Is it trash...or art??

BANDON, OR - - In this case the trash is art.  Henry The Fish is made up of trash washed ashore in Bandon.  Henry was only one piece of the project.  There was also a seal (not as colorful) and the beginnings of a whale skeleton. 
     While the coffee wasn't that great in the Bandon Coffee Cafe, the berry pastry I had with it was.

Cape Blanco lighthouse

Cape Blanco Lighthouse

The Fresnel lens. Made in France.  The defining standard for any lighthouse.

The top part of the lens

A 1,000watt light provides the illumination.  Note the spare bulb.

An upward angle of the lens from the bottom section

If you can't autograph your masterpiece, at least get a sign made.

PORT ORFORD, OR - - We're staying in Cape Blanco State Park.  We've been here before.  Once when we were late arriving and the lighthouse was closed and twice when the fog was so thick you couldn't see the structure, but were able to see some hazy illumination.
     This time the weather has cooperated...mostly.  Only a 20mph gusting wind to keep us alert.  We did the tour of the structure which is still a "working" lighthouse; one of three among the 15 on the Oregon Coast.  The 53' structure situated on a 200' headland cliff casts a beam which can be seen 23 miles out to see.  It' signature is a 2-second beam followed by an 18-second blackout. The lighthouse began operating on December 20, 1870. 
     Ship navigation today is by GPS although lighthouse and fog horn "assistance" is still welcome.

More CA catch-up

Just us girls hanging out.

Driftwood and sea stacks.

PORT ORFORD, OR - - Truth in advertising:  The sign for Elk Country RV Park promised elk.  No problem.  Further down the road, there was the requisite Pacific Ocean shot.

Cali catch-up

It's 10am and the boat/dock light are still bright

Bodega Bay.  A favorite whale watching location...at the right time of year.

Some more Mendocino color.

PORT ORFORD, OR - - We've found a public library with free wi-fi and are taking advantage of it.  This post catches-up the foggy day in Bodega Bay, CA and a very purple iris in Mendocino.

Coasting in CA

The last remnants of the morning fog

The California Quail is easy to recognize

Plenty of color in Mendocino

More color

WESTPORT, CA - - We're camped near the ocean.  The sun is our. No morning fog.  Life is good. 

Tufa to you, too

With a little imagination, the tufa creations can look like an fortress from the Middle Ages.

Tufa condo

LEE VINING, CA - - Thereare  tufa tower formations in numerous areas around and in Mono (moe-noe) Lake Basin.  These strange looking creations were/are created by fresh water springs forcing water (containing calcium) up through the (carbonate-rich) lake water.  So, like the geysers in Yellowstone NP, we end up with calcium carbonate deposits layering up into interesting formations.  Including bird condos.

Gold Field Photos

A hot rod enthusiasts dream for parts

Underground parking

"A paved road (out here) is considered VIP treatment

A couple of 'oldies'

Need a sink? 

GOLD FIELD, NV - - Just a couple of photos from a short walk through Gold Field.

Welcome to Nevada

Watch out for flying saucers

Pay attention to all the signs

GOLD FIELD, NV - - It's not often that you wake up in the night to the sounds of coyotes howling or burros braying.  In Gold Field, it's normal.
   We took the Extraterrestial Highway (NV Rt. 375) on our way to Gold Field to visit Lydia's brother.
The "ET Highway" as it is known goes from nowhere to Rachel, NV (the closest you are allowed to Area 51) and then back to nowhere.
     The bottom photo gives an idea of what the road is like.  Check the gas gauge!! The sign with the steer means OPEN RANGE.  So, if you are really only doing the 70mph speed limit your closing speed on that four-legged stack of sirloin, porter house and new york strip steaks standing in the middle of the highway ahead is still very quick.  Then there's the test phase of: is it a steer or a clump of sagebrush in the distance?  Most of the time, for us, it was sagebrush. 

Getting there

CEDAR CITY, UT - - We've left the land of Oz, Dorothy, The Tin Man plus wind farms and grain silos - - new, old and abandoned.  That was Tuesday.  On Wednesday, we left the city-owned campground in Ellis, KS and headed into Colorado where we ended up in a state-owned campground near Vail.  It was 29-degrees this morning.  Thursday's jaunt brought us nearly 500 miles to Cedar City, UT, a place we know well from our days at the North Rim of The Grand Canyon in 2010.  It's shower time/laundry time so we splurged on a KOA,
   Lots of desolate roads today with winds steady at 20-plus mph which made it seem we were driving on two wheels as you had to counter-steer a bit to maintain pace and direction.  Also, the speed limit on I-15 in UT is 80mph.

Stop over in St. Louis

WEBSTER GROVE, MO - - The hardest part of heading out on our annual adventure is usually the first five days.  It takes that long to leave behind the cities and population and get to where you can be close to heading into mountainous terrain.  This usually means Colorado or points north of there. 
     Right now, we are spending a few days with Lydia's relatives in a suburb of St. Louis.  Then it's a four day scramble to Western Nevada for another visit.
     Not too much scenery to see yet although Paducah, KY was nice although you could fire a cannon down the street we were on and not hit a soul.  Very quiet at 10am.

Going West

VALDOSTA, GA - - Friday was our 21st anniversary so we decided to do something both of us really like to do...we pulled out of the driveway and are now headed West, back to Glacier NP.  Of course, it wasn't a spur of the moment idea.  Leaving for five months takes some planning, lots of packing and even more Spring cleaning. 

Getting close

"I just love clean laundry."

Snowy egret on the wing.

Wood stork out on a limb.

Another lazy day

Hauling the repair kit

He probably has a Velcro attachment

Yes, this is a real police car

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - While  slowly getting ready to hit to road for Montana...   The kids have flown the nest, but Spring housekeeping still goes on for our nesting Eagles.  This squirrel was getting his tricks ready for when the circus comes to town.  They carefully hide the 'long' extension cord in the back.  The (real) policeman driving this electric whiz noted it gets 80 miles to a charge, is very quiet, can drive on sidewalks and has air conditioning.  And works really well because nobody believes it's a law enforcement vehicle.

It's Spring, Let's dance!

It's Spring.  Time to wake up and smell the flowers...

and, maybe, do a little 'Happy Dance"

Checking out Paynes Prarie Preserve SP

Glossy Ibis with red breeding coloring

Come  a little closer, you'll get a gooood picture

Green frog was on this snowy egret's lunch menu

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - We headed west on Saturday to an area we haven't explored before...Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park.  The  22,000 acre preserve is located in Micanopy just south of Gainesville.  The main visitors area is nice, but we were interested in the La Chua trail, a 3-mile round trip walk.  A large sign warned that there were lots of alligators.  It was right.  And plenty of birds.
     On the way home, Lydia's internal GPS led us to Gainesville and Trader Joe's Market.  This West Coast business is heading East and definitely worth a stop.  There were lots of things you don't find in a regular supermarket or Whole Foods stores.  We headed out with some french roast coffee, avacados, and sweet potato chips in case we got the munchies during out 100-mile trip back home.

Face off

Mom to youngster: "No!  You cannot go hang out at the dump.

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - It's about time for the kids to leave home.  Mom may be looking forard to that...and the migration back north.

Egrets hanging out

Reddish Egret wading

Snowy Egret on the wing with green eye shadow  (the lores coloring denotes breeding time)

Sunbeam kitty

The Queen

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - Sometimes we nearly forget about the royalty in the household.  Not to worry. The Queen has perfected mournful wailing designed to give her parents a guilty conscience. But mainly to see if she can get an extra ration of kitty treats.

Pale rose-colored reflection

Damn, I look good

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - We headed south to Titusville early this morning to see if many of our feathered visitors had left.  It appears that vacation time is over for most of the birds who had headed South for the winter.  But not all.  This Roseate Spoonbill was eiher admiring his/her reflection or practicing some form of avian martial arts pose.
     Surprisingly,  it was a record day for seeing bald eagles.  We spotted FIVE in different locations so that could mean five different raptors or that a couple of them were wandering quite far.  As context, even in Alaska I do not remember seeing five eagles in one day.

ON GUARD

Always vigilant ... despite the Sequester