Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Even Gangsters are touched by nature's beautty
Yellowstone National Park. Justin was trying to secretly videotape this streetwise gang member from L.A. But then he got a little too close. The gang member asked him where the falls were. And the funny thing is that the gang member was standing right in front of them. When Justin pointed in the direction of the falls, the gang member turned around and looked, and dropped his jaw! He was so smitten by nature's beauty, he couldn't even pause to thank Justin. Instead, he just kept staring at the falls! What a moment! Glad Justin caught it on tape.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Summer Vacation 2010 Part 5
Day 10:
Visited Badlands National Park and continued south to Colorado Springs. My mother-in-law described the Badlands better than anyone, I think. She says it’s like driving on the moon. If you want to see the Badlands featured in a movie, look at the opening scenes in Jurassic Park. Some people camp at the Badlands, but I prefer places like the Tetons and Yellowstone. Nevertheless, we just had to see this strange and wonderful park, because we’re not up this direction too often. On the way to Colorado Springs, two coyotes crossed the road in front of us. Pretty neat.
Day 11:
OK, I’m caught up and typing in the present tense, as I sit in the passenger seat while Justin drives. But what is there to say? We have a 9-hour trip to Lubbock. Woo Hoo. The mountains to the West of us are nice. About to go through Pueblo, Colorado. I have fond memories of tent camping at a KOA there when my dad took us to the Tetons in 1977!
Day 12:
Just got home after traveling from Lubbock. Stopped in Llano along the way to visit some friends. Overall, an easy day of travel. It's been a wonderful vacation. Now for the unpacking! I must say that we were blessed with great weather just about the whole time we were gone. It was a whirlwind, but a family vacation we will all remember for some time.
Visited Badlands National Park and continued south to Colorado Springs. My mother-in-law described the Badlands better than anyone, I think. She says it’s like driving on the moon. If you want to see the Badlands featured in a movie, look at the opening scenes in Jurassic Park. Some people camp at the Badlands, but I prefer places like the Tetons and Yellowstone. Nevertheless, we just had to see this strange and wonderful park, because we’re not up this direction too often. On the way to Colorado Springs, two coyotes crossed the road in front of us. Pretty neat.
Day 11:
OK, I’m caught up and typing in the present tense, as I sit in the passenger seat while Justin drives. But what is there to say? We have a 9-hour trip to Lubbock. Woo Hoo. The mountains to the West of us are nice. About to go through Pueblo, Colorado. I have fond memories of tent camping at a KOA there when my dad took us to the Tetons in 1977!
Day 12:
Just got home after traveling from Lubbock. Stopped in Llano along the way to visit some friends. Overall, an easy day of travel. It's been a wonderful vacation. Now for the unpacking! I must say that we were blessed with great weather just about the whole time we were gone. It was a whirlwind, but a family vacation we will all remember for some time.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Summer Vacation 2010 Part 4
Day 8:
This day was for travelling. We went to Hill City, South Dakota, which took all day. Travelled through Cody, Wyoming, which is the rodeo capitol of the world. The most beautiful parts of the drive were also the parts that slowed our progress: the mountains, which we had on the west side of the state, as well as the east. But I love the mountains, so I’m not complaining. Saw several mule deer in the eastern part of the state.
Day 9:
Today we saw the Crazy Horse Memorial and Mount Rushmore! Between the two parks, we drove through Custer State Park, where a buffalo stepped in the road in front of us and just stayed there. Leslie, who was driving, obviously stopped the car, as well. I leaned out the window to take a picture. You gotta know we were like 5 feet away from this huge mammal. From the backseat, Justin could only say “for the love of God, would you please back up?!?”
Unlike Yellowstone and the Tetons, I had never been to these great American tourist sites. Crowded at both attractions, but a wonderful experience, overall. These rock sculptures take years to complete, with lots of dynamite! The horse alone at the Crazy Horse memorial will take 10 to 15 more years to complete. And did you know that Mount Rushmore was never completed? It’s OK, though. I can’t imagine it looking any other way, can you?
It’s one thing to see pictures of these great monoliths, but nothing compares to being there. “Huge” doesn’t even come close to describing these things. To give you some perspective, sculpturing Mount Rushmore began in the 1920s and took 14 years. Crazy Horse, which is much larger, was begun in the late 1940s. The stories behind these great works of art are incredibly interesting, and worth looking up.
We saw a mountain goat while we were at Mount Rushmore. And we saw an introductory video about wildlife in the park. The narrator talked about the very common mule deer, as opposed to the rare sighting of white tail deer. “Ha!” I thought. “Just visit my front yard. You’ll be able to see all the white tail deer you want!”
This day was for travelling. We went to Hill City, South Dakota, which took all day. Travelled through Cody, Wyoming, which is the rodeo capitol of the world. The most beautiful parts of the drive were also the parts that slowed our progress: the mountains, which we had on the west side of the state, as well as the east. But I love the mountains, so I’m not complaining. Saw several mule deer in the eastern part of the state.
Day 9:
Today we saw the Crazy Horse Memorial and Mount Rushmore! Between the two parks, we drove through Custer State Park, where a buffalo stepped in the road in front of us and just stayed there. Leslie, who was driving, obviously stopped the car, as well. I leaned out the window to take a picture. You gotta know we were like 5 feet away from this huge mammal. From the backseat, Justin could only say “for the love of God, would you please back up?!?”
Unlike Yellowstone and the Tetons, I had never been to these great American tourist sites. Crowded at both attractions, but a wonderful experience, overall. These rock sculptures take years to complete, with lots of dynamite! The horse alone at the Crazy Horse memorial will take 10 to 15 more years to complete. And did you know that Mount Rushmore was never completed? It’s OK, though. I can’t imagine it looking any other way, can you?
It’s one thing to see pictures of these great monoliths, but nothing compares to being there. “Huge” doesn’t even come close to describing these things. To give you some perspective, sculpturing Mount Rushmore began in the 1920s and took 14 years. Crazy Horse, which is much larger, was begun in the late 1940s. The stories behind these great works of art are incredibly interesting, and worth looking up.
We saw a mountain goat while we were at Mount Rushmore. And we saw an introductory video about wildlife in the park. The narrator talked about the very common mule deer, as opposed to the rare sighting of white tail deer. “Ha!” I thought. “Just visit my front yard. You’ll be able to see all the white tail deer you want!”
Summer Vacation 2010 Part 3
Day 7:
I kept telling my family that we had a long drive ahead of us, and this was the day. I’m not talking about driving across a state. I’m talking about just driving the grand loop of Yellowstone. Because we stopped to visit the various sites along the way, this loop took us 11 hours to complete! So we began our journey about 9:30 in the morning, traveling clockwise.
First, we came to the Old Faithful, the most famous feature of the park. We were lucky that we arrived about 15 minutes before the next eruption was to occur. So we raced to find a place among the thousand or so other visitors that were there at the time. Sure enough, it went off right on time. I don’t know all the math and science that goes into predicting the time of the eruptions, but I respect the people who take care of it for the rest of us!
Next, we visited Grand Prismatic Spring, another hydrothermal feature, with water the color of deep blues and greens, as well as mixtures of orange, red, and yellow along the edges. Like the Marfa lights in Texas, this is just hard to describe. You really must see this for yourself. Or, if you like, look it up on the internet.
Our next stop, Mammoth Hot Springs, is also hard to describe. The area looks like cave formations, except on the earth’s surface, and the smell of sulpher is almost overwhelming. Very cool site, though. Following this, we went to the place that gave Yellowstone its name: the waterfalls and the canyon. This particular canyon really does have a yellow-colored stone. Imagine that? And the upper and lower falls are majestic! After visiting the falls, we went back to our room and crashed.
Along the road on this trip, we saw a grizzly bear and her two cubs, as well as a black bear. Wow! These animal sightings made the trip that much more special.
I kept telling my family that we had a long drive ahead of us, and this was the day. I’m not talking about driving across a state. I’m talking about just driving the grand loop of Yellowstone. Because we stopped to visit the various sites along the way, this loop took us 11 hours to complete! So we began our journey about 9:30 in the morning, traveling clockwise.
First, we came to the Old Faithful, the most famous feature of the park. We were lucky that we arrived about 15 minutes before the next eruption was to occur. So we raced to find a place among the thousand or so other visitors that were there at the time. Sure enough, it went off right on time. I don’t know all the math and science that goes into predicting the time of the eruptions, but I respect the people who take care of it for the rest of us!
Next, we visited Grand Prismatic Spring, another hydrothermal feature, with water the color of deep blues and greens, as well as mixtures of orange, red, and yellow along the edges. Like the Marfa lights in Texas, this is just hard to describe. You really must see this for yourself. Or, if you like, look it up on the internet.
Our next stop, Mammoth Hot Springs, is also hard to describe. The area looks like cave formations, except on the earth’s surface, and the smell of sulpher is almost overwhelming. Very cool site, though. Following this, we went to the place that gave Yellowstone its name: the waterfalls and the canyon. This particular canyon really does have a yellow-colored stone. Imagine that? And the upper and lower falls are majestic! After visiting the falls, we went back to our room and crashed.
Along the road on this trip, we saw a grizzly bear and her two cubs, as well as a black bear. Wow! These animal sightings made the trip that much more special.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Summer Vacation 2010 Part 2
Day 5:
It was nice waking up in the Tetons. I came here with my family when I was a young teen back in 1977, and then again in 1979. So it's been a long time since I've seen these mountains. I woke before the rest of the family and went to have breakfast at the lodge. Someone yelled that they saw a grizzly out the large windows that face the mountains. So I hurried over there, and borrowed the guy's binoculars. Sure enough, out in the field was this grizzly looking for breakfast among an elk herd.
On this day we hiked in the Rockefeller Preserve in the south end of the park. The destination was a very nice glacial lake. We stuck our tired feet in the water, which was refreshing. On the hike back from the lake, we followed a creek all the way down, crossing it several times on walking bridges that offered magnificent views of the clear flowing water, as well as the mountains directly above us.
After hiking, we went to stay in a cabin at Colter Bay, on the northern end of the park. Has anyone ever told you that the driving distances in these national parks! That's OK, though. It allows us to slow down and take in the beauty. Saw a herd of buffalo grazing by the side of the road on the way back. I forgot to mention we saw a couple of female moose grazing by the river the day before. We all really enjoy seeing the animals.
Day 6:
It was time to go north to Yellowstone National Park, which almost borders the Tetons, except for about 8 miles in the middle. We set up "camp" at one of the rooms in Grant Village, named after President Ulysses S. Grant, who established Yellowstone as the world's first national park in 1872. Since the West Thumb hydrothermal features were a couple of miles down the road, we visited them. These pools of hot to boiling water are the strangest sights in the park, and something to see at least once in your life. That evening we enjoyed a Ranger talk at the visitor center.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Summer Vacation 2010 Part 1
Day 1:
After a wonderful 4th of July service at our church, Justin, Faith, and I, hit the road. Leslie was to join us later, as she was flying up to meet us. We made it to Lubbock, where we tent camped next to a local lake. The problem was that our neighbor thought it was important to play loud, blaring music all night. So at 11:30 p.m. I told Justin and Faith that it was time to go find a hotel, which we did! We had to get our sleep because we had a long drive ahead of us.
Day 2:
We made it to Estes Park, CO, where we tent camped at their KOA. We got pretty cold that evening, even though our sleeping bags are rated to withstand the cold. It was nice to finally be in the mountains.
Day 3:
Began the day by driving through Rocky Mountain National Park. Justin drove the whole way, and I didn't even pass out. Saw some elk in the park. The highest point in the park was about 12,500 feet above sea level! Saw some Amish people too. But they live in lower altitudes, as well. After leaving the park, we were on our way to Dubois, WY, where we stayed in another KOA. But this time we stayed in one of their little cabins because the weather report said it was going down to 38 degrees during the night.
Day 4:
Made it to our first destination about 10 a.m: Grand Teton National Park. Justin, Faith, and I went to Jenny Lake and hiked up to Inspiration Point. This was the first of a couple of hikes we took up there. And it was beautiful! Next we went to Jackson Hole Airport to pick Leslie up from her flight. While waiting for Leslie, U.S. Senator Harry Reid walked by with a small entourage of secret service men. They were all in suits. Now if the senator wanted to enjoy the Tetons, he needed to dress down a bit. There's no way I would go on a hike while wearing a suit and tie.
We were very happy to have Leslie join us. After picking her up, we drove down to Jackson Hole, ate at a nice restaurant, and drove back to the park, where we enjoyed a night at the Jackson Lake Lodge.
More to come in Part 2 of our Summer Vacation.
After a wonderful 4th of July service at our church, Justin, Faith, and I, hit the road. Leslie was to join us later, as she was flying up to meet us. We made it to Lubbock, where we tent camped next to a local lake. The problem was that our neighbor thought it was important to play loud, blaring music all night. So at 11:30 p.m. I told Justin and Faith that it was time to go find a hotel, which we did! We had to get our sleep because we had a long drive ahead of us.
Day 2:
We made it to Estes Park, CO, where we tent camped at their KOA. We got pretty cold that evening, even though our sleeping bags are rated to withstand the cold. It was nice to finally be in the mountains.
Day 3:
Began the day by driving through Rocky Mountain National Park. Justin drove the whole way, and I didn't even pass out. Saw some elk in the park. The highest point in the park was about 12,500 feet above sea level! Saw some Amish people too. But they live in lower altitudes, as well. After leaving the park, we were on our way to Dubois, WY, where we stayed in another KOA. But this time we stayed in one of their little cabins because the weather report said it was going down to 38 degrees during the night.
Day 4:
Made it to our first destination about 10 a.m: Grand Teton National Park. Justin, Faith, and I went to Jenny Lake and hiked up to Inspiration Point. This was the first of a couple of hikes we took up there. And it was beautiful! Next we went to Jackson Hole Airport to pick Leslie up from her flight. While waiting for Leslie, U.S. Senator Harry Reid walked by with a small entourage of secret service men. They were all in suits. Now if the senator wanted to enjoy the Tetons, he needed to dress down a bit. There's no way I would go on a hike while wearing a suit and tie.
We were very happy to have Leslie join us. After picking her up, we drove down to Jackson Hole, ate at a nice restaurant, and drove back to the park, where we enjoyed a night at the Jackson Lake Lodge.
More to come in Part 2 of our Summer Vacation.
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