HAPPY NEW YEAR

Wyoming's Beartooth Mountains

More vacation pics

Prancing in the waves.  Pass-A-Grille

Way too close to the trail.  Circle B Bar Reserve

Merry Christmas

Kite boarding

Synchronized flying, American White Pelican-style

Sunset on the Gulf

And Santa on the beach

PASS-A-GRILLE, FL  - -  We're back...in Pass-A-Grille that is.  For Christmas.  And to find  more birds like we saw/photographed about 10 days ago.  But Mother Nature had other ideas.  It was too windy for most of the birds, but not for the brave souls who enjoy kite boarding.  It was cloudy.  We had rain.  Luckily mostly at night.  We still managed to have a good time.

Splash!

Reddish Egret having a splashing good time near a Fort DeSoto beach.

Skimmers in the wind..and one good Tern

Skimmers face into the wind, but there's always the odd one...and a gull

This Tern is catching a face full of breeze and looking for his buddies.

PASS-A-GRILLE, FL - - Most birds handle a windy day the same:  First: hunker down with your face into the wind.  Then pretty soon they will turn their heads halfway around and bury their beaks in their feathers to keep warm.

Sunrise on Tampa Bay

A freighter glides under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge just before sunrise.

Santa on the water

Christmas lights on the water...

...during Pass-A-Grille's Christmas Boat Parade

Pass-A-Grille gets ready for the holidays

The decorations are up

Everyone is adding finishing touches

The Oyster catchers are strutting their stuff.

While the Conure Parrots are showing their finest green.

PASS-A-GRILLE, FL - - We're spending  few days in one of our favorite areas:  Clearwater Beach / Pass-A-Grille / Fort DeSoto Park.  We like to wander, take some photos and, maybe, check out a restaurant or two.  It's always nice to slip away from OB, even though we've been here a number of times.
     Sometimes, if you hang around long enough, a good photo will pop up...like the fisherman cleaning a red snapper with the greatest of concentration while two interlopers intently watch and hope some scraps come their way.

Smoke 'em...Turkeys, that is

One  of four 'smokers filled with Turkey Day birds

Nice and brown and almost ready to go

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - Our Thanksgiving dinner ritual for the past four years has been tackling the TD buffet at Brian's BBQ in DeLand.  A great selection of bird and ribs with too many desserts to try.  Seems there are a lot of folks want all the trimmings but none of the  fuss.  For that, Brian's will smoke you a bird, add some goodies and send you on your way...providing you order ahead of time.
      When I wandered over to the pick-up area the folks were happy to give me a tour.  It's 11:45 and they've had lines for pick-up since they 'opened'.  There were 4 smokers full of birds with plenty more waiting for a turn on the hot seat.

Checking out Matanzas Inlet

The gang's all here. 

Food fight!!

17,000+

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - We arrived in OB Wednesday afternoon and, after four days of decompression, we're ready to go on the road again.  Hang on, Lydia isn't about to be going on another trip this soon.  Oh well. 
     We put just over 17,000 miles on the odometer of "The Bus" in our wanderings from mid-May to mid-October.  We have unpacked and put most things away for next time.  Now, we're trying to remember where we stashed things we knew we'd need when we got back.
     It almost feels strange to have a lot of room to move around in after living in what could pass for a very small submarine.  But no matter where we are the conversations seem to run along the same line:  remembering all the neat things we did and all the cool places we went.
    

Plantation time

Pharsalia

Cleaning an old-time apple cider press

This table was filled with implements to peel apples.

Making apple butter requires a watchful eye.

TYRO, VA --  Time for something different.  It was 'Apple Day' celebration at Pharsalia, a working plantation celebrating its 200th anniversary.  It's been a year-long celebration, but Apple Day has been a part of the plantation's annual happenings for years.  The main crop are apples and their byproducts:  cider, apple butter and apple pie.
     Another mainstay of the plantation is its use as a destination for weddings.  The main buildings have been restored and are a history lesson in how life years ago.
     (Named by it's owner, Major Thomas Massie, Pharsalia refers to an epic poem about a civil war between Julius Cesar and the Roman Senate.)

Drip, drip

Muted colors and low clouds along I64 in VA

Rain, rain

LEWISBERG, WV - - We're heading to see friends in Virginia before heading home.  Rain..and tornadoes.. have been following us.  It's too bad because the fall colors and scenery in WV has been quite nice.  We don't expect any breaks, but maybe we'll get lucky.

Iowa is famous for ???

A field of corn; a farm and the Western Skies Scenic Byway

Elk Horn's windmill center piece

The 'Danish' buffet was all you can eat.  We did.

MUSCATINE, IA - -  Nebraska morphed into Iowa this morning, more of the same only a bit hillier.  There's not much signage along I-80, but one sign did catch our eye.  It advertised the windmill in the 'Danish' town of Elk Horn.  A bit over 40 years ago the town decided it wanted/needed a windmill to make it a destination since it is 7 miles off the interstate.
     They found a windmill that fit the bill.  Only one problem: It was built in 1848 in Denmark.  A fund was raised; the windmill purchased then disassembled and brought across the Atlantic to Elk Horn where it was reassembled.  Now it's a visitors' center and fund raiser.
     Across the parking lot from the windmill was a building advertising authentic danish kringle pastry and a buffet.  It was lunch time.  No-brainer.  Plenty of good food and the kringle was great.
    

Hot elk

"Let's rumble!"

"Hey, we were pretty good"

"The youngsters still haven't got the 'horns' to challenge me."

OGALLALA, NE - - We've left the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and a crossing the long (mostly) rolling plains of Nebraska.
     A lot of the time we spent in Rocky Mountain NP we were listening to the bugling mating call of the bull elk.  This is "The Rut."  Basically the males vie to see how many hot dates they can find and entice into their 'harem.'  They fight.  They bugle their call.  They have fun.
     We've camped in RMNP before but always in the Spring.  Then it's the ladies and their offspring who are showing off.  Most males are nowhere to be seen.
     Now, back to the 'bugle boys.'  We searched two days and only found two guys hiding in the woods.  Today, once out of the park and just aafer I had muttered how bummed I was at not finding any elk to shoot we encountered at least four males and lots of harem ladies.
     The above photos made me feel a bit better

Tour anyone?

All aboard!

ESTES PARK, CO - - There are people inside what looks a lot like an animal control vehicle.  This is one of the many tour companies which operate in Rocky Mountain National Park.  We know tours.  We know 'herding sheep' one stop at a time.  Have fun, you paid for it.

On a record run

Yes, that is icy snow on the windshield.  Eisenhower Tunnel (11,158')

The summit lookout sign at Guanella Pass (11, 376')

ESTES PARK CO - - If you read my previous blog you'll know we went back up to Monarch Pass to see the snow.  With one 11,000+ pass under our tires we decided to keep going.  After lunch in Leadville ( a mere 10,200') we headed up along the rocky Mountain Scenic Byway with an icy snow falling.  In passing through the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel we has our second 11,000+.   In Georgetown, Lydia saw a sign toward Guanella Pass.  No altitude given.  The road was good and 10 miles up we came to the summit overlook and a sign noting we were at 11,376'.  Tomorrow??

Back into the storm

Snow, anyone

Fall colors and a 'hint' of snow

LEADVILLE, CO - - The sun was shining on the 14,000' peaks surrounding us in Salida.  So, we thought, why not go back up to Monarch Pass.  We did. And, as the top pic shows, there was snow every where including falling from the low clouds.  The parking area was pretty much all ice or icy show.  About three miles back down the road, we caugh a place where we could pull out and take in the grandeur of the Colorado Rockies.
     Right now, we're in Leadville (10,200') and looking at dark clouds and a weather forecast or rain later today and snow heading this way.  We're debating on whether to temp Mother Nature yet again.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison (river) NP

The canyon...including a right foot.

SALIDA, CO - - The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park derives it's name due to the fact that certain parts of the canyon receive only 33 minutes of sun a day.  Spectacular no matter what.  Even better if we had some sun to bring out the highlights.

Trying to outrun Mother Nature

That's snow in the background..

...and on the ground...

...and on the top of the 5th Wheel.  We headed downhill.

Grtting high in Telluride

It's not 'Bud' as in beer

Legally grown

High above Telluride and surrounding mountains

Ski trail work goes on all year.

TELLURIDE, CO - - The things you see just wandering around.

A bit of history

Pandora Mine,  waiting for a chance to get back into business.

TELLURIDE, CO - - Like a lot of out of the way towns, Telluride got its start as a mining area.  The name comes from minerals found in gold ore in other parts of Colorado.  Although gold was found id did not contain teluride which left silver / zinc / lead as the main minerals which were mined.   Labor unrest  eventually finished the mining in the area.
    Then somebody had the great idea of making the area a ski destination.
     Of note in the town's history is a bank robbery by Butch Cassidy before his days with the Sundance Kid.

From Moab to Telluride

The area surrounding Moab

Mother Nature sculpts the sandstone in Arches NP

One view from our campsite in Telluride. 

TELLURIDE, CO - - We've blogged before about Moab (UT), a mountain biker's paradise; off-roader paradise and great for scenic junkies also with Arches and Canyonlands NPs plus Dead Horse Point SP.  Lydia found a 64 mile loop road through the mountains surrounding the Moab area which proved to be very nice.  Our wandering around Moab was mostly visiting places we'd been before and resisting the urge to buy one more t-shirt.
     Now, we're in Telluride which is another  of our favorites stops.  Both Moab and Trlluride are "expensive" towns to live and stay in, but at least Telluride has a great option not too many folks know about.  It's a city park with sites for $23..unless you're old and grouchy and then you can get your site for $12.  We signed in immediately for three nights.  Again, we're checking our places we've been before.  The pace is slower here and there is a great vibe here because you are at the end of the road in a valley surrounded by mountains.  If you crave glitz you can take the free lift up and over a nearby mountain to Mountain Town where  everything is guaranteed to cost 2x or better.

Slightly angry

This grumpy male bison thought about changing lanes.

Not real happy about having his picture taken.

HEBER CITY, UT - - Spotted on the road to Yellowstone and hanging out in Grand Teton.  Today appears to be a rain day as we can see nothing but low clouds in the mountains ahead.