No more campfires by the river

'Cold' mornings call for campfires and coffee

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - Another road trip, or vacation as some folks term our annual holiday, has come and gone.  Our meanderings began on May 5 and ended when we got home on Oct. 16.  In between we somehow managed to rack up 14,149 miles. 
     Our 'welcome home' is always a bit of reality check getting back into the regular routine...again. Even more so when the heat index has been 99-degrees the past two (mon-tue) days.
     Check out Lydia's blog  (inthewind.blog)  for a map of our travels.

It's a long way from Colorado Springs to Southern Pines (NC)

Grain silos and grain farms...

...plus wind farms in Kansas

There was a monarch butterfly having lunch...

and a nice sunrise in Webster Grove, IL

Today's adventure was 'pickin' and grumblin' in Southern Pines, NC

SOUTHERN PINES, NC - - After a bit over 1,820 miles of mostly I-64 from Colorado Springs, CO, we've landed for a few days in West End, NC.  There's were a  whole lot of miles and miles of wide open spaces; grain silos and small farming towns; huge wind farms (and if you've ever driven across Kansas you'll realize why) and then rolling and small mountains once you reach Virginia / West Virginia.
     Saturday in Southern Pines is farmers market time with a hot rod show just down the street.  The special attraction was Heritage Fair by the Moore County History Assn.  A great time to dress in your ancestors clothes.

Packing, checking and peeking

The Siamese Twins...an erosion sculpture

Wiener Dogs Rule...with a pack full of doggie treats

A scrambling six-year old checks the downside of the Siamese Twins (towers)

A much older scrambler on a skinny ledge

GARDEN OF THE GODS, CO

Sometimes the day turns to sheep

Pushin' and 'shovin'

The pose or, maybe, a time-out

Larry, Moe and Curley make plans while another 'brother' ambles into the photo

Red rock, clouds and blue sky

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - - A funny thing happened on our way into The Garden of the Gods, a CS park.  We were talking about the two or three Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep we had seen last year when around a turn... a group of 15-20 males appeared.
     Most were resting in a field away from the road while a few were playing 'macho'.  The most activity involved a group of about 5 with plenty of leaning, shoving and one spectacular and loud head-butt (which caught both myself and LH off guard so no photo. )  But (or butt) the group mainly ignored the crowd of viewers and photo takers for the 30 or so minutes we waited for action ...other than some split rail fence jumping.
     The red rock formations were great looking when the sun 'lit' them up.

Fall is in the air

A reflection in Bear Lake

Mountains and snow

The 'long view' across one of the many valleys

ESTES PARK, CO - - The cold temperatures and altitude plus it is October combine to paint the surrounding landscape of Rocky Mountain NP in Fall colors.  Even without those ingredients, the scenery is spectacular.  So, it's hard to distill some 150 frames I shot over the past two days into a representative assessment.  Anyway, here are three pics to give you an idea.

Elk time

Look both ways before crossing

Got it made in the shade??

ESTES PARK, CO - - The first time we ventured to Rocky Mountain NP we camped in the park and had elk wandering through the campsite.  On our last trip here, five years ago, we were lucky enough to get photos of two young male elk clashing antlers.
     This time the elk are scarce.  Our first day, we wandered through the park and saw none.  Then, at lunch at a place near our commercial campground outside the park, a harem of about 15 female elk and one strong bull, were lounging nearby.
    After a lot of roaming around yesterday in the park, we managed to find a group of females halting traffic to cross the road.  Today, it was a majestic bull sitting so still he looked like a statue.  He was hanging out just outside the park.  While some folks about to enter the park may thought this was a preview of things to come, we've learned to photograph every chance we get.