La Garita Del Diablo

In April 2008, we celebrated my parents' 50th wedding anniversary, as they took all their children and children's children on a cruise in the Caribbean. The cruise departed from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Darcy, DJ and I had a full day to explore. We went to Fort San Cristobal, which was built by Spain to protect against attacks on the city. The fort is surrounded by "Guerites," like this one, that offered a vantage point to watchmen guarding the sea shore, while protecting them. This particular one is called "La Garita Del Diablo" or "The Devil's Gate," and it was built in 1634. According to legend, it was named The Devil's Gate because soldiers would disappear from it without a trace.

Petrified Dunes at Arches National Park

The Petrified Dunes at Arches National Park, Utah.

Fun Photo Friday: Time for another beach camping weekend!

It's time for another weekend of camping at San Elijo State Beach in Cardiff by the Sea! Looking forward to hanging out with Darcy and Bailey, and walking up to the Encinitas Street Fair! Have a great weekend!

Earth Day - The Cliffs of Moher

I chose the Cliffs of Moher as my photo of this fine Earth for Earth Day.

So, the Grand Tetons aren't trees?

Funny story about the Grand Tetons. I had no idea they were mountains until I started planning for our RV trip in 2012. I always thought they were giant trees, like you can find at Sequoia and King's Canyon National Parks. When I learned that they were, in fact, mountains, I still didn't fully comprehend the attraction to them. We wound up at that location, which is a beach at Colter Bay on Jackson Lake, as a matter of convenience, because we needed places to stay in between Yellowstone and Arches. The north entrance to Grand Teton National Park is right after the south exit to Yellowstone National Park. I am very glad we met some folks in Yellowstone the day before who told us we should stay there, because, wow, what a beautiful place!

The Grand Tetons are incredibly majestic and beautiful, and they tower over the entire area in a way that is hard to describe. It is an absolutely amazing place that I know both Darcy and I look forward to visiting again!

Fun Photo Friday: Tahoe from up there

For Fun Photo Friday, here's a shot of Lake Tahoe from the return flight from our recent trip up there.

Are you thinking about this?

As I was flipping through photos to choose from for today's post, I started getting a serious case of summer-itis. This despite the fact that we barely had a winter (yep, finished the season with zero(!) days skiing). Thinking a lot about enjoying some time here, at La Jolla Cove (this shot is from last year Memorial Day Weekend), about water skiing at Lake Tahoe, about hikes, etc. No sense in waiting, as it looks like the weather has obliged!

Colder than it looks...

Here's one from our trip to Lake Tahoe last week. After finding one of the best breakfast places on the planet, The Getaway Cafe, we drove through the Angora fire area toward Fallen Leaf Lake. We parked at a trailhead, and took a short hike to the lake, where it was very cold with the strong wind blowing off of the cold water. Very scenic, though, with signs of Spring beginning to show everywhere.

Fun Photo Friday: The Elk Thistle of Yellowstone

I was amazed at the vast array of things to see at Yellowstone National Park, including mountains, valleys, geysers, wildlife, lakes, rivers and waterfalls. Even its own Grand Canyon. Of course, the diverse landscape that makes up the park yields a wild variation in vegetation as well. We found this very pretty plant, which is called an Elk Thistle, while walking around West Thumb Geyser Basin. Apparently, the plant is eaten by elk and bear, and is also edible to humans. It can be identified by the bulb and its many long prickly leaves.

Glacier National Park...or part of it, at least

Lake McDonald at Glacier National Park, Montana, was about as far North as we got on our epic RV trip back in 2012. We were able to cruise about 13 miles into the park before the Going To The Sun Road was closed due to snow. It was not a waste, though, and we look forward to getting back up there someday. The plus was that we wound up having time to visit Whitefish, which is a cool town.

And finally, a little snow!

We went to the north shore for Sunday Easter brunch at Gar Woods, and had a nice drive in the snow. After the incredible meal, we went outside to enjoy the rare weather!

Fun Photo Friday - Bailey and Tahoe Sunset

For this week's Fun Photo Friday, I'm sticking with the theme of Lake Tahoe, which we are finally visiting for the first time in 2015. But I've added Bailey into the mix, since she isn't up here with us on this trip. This one is from last summer during a spectacular (or normal, if you spend any time in Tahoe) sunset. Happy Friday, all!

I pity the Fool!

Happy April Fool's Day! So, I wish I was clever enough to come up with some fool-related thing for this photo, but I'm not. So, here it is: This is a picture of Lake Tahoe, California. Or is it? Perhaps it is Lake Tahoe, Nevada? Actually, this sunset photo includes both sides of Lake Tahoe. The foreground is located in Nevada, and the background is in California. So, now I feel like a fool for even trying. Well, enjoy the view anyway!