Spot the photographer in the bushes

You can't fall off a cliff, but you might go for a swim

Yellow-crowned nightheron...badly back-lit

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - Sunset Park is about 3 miles from where we live.  It can be good for bird photos if you look hard enough.  Lydia spotted a bird we seldom see, much less just hanging out.  Fortunately the walkway close by didn't get a beating from Hurricane Irma unlike the rest of the piers / walkways at the park.
     You could get a good angle for a shot right from the walkway (as I did). Unfortunately the light was bad (see above).  So my intrepid partner decided to go bush.  Check out Lydia's shots on Flicker at: www.flickr.com/photos/seabirdstalker/

High in the mountains

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - This is another edition of my blog on where we go to get pics.  We're on a trail high above a glacial pond fed by chunks of ice and run-off from the surrounding glaciers in Jasper National Park (Canada)  This is Mt. Edith Cavell, a favorite place for pics and hikes.
      Lydia is using a 70-200mm lens on her Canon 7D camera body.  It's a great multi-purpose lens for many situations.  I have the same set up which allows me to take photos of a subject on the edge (of the trail) while I can stay in relative safety.
     As I've stated before, agile and fearless plus a lot more descriptive words have been dropped from my vocabulary.

Steal this pumpkin

Out at the farm

On a cool morning it's nice to have a heat lamp to warm things up.

I'm one sexy looking Knobbed Hornbill

Don't make fun of my big webbed feet

These guys have fluffy cotton-like fur around their necks

An alligator chorus

The Marabou Stork has a large air sack beneath its chin

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - The Alligator Farm in St. Augustine is usually very crowded in the spring  So it was interesting to have some space to photograph some of the locals.  And yes, I did forget to get the info on some of these fancy folks

The waiting game

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - It's early in the season to have lots of migrating birds and way early for any nesting.  So the birds who really like the habitat the Alligator Farm presents just hang out.  The crowd here are Ibis (white) and Roseate Spoonbills (red-ish pink).
   And so we wait for some action ... like wing flapping or actually moving to another perch.  Or maybe fighting over territory.  Anything!  But no.
     However, the alligators were having a ball...or rather a grunting contest.  Lots of alligators, lots of grunting.  Practicing for mating season although it's still a couple of months off

Along for the ride

Everyone needs a mascot...that's been around a while.

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - We've been home a week and I'm ready to go again.  But medical appointments and air conditioning to battle 80% humidity and higher temps well keep us here a while.
     Anyway, for those who are keeping count here's a short tally:
   
     Duration - -  Leave OB 5/08 & Return 10/15
     Trip Mileage  - -  15, 135 miles
     Route     - -   18 states / 2 Canadian Provinces
     House sit       Tucson, AZ - - 3 weeks
                           Poulsbo, WA - - 3 weeks
    

Southern Comfort

No, this is not a college president's mansion

The Aberdeen, Carolina & Western rolls past a closed furniture factory

RICHMOND HILL, GA - - This is it.  We're on the way home. Five months and one week after leaving.  Are we happy that we'll be back in Ormond Beach tomorrow?  Hard to answer.  I know that about two weeks from now we'll be ready to go again.  It takes about that long to check out the new restaurants, new businesses, new construction and get frustrated by high humidity and temperatures to match.
     Anyway...  The top pic is the house we looked after for the past two weeks.  It was purchased by Lydia's  great grandfather in 1903.  Four bedrooms and a sun room were eventually added.  With only the two of us in residence, it was pretty empty.  It's owned by a member of the extended family and serves as a gathering place for get togethers.
     I realize I used a A,C&W train shot in my previous blog post.  But, hey this train is heading in a different direction.  And I like trains.

Just the thing for decorating the front yard

The perfect front yard decoration...

...Or maybe you're partial to a red caboose

A 90-car freight train rolls through Aberdeen

100 yards from where we are staying you can hear the whistle and feel the rumble of a long freight

WEST END, NC - - Things are very quiet in West End where we are staying...except when a freight train rumbles through.  We've seen the 4-car style; the 13 car style and, once in a while, the 80-90 car version.  About a mile away is a siding with 4 locomotives  of a 20 unit fleet for sale.  The Aberdeen, Carolina & Western company was incorporated in 1987, taking over the operations of the former Norfolk, Southern Railway. It runs 150 miles of track from Aberdeen to Star, NC and is the largest privately held short-line / regional freight carrier in NC.  The AC&W connects freight with CSX and other regional freight networks.
     Aberdeen is about 12 miles away. It has more rail traffic and is the headquarters of the Aberdeen & Rockfish RR.  This 47 mile short-line / regional freight does most of its business between Aberdeen and Fayetteville (home of Fort Bragg, army base).  What A&R lacks in length it makes up in a long and colorful history, having been founded in 1892.
     NOTES:  The 'side door' caboose sits in front of the A&R company headquarters.  'Rockfish' comes from the name of a creek the track runs along or maybe from a small town which used to be in the area...nobody's really sure.
     It's raining outside, a nice October shower.  Leaves are falling like a light snowfall.  There are vast forests of pine trees all around as turpentine was big business over 100 years ago.  However, we are surrounded by a good amount of hardwood trees  with lots of leaves.

Staying cool

There's nothing like a big jar of iced tea on a hot day

HOT SPRINGS, NC - -We were rolling down a back road in NC looking for interesting things.  The Smoky Mountain Diner in Hot Springs fit the bill.   Good food, lots of iced tea...although they used Ball jars instead of Mason jars.  And, as we were eating on the back porch, an older couple showed

up in a two person horse-drawn buggy.  I've seen tractors parked at places (out West) but never a 1-horsepower / four-wheeled mode of travel. 

When in doubt...BBQ

The BBQ cookers are smokin'  I'm ready

NEWPORT, TN - - Wednesday was another fairly long day on the interstate.  Luckily, we seem to be able to find a  BBQ spot nearly everywhere we travel.  Does that mean BBQ lovers have migrated all over  or have more cooks decided to try something different??  Who cares as long BBQ becomes more popular. 
      The Gigglin' Pig satisfied on all levels.  And, best of all, we're now entering(NC)  real BBQ country.

I-40 sights in Arkansas and Tennesee

This farmer wanted to provide the folks whizzing by with a bit of sculpture

Big wheels keep on rolling

The Bass Pro Shops pyramid in Memphis...we're on the Mississippi River bridge

HOLLIDAY, TN - - We just keep on rolling at about 400 miles per day.  Tennessee is a wide state so we may not make it to Noroth Carolina tomorrow.   

Resting while the world thunders by

Time to watch the 18-wheelers roll by

Synchronized residents of a wind farm

CONWAY, TX - - We've departed our campground near Santa Fe, NM and we are on the way back to FL by way of NC.  Our final night turned into a thunder and lightning show.  Naturally, Sunday was bright and sunny.
     We stopped at a rest area on I-40 and decided to dry out.  Farther down the interstate the land had sprouted wind farm after wind farm doing their electric-producing dance.

There are road runners then there are ROAD RUNNERS

Wylie coyote wouldn't tangle with these flyers.  

SANTA FE, NM - - Actually, the road runner is the symbol of the Rail Runner commuter train system.

Hot today, green chili peppers when roasted

Red hot

Chili love on your license plate

Getting all roasted up

SANTA FE, NM - - You can get your roasted green chili peppers fresh from the grill (drum) at Whole Foods store in Santa FE.  We hit town yesterday and headed to WF this morning for their breakfast buffet.  While we were eating, we could see  an employee filling  two heated rotating drums with large green chili peppers.  He then watched as they roasted while spritzing  them with water.  As soon as they were finished they went on sale.  

Ouray to Durango

Sunny...

...the clouds are rolling in...

...and the rain turned to hail at 10,000'

DURANGO, CO - - Last night, we watched a big black bear raid a dumpster about 30 yards away from our campsite at 1:30am.  We were leaving Ouray this morning anyway, but apparently this omnivore is a regular visitor to the neighborhood.
     After an extra coffee stop to fuel up for the up-and-down, twisty 75 miles to Durango we took off.  It was one of those days when the weather was a bit unsettled.  The sun was nice, even the dark clouds rolling in weren't bad.  But the rain turning into hail which lightly covered the road as we crossed one of three 10,000' or better passes was a bit much.
     So tonight we've opted for a dry spot with a nice sized tv.  We don't always 'rough it.'  

Is that snow??

OURAY, CO - - We got heavy rain last night, then it stopped so we got a campfire going   and then it started to really rain.  Cover / stuff chairs, wood, insulation and then crawl in and go to sleep...at 7:15!!  The rain stopped sometime around 11pm.  We waited til morning to check things.  The bags I used (3mil contractor clean up bags) are good when new, but these have picked up some holes in use.  So..we had a lot of wet stuff.
     Now, when we checked the mountains around, some of those about 12,000' had a nice sprinkling of early season  snow.  Seeing that can put a smile on your face real easy.  (NOTE:  our campground was at about 8,000'.)

Along the road

Fall is rushing to get ready

Cowboys herding the 'hard' way

One more high point on our trip

Silverton, CO

Ouray residents

Red Mountain reflection

Silverton's main street is paved...the rest of the streets are dirt.

SILVERTON, CO - - We're camping in Ouray after a trip to Telluride where we learned the entire area was full up with a 'Blues & Brews' festival.   Ouray is more up in the San Juan Mountains so you either walk down or up main st.  Our campground is called "Ampitheater" because the mountains surround us on three sides and we can look down on the town below.   

Into Colorado

Clouds hug Grand Teton's peak with Colter Bay in the foreground

Wind and rain erosion carve the lower flanks of these mountains on the way to Montrose, CO

MONTROSE, CO - - After three nights camping in Grand Teton NP, we headed out in a general southerly direction.  300 miles down the road, we spent the night in Rawlins, WY.  From there it's been lots of scenic but lonely state highway (WY & CO) miles to land here in Montrose.  Tomorrow  were headed to either Ouray or Telluride;  maybe Durango or Silverton.  Actually we'll probably hit them all as we have some time to spare.
     I can already hear you saying:  How can they have time to spare when Florida was trashed by the hurricane? Fortunately, our house survived really well. Somehow we never even lost power.  Now, about a mile away there was much more destruction.  What we learned from last year's October hurricane (we were in Maine when that one struck) was not to hurry home because you may not be able to get there or you may be just two more souls looking for food/water/gasoline or some semblance of normal life.   

We actually saw the sun

A sunny day in Teton NP

TETON NP, WY - - We haven't gotten a (possible) damage report about our house in OB because wifi and the power is out.  We actually saw the sun and clouds for awhile Saturday...the fires clear day in about two months.  Never fear as a light smoky haze returned.  (Monday) and we're heading towards Colorado.

We're waiting on Irma

TETON NATIONAL PARK, WY - - We're camping in Teton,  checking for updates on Irma where we can as there is slim / none cell service. To get wifi we've found a restaurant in the park with service....just be hungry as a meal is needed.
       Our house in OB is boarded up and awaiting the storm.  Neighbors are keeping an eye on  it.  We worry most about the big trees we have coming down on the roof or worse. 
     Meanwhile, our good friends at Glacier Campground (MT) are choking on smoke and ash from a large wildfire in Glacier NP and dreading an evacuation order or worse.
      

Cheat sheet

Do you know how fast 70 kilometers is in MPH?

BOZEMAN, MT - - We left our campground in Glacier and rode through smoky areas much worse than Glacier.  Tomorrow it's more smoky areas, but now we're worried about Hurricane Irma which looks set to kick the crap out of Florida.  Maybe it won't trash Ormond Beach.  We've got hurricane prep in  place...now we wait.
     While we were in Canada I employed a 'cheat sheet'  to equate my speed (mph) to the correct equal of kilometers or at least close.  A kilo equals .62 mph so the easiest speed zone of 100k equals 62 mph.  You'll note on close inspection that I've rounded off a lot of figures.
    

Back to Logan Pass

Sunday sunrise at Logan Pass parking lot

Early Monday morning view of Lake McDonald

 

 

 

WEST GLACIER, MT - - I'd like to say we're doing all sorts o fun things, but the smoke is getting smokier and the Sprague Creek wildfire continues to grow.  We were all set for a hike to celebrate Lydia's 67th birthday.  The heavy smoke at Logan Pass made the decision easy...take the short one.  The fun continued when we tried to head back down Going to the Sun (West) to the campground.  The fire was getting to close to the road so the park closed it to allow the fire fighters clear work access.  Late Monday the winds kicked up making the fire fighters job tougher still and sending fine ash to lightly cover everything.
     Heavy smoke is still covering some areas Monday morning encouraging more and more visitors to hit the road.  At this point we're undecided on staying one more night.

How we get photos...#3

You can't see the nasty rock c limb to get into position

WEST GLACIER, MT - - This pic is from Canada's Jasper National Park where we hiked up Mt. Edith Cavell, one of our favorite hikes in the area.  On the way down, Lydia spied a good spot to have me take a pic of her.  Reaching the location required a nimble descent and ascent in a rock field.  Nimble is no longer part of my vocabulary so off she went.  It looks like she is taking a photo of Angel Glacier.  But no, there is a marmot on the rock in front of her  so she now has a nice gallery of marmot photos..mainly back end and side shots as this marmot was a union member and would only pose for food.

Wrapped, closed and smoked

Fire crews put protective wrap on the Mt. Brown fire lookout.

Heavy night time smoke forced the closure of Lake McDonald Lodge

At night, fires can be seen. In daylight its smoke, smoke, smoke

WEST GLACIER, MT - - You can smell the fires at Lake McDonald Lodge.  The cool night time temperatures allow the heavy smoke to blanket the lodge area.  Air quality deteriorated to hazardous levels so the Lodge closed two days ago.  Not what you want to do before Labor Day Weekend.
     The Sprague creek fire,  in hard to access terrain,  has now incinerated the historic Sperry Chalet.  Itself a long, hard hike from anywhere, the chalet fell victim to strong winds whipping up the fire.  The Mt. Brown fire lookout, wrapped to look like a turkey ready for the oven, shows one weapon the fire fighters can employ in critical areas.