Three years ago today, we were in the middle of an epic trip touring the Western United States in an RV. Bailey was, as you can see here, enjoying the adventure right with us, every step of the way. Little did we know at the time how much of an imprint that trip would leave on us. It changed the way we not only think about vacations, but also about living life. So, what's next? More soon...
Thank you to all those who have served, and those who are currently serving, our country. You and your families have sacrificed everything so that we can live free and enjoy this fine land. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.
Thinking a lot about what to do and where to go for vacation this summer. There are a lot of places that we haven't yet seen or spent enough time in, like Redwood Forest, Lassen National Park, Sequoia. But my mind keeps racing to Yosemite. This is from our trip there a few years ago, where we passed by a few deer resting in the shade. The backdrop is Yosemite Falls. The beautiful scenery there is non-stop.
Anywhere we decide to go now will likely need to wait until after school starts up again, so that we can avoid the crowds. But we're looking very forward to exploring more of the Great Outdoors soon!
Just a shot I'm posting for this fine Wednesday. This was taken in the desert near Kingman, AZ, not far from Route 66.
Three years ago yesterday we spent part of the day at this beautiful place, Crater Lake, Oregon. This is Wizard Island, and the cliff/shoreline beyond. The water there is incredibly blue, as it is 100% natural, only getting water from rain and snow melt.
Finally! It's been over a year since our last Young Dubliners show, and that was in Ireland, and we have a show tonight at Belly Up. This was from the show in Killarney. That trip was a ton of fun, and we're looking forward to tonight and seeing some of the folks who were on it.
The Arch of Constantine was erected more than 1700 years ago, in 315. According to wikipedia, it is a triumphal arch to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius in 312. It sits just outside the Colosseum, which can be seen to the right of the arch in the photo. On our trip to Rome and surrounding areas in 1998, a lot of the city was under restoration for the Great Jubilee of 2000, which is why the Colosseum had scaffolding. The arch served as the finish line for the marathon in the 1960 Olympics.
Overlooking the "Amphitheater" in Bryce Canyon, these cool-shaped hoodoos looked like a cathedral to me. I've explained many times why I think Bryce Canyon is one of the best National Parks to visit, so I'll just assume you are going to go. When you do, be sure to check out the same location several times during the day, and you'll get a different view each time due to the change in lighting. A great experience, and multiple great photo opportunities as well!
I'm not throwing it too far back on this Throwback Thursday, but three years ago tomorrow, on May 8 2012, we started our 5,000 mile trip through the Western United States in a 31-foot RV. That was an amazing adventure that took us to Sequoia/Kings Canyon, Yosemite, Hat Creek, Shasta, Crater Lake, Oregon Coast, Columbia River Gorge, Lake Coeur d'Alene, Flathead Lake, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Arches, Canyonlands, Dead Horse Point, Capital Reef, Escalante, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, Best Friend's Animal Shelter, and Zion National Park. And we visited a lot of awesome towns along the way.
So I'll say this: Stop what you're doing and plan *your* trip. Then be sure to take it someday.
When we were on our RV trip a few years ago (hard to believe we left 3 years ago this week!), we had an extra day and a long way to go from Columbia River Gorge east of Portland, Oregon, over to Flathead lake in Montana. We weren't sure where to go, so some friends of Darcy's suggested we go to Lake Coeur d'Alene in Idaho. We found an RV resort on the east side of the lake, and made camp for a couple of nights. It was a very nice, quiet, peaceful spot. When we arrived, the camp hosts suggested a hike to watch the sunset, and we were game. I took this double-exposure shot at the top of the hill overlooking part of the lake, with the crescent moon shot overlayed on top of it.
Lake Coeur d'Alene is another location to put on your list of places to visit!
The massive sandstone cliffs surround you immediately upon entering into Zion National Park, in Utah. The scenery is beautiful and amazing, and Zion offers a ton of great hikes to see some very cool views. Enter or exit through the east entrance, and you'll go through the Zion Mount Carmel Tunnel, which is a 1.1 mile (driving) path that winds through the giant mountain. We harrowed through the tunnel in our rented 32-foot RV, and emerged to these views, where we had to just pull over, get out, and take it all in.
Zion definitely should be on your bucket list!
Here's one from my GoPro from last summer. Looking forward to more fun like this soon!
