March 7, 2022

A moment in time

March 6, 2022

When we took out yesterday, a fisherman asked if we were scared in kayaks with all the alligators… we of course said no and decided we needed to find them. We switched sides of Lake Marion and put in at the Sparkleberry Swamp Landing in the Santee National Wildlife Refugee. With a name like Sparkleberry Swamp it must have alligators.

And I spotted one, normally James and Elizabeth see everything first, but not today.

We argued about it’s size (the men thought it was bigger, like always?) but look at the tail, and that isn’t the end, it’s eyes are in the small water opening on the left side of frame. I still say it was over 12 feet.

The swamp doesn’t open up that way Beth let us know.

After an evening around a fire and Long Island Ice Teas, James and Beth decided the Flippac needed their Aurora Borealis Light. It works great in the tent, but too bright to sleep under.

May 20, 2021

First drive into Zion National Park, wow it is pretty, but crowded, luckily Beth found a hike for the Lower Clear Creek slot canyon via the Hobbit Hole. Perfect, we had the place to ourselves.

After the tight part of the slot ended, we hiked along the creek bed, Deb took pictures of patterns on rocks, and James, Beth and me created “content” for out YouTube channels (ie we hiked and shot too many videos)

Just can’t go wrong here…

Climbers on a multi-pitch route… we watched them as we ate lunch, the other view was the picture above.

The moon rises over Kolob Canyon in Zion NP

After a full day of hiking, exploring and wondering, Deb and I headed to Salt Lake City (5 hours away) for her morning flight home. We did stop for our first In-N-Out meal, no I didn’t get it Animal style.

May 17, 2021

Day 4 of road trip and what an awesome camp, right on the edge of the Little Colorado River (at least it was at the bottom of the cliff)

Petrified National Forest

What we look like at every stop ; )

My first Petrograph… a stork delivers a baby or eats a frog?

Twin Arrows gas station on Route 66 in Arizona

The Grand Canyon from the Historic Navajo Bridge

Aug. 9, 2020

That was a short ride on the BRP, broken shifter cable

time to hike

for the view

Grandfather Mtn (left) to Grandmother Mtn

Every time I see a rock face I wonder if it’s climbable, this one had chalk marks, so yes it is!

Finished the day with an evening ride

 

Jan. 28, 2018

Knitting with NoNo…..

Dec. 24, 2017

Deb wonders what I will play….

Nov. 24, 2017

Birthday gift’s and dogs deciding who is Alpha.

Dress

The family

Longwood Gardens

The lights

and birthday girl.

Hike #49 #52hikechallenge – 2 dogs made it more of a pull…. Goddard Park Avondale, PA

Oct. 15, 2017

A sign along a morning bike ride on gravel and dirt roads.

Then off to find a waterfall I looked for before, but didn’t get to.

Thunderhole Falls – Hike #42

The trail to the falls is unmarked and requires a little bush whacking.

But worth the effort.

This is only the top, it has a lower fall section too.

Remember the bushwhacking part? This is the climb up, I don’t know if we could have made it without the rope!

after the hike we went driving looking for color and dirt roads. Old NC 105 follows a ridge and includes this overlook of Linville Gorge at Wiseman’s View.

 

Sept. 4, 2017

Sam and I hit the Virginia Creeper trail early to beat the crowds. 17 miles of downhill biking!

and a bunch of bridges on the old railroad trail.

Making art!

A successful morning! Last time we rode this trail, Deb flipped and suffered a concussion so we didn’t get to enjoy the ride (or the ER visit) today Deb served as our personal shuttle. After a lunch in Damascus and breaking down camp we headed home…..

but had time to stop at Grayson Highlands State Park. Deb had never been there since normally Sam and I backpack there, but I wanted her to see the wild ponies. There were lots of foals (less than a year old) like this one scratching itself on a tree.

and this one that wanted to be petted? There are signs everywhere don’t feed or pet the ponies…. but this did everything but purr!

Family picture, sans Sam she doesn’t want to touch them?

Hike #33

On the way down I am looking at the park map and see “waterfall” – I had no idea, we come for the AT trail, the bald mountain tops, Rhododendron Trail, etc. This is a unnamed? 25 foot falls on Cabin Creek trail. A hidden gem, almost no one on the trail and very pretty!  hike #34 – #52hikechallenge