Happy New Year

Lydia is always ready for an adventure

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - We've put 2013 into the books.  Now on to thinking and planning for adventures and travels in 2014.  Of course, we're about five months away from any major expeditions but it's always fun to look ahead.

Christmas Day

Sunrise on the Halifax, but too late for the really good color.

Seagull version of a Christmas ballet

This Great Egret is starting to show the delicate breeding plumage

White Christmas?? Only in dream time

ORMOND BEACH, FL - -   The tourists are loving our Florida weather.  It's been great for the past few days.  Right now it's sunny;  85-degrees;  quite breezy with gusts to 20mph.  Love it while you can.  Our OB forecast for Christmas calls for some rainy weather with a high of 65-degrees.  But we're not complaining.
     We'll be home in OB this year rather than taking our usual winter camping trip to Fort DeSoto Park near St. Pete.  So, instead of getting rained on and blown around over there we'll be getting rained on and blown around over here.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Let's go hunting

Green heron watching, waiting...

on alert and ready to go...

breakfast.  Now, how do I swallow this?

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - We spotted this Green Heron in the Spring and were waiting for him/her to return.  We know the location of the hiding place, but it nearly always takes careful examination to spot if anyone is home. 

Making waves

Mr. Merganser followed by Mrs. M. zip along in Merritt Island NWR

This Osprey was resting on a limb, preparing to have a fish lunch.  Then we came along.

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - A Tuesday get away to Merritt Island NWR provided few good photo opportunities.  We did spot some feral pigs 'snouting' around in the bushes plus a lot of the usual suspects.  They all seemed to be aware that if they stayed far enough away that we could recognize them but not get good pics.

Audubon Center for Birds of Prey

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - The Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland proved to be a very interesting place to visit.  Like other raptor centers we've visited,  their main function is to receive and care for injured birds.  Unlike most other facilities the Audubon Center has a large hospital / care center which is easily viewed through large windows.  Where possible the injured birds are "repaired" and then after substantial observation and "testing" released back into the wild.  When a severe or crippling injury leaves the bird deemed unable to sustain itself in the wild again, the bird (like the Bald Eagle, above) remains in the sanctuary.
      In addition to info plaques on the housing areas, visitors receive a laminated book describing each species including name/injury/other interesting facts about the bird.  There are also exterior perches for some of the better known raptors which allow photography ...with patience and the cooperation of the bird.
      

Watching and waiting

Lydia gets her beach chair ready

We see cruisers of all types

...plus a variety of catamarans and sail boats

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - About mid-November  the snowbirds with boats plus plenty of money  head to South Florida or the Caribbean for some or all of the winter months.   Quite a few hire a captain (and crew) to do the "Boring and time consuming" job of actually getting the boat to its destination.   In any case the daily procession provides great viewing, especially since we live one block off the Intracoastal Waterway (the Halifax River in our neck of the woods).  Grab a beach chair, a windbreaker, binoculars, a camera, snacks and settle in.

SSDD

Colorful wall mural in Manatou Springs, CO

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - We've been home a month.  We've hit all our favorite restaurants. We've ridden around town to check on the changes while we were away (not many).  We've been subjected to summertime temperatures when it should be cooling off.  We've watched the down river migration of the wealthy toward destinations in Coral Gables or Miami or The Keys for winter vacation.  We haven't been 'on the road' since getting home.  We're getting itchy to go again.

Whooo

You'd look grumpy too if you were a Horned Owl with no where to go.

Hey, what's a Snowy Owl to do without snow???

So what if I use a little mousse on my top feathers?  I think it looks cool.

ST.LOUIS, MO - - Colorado is a long way behind us as is Kansas.  We're in St. Louis, MO  for a visit and then it's on to Florida.  While here we checked out the World Bird Sanctuary.  This is mainly a rescue home/rehab for injured birds.  Most birds were in enclosures, but a few were tethered in the open...and ready to pose.

Cactus and clouds

Looks good, but don't touch.

Windy cloud pattterns.

FLORENCE, CO - -  Somehow at the end of our trip today we found ourselves on the "Iron Bar Trail."  Concertina wire on top of high fences and observation towers / guard towers at the corners are always a give-away.  First we passed a local corrections facility in Canon; then it was a unit of the Colorado State Pen. system.  Finally, we found a nice motel for the night off the beaten path...and less than a mile from the maximum security United States Federal Pen. outside Florence. 
     You've got to be one nasty piece of work to land in  max security...in general terms most prisoners never see another facility; spend 23 hours a day in lock-down; will potentially spend a lot of time in solitary confinement; have little interaction with other prisoners or guards and get very few privileges.
     

Funny thing

A large ranch on the road to Wolf Creek Pass.

Steller's Jay actually sitting still...for a moment or two at least.

ALAMOSA, CO - - A couple of things we saw on our drive from Durango to Alamosa show that people in Colorado have a (strange) sense of humor.  The first was a large plastic or inflatable shark in a small pond in someone's front yard;  then there was the opinion painted on a grain silo: "Bush / Cheney in '14."   Also we came through a slight snow shower which, fortunately was headed in the opposite direction of our travel. 

Scenes from the High Country between Ouray and Durango, CO

Fall colors and snow on the mountains

More color and a 'babbling brook.'

Red Mountain and the silent red mountain mine

DURANGO, CO

Time in Telluride

Main Street looking towards the end of the road and Bridal Veil Falls.

Free gondola rides give the visitor another view of Telluride

The "Cool Bus" was parked on Main.  It probably has a bit mor room than our "Magic Bus."

TELLURIDE, CO - - As Lydia's blog (see link on this page) reveals when the government put locks on the National Parks we zipped out of Moab, UT.   Telluride has everything you could think of if you are looking for a neat mountain town.  Its my number one pick for having the most spectacular views of and from main street.  Here, we are surrounded by 10,000' mountains with a few creeping upward to 13,500'.  If you want to be at the end of the (paved) road, then this is your place also.  There are enough coffee shops, funky saloons and characters to give the place flavor and enough trophy homes to know it has been discovered.  Our time here has been quigte peaceful, but dump some snow on the ski slopes the area is know for and it's jam packed with activity.

Stupid people tricks

A European couple who probably don't know the National Parks will close the next day take photos near a 1,000' drop off in Canyonlands NP  (Moab Utah).

Catch up, version 9/29

If you have too much time on your hands, you build 'art cars.'

In Goldfield, NV the 'art cars' only draw stares from outsiders.

Who are you calling FAT!

Quiet!  I'm trying to take a nap

Quiet!  I'm trying to carry on a conversation here.

GREEN RIVER, UT - - On down the road:  Goldfield, NV to Bryce Canyon NP to Zion NP and now on to Moab, UT and Arches NP.  Within the last few summers we've been to all these places at least once.  So, no need to detail things.  The above photos are but a few of many which, I'm sure, if I checked past years' photo files I would find something similiar.

We've been here before

Rabbit brush or rabbit weed.  The pollen is guaranteed to make you sneeze and your eyes itch.

Mono Lake with the Eastern Sierra range in the background

Artsy tufa

GOLDFIELD, NV - - Welcome to the land of rabbit brush.  This weed's pollen, combined with the nearly constant windy conditions here, is one of the only things which sets my allergies raging.
     Before leaving Lee Vining,  we took time to (again) visit an area of Mono (moe-noe) Lake which we like.  The tufa 'sculptures' there share a common trait with what we saw at Yellowstone's Mammoth Hot Springs.  Both are created from calcium carbonate.  In Yellowstone, the creation is done by hot water where in Mono the results are from the evaporation of the lake's cold, very salty water.  Costly and very fancy travertine tile can be created from the hot water version.

Yosemite's Tioga Pass in black & white

Wind burn at 9,900'

Dead fall

Brush back

Snow?? Really??

Today's weather mix: rain, wind, fog, snow

KLAMATH FALLS, OR - - We took off from the Oregon coast this morning in hopes of finding a change in the weather.  We did.  Only it wasn't what we expected.  Our scenic route took us to Crater Lake NP.  The lake is a stunning blue on a sunny day.  We aren't sure what the color was today as we couldn't see the lake from this lookout view point or any other. 
     Those white patches on the wall next to the 'magic bus' are snow.  At 7,000' altitude you sometimes expect this so we weren't totally surprised.  Although we didn't stick around to see if there would be more. 

Hazy daze

Foggy bluff.  Yaquina Head

A roiling ocean paints design on lava rocks.

A shrimper / crabber heads out from Newport, OR

KLAMATH FALLS, OR - - Rain, the chnce of more rain and just plain nasty weather have driven us to another motel.  Although last night we stayed in a campground.  Things were fine until about 4:30am when the rain started.

Shell game

Bay Center oyster boats in 'work' mode

"Retired" 

NEWPORT, WA - - The weather has turned misty since we got our new tires on the Magic Bus and headed toward Oregon.  Friday, we stopped at a favorite campground: the Willapa Bay KOA.  The nearby town, such as it is, likes to be known as "oyster capital of the world."  Not too sure about that, but there are huge piles of oyster shells near the Bay Center harbor.
     We were in luck with the KOA since it was a 'stay Friday and Saturday night is free.'  You can't complain about the price which ended up being $22 total after using some of my KOA reward points.
     Saturday, the town was holding Bay Center Day with a big yard sale, some arts and crafts booths and a lunch buffet with plenty of food and even more dessert options.  So, for $8 each, we stuffed ourselves.
     Sunday we awoke to the sound of thunder and the usual misty conditions.  We packed up and headed down the road.  Conditions didn't get much better and, by this afternoon, we had decided it was time to stay in a dry motel room.  So, after 111 consecutive nights in campgrounds, we are cozy, dry and watching NFL football.

BC to Washington State

Early morning fog on the Sooke River

Look closely for the seagull sitting atop the radar dome

 

 

ANACORDES, WA - - Where have we been the past few days?  We wandered around the southern tip of Vancouver Island and spent a night in Sooke along a small river where we saw more wildlife in four hours than we had in the past two weeks.  Of course, everything showed up with perfect timing...meaning we're here but you won't get any good pictures.  There were flocks of Canada Geese honking as they flew back and forth; two swans, at least two otters; two black bears (on the other side of the 'river')and some Northern Shoveler ducks. 
     Later that day, we took a BC Ferry to Anacordes, WA and have been here three days. Leaving British Columbia, Canada and landing in the U.S. is a bit like going back to Wal-Mart after having been shopping in the high price zone.  Example:  BC gs is$5.00 a gallon; now we are paying $3.59 and happy. We've been in Anacordes  before and blogged about it from our favorite coffee hangout...Gere-a-Deli...and that's where we are now.
     After 35,000 miles it's time to replace the tires on the Magic Bus.  Yesterday we headed to the closest VW dealer to see if they could get the tires we wanted.  We were in luck, so today it's back to VW land and new tires.
     After leaving the dealer yesterday, we decided to see what the 'historic downtown' of La Conner.  It was pretty neat with a lot of fishing boats lining the dock areas.  The clam chowder was good as were Lydia's 'steamers'...steamed clams in butter and garlic with onions and peppers plus garlic bread.
     Later today it will be time for another ferry ride taking us to Port Townsend (WA) and the Olympic NP peninsula.  The trip continues down the Washington coast to Oregon.

Mostly blue skies in Tofino

A not-so-wild lighthouse in Ucluelet

A charter boat worker cleans the catch as a seagull waits ready to alert his buddies

TOFINO, BC, CAN - - We've moved on about 30 miles from Ucluelet to Tofino.  This is another end-of-the-road place, but with resort-like aspirations.  You can tell that from the prices.  We're not in a campground, but in a 'camping resort'.  The place is spacious; we have wi-fi at our site; there's free firewood and "free coffee" in the morning.  However, the Magic Bus does look a little out of place among all the big, bigger and really big motor homes. 
     There were also cabins with fire places and a water front view.  I was afraid to ask what they went for.
     Before leaving Ucluelet, we checked out the lighthouse.  It turned out to be a very short version of what we're used to seeing.  The lighthouse was built in 1906 and named after the (British) naval war ship H.M.S. Amphitrite.  In 1988, the lighthouse was switched to automated operation.
     In Tofino, we found a waterfront place for lunch.  It came complete with entertainment...A guy cleaning the catch from a charter fishing boat and plenty of seagulls hoping for some scraps.