happy not to be tenters!

We loaded into the car and spent the entire day admiring and exploring Picture Rocks National Lakeshore. We took 28 east for just a few miles then connected with county road H58. My plan was for us to drive the entire 52 miles to the end of the park, and then slowly work our way back with the morning sun behind us. Well, there was no visible sun, but I stuck to the plan anyway. For the most part the road was level and smooth, and we were surrounded by trees just starting to show their fall color.

When we got to Grand Marais (this is a place we’d like to re-visit in the future), we got some coffee to go and drove around the town. On the north end we stopped at a viewing station of Lake Superior. We also drove through a campground on the lake that would also be fun to stay at on a future visit. We bypassed Sable Falls, but stopped at the Log Slide Overlook where we took the short trail ending at the site where they used to slide logs down off the bluffs. We drove along the lake and passed by the white sands of Twelvemile Beach. We would have liked to spend more time, but we had to get back to Munising in time for our appointment.











After getting back to BERT (our Big Expensive Road Traveler), having lunch, and walking the Pups, we drove down to the dock for our glass-bottom boat tour of sunken ships. Because the waters were quite rough offshore (12 to 16 footers), the cruise was cut to viewing just one sunken wreck and viewing one old lighthouse. The old wooden iron ore hauler was interesting, but the water was stirred up because of the winds so the viewing was not ideal. Anyway, it was nice to get on the water, and because of the limited cruise the price was cut in half.



Getting back to camp, we decided to go see the things on our driving tour that we’d missed in the morning. So, loading up the Kids, we headed back to Pictured Rock. We stopped at Munising Falls, then drove out to Sand Point to view the old coast guard station, which is now the park headquarters, and looked at the remains of a few wrecks that were torn up by the shore. Next we drove to Miners Falls, taking the mile-plus path down to watch the tumbling waters--very nice. From here we took another short trail overlooking the big lake and the rock structure called Miners Castle.











After that we went back to our campsite where the weather had warmed, the sun had appeared, and the winds lessened. Jan built a fire on the beach where we had dinner and watched the sun go down.

One busy day!





Wednesday: Brrrrrrr!
After a windy night, we awoke to 40 degrees and 35-mile-an-hour winds. Jan and I spent the entire day working and got a lot done. There was an incentive to stay inside as the wind never let up, the rain would start and stop intermittently, and it hailed a couple of times to boot.

The UP
I’d forgotten how pretty Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is. Lot and lots to see--one could easily spend the entire summer here--maybe we will.

Thursday: Heading South



The weather stayed the same so it was time to go. After doing an online services account management recording with my friends from Service Strategies, we rolled out of the campground at 10:15. Jan drove the bus east on 28 as I worked on the computer. At 123 we turned south and then turned south again on I-75. I drove the bus over the Mackinaw Bridge and down into the Lower Peninsula. I turned south on 31 then south again on 131. We took this all the way down to Manton where we found a campground for the night.

Friday: Our Old Stomping Grounds



Jan got us back on 131 south and we drove to Grand Rapids, stopped for fuel, and then continued on another 30 miles to the small town of Wayland. Here we stopped at an RV service center to get more warranty work done. We unhooked our tow car and headed south to stay with our good friend, Jamers, in Kalamazoo while the coach was being fixed up. It was nice to be back in our old stomping grounds. Jan is from the area, and the two of us spent 15 years or so living here.

Saturday: The Big Rivalry
Jan’s brother, Wayne, and his wife Anna invited us to the Big Game. They are big supporters of our old college, Western Michigan University, and have great seats eleven rows up on the 45-yard line. The weather was perfect for football, 70 degrees, and to top it off, this was The Big Game: Western was playing their arch rivals, Central Michigan University. Similar to the other big rivalries in football, e.g., Ohio State-Michigan, Texas-Oklahoma, etc., there is some bad blood between the two schools. Hence, lots of nasty cracks about the intelligence and integrity of Central was bantered about in the crowd around us. My favorite comment was, “How do you get a Central graduate off of your porch? Pay him for the pizza!”

Anyway, to put it mildly, Western stomped them 44 to 14. Here are a few pics of the afternoon. By the way, the fan with the big head is Western’s president. Also note that Western is known for its fashion sense and takes pride in starting clothing trends. Note the sophisticated WMU fan wearing a chicken hat, for example.

Pups Across America

Headlights

September 18-October 7: Kalamazoo, MIchigan
October 8 On: TBD

Have questions or comments--send them in.

See you next week.

Tags: photography, Michigan, Upper Peninsula

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - Chilly Mitzy and Poetry Pups
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Sunday: Devils Tower National Monument



I took the Pups out pre-dawn into the brisk 41-degree morning. Soon Jan and I drove the two miles to the Tower Trailhead, stopping to view a really big porcupine making his way up a hill. By 6:25 a.m. we were working our way up the trail that goes around Devils Tower. We were the only ones there (so we thought), which was totally opposite from the parking lot of the evening before when it was crowded with tour busses, motor homes, and cars full of tourists. We thoroughly enjoyed the easy 1.3-mile trek, stopping often to take pictures and watch the red squirrels gather pine cones for the upcoming winter. As we listened to the birds and critters we heard another noise, and looking up we saw three climbers halfway up the hill. We later found out that they had scaled the Tower the night before, camped on the peak, and were now making their way down--probably trying to avoid arrest!. Just a wonderful way to start the day.





Busted
When we drove back to camp, a brown note was on our windshield. Just as I pulled it off and before I could read it, up came the serious-looking camp host, decked out in full National Park attire. He ominously told us that our dogs had been barking non-stop for the two and a half hours we had been gone (actually it had been 65 minutes, but no sense arguing with an official of the law no matter what their lowly rank), and it was against regulations to leave them unattended. He also said that several of our camping neighbors had complained (it was Sunday morning you know), and he could hear the racket all the way across the campground. I apologized solemnly and vowed it would not happen again. Over the next hour, Jan and I apologized to all our neighbors. However, they all said they either hadn’t noticed or hadn’t cared. It seemed that a ranger driving through camp got all worked up and sounded the alarm. I really wish we had heard them though, as I guess they started to howl like the big savage canines they are and it set off coyotes from all around to start howling--could have loved to have recorded that. To give you an idea of how the Kids can howl, here is a 20-second movie, “Pups Gone Wild.”



I spent most of the rest of the morning finishing up last week’s blog, editing pictures, and planning out the next steps in our RV adventure. Jan did some painting and, of course, met several of our neighbors, all nice people with their own unique life stories to tell. Here is the “mini RV” of one of our neighbors.



Cowboy Poetry
Just like when we camped at Vega State Park in Colorado, by coincidence, our stay at Devils Tower occurred at the same time as their annual Cowboy Poetry event. We walked down and enjoyed the poetry of an 85-year-old local woman and the singing and joshing of a bunch of old cowboys and ranchers who belted out old cowboy songs. They were quite good actually. Here are a few pictures, including some young cowboys jostling on the grass.













Country Ride
Late in the afternoon we took a country ride (bumpy dirt roads, of course) to the Black Hills National Forest, and at Jerry’s request, we took one more trip to Prairie Dog Town.





Monday: Labor Day at Teddy Roosevelt National Monument
I took the pups out early to a much warmer morning. While I was away, Jan started getting the coach ready to go, and after breakfast we left the campground promptly at 7:57 a.m.



Stopping at the entrance to the park to get our mandatory picture of the park sign for the blog, we turned left on 24 and drove to Hewlett. We passed through the little town of Alva, population 50, and on through Alladin, where the posted sign said that there were 15 residents. At least according to the map our road turned into Wyoming 34 and we continued on east, turning north at the 85 junction. Soon we were in North Dakota, and we stopped for lunch in the coach at the tiny visitor center at Bowman, where I got my official state map and other information on what North Dakota had to offer. At Belfield we fueled up and then turned west on I-94 for the 15 miles to the entrance of Teddy Roosevelt National Monument in the town of Medora.



We set up camp, and late afternoon we drove the 36-mile scenic route, seeing a few wild horses and prairie dogs.



Tuesday: Wild Horses, Bison, and PDs
Returning from my morning Pup walk and within 100 yards of BERT, we spotted two wild horses, a stallion and a mare. I quickly took the Pups back to the coach, gathered my camera and tripod, and then returned taking pre-dawn pictures of these equines eating grass and small plants with purpose. I stood out there for 45 minutes taking photos and admiring this handsome couple.





After breakfast we returned to the 36-mile scenic route. In the early morning we had much better luck finding critters. In fact, we saw well over 100 bison, sometimes quite up close and personal. We had to stop a few times to let them cross the road. We also had great luck with the wild horses, viewing 50 or more during our trip. Of course the highlight for the Pups were the hundreds of prairie dogs.













Really Big Trucks



After working a few hours it was time to move on. While I worked in the passenger chair, Jan took us east on I-94, then north on 85. Here you would have sworn that the Really Big Truck Convention was going on with long trucks, wide trucks, and a vast assortment of really big trucks heading in all directions carrying equipment and supplies for energy and agriculture. I never saw so many signs saying, “Oversized Load” or “Wide Load.” At Walford City I had Jan turn east on 23--big mistake! There may have been concrete or asphalt below us, but you would never have known it. For close to 30 miles we shared the rough dirt paths with more really big trucks through a construction maze. Finally, we stopped and camped at the Van Hook Resort, in New Town, ND. Long day.

Wednesday: Lake Metigoshe



I worked till 10:00 a.m., and then it was time to head out. We took 23 east for about 50 miles and then took 83 north, passing by Minot. At Highway 5 we went east to Bottineau, north on a county road for six miles, and east again on 43 for six miles to the entrance of Lake Metigoshe State Park. We found a site, and set up in this picturesque setting. This very popular park was mostly empty (post-Labor Day), and we enjoyed the solitude. The weather was just about perfect, and we ended the day with a nice campfire.



Thursday: Peace Garden
While working on the computer in the wee hours, I suddenly heard a noise. I opened up the door and heard stereophonic howling--the coyotes were at full yap. This made me a little more careful of the Little Ones when I took them out a little later. This was followed with Jan and I hiking on the Old Oak Trail, a pretty walk through the woods.

At 8:00 a.m. the family loaded into the car and we drove the three miles south, 16 miles east, and three miles north to the North Dakota-Manitoba Canada border to visit the International Peace Garden. This joint collaboration of two governments is just a marvelous place to visit. The tranquil 2,300 acres include lakes, formal gardens, sunken gardens, memorial gardens, woods with hiking trails, a campground, a chapel, a 9-11 memorial, a museum, café, and more. Yes, it is a little isolated, but worth the visit. Check it out at www.peacegarden.com.













I worked the rest of the day while Jan did some more art--see what you think.



Friday: Minnesota
Jan and I took the Pups out for an early morning romp, and Jan found a live dragonfly partially iced over in the grass. Jerry was very interested in giving him a smell, while Mitzy tried to eat him! Luckily Jan saved him.



After computer work, and a Swedish Skype, we pulled out of Lake Metigoshe State Park for a 300-mile trek around 10:00 a.m. We took 43 east to 3 south down to Rugby, where we picked up 2 for the rest of day’s travel through Devil’s Lake and Grand Forks. At Grand Forks we stayed on 2, passing into Minnesota going all the way to Bemidji, where we camped for the night at the Royal Oaks RV Park.

Saturday: On to the Porkies



We were on the road at 8:00 a.m., back heading east on Highway 2 driving the 100 miles of Midwest prairie through Duluth and on into Wisconsin. After stopping for lunch (I had the special) in the little burg of Poplar, we stayed on 2, passing through Ashland and Hurley. We again crossed state lines and came into Ironwood. We stopped at the Michigan Visitor Center only to find it closed on weekends (great marketers those Michigan recreation folks). Not to worry, I had done my research online early that morning and had a good idea where I wanted to take us. So at Wakefield we turned east on 28 for just a couple of miles, and then turned north on County Road 5-9 for 16 miles through a canopy of just-starting-to-change-color trees. We turned into the Porcupine Mountains State Forest and found a huge campsite, not more than 50 yards to a bluff overlooking Lake Superior. Jan cooked over the campfire, and we ended the day watching the sunset over the big Lake.

Pups Across America

Headlights

September 11 to 24: Michigan TBD
September 23-October 7: Markin Glen County Park, Kalamazoo, MI
October 8-15: ???
October 16-31: Visit Kentucky friends
November 1 to ???
??? to ???
???: Back on Pine Island

Have questions or comments--send them in.

See you next week.

Tags: Wyoming, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - Mitzy and Pug-nacious
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Sunday
The Pups and I took a big walk down to the marina, by the swim beach, and back to the coach under overcast skies. A little later Austie and I went out--him riding his Bat trike down to the playground. Here is a picture of him on his trike.



Photo Contest
I took an action shot of Austie I really like. Which version do you like best--the original color, black-and-white, infrared, haiku, sketch, or oil?













On our way back we startled a bull snake that politely scurried into the grass upon our arrival.

Late morning Jan and I plus the Little Man drove halfway to Parker to meet his parents for brunch. From there they took Austie home and Jan and I took the back roads back to camp.

Monday Morning: BERT Repairs
A little after 8:00 a.m. we pulled out of Boyd Lake State Park and drove five miles to an RV service facility where we are getting some warranty work done. From there we drove to Austie’s home in Parker.

Midday Monday until Midday Friday: Hanging at Austie’s
I set up work on the dining room table and the next few days fell into a routine. I walked the Kids plus HannaPug early morning, midday, and evening. I worked on projects most of the day, and Jan and I would go out for lunch. Jan kept busy doing laundry, preparing meals, and running errands. In the evenings we caught up with Aaron and Kelly and spent some time with Austie. Our stay went very well. Jan also did some art during the week. Check out her cool postcards.





Friday PM: Back Camping
Friday at 1:00 I got the call that our coach work was complete, and by 1:30 we were on the road, heading back to Loveland. We caught the beginnings of the holiday weekend rush-hour traffic, but by 4:30 we had picked up the coach and set up our campsite at the Loveland RV Resort (we got the last space available). We fueled up our car and bought provisions in preparation for heading north.

Saturday: North to Wyoming



At 8:00 we were on I-25 north. After 60 miles we stopped in Cheyenne for fuel and continued north. A few miles north of Cheyenne we turned ENE on 85 through LaGrange, Hawk Springs, and up to Torrington, through Lusk, and LaGrange. At Newcastle we picked up Highway 16 west, going through Upton and Moorcraft, where we headed east on 14. At Devils Tower Junction we took 24 north a few miles to the Devils Tower National Monument.

It was quite a pretty drive, however, the miles went even faster as we listened to The Great Gatzby most of the trip.



The campground at Devils Tower is beautiful with big sites, lots of trees, and plenty of room between campers. It is dry camping (no electricity or water) but not a problem in BERT. Plus the minimal $12 per day camping fee makes it all the more pleasant. It is one of the most enjoyable places we have camped, with a great view of the tower from our campsite.



That evening there was a dramatic performance, “Dakota Daughters” at the amphitheater, about a three minute walk from our campsite. Three talented women played Sitting Bull’s daughter, a rancher’s wife, and a young lady engaged to a Buffalo soldier, so one learned three quite different perspectives. The time frame was from after the Battle of Greasy Grass (Little Big Horn) to the Wounded Knee Massacre. Very, very well done. (Dakota Daughters, threevoices@rushmore.com, 605-393-2680.)







Across from the amphitheater is Prairie Dog Town. You could hear their background chirps during the performance. Also, I saw this young girl sitting in this meadow, intent on her surroundings.

Pups Across America

Headlights

September 4: Devils Tower National Monument
September 5-22: ???
September 23-October 7: Markin Glen County Park, Kalamazoo, MI
October 8-15: ???
October 16-31: Visit Kentucky friends
November 1 to ???
??? to ???
???; Back on Pine Island

Have questions or comments--send them in.

See you next week.

Tags: Colorado State Parks, Devils Tower Wyoming

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - Sleek Mitzy
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Sunday
It was nice and quiet at the chilly State Forest State Park campground. The Pups were anxious to go out but maybe even more anxious to get back to the warm coach.

Soon the four of us were back in the car, driving along the same path that led us to observe the big male and the really big bull elk. Alas, not today. Back at camp we had breakfast, then the four of us took a different route on the Ranger Lakes trail. The chipmunks took great pleasure in teasing the Pups, knowing exactly how far the leashes would stretch until they become taut around their neck with a little gasp. Around the lake we saw many anglers, including several families attempting to lure and capture the abundant trout.

Back at BERT, I worked on an upcoming presentation while Janny readied us for the next leg of our trip.

By 10:45 we were off. Heading south on 14 over Cameron Pass, we slowly dropped over a 100 miles, from 9,100 feet down to 5,000. The three-dot scenic byway was, well, scenic, and we traveled parallel to mountains and fast-moving streams, glancing at anglers and rafters along this often curvy, narrow, and bumpy road. A seasoned veteran of Highway One in California, Jan took the driving challenges in stride, applying the engine brake, hugging the center line, slowing down for yahoos walking on the side of this very, very busy stretch of road. Like a flash, however, mountains turned to plains as we made it to the east side of the mountain ranges, complete with stores galore and malls for all.

By early PM we were set up at Boyd Lake State Park with a view of the lake on one side and the mountains on the other.

Monday: Quick Trip to Seattle
I took the Kids out pre-dawn so that I could let them run before the walkers and bicyclists dominated the paths. We watched the sunrise, took some really detailed sniffs, and got a very good run in before things got busy. After breakfast, packing, and preparing, Jan took me to the airport with the Kids as willing passengers. With no issues, I made it to Seattle.

Tuesday and Wednesday
I taught the services account management workshop sponsored by Service Strategies. Great group of folks who seemed to learn a lot. Just a pleasure to facilitate.

At the airport I boarded a flight to Chicago. All went well, but by the time I got to my room on the Magnificent Mile, it was 1:00 a.m.

Thursday
I had a two-hour session with the senior team of my Chicago client, and I was very pleased with the outcome; a fun group who is getting serious about services and I shared a few things I’ve learned over the years. From there it was back to O’Hare where I lucked out and was able to get back to Denver three hours earlier than planned. At DIA, Jan and the Kids picked me up and we went to Parker to visit our grandson, Austin, his dog HoneyPug, and his parents.

Friday
I took our Kids plus the Pug out for a morning run, then I spent the morning working on the computer. At 2:00 we picked up Austie from pre-school and we took him back to camp up at Boyd State Park. We spent a usual camping evening of playing at the playground, a few strolls and dog walks, and roasting weenies then ‘smores.

As you’ll see in the pics, Grandma showed Austie how to shoot a bow and arrow. Below you’ll see the coaching, then the results! Good thing it was a caricature of Mitzy and not the real girl.







Saturday
Busy morning! Dog walks, Austie walks, getting ready to go. Austie took his Bat Bike on the paths and down to the playground.





At 10:00 we headed for Rocky Mountain National Park, taking 34 east into the park. Gorgeous drive in a splendid park. We drove around, had a picnic, and then drove back to the coach.

We had two trips to playgrounds, a “swim” at dusk, and a campfire with Austie’s special ‘smores with bananas and peanut butter added.





Another great week roughing it smoothly.

Pups Across America

Headlights

August 28: Boyd Lake State Park
August 29-31: Parker, CO
September 1-15: Heading north and east
September 23-October 7: Markin Glen County Park, Kalamazoo, MI
October 8-15: ???
October 16 to 31: Visit Kentucky friends
November 1 to ???:
??? to ???:
???: Back on Pine Island

Have questions or comments--send them in.

See you next week.

Tags: Colorado

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - Great Pyrenees and more
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Sunday: Day of Rest (and Work)
Quiet day around the campsite. Did some walks (able to capture this handsome marmot) and I worked on my Sarasota project.







Late afternoon we did our normal drive looking for Kodak Moments. We took 40 west turning north on Elkhead Road down to Elkhead Reservoir State Park. We toured the facility by the lake then exited the park northbound on a gravel path under a cloudy sky and occasional drizzle of rain. No sooner had we turned the first corner when Jan pointed out a really big bird sitting on a fence post. I was driving and turned around on the narrow gravel road, fully expecting the bird to take off…nope, he was still there! Reluctantly he let me capture a few images before heading up the mountain for another perch. Within 100 feet we found another of this species sitting on the same fence and once again I took a few photos. I assumed she (larger bird) was his mate (sharing the same habitat). Later, back at camp we confirmed via our reference books that the two birds were Ferruginous hawks. I took advantage of the soft light for a couple other landscape shots.









Continuing up to Corral Gulch Road, we wound around and spotted several deer, grazing cattle, and horses. About a mile from Hayden, we were treated to the sight of a mature red fox in excellent condition shoot across the road in front of us.

Sitting at our campfire in the evening, I heard Janny say, “Alex, look!” I turned to see a stunningly vibrant rainbow, and quickly headed into the coach for my camera. Thirty seconds later I returned, however, the brilliance of the colors had diminished greatly. As I was standing there, disappointed in not getting the shot I wanted, Jan again said, “Look!” as she pointed overhead--a Golden Eagle flew directly over our camp. No time for a photo attempt, but an impressive sight nonetheless. Quite the day.

Monday: On to Steamboat Lake
Another quiet morning at Yampa River State Park. I took the Pups on a walk, and then got to work while Jan readied BERT for travel.



At 10:53 a.m. we left the gate, heading east on 40 through Hayden and Milner. At Steamboat Springs we turned north on 129 and the further we drove up this winding road, the prettier it got. At the Clark store, we turned north on 62 as Google Maps directed. I thought it funny that there was no brown sign indicating a state park was this direction, but I asked Jan to turn anyway. Within minutes our paved road turned to gravel. We pulled over and called the Visitor Center (luckily AT&T was strong). I explained my plight, and the guy on the other end of the line got a chuckle out of Google sending us the wrong way. He said, “Yes you can still get here, but you are on the scenic route.” Jan drove the bus about 20 miles and hour around the west side of the lake on the road less traveled. For the next 50 minutes we drove through hills and valleys covered with wildflowers with mountains acting as the backgrounds of our vistas. We pulled into our campsite and quickly set up. A great view of Hahns Peak was out our door.



The evening ended with a big storm with lots of thunder and lightning.



Tuesday: Strolling through a Bouquet of Flowers
I took the Pups out early into a dark morning with big black clouds overhead.



After making our best guess that no big rains were close by, Jan and I walked about 50 feet to the trailhead of the Willow Creek Trail and started on our way. The trail cut through the meadow along the lake, and we went up and down, over and around amidst summer flowers of every variety, shape, and color. Jan said it was just like walking through a bouquet o flowers--appropriately stated.











On the trail was a ripped open bag of sandwich meat (nothing remaining but the plastic) and the unmistakable print of a bear. I guess some camper was a little sloppy with food security. Field birds chirped and sang along our three-mile trek and this Song Sparrow was kind enough to pose.

I spent the majority of the day working on my Sarasota project along with preparing for my Chicago trip next week. Late afternoon the four of us piled into the car with Jan driving and me on the passenger seat holding my camera, a Schnauzer, and occasionally a Rat Terrier.

We first drove south on 129 for just a few miles and then turned left at 209, a dirt road that took us through some ranches before ending at Pearl Lake State Park. Here we drove through the park and through the campgrounds with their great views of the lake from the primitive sites. Then we drove back, turning north on 129 past our park. At National Forest Road 486 we turned west and took the trip back to Hahn’s Lake. The weather was getting interesting with occasional sheets of rain, and some impressive lightning and thunder that reverberated throughout the valleys. We saw some deer and wildflowers. It was a drive I’d recommend.





As we drove home a quite impressive rainbow formed, reaching across the entire valley, starting at a ranch house and ending on a mountain (or vice versa, depending on your point of view).

Wednesday: More Beauty



When I arose it was a chilly 45 degrees; cold enough for me to go to the closet and hunt my medium-weather jacket. I walked the Pups down to the marina where I let them go off-leash, as no one else was out.

By 6:30 a.m., Jan and I were in the car, retracing our tracks back to Pearl Lake. We parked at the trailhead and hiked Pearl Lake Trail through the forest along Pearl Lake. As the day before, we were surrounded and sometimes immersed in summer wild flowers. The trail was narrow and overgrown and we were soon soaked after the first few minutes. We walked over the dam and continued along till the trail ended. We took pictures along the way, including one of this jogger (she had a Pup but he didn’t make the blog!).











Back at BERT, I spent the day working on the Sarasota project.

Thursday: On to State Forest
It was a chilly 42 degrees when I walked the Pups down to the marina. When we got back, Jan and I drove to the Visitor’s Center for a hike. The trail we had chosen was closed, so we improvised and took the other end of the Willow Creek trail. I had an 8:30 a.m. Sweden call, and then I worked on my Sarasota project. After a 1:00 p.m. call with a Services Strategies client, Jan turned the bus and the adventure continued. We took 12 south, picking up 40 east at Steamboat Springs. At Muddy Pass we picked up 14 and headed NE, going through Spider and Hebron and on up to Walden, where 14 merges with 125. As we headed north through town, I noticed that the sign only said 125, and no 14. About five miles north of town I confirmed my fears--I had missed the turnoff. Consulting with Janny we pulled over and attempted to make a wide swing to turn back around. Note that there is always risk in this type of maneuver because when towing a car behind a motorhome you cannot back up. Well, you guessed it, Jan cranked BERT as tightly as possible, but the end result was that we completely blocked the highway, unable to move ahead. I jumped out and started to unhook our car, nervously glancing in both directions on the lookout for traffic. Luckily in this country traffic is light, however we did hold up a semi and a few cars for a short time. I would have completed my chore faster, but people kept coming up offering to help! After this small adventure, Jan and I drove separately the last 30 miles of Thursday’s journey. Back at Walden we found the sign to go back to 14 east (later I went into town to retrace our earlier steps and felt exonerated from my navigation error--there was no sign indicating the 14 turn). Looking on the map I saw the familiar Colorado dots, indicators of another scenic byway. So we made our way to State Forest State Park through more gorgeous Colorado scenery.

Moving Up in the World
Since our stay at Highline Lake (4,500 feet) we have been gradually moving up: 6,000 feet at Rifle Gap, 6,300 feet at Yampa, 8,100 feet at Steamboat Lake, and 9,100 feet at State Forest. At these altitudes you have to remember to let air out of your SleepRest mattress the higher up you go, be careful of shooting ketchup bottles from the frig, and you have to wait a little longer for the gas to reach the stovetop.

State Forest State Park is my kind of place, 71,000 acres of rustic beauty complete with mountains and meadows, rivers and lakes. Lots of critters (proclaimed the Moose Capitol of Colorado), scenic drives, and great hiking trails everywhere. I’m really glad we stopped.





Friday: Early Calls and Flying Hawks
I had a 7:00 a.m. phone call with my Chicago client, and since there was no AT&T or Verizon signal at our campground, I left at 6:30 driving the 20 miles on 14 north to the entrance to the Owl Creek ranch that had four bars on each device (iPhone and MacBook). Since I was only a few miles from Walden, I drove into town to fuel up our Element then returned to camp.

I worked on my Sarasota project in the motorcoach, and then later in the day we packed up for a family drive. We took 14 north to Walden where we took 12 west, past the Walden State Wildlife Area, eventually hooking up with 7 north then 7A north to the Lake John State Wildlife area and Lake John. From here we took 5 south to the Delaney Butte Lake State Wildlife Area, and then on past an unnamed/unnumbered road out through the valley. We could see for miles with mountains on all sides corralling us in.







Since it was prairie country we encountered several hawks on barns and bales and posts. The first was a Swainson’s Hawk standing on this hay bale. The second was a Rough-Legged Hawk, sitting on this fence post waiting for a meal opportunity. The flying hawk with the attitude is another Swainson’s Hawk.







Jan drove us until the public road ended, and then we retraced our steps back to Walden. Here we drove 125 south about five miles where we took the Wildlife Auto Tour through the Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge.



We just saw birds, but lots of them, especially ducks on the numerous lakes and a hundred or more white pelicans. We drove back to Walden once again to take 14 south. Here we went past our campground and up to Cameron Pass, 10,278 feet. Bull moose had been spotted there the last couple of weeks. We saw no big guys, but did see a cow and her calf. From there we headed back into the state park and drove the minutes of narrow, rough, steep, dirt road through the forest up to the Agnes Lake trailhead (we really have to get a Jeep). Past 6:00 p.m. and getting chilly, we decided against hiking, as we had not dressed for this activity. We drove back down and returned to camp after a big day.

Saturday: Moose Hunters
All of us were in the car and out of the campground by 6:05 a.m., and by 6:10 we saw a moose, a big bull about 50 yards parallel to the road we were on. That was the good news; the bad news was that it was way too dark (even with a tripod) to take any pictures. Reluctantly, we traveled on, going to Cameron Pass. When we saw only a cow and no bulls, we decided to head back and see if the bull we had spotted earlier was still within viewing range. After some careful scouring, we found him, but he had meandered much further away. I set up my tripod by the side of the road anyway and got a few long-distance shots. (Man it was cold. I have to remember to take gloves.) I only got one shot that shows the profile of the big guy. The lighting wasn’t the best and I had to crop it a lot, but it shows his profile and the large rack of his maleness well.



Next, we went back to Cameron Pass one more time with luck finally shining on us. There was a mature bull grazing away in a flower-covered field. Even with a tripod and using a high ISO, the shutter speed was low, but I stood out for a good 30 minutes firing away while Jan and the Kids watched from the warm car. Here is a shot of Mr. Moose.



Back at camp, we had breakfast, and then the four of us walked to the Ranger Lakes trailhead and hiked around the four lakes. Another gorgeous setting with the only other humans being a couple of fly fisherwomen.



Back at BERT, I spent a few hours developing a proposal for my Minneapolis client. We then went for our afternoon drive, first stopping off to shoot out my proposal and catch up on mail past the KOA, then east onto 41 to check out that countryside. From there we went back north on 14, turning west on the road to Rand, on through the Owl Mountain State Wildlife Refuge. Not finding a way to circle back, we retraced our steps and stopped off at Gould for dinner at The Drifter’s Cookhouse, (www.drifterscookhouse.com). This is a must-stop place if you are in the area. A great couple owns it, and the help provides good service in a comfortable atmosphere. Absolutely great food, and they have cabins complete with moose as well as a few RV sites. Next time we are in this area we hope to stay there.

Pups Across America

When returning from our Lake Pearl hike, this ranch dog, a Great Pyrenees, greeted us by the end of his lane. By his looks, I don’t think he sleeps on his master’s bed--maybe not even inside!

Headlights

August 21-28: Boyd Lake State Park
August 29-31: Parker, CO
September 1-15: Heading north and east
September 23-October 7: Markin Glen County Park, Kalamazoo, MI
October 8-15: ???
October 16 to 31: Visit Kentucky friends
November 1: Head back to Pine Island

Have questions or comments--send them in.

See you next week.

Tags: Colorado State Parks

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - Rock-Climbing Pup
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Sunday: Day of Rest (and Work)
Nice peaceful day after a full week of action. Worked on pictures and did some business work as well. Had a nice walk with the Pups and a couple of rides both inside and outside the park. Our Vega State Park visit was wonderful, and I’d recommend it to anyone who likes nature, pretty places, and nice people.

Monday: On to Rifle
It was chilly when I got up, so I donned wool socks, blue jeans, hiking boots, a long-sleeve shirt, vest, and green windbreaker. I sat at the computer working and drinking coffee for an hour or so before my hand reached up and to the left to turn on the furnace. After so many hot days, chilly felt quite good.

I took the Pups out early, and then got to work on the computer, finishing up an article for the Professional Services Journal that was due. While I was working, Jan got the bus ready to roll. By noon I was done, and we headed out of the park for the next leg of our journey.



We picked up 330 west then 65 west before turning east on I-70. We passed by DeBeque, Parachute, and Battlement Mesa before taking the Rifle exit. We proceeded north on 13 then turned off on 325 north. Just past the dam we turned into Rifle Gap State Park, our home for the next four days. Our large, modern, campsite provided a panoramic view of a deep blue lake surrounded by hills with mountains in the background. Within 15 minutes we were completely set up including a hummingbird feeder half full of syrup waiting for customers.

Alas, there is no AT&T signal, and Verizon (which we count on for Internet) is weak, but one must make some sacrifices when roughing it.

Jan made an awesome meatloaf dinner on the campfire, then after hanging outside to enjoy the lowering sun, we headed back inside to watch a Netflix movie.



Tuesday: Harvey Gap Park
When I awoke we had four customers at the hummingbird feeder this chilly morning. I took a hike all around the park, and was a little tired out upon my return from all the ups and downs. I then shifted into computer work while Jan got groceries at the City Market in Rifle. She also scouted out the nearest place with both a strong AT&T and Verizon signal, the Rifle Golf Course, just four miles from our camp.



Mid-afternoon it was time for the family drive, and we headed north on 325 turning east on Grass Valley Road. This road took us through ranch country and into Harvey Gap State Park. We drove through the park, watching people picnicking by the turquiose lake. After a few miles our road turned into Harvey Gap Road, and we wound our way south and east to the town of Silt (blog readers may remember our attempt to find Silt the back way). We picked up Highway 6 and headed east to the berg of New Castle. After driving around old town and a few neighborhoods, we headed back west on 6, north on 13, then north on 325 back to camp.

Jan grilled an awesome dinner of steak pinwheels with gruyere cheese and spinach, we read for awhile and went to bed.

Wednesday: Rifle Mountain Park
Our campground and our campsite are very nice--large and private with beautiful views. From our site we see no one else. Here is a photo of sunrise and afternoon sky taken from our campsite.





I drove the Pups down toward the western part of the park where I could let them loose. We took an old road into the high desert, sharing our experience with no one else. Saw a couple of bluebirds, but no other critters.

Next the four of us drove three miles back toward the village of Rifle, pulling into the Rifle golf course parking lot. Here I checked for voice messages and had a short Skype call with Kevin in Sweden regarding our mutual account. Then it was back to the coach where I worked away again on my Sarasota project.



Mid-afternoon it was time again for a family ride. We took 325 north past Rifle Falls State Park, on past the fish hatchery and into Rifle Mountain Park. “Mountain” is entirely descriptive. Run by either the city or the county, this high-altitude area is quite picturesque, with flowing streams, summer wildflowers, and dense tree stands throughout. One of the big attractions is rock climbing, and we saw a number of climbers in various stages of ascent/descent.



Within a few miles, state road 325 ended, turning into forest road 825 as we entered into the White River National Forest. Continuing on, the road started to deteriorate, becoming four-wheel drive country. However, Jan slowed down, kept a watchful eye, and weaved back and forth missing the largest potholes. We passed Sawmill Gulch, Rifle Creek, finally stopping, then turning around at the end of the road, Three Forks Trailhead. Well, actually there was another road of sorts, but Jan didn’t want to attempt it so I guess you know how challenging that path was :”>>>. We retraced our steps, and returned to camp.



We sat outside watching the hummers and discussing future trips. While I looked at maps, Jan grilled chicken for dinner. Astute observers will note that the picture below is not chicken, but a fish dish Jan had made earlier but I had forgotten to put it in the blog!



Thursday: Rifle Falls
I took the pups down by the lake and let them run. There was only one cloud in the sky, but it was a big one and it started to rain. Normally the Pups try to avoid rain, but this morning it seemed to invigorate both of them, and they started sprinting through the grass among the trees at high speed. After a quick trip to the golf course for calls, Jan and I headed up to Rifle Falls Park for a hike. We parked just by the entrance and took the Squirrel Trail. Through the woods, along a stream, up and up the curved mountain path. After 40 minutes or so we ended up by the Falls.









At the Falls we picked up Coyote Trail that walked through the caves and up out into a meadow with a pond. Here we admired a Pacific Forktail Damselfly and several Fiery Skipper Moths that were enamored with the purplish red flowers of the bull thistles. As we returned back into the woods we spotted a couple turkeys that shared our path.







Friday: On to Yampa
Friday morning was busy. I had a 6:30 a.m. call with a prospective client from Boca, so I took the Pups out early for a run, and then the three of us headed down to the golf course.

Back at the bus, Jan was ready, and the two of us got back in the car and drove back to Rifle Falls State Park. On the way we saw a couple taking an early morning horseback ride and some horses enjoying hay for breakfast.





We had enjoyed Squirrel Trail so much that we decided to hike it again, and it was just as enjoyable as the day before.







At 9:47 in the morning we pulled out of the park, headed south on 325, and then north on 13. The road was level and the weather perfect as we drove through Meeker and stopped at Craig to fuel up. Here we picked up 40 east, and two miles west of Hayden we pulled into the Yampa River State Park.





Nice and peaceful here with nothing behind us but green, and the Yampa River is about 30 yards from our door. For dinner Jan grilled an amazing vegetable kielbasa dish.

Saturday: Meteor Shower
At 4:00 a.m. I started coffee then quickly went outside to check out the meteor shower--the countryside was dark. Jan came out and we both stood there in the 51-degree cold. We went back inside and saw that we could check things out just as well--and whole lot warmer--by looking through our bedroom window at the eastern sky.

A little later I walked the Pups around the park, then Jan joined us and we did the trek again. While I worked on my Sarasota project, Jan did laundry. Quiet evening around the campfire.

Pups Across America

Here are two shots of a rock-climbing pup from Rifle Mountain Park. I like Jan’s shot the best (the one with the banana peel).





Walking back through the campground at Rifle Falls we spotted this handsome pup who appeared to be holding up the picnic table.

Headlights

August 14: Yampa State Park
August 15-17: Steamboat Lake State Park
August 18-20: State Forest State Park
August 21-28: Boyd Lake State Park
August 29-31: Parker, CO
September 1-15: Heading north and east
September 23-October 7: Markin Glen County Park, Kalamazoo, MI
October 8-15: ???
October 16-31: Visit Kentucky friends
November 1: Head back to Pine Island

Have questions or comments--send them in.

See you next week.

Tags: Colorado State Parks

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - Sunrise Pups
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Sunday: Chasing the Sunrise





Upon rising, and while the water is heating for coffee, it is my normal habit to check the weather and forecast online. Although the temperature has risen each day to the low 90s the last week, each morning started in the very pleasant, light-jacket mid to high 50s. This morning, however, it was already 72 degrees at 4:30 a.m. with the promise of quickly heating up. Thus, I decided to walk the Pups quite early, when it was still an enjoyable task and not a bothersome toil. Thus, we were on the Highline Lake Bluffs trail about a half hour before sunrise, my favorite time to be outdoors. With clouds in the East, the colors started to roll in; pastels at first, transitioning to different orange hues, to bold reds and various combinations. Within 30 seconds the pre-sunrise scene you just viewed may have morphed into an entirely different composition.

The Kids seemed to have as much fun as I did on our walk, including a rabbit chase that I was able to at least catch a glimpse of with my camera. You’ll notice that “fast-as-the-wind” Mitzy is the lead chase Pup, hot on the trail--and the tail--of the bunny, with Jerry bolting from the back.



After breakfast I helped Jan pinch-hit for our camp host colleagues, and then I finalized my preparation for my Boston client and tackled some other lingering chores.

Monday: Quick Trip to Boston



Being it was to be a short trip, I left Jan carless and drove to the Grand Junction airport. I took the 6:35 a.m. flight to Dallas, and after a short layover hopped another flight to Boston. I detest driving in Boston, but the cab fare to my hotel and to my client would have been ridiculous, so I rented a car. Had a quiet evening including a nice soaker tub.

Tuesday: Boston
My “what it takes to build a services business” session went very well, and by noon I was back in my rental car arriving at Logan airport in time for lunch. Here I treated myself to a lobster roll and a glass of Sam Adams--there are some benefits of being in Boston! After a couple a flights and a short drive, I arrived back at camp by 9:30 that night.

Wednesday: Rainbows and Computer Screens
Today my hike around Highline was gorgeous. I couldn’t decide which of these two rainbow shots I liked best, so I included both. Which one do you like best?





I spent the rest of the day behind the computer screen, qualifying a new piece of business, giving feedback on a new online course I’m developing, and making and returning calls.

Thursday: Good-bye to Highline
Busy morning! I took the Pups on one last hike around the lake, and after 40-some days of looking, we finally saw the deer herd.



(Note that none of the shots I took this week at Highline had any saturation added--that’s just how awesome the light was those mornings.)

Upon returning I helped Jan get our motor home, BERT, ready to roll, and then headed down to the visitor center to put on a selling webinar (over the phone and Internet) for a couple hundred people in cooperation with my friend Hank from the Professional Services Journal. As soon as the session was over, I walked back and Jan and I finished up preparation for leaving. We said good-bye to friends David and Marjorie and wished them good luck with camp hosting (the new camp hosts replacing us appear to be quite the Butt Heads!).



By noon, Jan was driving, BERT was purring, and the Pups were alternating sitting on my lap, standing on the dash, or sleeping on the sofa. We had a gorgeous 70-mile drive, taking our time through Loma, onto I-75 east past Grand Junction and Palisade, turning east on 85 then east again onto 330. We meandered through Molina, puttered through Plateau City, climbed through Colilbran continuing our upward voyage into Vega Lake State Park.



Golden Eagle
About three miles from the Vega Park entrance, as we turned a corner, Jan and I both saw a large animal of some sort on the side of the road. Within seconds we made the ID—Golden Eagle! As we approached, this very big guy gave us a dismissing look, and then slowly beat his huge wings a couple of times and was gone. I had my camera on my lap, but there was no time for an attempted picture, but the experience was exhilarating. After checking in we got set up and sat outside overlooking the lake and watched the day come to an end.

Friday: Deer Galore
The first thing after coffee, we all piled into our Element and drove back from the park the way we came in hopes of finding the Golden Eagle. No luck this time, but we saw dozens of deer on our way down and back. Instead of returning to BERT we slowly drove around the lake looking for critters. Just before turning into our campground, Jan spotted a young buck on the edge of the forest chomping on leaves. He was not afraid of cars and he let me take several pictures of him less than 30 feet away.



Back at our campsite we had another cup of coffee, then leaving the Kids to finish their breakfast, Jan and I took off in the car once again. Our plan was to take an access road, Forest Road #262 (also called Park Creek Road) for the mile and a half into the Grand Mesa National Forest for some hiking. We slowly crept along the rough dirt road, but the heavy rains from the night before created a fast-running current across our path. After studying the possibility of proceeding, prudence stepped in and we retraced our tracks. Here is a chipmunk munching the top of a tree.



However, our backup plan was a good one, for we hiked the two-mile Vega Trail through an Aspen forest. We saw lots of pretty foliage, flowers, and mushrooms. The pretty but poisonous baneberry was everywhere along with a number of other plants that I couldn’t identify. This is bear country, so Jan carried our bear spray as we headed up and down the narrow overgrown trail that was covered by a thick, dark canopy. We saw no critters, but heard the noise of one very large animal along our way.

As an aside, Vega State Park is at 8,000 feet--it takes a little while getting use to the altitude.







After lunch, I spent time doing business. While I was working I asked Janny to go and find a spot where there was both a good AT&T and a Verizon signal. She came back a couple hours later having explored a large portion of real estate. Taking the Kids, we retraced her steps, driving the 11 miles back toward Collbran, stopping at Gandhi Park. Here I rejoined civilization (I guess), checking for voice messages, downloading e-mails, and responding to those messages requiring immediate action.

In the evening, Jan built a fire, and we sat around watching the activities of the lake and the campsite, smelling the pleasant odors of campfire cooking, and hearing the sound of thunder in the distance.

Saturday: Hungry Hummers, Marmot, and Another Eagle Sighting
I stood outside at dawn, watching the sky colors and the reflections on the lake. I took the Pups out early, down to the boat launch where they could run loose and stretch their little legs.

Hungry Hummers
As soon as we had set up camp the day before, Jan filled our hummingbird feeder and set it on our picnic table. Within five minutes (no kidding) we had a flock of hummers lining up to eat--reminded me of the opening of a new restaurant on the Island at 5:00 p.m. Blue Hair Special time!

By Saturday morning these petite, glutinous avians had devoured the entire contents of the feeder, a concoction of one cup sugar and four cups of water. Jan quickly went into action and filled up the feeder again. These live missiles were so ravenous that one was trying to feed out of the bowl that Jan was using to fill the feeder. Once refilled, we counted 15 hummers either eating or awaiting their turn. Here is not a great shot, but it sure shows the excitement at our picnic table.



A little later the four of us hopped into our car and made the circle of the lake, seeing the occasional deer and admiring the fields of summer flowers. I also took a shot of our campground from the other side of the lake.





At 8:00 a.m. we pulled into the Vega Lodge where we had breakfast overlooking the lake. From there we finished our circumnavigation, stopping to shoot yellow-bellied marmot at their digs. Cute little fellows.







Once back in the coach it was time to work. I’m fortunate in having lots to do, but it was really hard to get motivated to sit at the computer with a setting such as we have! Anyway, after stalling for a while downloading pics, I got to work on my Sarasota project.

Later in the afternoon we decided to go back and look for the Golden Eagle. Jan was driving, I had my camera set up for action on my lap and WHAM! There was the big guy surveying his territory, sailing on the wind over the valley. Jan let me out of the car and went to turn around while I followed this lord of the sky with my viewfinder. I probably got 50 shots off before he vanished from view. The first shot (18 megapixels) was what I saw in my camera, the 35mm equivalent of 640mm (or about 13X if you were looking through binoculars or a spotting scope). I severely cropped the second shot (2.5 MP) just to show a little more of what he looked like. Yes, the light was not the best and he/she was a long way away, but I got my first Golden Eagle photos! I was (and am) one happy camper.





Cowboy Poetry
By sheer luck, we chose to camp at Vega State Park during their annual Cowboy Poetry event. Attendees brought finger food to pass around (Jan made hot wings), and we all sat around on picnic tables and camping chairs listening to local artists playing cowboy songs, followed by readings by cowboy poets. It was really an enjoyable time. Here are a few pics from this event.











If you want to see more cowboy poetry pics, click here.

Pups Across America

Headlights

August 7: Vega State Park
August 8-11: Rifle Gap State Park
August 11-31: Exploring Colorado
September 1-15: Heading north and east
September 23-October 7: Markin Glen County Park, Kalamazoo, MI
October 8-15: ???
October 16-31: Visit Kentucky friends
November 1: Head back to Pine Island

Have questions or comments--send them in.

See you next week.

Tags: Highline Lake Park, Vega State Park, Colorado, Bird photography

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - Action shots of the Kids
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Sunday through Thursday: Hanging Around Camp
We stayed at the campground the first five days of the week. Every morning started with a walk around the lake, and most days I walked around the campground looking for photo opportunities. Jan did most of the camp host duties, Mitzy got a summer haircut as you will see in the pics, the young hawks were out and about playing, and I was lucky enough to photograph a hummingbird nest right before the two young ones left the next day.







I spent a lot of time on the computer doing work for a Swedish client, a client in Boston, preparing for an upcoming webinar, and working on my Sarasota partner project. Thursday evening our neighbors, David and Marjorie, took us out to the Feedlot, a steak house in Fruita, for a very nice meal.

Friday: Monument and Dinosaur



It was a pleasant 55 degrees when I took the Pups out early in the pre-dawn. By 6:05 Jan and I were out of the campground, and by 6:30 we were walking down Otto’s Trail in the Colorado National Monument (sadly, dogs aren’t allowed). It was a pleasant hike with a great view of the canyon, but since it was not a long trail and it was still early, we walked part of the Coke Ovens Trail, spent some time admiring the view from the Artist Points lookout, and then slowly drove back through the park looking for Desert Bighorn Sheep. Alas, no big critter sightings today.



Leaving the Monument we decided to stop at Dinosaur Hill, the location of the 1900 dig that led to excavating over six tons of dinosaur bones that were re-assembled as the very impressive display at the Chicago Field Museum that is still there today. We took the trail that walked around the hill showing where the excavation took place, all the while enjoying the views of the Monument, Grand Valley, and the McInnis National Conservation Area.

After a great breakfast of Jan’s, I spent the rest of the day working--spending time on my projects mentioned earlier.

That evening Jan made an outstanding dinner of grilled ribs, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn on the cob, sliced tomatoes, and key lime pie with fresh whipped cream that we shared with David and Marjorie.

Saturday: Handsome Hoot and Wild Horses
Once again I took the dogs out very early, intending to take another hiking trail in the Monument. Just as I was leaving the campground, I saw two hawks chatting with a crow on the side of the road. I pulled the car off the road and spent the next half hour watching the two young Cooper’s Hawks taking lessons from one of their parents. What I observed was a lot of chasing each other from tree to tree, screaming at decibel levels ranging from loud to alarming, and, the most fun to watch, lots of hopping up and down one after another, each hop two to three feet, complete with the spreading of wings coupled with ferocious looks (my assumption is that this was training time--practicing the skills required for capturing prey). Great fun.

Back in the car I decided to bag the hike and scout around the park for some photo ops. Hence, I walked over to the group camping area along the tree line where Baby Hoot seems to enjoy warming himself in the sun in the early mornings. I did not spot him in the area I expected, so I decided to continue on a tad. Just as I was ready to give up, I located that big rectangular shape positioned in what appeared to be a perfect location (eye level, warm sunshine in his face, great background, and the possibility for me to get close). I gave him a morning greeting and kept up a quiet chatter as I slowly approached, one step at a time. I was able to get off a few shots before a loud noise scared him off. I’m quite pleased with image. See what you think. Sometimes persistence does pay off.



My plan was to work most of the day, as I have a lot of things going on, but an attack of laziness struck as I fired up the computer after breakfast. After several minutes of procrastination, I yielded to my internal strife and we jumped in the car for a quick get-away. We drove east on I-70 exiting at the Cameo exit past Palisade, where we headed north past the power plant onto dirt roads that headed off the beaten path into the 30,000-acre Bureau of Land Management (BLM) property of rugged canyons called the Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Canyon. As the name implies, a herd of wild horses roams this large area. Although the odds were slim, we were hoping to get a glimpse of these equine beauties. As we proceeded north, the “road” got narrower and rougher. Our Element did an admirable job, however, we soon reached some areas impassable except for a four-wheel drive vehicle with lots of clearance. Reluctantly we turned around and headed back to more civilized terrain, but it was sure worth the effort.

Deciding to take a different route home, we turned off of I-70 west onto Highway 6 at Palisade. This is fruit country, and soon our back-road tour took us through dozens of orchards where peach harvesting was in full swing. We stopped at a local orchard where we picked up some fresh peaches, preserves and, after a quick taste, some local wine. Nice stop.



David and Marjorie were on camp host duty, but since they had personal issues back at their home in Montrose 80 miles away, we volunteered to substitute for them. The Pups were thrilled, as they enjoy nothing more than riding around on the official camp host golf cart, sitting smugly by our side, occasionally growling at a dog or a kid they don’t care for.

Pups Across America

As regular readers know, I enjoy taking action shots of the Kids. Here are a few more to look at.













Opinion Poll
As you can see, Mitzy has two sides to her “look,” fluffy and sleek. Which do you prefer? Drop me a note on which version of this pretty pup you like best and why. Interested in your thoughts.

NOTE: From Thursday afternoon, August 4, through Monday, August 8, we will have limited Internet and telephone service--please be patient, we will respond when we can.

Headlights

July 24 - August 3: Wrapping up our stay at Highline State Park
August 4 - 7: Vega State Park
August 8 - 11: Rifle Gap State Park
August 11 - 31: Exploring Colorado
September 1 - 15: Heading north and east
September 23 - October 7: Markin Glen County Park, Kalamazoo, MI
October 8 - 15: ???
October 16 - 31: Visit Kentucky friends
November 1: Head back to Pine Island

Have questions or comments--send them in.

See you next week.

Tags: Colorado

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - Rearview Mitzy and Hanna Pug
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Sunday: Peace and Quiet

As a change of pace, the four of us decided to walk around the park instead of taking a trail. It was interesting to see things from a different perspective. We saw a doe and her fawn, and of course the usual cacophony of the meadow birds.

It was a busy camp host day, but Jan did the whole job as I was doing work on a report for a Swedish client. Because of the size of the documents involved and the slowness of my Internet, I had to drive to Fruita a couple of times and “borrow” the Internet signal from the La Quinta motel (oh, the challenges of roughing it :’>>>).

If you have read the blog before, you know that I’ve been watching and photographing a young owl, but I have not been happy of the quality of the shots. I’ve made it a personal quest to get at least one decent image of this handsome young avian while at the park. Jan had been doing some scouting for me, and when I returned to camp she informed me that Little Hoot was on a low, unobstructed branch, with a good background. I grabbed my camera and headed for the tree. Finally I got a decent picture! Yes, patience is a virtue. See what you think.



Jan also had been scouting a male flicker, and here is my first shot of this guy.



The weather here gets a little wild at times, bouncing from hot and dry to wet and wild, with lightning and strong winds. For example, early this evening the winds came up and the camper’s tent across from us came down, and within ten minutes of the occurrence they were packed up in their car and out of the campground.

Monday: Close to Home
My 6:00 a.m. European phone appointment was a no-show, so after scanning the papers and drinking coffee, the four of us went out for a hike. Here is a shot of a morning storm in the distance.



The neighbor’s cattle were out so I took advantage of this photo op and snapped a few close pics of the calves.


.
Several small planes in the area regularly fly over the park. Here is a shot of a red one.



The rest of the day was quiet--doing more work on the computer and helping Jan now and then.

Tuesday: Ain’t Flying Grand? (Grand Junction to Grand Rapids that Is)



At 5:15 a.m., with coffee and Pups in hand, we were out into the dark heading for the Grand Junction airport. My flight to Salt Lake City was smooth, and I took a few shots through the scratched glass of some interesting patterns with my pocket camera.





The first 80 percent of the flight to Minneapolis was going well, but as we were just entering our landing pattern, our friends in the tower decided to put us in a holding pattern because of some growing local storms. After 30 minutes they diverted us to Sioux Falls, where we stopped for fuel. The weather eventually cleared as it always does, and we made it to the Twin Cities. I missed my flight, but my good friends at Delta got me on the next plane and I was in my hotel in Grand Rapids by 8:30.

Wednesday: Grand Rapids Client



I spent the morning working with my Grand Rapids client, helping them with their services strategy. On the leadership team was my old client and friend, Bruce. We had kept in contact every now and then, but we hadn’t seen each other in 20 years. The good news is that we are still the handsome devils we were back then. :’>>>.

After a really good session, I took a cab to the airport, but instead of flying back to Grand Junction I flew to Denver. While I was in the air, Jan and the Kids drove across the state and then picked me up from my flight. We drove the 30 minutes to Parker, where our grandson, Austin, his parents, and his pug greeted us.

Aaron had a great meal ready for us, and then we went outside to watch a lightning storm over the Rockies. Wonderful day.

Thursday: “Grandpa, Do You Want a Dog in Your Room?”
I had a conference call with a Sarasota business partner about a new venture we are working on. They are great people to work with, and I’d told them that I was visiting my grandson and also that I was working from the guest room. So, it came as no surprise that during the call they heard a young voice say, “Grandpa, do you want a dog in your room?” Gotta love it.

After wrapping up the call and taking the pups for a run, the Little Man was getting anxious because we promised him a trip to the water park. Hustling up, we passed through the entrance at 10:45 to be greeted by several hundred youngsters along with their parents and grandparents. Like many other parts of the U.S., it was hot, so people were attracted to the water like moths to a light. The sound of splashes from the flowing water and yelps from the youngsters combined with the smell of suntan lotion and the sights of sliding/running/swimming kids. Austie had a great time, and for close to three hours he played and played and played.









Friday: Playground and Aquarium
The day started with a nice Pup walk, and Austie helped me herd our two Kids and the boisterous Hanna Pug pup. If Jerry is likened to a thoroughbred, and Mitzy to a ranch pony, then Hanna Pug is a war horse, running straight ahead no matter who or what is in the way. She has a habit of escaping out the front door and running as fast as her stubby legs will go down the street and out of the neighborhood, mobilizing parents and kids alike in the chase.

Because another hot day was predicted, I took the Little Man down to the playground early. My job was to watch him play, and try to capture a “non-posed” picture or two when he wasn’t aware.





Soon, however, a five-year old Emily took a liking to Austie and soon had him doing her bidding. It was interesting to watch him because he obviously was unsure how to react to this flirtatious young female. Here is a shot I like of the two of them.



After lunch at Austie’s house, we’re in the car heading downtown. After 30 minutes we were in the impressive Denver Aquarium, exploring the exhibits and checking out the fish and other water life, plus spiders, snakes, tigers, and all other sorts of creatures, including mermaids. It was obvious Austie really liked this place, as he ran from place to place, coming back frequently to check out the tarantulas.









This was a big day for everyone! Back home I downloaded pics and caught up on work while Jan “re-built” Austie’s room. Later we hung outside in the neighborhood enjoying the cooling temperatures of the early evening.

Saturday: Drive-By Shootings



After saying goodbyes, we loaded up for a scenic road trip. From Parker we took I-25 north to 470 west where we stopped off at Chatfield State, as we wanted to scout it out for future camping. This is one big park and looks like a great place to camp (loop D) as there is lot’s to do, and it is close to Austie’s place. From there we got back on 470 west turning on 285 west. We drove through Jefferson and down to Fairplay stopping along the way to buy some of the best elk jerky in the West. Jerry heartily agreed, sticking his nose all the way into the package, gulping his piece, then looking longingly at the bag when I put it away. The drive was really pretty, but when we picked up 24 west near Buena Vista and headed NNW on this scenic byway, the quality of the vistas picked up a couple of notches. As we drove, our most common comments were “wow,” “jeez,” “look at that,” and so on.





Drive-By Shootings
When traffic is sparse or when pullouts are abundant, Jan goes very slowly or stops or pulls off for Kodak moments. However, when the opposite scenario is in place, drive-bys are required. Now, shooting out of a moving vehicle at 30 to 75 mph on curvy roads hanging partly out the window, trying to frame shot when the car is in the one-right position while keeping other cars and poles and trees out of the image is a challenge. However, is it a big enough challenge? Oh no, our dogs love to peer out the window, so when I anticipate an upcoming photo op I have to sneak the window down in hopes that both dogs won’t be on my lap, feet on the door and heads pointing at the desired image. This challenge is magnified when the Pups hear Jan shout (which happens often) when we are in picturesque locations. At the sound of her heightened voice my lap is full of dogs, my “window of opportunity” small, and my odds of a good pic diminished. So keep in mind that for the few drive-bys published in this blog, there are scores more with ears and noses that didn’t make it.

At Bailtown we took 82 west, the Independence Pass Scenic Drive. Still lots of snow in this 12,000-foot route and the scenery was wonderful. Not the kind of road we would take BERT on though, often being narrow and sometimes in poor shape. In addition, vehicles were limited to 35 feet in length, eliminating the possibility altogether. This route took us through the manicured and majestic Aspen and up to Basalt, where we stopped for some delicious Chinese. Then it was back on to 82 through El Jebel, Carbondale, then on to Glenwood Springs where we picked up I-70 west and headed back to camp at Highline State Park. After unpacking we ate popcorn while watching a Netflix flix and went to bed early.





Wonderful week.

Pups Across America

Here is a rearview mirror shot of Mitzy hanging out the window as she loves to do, plus a shot of Hanna Pug from one of our walks.

Headlights

July 24 - August 3: Camp hosting at Highline State Park with a side trip or two
August 4 - 7-11: Rifle Gap State Park
August 8 - 31: Exploring Colorado
September 1 - 15: Upper Peninsula and Northern Michigan?
September 11 - 25: Visit Kalamazoo, MI friends and participate in Ribarama
October 16 - 31: Visit Kentucky friends
November 1: Head back to Pine Island

Have questions or comments--send them in.

See you next week.

Tags: Colorado, Denver Aquarium

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - Sandy pup and new scarves
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Sunday: Peace and Quiet
I awoke to the soothing sound of rain on the roof. I was prepared to take the Kids on our usual hike, but the sound of distant thunder changed Jerry’s mind. Therefore, I took both of them back to the coach and went back out to look for birds. Basically a quiet day made up of work, camp hosting, and hanging out.





Just for fun, here is a shot of Janny’s breakfast the other day.



Monday: Gateway Getaway



Leaving Janny to run the camp host show, Mers and I left Highline State Park, drove through Fruita and Grand Junction on I-70, took 50 east, then took 141 south for the 42 miles to Gateway (you may have guessed by now—another scenic byway!). We passed through a dozen miles of road construction, but the following scenery was worth the wait, as once again we were surrounded by red rock structures that looked as though they had been carefully sculpted by hand--a really big hand. The town of Gateway is similar to many others in Western Colorado, however, after passing through this rustic village we came upon a large, pristine, very modern compound--a conference center complete with lodging, restaurants, and our main destination, a world-class auto museum. We arrived a few minutes after 10:00 a.m., their first visitors of the day. There were only about 50 cars, but each and every one was fully restored to its original glory. Just a pleasure to walk through the Cords, Dusenburgs, early Cadillacs, and on and on. The paint jobs and detail were phenomenal.

After a highly enjoyable walk through, we talked for a few minutes with the manager. He was a local, and took great pride in the area. He shared some facts and folklore, such as how the Sundance Kid went from being an enforcer for the land barons, to how he robbed his first bank at Telluride riding a thoroughbred horse that he “exchanged” for another after the robbery. After listening to his story we decided to take the big loop back home instead of retracing our steps as originally planned.

So around noon we continued south on 141, driving through some very tall, very impressive canyons. We stopped and viewed the remnants of a flume built inside many miles of canyon walls to haul large quantities of water for the gold mines. It seems that to attach the flume to the canyon walls they lowered Chinese workers over the side and down the wall in rope baskets. Yikes!







We passed the sign showing where the uranium town of Uraven existed before the government completely unassembled everything and covered it up (both figuratively and literally). At Natursa we turned east on 145, passed through Redvale and stopped for lunch at Norwood. Then back on the scenic byway to Placerville where we turned east on 62. At Ridgeway we picked up 550 north, then at Montrose we turned on to 50 taking us back home. Big trip but a very nice trip.

Tuesday: Viva Las Vega



Mers departed early for her return to Michigan. After a hike around the lake, I worked the rest of the morning. Right before noon it was time for another road trip. Loading up the Kids, we took off heading the same way we had gone to Grand Mesa a few days earlier, exiting I-70 at exit 49 and heading east on 65. Instead of continuing on to Mesa, however, we took 330 through Molina, Collbran, eventually ending up at Vega State Park. A beautiful drive up a couple of thousand feet from where we started.

We oohed and aahed the whole trip with the intensity increasing as we drove around the park. Mountain bluebirds everywhere and the wildflowers out in mass and in full bloom.











I was unable to get a decent shot of a mature bluebird with its vibrant blue coloring, but got a shot of a young one.



Immediately upon returning back to camp, I got online and booked the first four nights after our planned departure from Highline.

Wednesday: Rifle Shot



After hiking and working in the morning, it was time to check out another possible camping location. We took I-70 east through DeBuque and Parachute, exiting at Rifle. Here we made our way north on 325 with our first stop being Rifle Gap State Park. The reservoir here holds back an enticing body of crystal blue water, and within minutes of our arrival we knew we wanted to camp at this modern park as well. We took our time driving around, checking out the campsites, and exploring the swim beach, boat launch, and visitor center.



Four miles north and 2,000 feet higher, is Rifle Gap’s sister state park, Rifle Falls. Named after the falls it contains, this older park is made up of a more primitive campground, caves, and trails. We decided that when we camped at Rifle Gap we would do some day-trips here for trail hikes. Should be fun.





Big Load
As everyone who has traveled the interstate has seen, there are plenty of really big trucks hauling really big loads on the road. Therefore, it was interesting to see this 18-wheeler and its Tonka Toy load!



As we made our trip home, the skies got darker and darker and the lightning strikes increased. Seven miles from home we pulled off the road with a southern view looking over the Colorado Monument. The dark skies darkened further, the lighting bolts increased in number and size, the rain started coming down, and the wind increased—up to sixty-mile-per-hour gusts. Jerry sat shaking in my lap as the rest of us enjoyed the show.

Thursday: Kestrels, Hawks, and Owls
Young Hawks
I was up quite early working, but a little after dawn I was standing on the road looking up at the Cooper Hawk nest. I was not disappointed, as soon I saw three bird outlines hopping and jumping from branch to branch. One stayed still for a while, and I enjoyed watching this youngster.



Young Owl
Next I walked around to owl country, and the youngster did not disappoint, sitting on a low branch and looking toward the sweet east light.



Kestrel Pair
Walking through the campground, I spotted this pair of Kestrels--cute and little, but fast and deadly, these two appear to be permanent residents.



New Hike



Jan suggested a new hiking route and I concurred. We checked out a new trail, enjoying the views, watching the Pups sniff and romp, and getting some nice exercise besides. Out on a barren tree we spotted a Red-Tailed Hawk, apparently looking for breakfast. Apparently he was not a welcome visitor to this territory as several smaller birds attacked him on his perch.



I spent most of the rest of the day working on the computer doing projects.

Friday
Colorado Monument Hike
Since the Pups couldn’t go on our hike, I took them out early in the chilly air. I also checked on the baby hawks and the young owl. Soon Jan and I were in the Colorado Monument once again, heading out on the Alcove Nature Trail. After completing this easy one-mile jaunt, we toured the rest of the monument before heading back to camp.

Horsethief Canyon
I worked till mid-afternoon, and then it was time for another road trip. Back close to the Fruita entrance to the Colorado Monument we turned west into Horsethief Canyon, a wilderness area run by the Bureau of Land Management. We traveled this gravel round for about ten miles, checking out the trails and vowing to return early in the morning to avoid the heat.

Saturday
I was out at 5:00 a.m. trying to capture a good shot of the full moon from our campsite. Nothing worth publishing so I took the Pups out for a quick walk.

6:00 a.m. Skype call with Kevin to start to wrap up our assignment with the Swedish company. Always a lot to do at the last moment.

Soon Jan was up and we took the Kids out on the Great Blue Heron Marsh Loop for a short hike. Very pretty, but a dozen or so very busy spiders (the kind that jump and bite) had cast webs across the trail, so we kept a close eye as we walked along.

The rest of the day was devoted to working on projects, and camp hosting.

Pups Across America

Here are pics of David and Sandy along with Jerry and Mitzy sporting their new Cabella scarves that Mers bought them.

Headlights

July 17 - 19: Camp hosting at Highline Lake State Park
July 20 - 23: Visiting our grandson Austie in Parker, CO
July 24 - August 3: Camp hosting at Highline State Park with a side trip or two
August 4 - 8: Vega State Park
August 8: Exploring Colorado
September 4 - 10: Camp with Scott and Deb in Northern Michigan?
September 11- 25: Visit Kalamazoo, MI friends and participate in Ribarama
October 16 - 31: Visit Kentucky friends
November 1: Head back to Pine Island

Have questions or comments--send them in.

See you next week.

Tags: Colorado, Bird photography

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - Pics of the Kids at their best.
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Sunday: No Show Jo
We were on camp host duty all day so we hung around the park. I started the day with an early morning hike with the Pups and was able to get a few decent pics as the clouds freshened the light and added some interest to the scene.







Our friend, Jo, was supposed to fly in to visit, but called and said she missed her flight…bummer.

Monday: Independence Day Road Trip
Hike #1
I went out early taking the mile-plus Highline Lake hike down by the water. The Pups had a great time sniffing critter tracks.







Hike #2
At 7:30 Jan and I drove the short distance into the Colorado Monument stopping at the visitor center. We took a mile-and-a-half hike along the Canyon Rim trail that hugged the canyon. This is one impressive place.





Pick-up Jo
After breakfast and cleaning up, we drove to the Grand Junction airport, and this time Jo made her flight. After a few, quick, “Hi, how are you’s,” we were in the car heading east on I-70.

Grand Mesa
At Marker 49 we headed east on Highway 65. We took this Scenic Byway twelve miles into Mesa where we stopped for what turned out to be an interesting Independence Day lunch. The food was pretty good, however, it wasn’t what we ordered, it came out staggered over time, and napkins and condiments appeared to be valuable extras. Our poor waitress was challenged by either alcohol, drugs, or electrical shock treatment (my guess is the shock treatment), and try as she might, the end results of her actions never quite met her intent. The ambience was further vitalized by a herd of buzzing flies that invaded from the porch and the constant blood-curdling screams of a youngster in the corner.

Back in the car, we up and backed our way to the top of Grand Mesa, the tallest mesa in the world. Here snow appeared in the distance and at the roadsides as we wove through beautiful green woods complimented by deep blue lakes. As is Jan’s nature, she soon tired of the smooth paved roads and took off on the dirt. We meandered for miles until we came to the end of the road, aptly named The End of the Road. We got out to admire the view and came across some extremely tame chipmunk-like critters taking nuts and Fritos out of people’s hands. I took several pictures to turn into posters for Jerry’s room.













The prudent return from our passage would be to retrace our tracks back to Highway 65 and continue south for 30 miles or so, then take Highway 50 west on back to Grand Junction. However, an old sign by the side of the road at the End of The Road, said “18 Miles to Highway 50.” Aha! A chance to save at least 40 miles to get us home. Jan turned our nimble Honda Element to the right and straight down (so it seemed) on a narrow, switchback dirt road. The trip was just gorgeous, lined with wild flowers and view after view. My job was to hold on to Mitzy and Jerry, appear calm, and gaze as far ahead as I could see to warn Jan of incoming traffic. This was important because steep, narrow, loose-gravely roads made meeting cars a challenge. In less than an hour we were back on Highway 50 heading for camp.







However, the excitement of the day had not ended, because later that evening our friend Mers (pure trouble) arrived from an all-day jaunt from Michigan.



Tuesday: Arches National Park
We had been to Arches in the summer a couple years before, and it was hot, 115 degrees. So sharing that information and mentally preparing for oven-like temperatures, we got in the car a little after 8:00 and made our way to I-70, and then headed west for our 108-mile trek into Utah and into Arches National Park. With a decent road, hardly any traffic, and a 75-mph speed limit we made good time. At Marker 182 we turned south on 191. We drove past the entrance and down into Moab for a hearty breakfast. By 11:00 a.m. we were within the park, oohing and aahing as we drove along stopping for several short hikes. The Weather Gods smiled upon us the whole trip--constant cloud cover not only kept the arid temperatures in the comfortable 80s but also the lack of direct sunlight took away the harshness adding vibrancy to the sandstone structures, making for nicer images.

















After having our scenic fill, we headed back to Moab for a couple of pints and snacks at the Moab Brewery. From there we headed back to camp, though this time taking Highway 128, a scenic byway that borders the eastern side of the Park…excellent choice, Alex! Right on the edge of the Colorado River with huge red rock structures bordering our journey, the vistas were as gorgeous of those inside the park. Even after a mind-filling day of great scenery we still found ourselves pulling over for more photo ops.





Wonderful day.

Wednesday: Black Canyon Gunnison National Park
Once again around 8:00, the four of us plus the Pups loaded into the car for a big-day road trip. Out of camp we took 139 south to Loma, and got on I-70 east. After stopping for a wonderful breakfast in downtown Grand Junction at the Dream Café, we picked up Highway 50 and headed east/southeast through Delta, Olathe, and Montrose. Eight miles east of Montrose we took Highway 347 north the six miles into Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

The weather was quite warm but not super hot, so we trounced out for a few short hikes to get a better view of the deepest canyon in the world. This is one world-class canyon with breath-taking views all over the place. If you haven’t been there and you are into impressive scenery, put the Black Canyon on your bucket list.





On the trail to Painted Wall, we heard a guy yelling out at the top of his lungs to hear his echo. When we showed up and doubted his claim that he stood atop a rock overlooking the canyon, he immediately leaped onto his rock, assumed his super hero pose and yelled “Jan, Jan” into the canyon. Quite impressive.





On our return trek home, we stopped off at the cool, just re-built downtown of Grand Junction. We sat outside (along with the Pups) at the Rockslide Brewery for snacks and libation before heading back to enjoy a campfire and popcorn with our neighbors, Marjorie and David.

Thursday
Jan took Jamers and Jo out exploring the Colorado Monument before taking Jo to the Grand Junction airport for her flight back to LA. I spent the day working, including a selling services webinar (number six in a ten-session series) I put on in conjunction with my friend and colleague Hank. Pleased to say it went very well.

Friday
I started the day with an early morning coaching call with a client from Canada, then a hike along the bluffs of Highline Lake. I spent the day working and helping Jan with camp host chores.

Saturday
I guess I’m falling into a pattern, but it is a pattern I enjoy. Out for 75-minute hike with the kids along the water, over the hills and through the marshes. I got some great shots of the Kids, especially Jerry running full steam along the trails. Today, we came across something not seen before at Highline--a mud puddle. I mean a world-class mud puddle, where within minutes the mud turns to a concrete-like substance, something you could easily hold adobe homes together with. Hence both Pups ended up in our shower where Jan had to soak and scrub our Little Adventurers clean.





This time of year is called the monsoon season, and most every day we either receive a shower or the threat of a shower accompanied by black skies, thunder, and lightening.

Wonderful week.

Pups Across America

A few pics of the Kids at their best.

Headlights

July 10 - 19: Camp hosting at Highline Lake State Park with spontaneous side trips.
July 20 - 23: Visiting our grandson Austie in Parker, CO.
July 24 - August 7: Camp hosting at Highline State Park with a side trip or two.
August 8 on: Change of plans. Instead of going to Yellowstone and Glacier, our current plan is to spend most of August exploring Colorado.
September 4-10: Camp with Scott and Deb in Northern Michigan?
September 11-25: Visit Kalamazoo, MI friends and participate in Ribarama.
October 16-31: Visit Kentucky friends.
November 1: Head back to Pine Island.

Have questions or comments--send them in.

See you next week.

Tags: Colorado, Arches National Park, Gunnison National Park, Highline Lake Park

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - Pics of the Kids at their best
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Sunday: Colorado National Monument
By 6:00 a.m. all the Alexanders were entering the Colorado National Monument in our car, only about 15 minutes away from our campground. Jan was driving, and I was in the co-pilot seat, camera on my lap along with one to two pups depending on their mood and what we were sighting. Our hope was to spot and photograph Bighorn Sheep, but I knew our probability was low as the entire herd within the park only amounted to 50. Yet, within 10 minutes we came across a yearly male, munching along the side of the road. He was oblivious to our car and me hanging out the window with camera pointed at him, and I got in several shots before he casually strolled away walking right past us.





We had a great time winding up and down the monument road, enjoying the canyons and rock formations--during our first half-hour in the park we only saw two other vehicles. By 8:30 we had traveled the 26-mile road through the park and had developed quite an appetite. Of course Jan already knew her way around Grand Junction, and soon we were down on Main Street selecting a restaurant with outside seating. After a great Mexican breakfast we re-traced our path re-entering the park the way we had exited. The Visitor Center was now open, so we went in to check out photo spots and hiking trails. When I asked about critters, the lady said that the last Bighorn sighting was over a month ago. We felt even better about our rookie success. Just as we were leaving the park Jan let out a yelp--she had seen a big ram move rapidly from the top of a mesa down a steep hill then disappear--she scored a double.



Monday: Dinosaur Diamond Scenic Byway
After getting up early and working for a few hours, the four of us took a three-and-a-half-mile hike around Highline Lake. We were joined by scooting rabbits, flitting birds along the marshes, and an occasional Great Blue Heron making his way across the lake.









Mid-afternoon I got tired of work, so we took a road trip 70 miles north on highway 139 through the desert, up through the mountains, then back down through the desert culminating at the town of Rangely. This stretch of road is part of the 650-mile diamond-shaped zone of Colorado and Utah that contains loads of dinosaur fossils. It was a very nice trip with lots of pretty contrasts from the lush green on some of the valleys, the variations of pinks, tans, and browns of the hills and mountains, set upon a vibrant deep blue sky accented by the occasional bright-white clouds.

Tuesday: Avian Alert
Got up very early, working on some projects, then all four of us went out at 6:40 a.m. and walked Highline Trail again.

Mid-morning, Jan interrupted my work for an “avian alert.” The momma Great Horned Owl and her “daughter” (we think she is a female as she is almost as big as her mother and female owls are larger than males) were both sitting in a tree about ten yards from our coach. They were hunkered down as an upset robin was buzzing them and a furious Cooper’s Hawk was conducting fly-bys coming within inches of the owls.







Inquiries of others who had observed what had happened earlier said that the momma owl had snatched and ate another bird, probably a young robin, possibly a baby hawk.

Anyway, it was quite the campground event with many people taking time to get a close-up view of the owls. Of course the kids were the most curious and the most excited.



Wednesday: Flat Tire and More Sheep
Once again I got up quite early working on business. By 6:30 a.m. we were all out on the Highline Trail enjoying the cloudy weather as we hiked along. When we got back I had a couple of conference calls, but then shifted to an issue of transportation.

Our Honda had a flat tire, so I diligently opened the spare tire compartment--my plan being to replace the flat with the mini-spare and drive to town for the repair. However, step one in a plan of 14, did not go well. I am not a world champion weight lifter like Jan’s brother Wayne*, but I’m fairly strong for an old guy. However, when I took the wrench to crack the wheel nuts, they did not budge. After borrowing from Dave a more substantial tool, I was able to crack one. As we headed the golf cart down to the maintenance shop to try and find an even bigger wrench, I spotted the solution to my problem--John, the new guy looked like he wrestled grizzlies and won. Telling him of the dilemma, he quickly volunteered to help. Without tensing a blood vessel he performed the entire task, having the damaged tire in the back of Dave’s pickup truck in five minutes. A quick drive to the Fruita Coop, ten minutes to fix it, and we were back in camp where John reversed the process--it’s all in knowing the right folks!

Later in the afternoon with storm clouds in the sky, we decided to head back into Colorado Monument. In 15 minutes we were through the gate and within ten more we had our next Bighorn sighting! The dark blue skies showed the magnificence of the monument at it’s best.

*No joke, he is the world champion in his age bracket at the bench press. He beat the Russians and the rest of his challengers a few weeks ago benching 352 pounds at the World Championship.

Thursday: Janny 911
Jan decided to go for a shorter walk, so she took the Pups her way and I headed out on the big trail. For the first time I came across a flock of Magpies, flitting about as if in a tizzy. I was able to get one shot I really liked. After about 20 minutes into the walk, I felt the temperature drop about 15 degrees or so. Looking up I saw the big thunderboomers I was expecting, dominating the sky in all directions. I quickened my pace, happy that I’d packed a large trash bag to cover my camera in case it rained. I made it back to the far-end of the lake when the rains started. Luckily a shelter was near by so I got under cover, sat down, and called Janny to rescue me. Within 10 minutes we were driving back to camp.





The rest of the day was split working on business and helping Janny with the camp host chores.



Friday
I awoke to a chilly 51-degree, long-sleeve morning and headed out early to get a walk in with the Pups prior to a 7:00 a.m. call. For the first time, I took the Blue Heron Marsh trail that was just gorgeous. I saw my first coyote in the park, a large-framed critter that looked in great condition. From then on I kept the Pups on a short leash.

Back at camp I helped Janny a little, but spent most all the day working in the coach.

Saturday: Heating Up
Up till now, the super-low humidity weather had been warm but quite pleasant. Now, with friends coming to visit soon, things are heating up! Prospects are 100 degrees for the next five days—thank goodness the humidity is supposed to continue to be crazy low.

A big walk with the Kids, then back to work. A very quiet campground as most all the campers are on the lake or picnicking by it.

Pups Across America

A few pics of the Kids at their best.

Headlights

July 3-July 9: Probable trips to Arches NP, Gunnison NP, and other cool places with friends Jo and Mers
July 10-July 19: Camp hosting at Highline Lake State Park
July 20-July 23: Visiting our grandson Austie in Parker, CO
July 24-August 7: Camp hosting at Highline State Park with a side trip or two
August 9: Yellowstone NP and possibly Glacier NP
September 4-10: Camp with Scott and Deb in Northern Michigan?
September 11-25: Visit Kalamazoo, MI friends and participate in Ribarama
October 16 to 31: Visit Kentucky friends
November 1: Head back to Pine Island

Have questions or comments--send them in.

Next week should be loaded with pics, as we are going to Colorado National Monument a time or two.

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - Come back next week...
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Sunday: On to Copenhagen
The whole family left our motorcoach BERT (Big Expensive Road Traveler) early to drive the half hour to the Grand Junction airport, where I arrived in ample time to catch my 6:35 a.m. flight--on to Salt Lake City, then Atlanta, before touching down in Copenhagen at 9:30 a.m. Monday morning. All easy flights and I got a lot of sleep on the pond crossing.

Monday: Lund
At the Copenhagen airport I breezed through passport control, walked to the train station, bought my ticket and boarded the first train north. Within 30 minutes I was in Lund, Sweden, where I walked to quarter mile to the Grand Hotel, my Swedish home for many days over the last several months. The skies were grey and the wind chilly--sad to be wearing a jacket in the later part of June. After checking in, I walked across the street to the Old Bull for their lunch special, a wonderful plate of salmon.



I spent the afternoon preparing for the upcoming client meeting, and then met up with Kevin, my Swedish colleague. We worked through dinner doing final preparation.

Tuesday
This was all day at our clients, sharing findings from a study we had done and making recommendations as to how to best build their services business. Good day, but a long day. We had an early Thai dinner and then went to bed.

Wednesday
Another day chocked full of client work.

Thursday
An early train ride back to Copenhagen to spend the day with another client, helping them introduce a new services offering.

Friday: Midsummer’s Eve
An old pagan tradition, dating back hundred’s of years (before Christianity) is the celebration of Midsummer’s Eve, linked to the summer solstice. Several years ago I was in Sweden at the summer solstice and was introduced to their habits of wearing traditional garb complete with crowns of wildflowers around their heads, dancing a strange dance around a maypole to traditional music, staying outside all day--rain or shine, hot or cold--eating very nasty herring and drinking a very-hard-to-describe snaps. Quite the time. If you get the chance to be invited to someone’s home, jump at the chance--just be careful of the snaps! Click here if you want to learn more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsummer

It is a big deal in Sweden, and today was an official holiday with many people taking time off before and after.

Waiting to board my flight to the States, I took this pic of a good-looking family.



The rest of the day was spent flying. The good news is that I made it to Salt Lake in time for my last flight to Grand Junction. The bad news is that they cancelled the flight due to a mechanical problem. So a complimentary hotel for the night, food voucher, and an emergency bag complete with a range of supplies from toothpaste to a Delta tee shirt. Oh well, so goes traveling.

Saturday: Finally Back to Camp
I took a long walk, cleaned up, had breakfast, and then took the shuttle to the airport. All went well and I arrived on time. Poor light, dirty glass, and a low-resolution iPhone couldn’t stop the Great Salt Lake from being a spectacular sight to fly over.



At the Grand Junction airport I was greeted by sounds of canine excitement and a wagging of tails that rivaled the speed of a Mercedes windshield wiper in a rainstorm. The Pups must have thought I’d been gone for a decade!

After setting my bag down, we quickly retired to the shade by our coach. We sat and chatted with camp personnel and I got a quick shot of Alan the head ranger. Also, I diligently worked trying to capture a butterfly in flight and after a hundred or more shots I finally got one that was acceptable--quick little buggers!









Long week, but a good week.

Pups Across America

Yikes! Nothing this week. I promise to do better next blog.

Headlights

June 26-August 7: We will continue our role as camp hosts at Highline Lake State Park near Loma, CO
September 4-10: Camp with Scott and Deb in Northern Michigan?
September 11-25: Visit Kalamazoo, MI friends and participate in Ribarama
October 16-31: Visit Kentucky friends
November 1: Head back to Pine Island

Have questions or comments--send them in.

Next week should be loaded with pics as we are going to Colorado National Monument a time or two.

Tags: Sweden, Midsummer's Eve, photography

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - Roxie the Boxer and friends
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Sunday: Last Day in Cherry Creek
Today was a quiet day, a little work and a little play with Grandson Austie. We read a few books, played with superhero action figures, and played at the playground and the beach. In the afternoon his Mom and Dad along with Hanna the Pug came over to chat and have dinner. Here is family portrait of Austie’s clan.



Monday: Up and At ‘Em
By 6:05 a.m. we had broke camp and were headed out the state park gates. Our plan, which proved successful, was to skirt through Denver before the normal rush hour traffic--Parker Road to I-225 South to I-25 North to West 6, then on to I-70 West across most of Colorado. I’m not big on traveling on interstates, but this was just a beautiful trip, up and down, and mountains and deserts. After fueling up at Loma, we traveled north and a tad west a few miles to Highline Lake State Park, where we checked in at the visitor center and were greeted and welcomed by the head ranger, Alan.



Soon we were in the campground and set up at Site 7, reserved for camp hosts.

Tuesday: Rookie Camp Hosts
Highline Lake State Park is an oasis of tall trees, green grass, and blue water. It is very attractive to the desert dwellers within a couple hundred miles who are looking to boat on the lake, relax by the beach on the large lawn, or hang out in the shady campground. Alan gave us a succinct rundown on our hosting duties, but our new neighbors, and existing camp hosts, Margie and David, clued us in on how things worked. When on duty wearing our official state park shirts, we have a walkie-talkie to coordinate with the rangers and the visitor center, and a golf cart to patrol the 31-site campground.

Wednesday: Day Two
The weather since we arrived has been just marvelous--mid-80s, slight breeze, and super-low humidity, just a pleasure to be out and about. Although our core tasks are relatively straightforward--be ambassadors to campers; help register, document, and assist changes as required; keep the camp sites tidy; and sell firewood, ice, and worms--the procedures are a little complicated (well, the paperwork side of things, anyway). We just go along, do what we think is best, and confer with Dave and Margie to keep us straight. Little by little as they say.





Thursday: Day Three
This “job” is quite fun! Almost all the campers are good folks, and it is nice to be of assistance. It is a very family-oriented campground with kids and dogs everywhere.

Friday: Day Four
Keri, another volunteer at the visitor center, is a fellow photographer, and she was kind enough to take me around to where the owls hang out, the hawks and falcons nest, and where the bats reside. I’ve had some fun taking shots of a young Great Horned Owl and hope to get a “just right” shot one of these days.



That evening, while addressing an occasional camper request, we sat around a fire with Dave and Margie and just chatted away over ‘smores--living large in Colorado.

Saturday: Day Five
I have been investing quite a few hours doing consulting work this week, especially preparing a big report along with colleague Kevin for a Swedish client. So I spent the majority of the day hunkered down on the computer, packing, and doing odds and ends for breaks.

Ended the day with a campfire dinner with our neighbors--great way to end a great week.

Pups Across America

Check out a few pup shots from the park.

Headlights

June 19-August 7: We will continue our role as camp hosts at Highline Lake State Park near Loma, CO
September 4-10: Camp with Scott and Deb in Northern Michigan?
September 11-25: Visit Kalamazoo, MI friends and participate in Ribarama
October 16 to 31: Visit Kentucky friends
November 1: Head back to Pine Island

Have questions or comments--send them in.

See ya next week!

Tags: Colorado

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - A new pup joins the family
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Sunday: Parked in Paducah
Nice in the morning, but whew, it turned into a hot one! Mid 90s by midday. We headed north out of Clanton on I-6 stopping to fuel up at Birmingham. Back on I-65 North to Nashville picking up 24 West to Paducah. Nice, uneventful trip. After taking five minutes to set up camp at Fern Lake Campground, we took a drive down to “old” Paducah. Lots of old store fronts and homes (at least by American standards), and a drive right along the river, where we viewed an old yellow Lab walking in the water, folks strolling along enjoying the view, and a tugboat pushing along some commerce up to the dock. Worth spending some time there in the future.



Monday: Best-Laid Plans
After thinking through our travel options, I decided to get a little off the beaten bath and take a leisurely ride across beautiful south Missouri—driving through the Ozarks, passing through Mark Twain National Forest, and setting up camp at Branson for a couple of days in this popular resort area. I had work to do and phone calls to make on Tuesday, and although doable on the road, it is easier sitting at my desk inside of BERT. I scoped out potential camping spots and went on both the AT&T and Verizon websites to confirm good mobile signals. We set this plan in motion by heading on 60 West, a flat, straight, four-lane road that soon turned into a still flat, more-curvy, two-lane road. Jan had to slow BERT down a tad and pay a little more attention to the terrain, but it was worthwhile, as we drove through some interesting and colorful farmland. However, within an hour from our start, Jan was confronted with passing over a very tall, very old, very narrow, and very scary two-lane bridge over the very high, very wide, and very muddy Mississippi River. As expected, Jan did a fine job of sharing the bridge with oncoming 18-wheelers and we crossed safely. This was a dramatic view of the results of the heavy rains that had inundated much of the country.

Immediately after crossing the bridge we came to a stop sign. The arrow for 60 West pointed to our left, but luckily we looked ahead on our intended route and about a quarter mile ahead was a sign stating “road closed.” Bummer. With no other option available, we turned right instead, heading to Cairo on route 62, and as the GPS voices like to say, we started “recalculating.” From there we took bumpy I-57 North into Illinois and at Mt. Vernon, we picked up I-64 West. At St. Louis we finally made our entry into Missouri and traveled all the way to Columbia on I-70. Here we set up camp at Cottonwoods RV Park in the hot late afternoon.



Tuesday: Option Two is a No-Go
As I mentioned, I wanted to stay at a campground for a couple days since I had five phone calls scheduled, and it looked like this park in Columbia would work fine…I could work in peace while Jan could take the car and check out this college town of 100,000 people.

Alas, the Verizon signal was poor (I need Verizon so that my MiFi provides Internet access) and AT&T for my phone was spotty as well. Reluctantly, we got back in the bus, Jan driving and me in the navigator chair. My first business call was a no show, so no problem. My second went well as the AT&T signal was strong and consistent. However, as we started heading west on I-70, further and further away from Kansas City, the AT&T signal waned in and out—not at all what their signal map showed! My third call with long-time (and tolerant) friend Bruce was a little embarrassing, as the connection was dropped twice and there were several missed phrases that had to be repeated. With that I decided to reschedule my next call. Bummer.

Most of the drive all day was with 20 to 30 mile-per-hour winds with the occasional gust of 40, and the day was hot, but the traffic was light and the road was good for the most part. Mid-afternoon I started looking for places to camp, and after many studious minutes I decided to hunt for a state park. At I-70 marker 135 (Ogallah) we turned south on 147 for the 20 miles to Cedar Bluff State Park at Ellis, Kansas, adjoining the Cedar Bluff Reservoir. After checking in at park headquarters, we were told to go to the Wagon Rut Campground and select the spot of our desires. The place looked about 15 percent full and had several gorgeous pull-through lots to choose from, all with water and 50-amp service. After setting up and taking the Pups for a short walk in the windy, 95-degree weather, we spent the rest of the time inside.







Wednesday: Out on the Prairie
About 5:45 a.m. we all headed out for a pre-dawn hike. I had my camera and bear spray (didn’t anticipate any bears, but coyotes and other critters were around), and Jan had the two Little Ones on leashes. We saw deer, rabbits, lots of birds, and a cute toad as we walked along the prairie grasses and down by the shore of the water. The weather was a perfect 70 degrees with no wind. The Pups had a blast running in the sand among the foliage and chasing a rabbit or two along the way. As we ended our trek we met a man and his twin sons who had recently moved to the area from Texas. After our hour-and-a-half walk, we came back in for breakfast. Jan cleaned up while I had a business call. Late morning we back-tracked, heading north on 147 then back west on I-70. It was still windy, but partly pushing instead of pulling us, and it was warm, not simmering hot. Pleasant drive with light traffic.





Sticking to our “off the beaten path” routine, we decided to try another state park, this time in Colorado. Hence, we took I-70 all the way through Kansas and turned right in Colorado onto 385 for 22 miles. We turned right at the Papa’s Bait and Tackle store and drove for four miles on a washboard dirt road until checking in and setting up camp at Bonny Lake State Park. Interestingly, this state park will cease to exist in October. Based upon some old Colorado/Kansas water agreement, they will “pull the plug” on the reservoir and that will end the state park. Kind of sad. However, I bought the last T-shirt.



Mid-afternoon we took a walk around the campground and the park and down to the reservoir. We sat outside in the warm but pleasant weather and I took a few shots of some nesting swallows. Great day.





Thursday: Birds Galore
For the first time on this trip, we had the luxury of staying in the same place more than one night. My morning started with a 6 a.m. business call, but by 7:30 all of us were out in the chilly (can you believe it?) 55-degree weather. We took a long walk across the park spotting a variety of birds from wild turkeys, cedar waxwings, finches, robins, swallows, bluebirds, blackbirds, crows, doves, yellow-headed blackbirds, red-headed woodpeckers, and so on. As we walked and the Pups prowled, we were serenaded by a stereoscopic cacophony of bird songs of all varieties. Jan started a fire and we sat around it drinking coffee and enjoying nature’s music.





I got my work done during the middle of the day, and by late afternoon we were ready to explore again taking a slow drive throughout the park. With both Pups on my lap sticking their heads out the window, it was a little difficult to photograph, but one must make personal concessions when on a family outing.



The good news is that we brought along our bird field guide; the bad news is that it is for the Eastern U.S. Anyone know the name of this mystery bird? If so, please let us know.



Friday: The New “Car House”
I got up early in the noiseless campground (except for the endless melody of our avian friends) to prepare for a morning coaching call with a client. Later after coffee at 5:30 a.m., the whole family went for our morning stroll down to the water and across the prairie. After my 7 a.m. call, we broke camp and were back on the road, this time turning right at Papa’s joint, north on 385, then east on 36 through farm and ranch country for about 150 miles until merging onto I-70 West, then south on I-225 to our campground at Cherry Creek State Park right in Denver.





Soon after setting up camp and preparing for the evening festivities, our grandson, Austin, and his mom and dad, Kelly and AJ, pulled into our campsite. We had a camping birthday party for Austie (he turned four in May), complete with campfire hot dogs and s’mores. Now that is living large. I was quite pleased that Austin said he liked our new “car house.” He has his own man cave (or bat cave depending on what is his latest wardrobe attire) complete with DVD player and headphones.







Saturday
Another busy day. After doing walks and work, we took Austie for his T-ball practice. What a hoot! The Little Man hits the ball well, but doesn’t have much interest in the field! Sorry to have to miss his first game next Saturday.









Back at camp, Jan, the Pups, Batman, and I drove around the park, getting out here and there and checking things out. More walks, a campfire, and all went to bed early after a busy day.

Pups Across America

Check out Austie’s new pug, Hanna, and take a look at a pic of Jerry and Mitzy.

Headlights

June 12: Cherry Creek State Park, Denver
June 13-August 7: We will be camp hosts at Highline Lake State Park near Loma, CO
September 4-10: Camp with Scott and Deb in Northern Michigan?
September 23-25: Visit Kalamazoo, Michigan friends and participate in Ribarama
October 16-31: Visit Kentucky friends
November 1: Head back to Pine Island

Have questions or comments? Send them in.

See ya next week!

Tags: Bird photography

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - Jessie Jane and friends
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

The motorhome is in motion, the Pups are settled on the sofa, I’m in the navigator chair mulling over maps, and Jan is cruising in the captain’s chair--Motoring Across America 2011 has begun!

We’ve spent the last several weeks (maybe months) in “P&P&P mode” (pondering, planning, and prepping, that is). Our Island home is hurricane ready and under the watchful eye of friend, Jan. We left Neighbor Bill in charge of Date Street. The rest of Pine Island will have to fend for itself!

After much deliberation, we traded our old faithful coach BALY (Big A** Land Yacht) for BERT (Big Expensive Road Traveler). She’s a beauty...long and wide, a resort on wheels but also a mobile productivity center. She strolls down the highway with style and panache!

Saturday, June 4: Heading North

At 10:30 in the morning our road trip started. Jan piloted BERT through the gates of the Lazydays dealership and onto Interstate 75 North. Warm and sunny--a pleasant way on a perfect day to start this year’s discovery journey. At Tifton, Georgia, we turned west on US 82, a flat and smooth four-lane road. Gorgeous green farmlands and fields complete with grazing cattle and horses. At Montgomery, Alabama, Jan turned BERT north on I-65. After a 500-mile day, we spent the night at Dandy’s RV Park and Sales, just off I-65 on the outskirts of Clanton.

Pups Across America

While at Auntie’s in Apopka, right before launch, I had the chance to take a few pup pics. Here is an image of Jessie Jane and one with her family...what a cutie she is. Also, here is a shot of her best friend, Chief. Finally I have a shot of both Jerry and Mitzy.

Headlights

June 5-9: Travelin’
June 10-11: Visit our grandson, Austin, near Denver at Cherry Creek State Park
June 13- August 7: We will be camp hosts at Highline Lake State Park near Loma, Colorado
September 4-10: Camp with Scott and Deb in Northern Michigan?
September 23-25: Visit Kalamazoo, Michigan friends and participate in Ribarama
October 16-31: Visit Kentucky friends
November 1: Head back to Pine Island

Have questions or comments? Send them in.

See ya next week!

Bird Photos
Early in the week I captured images of a cranky Osprey and a good-looking mystery bird. If you know what it is, please let me know.





6:00 AM Royal Wedding Party
Friday morning Jan hosted a distinguished group of ladies to celebrate the royal wedding. Here are a few pics. Note the bridal veils and tailored hats.





















Pups Across America
Check out “Princess Mitzy” who attended the royal party as well.



Motoring Across America 2011
We are pleased to announce that our motorhome, BALY (along with Mitzy, Jerry, Jan, and yours truly), will be heading off the Island on June 1.

I hope you can join us!

Tags: Royal Wedding

On to DC
I spent a couple of days in DC for work the week of April 10, but I had time for a few photos. Here is one of a woodpecker and a young eagle from the St. James Creek Preserve.






Springtime in Sweden
I spent the week of April 17 either traveling to/from or working in Southern Sweden. During my last two trips the weather was nasty, but spring finally sprung when I arrived. The staff at the Grand Hotel where I stay was kind enough to give me a room on the top floor with a small patio. Here is a shot of my “avian roommate” and a couple other photos taken off the patio.







Easter Break
In Sweden they take their time off seriously, and “officially” everyone is off from midday Thursday until Tuesday morning. Friday, my last morning there, I was out at dawn trying to capture some of the budding trees and flowers. Since many folks were in party mode the night before, it was pretty quiet. Here are a few photos of nature waking up.









Hotel Menu
Finally, I couldn’t resist taking a picture of the holiday special menu being served. Nothing like lukewarm scallop, smoked cottage cheese, white dead nettle, and mustard-glazed wild boar with carrots and sage to get your attention. All for $70! By the way, I have no idea what sea buckhorn, nettle juice, or sorrel is.



See you soon.

Tags: Sweden