Congratulations on 40 years Mom & Dad-in-law!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUZdLrzpHLE
Here is a link to your video until we download it for you!!
Love,
The Kids
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Football Season/Birthday Catch-up
The season opener this year was versus Boise State (orange & blue, boo) in the GA dome. Many cocktails were needed to survive as the uniforms were not the worst part of the game as one may have expected. No recap necessary. But hey, Boise is ranked highly, right? May they win out.
We hung out with our favorite tailgaters.
Someone decided to wear the biggest sun-shade of a hat they could find to an indoor game.
We celebrated Aunt Karen's b-day in Carrollton with the family.
For my birthday and the Ole Miss game, we made the road trip to Oxford for some infamous tailgating at The Grove. Oxford had the cutest little downtown with so many cute dining and shopping places - loved it!
The Grove, which is acres upon acres of prime tailgating space, opens to set up Friday night before the game. This is before the madness begins.
Rows upon rows of canopies are set up and then massively decked out with tremendous decor and food spreads. From canopies with chandeliers to tailgaters in their finest wears definitely gave the best party award to Ole Miss.
And this surprise was waiting for me when we arrived home - love you Christen & Syd!!!
We hung out with our favorite tailgaters.
Someone decided to wear the biggest sun-shade of a hat they could find to an indoor game.
We celebrated Aunt Karen's b-day in Carrollton with the family.
For my birthday and the Ole Miss game, we made the road trip to Oxford for some infamous tailgating at The Grove. Oxford had the cutest little downtown with so many cute dining and shopping places - loved it!
The Grove, which is acres upon acres of prime tailgating space, opens to set up Friday night before the game. This is before the madness begins.
Rows upon rows of canopies are set up and then massively decked out with tremendous decor and food spreads. From canopies with chandeliers to tailgaters in their finest wears definitely gave the best party award to Ole Miss.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Yellowstone - to Canyon & Mammoth area
On our way to Canyon, where we stayed for two nights, we had another bison sighting. This guy was standing on the edge of a fumarole. Just standing. And standing. He stood some more. Maybe he was napping? Finally, he took his morning dust bath so we knew he was alive.
The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is actually how Yellowstone claimed its name. This is the Lower Falls.
That stone is pretty yellow. Here I am pausing on Uncle Tom's Trail that leads to a good view of the Lower Falls. The trail is now a series of metal steps and platforms but once was a connection of rope ladders to get to the viewing point.
Our first day in Canyon, we spent hiking along the North and South Rim. The view from Artist's Point made for great pics.
And the opposite end of the Canyon, from Inspiration Point.
We stayed in a quadriplex cabin.
The next day, after our cafeteria breakfast, we set out to complete the entire upper loop, including Roosevelt and Mammoth.
First thing in the morning, we had a grizzly sighting. A couple of bear watchers had telescopes set up so we were able to take in some really good views of this girl. Apparently, this momma bear's cubs had not survived the winter and she had been transported to the southernmost part of the park after killing some chickens in Gardiner, MT. She was now back in the north park and spends her mornings rooting for breakfast.
Basalt columns in the background of the canyon formed when lava cooled really quickly.
The petrified tree is now gated as years ago there were more petrified trees.
The North Entrance to the park goes through the Roosevelt Arch, built in 1903.
The terraces at Mammoth were beautiful limestone and in a state of constant change. Even within a span of few years, the once active hot spring of Minerva is now just a trickle.
The Upper Terraces have a basin filled with water that drips over the edge in successive steps.
The Golden Gate and Golden Gate Canyon were damaged during the earthquake and successive rockslides in 1959.
On our last morning in Yellowstone, driving back through Hayden Valley, we arrived to this beautiful sight. A huge herd of bison grazing, bathing, vying for females, and traveling back and forth across the road was just waiting for us.
A typical traffic jam in Yellowstone.
And then the action started to get a little closer. And the rangers told us to stay in our cars.
We sat and watched the bison for at least an hour. Someone pointed out this bald eagle taking in the action also.
On our way back to ID, we drove through Grand Teton National Park. We didn't get to spend a great amount of time exploring the Tetons but we were able to see the magnificent mountains and the famed Jenny Lake. Definitely somewhere we would like to go back for some biking and hiking.
Time to head back home :(
The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is actually how Yellowstone claimed its name. This is the Lower Falls.
That stone is pretty yellow. Here I am pausing on Uncle Tom's Trail that leads to a good view of the Lower Falls. The trail is now a series of metal steps and platforms but once was a connection of rope ladders to get to the viewing point.
Our first day in Canyon, we spent hiking along the North and South Rim. The view from Artist's Point made for great pics.
And the opposite end of the Canyon, from Inspiration Point.
We stayed in a quadriplex cabin.
The next day, after our cafeteria breakfast, we set out to complete the entire upper loop, including Roosevelt and Mammoth.
First thing in the morning, we had a grizzly sighting. A couple of bear watchers had telescopes set up so we were able to take in some really good views of this girl. Apparently, this momma bear's cubs had not survived the winter and she had been transported to the southernmost part of the park after killing some chickens in Gardiner, MT. She was now back in the north park and spends her mornings rooting for breakfast.
Basalt columns in the background of the canyon formed when lava cooled really quickly.
The petrified tree is now gated as years ago there were more petrified trees.
The North Entrance to the park goes through the Roosevelt Arch, built in 1903.
The terraces at Mammoth were beautiful limestone and in a state of constant change. Even within a span of few years, the once active hot spring of Minerva is now just a trickle.
The Upper Terraces have a basin filled with water that drips over the edge in successive steps.
The Golden Gate and Golden Gate Canyon were damaged during the earthquake and successive rockslides in 1959.
On our last morning in Yellowstone, driving back through Hayden Valley, we arrived to this beautiful sight. A huge herd of bison grazing, bathing, vying for females, and traveling back and forth across the road was just waiting for us.
A typical traffic jam in Yellowstone.
And then the action started to get a little closer. And the rangers told us to stay in our cars.
We sat and watched the bison for at least an hour. Someone pointed out this bald eagle taking in the action also.
On our way back to ID, we drove through Grand Teton National Park. We didn't get to spend a great amount of time exploring the Tetons but we were able to see the magnificent mountains and the famed Jenny Lake. Definitely somewhere we would like to go back for some biking and hiking.
Time to head back home :(
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Yellowstone - to Lake Area
At Old Faithful Inn, there is a sign disclosing the expected next eruption time (+/- 10 minutes) so we drank our coffee by the huge fireplace and spent some time in the beautiful lobby until time was close.
Old Faithful is the most famous geyser but you cannot set your watch by it as the story goes. The eruption we viewed actually narrowly fell within the time frame it was supposed to.
But it was impressive when it erupted and lasted long enough for us to video and take a picture of each of us in front of it.
In case you never have the opportunity, here is the beginning of Old Faithful.
Here is a shot of the crowd in front of the Inn that gathered to witness Old Faithful.
While we were at the educational center, we inquired about the trail we could not locate the previous day at Grand Prismatic. The ranger cautiously told us how to find the trail as she mentioned some hikers had been taken out by ambulance from that very same trail. From the Fairy Falls trail parking lot, we were able to find a short hike that gave us this view. Neither of us were wearing appropriate footwear (our New Balance's worked a little better on the pavement) for this hike, but it was so worth it. One of my favorite sights from the trip. Gorgeous!!
Behold Mystic Falls. The guidebook mentioned yellow-bellied marmots often being seen sunning atop rocks on this trail but I was quite disappointed. Those little whistle-pigs were nowhere to be found!
We decided to continue up the trail to the Biscuit Basin Overlook and lunched along the way. This little squirrel was a little too friendly and I did get a little nervous.
But he was just offering to take our photo.
The overlook hike was well worth the effort and we were able to witness another Old Faithful eruption off in the distance.
On our way to Lake, we crossed the continental divide.
This is Isa Lake, covered in golden water lilies, which straddles the divide. Half of its water flows toward the Atlantic while the other flows toward the Pacific.
Yellowstone Lake, which is in the area simply referred to as Lake, was our next pitstop for the night. Hot springs and geysers were even located right along the edge of the lake. One of the springs located on the edge was named Fishing Cone as fish that were caught in the lake could promptly be place in the steaming water for cooking. However, as a contrast, swimming in the lake was not advised as hypothermia would quickly ensue.
HOT spring!
JD enjoyed a nice stuffed quail for dinner at the Lake Hotel. My duck was interesting but tasty. Most of the employees of the park were there for the summer and wore nametags that displayed the state they were from. It was cool to see how others were always eager to say 'hey, I'm from the south', too, whether it be Tennessee or Florida.
The Lake Hotel is the oldest in the park, opening in 1901.
Of course, a great view was offerered from the Lake Hotel.
Our individual lake cabin was too cute.
Next we head to Roosevelt's favorite park area!
Old Faithful is the most famous geyser but you cannot set your watch by it as the story goes. The eruption we viewed actually narrowly fell within the time frame it was supposed to.
But it was impressive when it erupted and lasted long enough for us to video and take a picture of each of us in front of it.
In case you never have the opportunity, here is the beginning of Old Faithful.
Here is a shot of the crowd in front of the Inn that gathered to witness Old Faithful.
While we were at the educational center, we inquired about the trail we could not locate the previous day at Grand Prismatic. The ranger cautiously told us how to find the trail as she mentioned some hikers had been taken out by ambulance from that very same trail. From the Fairy Falls trail parking lot, we were able to find a short hike that gave us this view. Neither of us were wearing appropriate footwear (our New Balance's worked a little better on the pavement) for this hike, but it was so worth it. One of my favorite sights from the trip. Gorgeous!!
Next we headed to the Mystic Falls trail for another hike. We packed some pb&j and headed out to scope out a scenic picnic area for lunch along the trail. Thank you for carrying the fannypack lumbar pack, JD :)
Behold Mystic Falls. The guidebook mentioned yellow-bellied marmots often being seen sunning atop rocks on this trail but I was quite disappointed. Those little whistle-pigs were nowhere to be found!
We decided to continue up the trail to the Biscuit Basin Overlook and lunched along the way. This little squirrel was a little too friendly and I did get a little nervous.
But he was just offering to take our photo.
The overlook hike was well worth the effort and we were able to witness another Old Faithful eruption off in the distance.
On our way to Lake, we crossed the continental divide.
This is Isa Lake, covered in golden water lilies, which straddles the divide. Half of its water flows toward the Atlantic while the other flows toward the Pacific.
Yellowstone Lake, which is in the area simply referred to as Lake, was our next pitstop for the night. Hot springs and geysers were even located right along the edge of the lake. One of the springs located on the edge was named Fishing Cone as fish that were caught in the lake could promptly be place in the steaming water for cooking. However, as a contrast, swimming in the lake was not advised as hypothermia would quickly ensue.
HOT spring!
JD enjoyed a nice stuffed quail for dinner at the Lake Hotel. My duck was interesting but tasty. Most of the employees of the park were there for the summer and wore nametags that displayed the state they were from. It was cool to see how others were always eager to say 'hey, I'm from the south', too, whether it be Tennessee or Florida.
The Lake Hotel is the oldest in the park, opening in 1901.
Of course, a great view was offerered from the Lake Hotel.
Our individual lake cabin was too cute.
Next we head to Roosevelt's favorite park area!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Yellowstone - to Old Faithful Area
Finally, we made it to Yellowstone! It was rainy when we first arrived so we didn't stop for the photo op.
The park's main road called the "Grand Loop" is a figure 8 with several entrances. Luckily, our guidebook started at the west entrance which is where we entered. Each night we had reservations at a different junction along the loop so we planned on seeing the sights while we traveled from one lodging area to the next. Our first stop was along the Madison River for lunch.
We got our first wildlife, albeit small wildlife, sightings here. Some fish, ducks, and a heron dined in the area with us. In the previous pic, the sun was shining and the sky clear. In the span of 10 minutes, the weather can completely change. We learned we had to always be prepared.
These cliffs along the Madison River Valley are made of rhyolite, which was formed from lava flows.
The uintas ground squirrel was common everywhere. They were fat-bodied and skinny-tailed compared to our GA rodents.
Behind the station overlooks the campsite of the 1870 explorers that created the idea that the government should set aside this area because of all it's natural wonders as a national park for all to enjoy.
Firehole Canyon, created again by lava flows, holds Firehole Falls that is a 40-foot drop.
You could take guided tours in one of these cuties.
We never saw an entire herd of elk - only singles. This guy was grazing where you can still see evidence of previous forest fires.
The Fountain Paint Pots contained mud that bubbled, boiled, and gurgled. The coloring varied according to the minerals that were being broken down but was mostly clay colored when we were there. Several geysers and hot springs were also in this area.
Here is JD and Fountain Geyser. It errupted almost continuously while we were in the area.
Dead lodgepole pines which were one standing in water have bases preserved with silica now. The pines were used by Native Americans to create their lodges, hence the name.
Firehole Lake is one of the park's largest hot springs. Bacteria that thrive in the hot water create the orange and black "mats" near the front.
White Dome Geyser did not erupt for us but was an intriguing site to see. It is a cone-type geyser.
One of the most beautiful (and largest) hot springs is Grand Prismatic. Here people line the walkway in front of it. The center is a deep, clear blue and the algae along the edges creates ripples of various colors. It was overcast the first day we were there so we weren't able to really see the intensity of the colors.
Even the colors are reflected in the rising vapors. Our guidebook mentioned a social trail, meaning it wasn't recommended by the park, that took you to a better view of the springs in this area. We couldn't find it, which turned out to be good luck because we found it the next day. It was a much grander sight when the sun was shining!
The rainy windy weather combined with hot steam means I should probably just where a hat :)
Our first bison!! Animal sightings were usually pretty easy. Basically, if you saw a couple of cars pulled over just go ahead and join them because there is probably something to see. This guy was just a few feet off the road and paid the traffic and people no mind.
Sapphire Pool used to be a geyser but a 1959 earthquake changed that. It no longer erupts but is still a beautiful hot spring.
Our first night we stayed at Old Faithful Inn, built originally in 1904. Some of the rooms even still have shared baths!
The Inn overlooked Old Faithful and we were able to see (or really hear) a nightime erruption of the park's most famous geyser.
These original doors were extremely thick and have survived lots of winters!
The inside contains a huge main lobby with a great stone fireplace.
The Crow's Nest at the very top once held musicians for entertaining but an earthquake twisted some of the timbers so that it is no longer safe for occupancy.
Our room was very quaint with no tv, internet, or phone service so we really were able to get away from it all.
The CUTEST bison ever greeted us on our bed. I was super excited to take him home, but in fine print he said take me home and I will just be charged to your room - boo! Still a little upset about that one...
The park's main road called the "Grand Loop" is a figure 8 with several entrances. Luckily, our guidebook started at the west entrance which is where we entered. Each night we had reservations at a different junction along the loop so we planned on seeing the sights while we traveled from one lodging area to the next. Our first stop was along the Madison River for lunch.
We got our first wildlife, albeit small wildlife, sightings here. Some fish, ducks, and a heron dined in the area with us. In the previous pic, the sun was shining and the sky clear. In the span of 10 minutes, the weather can completely change. We learned we had to always be prepared.
These cliffs along the Madison River Valley are made of rhyolite, which was formed from lava flows.
The uintas ground squirrel was common everywhere. They were fat-bodied and skinny-tailed compared to our GA rodents.
Pull-over areas for watching animals and nature were everywhere along the grand loop - holding anywhere from one car to 20. Most of the "sights" were just a short walking distance from the parking area but also had hiking trails that could take you to other sights. One of our first stops along the grand loop was at the Junior Ranger Station.
Behind the station overlooks the campsite of the 1870 explorers that created the idea that the government should set aside this area because of all it's natural wonders as a national park for all to enjoy.
Firehole Canyon, created again by lava flows, holds Firehole Falls that is a 40-foot drop.
You could take guided tours in one of these cuties.
We never saw an entire herd of elk - only singles. This guy was grazing where you can still see evidence of previous forest fires.
The Fountain Paint Pots contained mud that bubbled, boiled, and gurgled. The coloring varied according to the minerals that were being broken down but was mostly clay colored when we were there. Several geysers and hot springs were also in this area.
Here is JD and Fountain Geyser. It errupted almost continuously while we were in the area.
Dead lodgepole pines which were one standing in water have bases preserved with silica now. The pines were used by Native Americans to create their lodges, hence the name.
Firehole Lake is one of the park's largest hot springs. Bacteria that thrive in the hot water create the orange and black "mats" near the front.
White Dome Geyser did not erupt for us but was an intriguing site to see. It is a cone-type geyser.
One of the most beautiful (and largest) hot springs is Grand Prismatic. Here people line the walkway in front of it. The center is a deep, clear blue and the algae along the edges creates ripples of various colors. It was overcast the first day we were there so we weren't able to really see the intensity of the colors.
Even the colors are reflected in the rising vapors. Our guidebook mentioned a social trail, meaning it wasn't recommended by the park, that took you to a better view of the springs in this area. We couldn't find it, which turned out to be good luck because we found it the next day. It was a much grander sight when the sun was shining!
The rainy windy weather combined with hot steam means I should probably just where a hat :)
Our first bison!! Animal sightings were usually pretty easy. Basically, if you saw a couple of cars pulled over just go ahead and join them because there is probably something to see. This guy was just a few feet off the road and paid the traffic and people no mind.
Sapphire Pool used to be a geyser but a 1959 earthquake changed that. It no longer erupts but is still a beautiful hot spring.
Our first night we stayed at Old Faithful Inn, built originally in 1904. Some of the rooms even still have shared baths!
The Inn overlooked Old Faithful and we were able to see (or really hear) a nightime erruption of the park's most famous geyser.
These original doors were extremely thick and have survived lots of winters!
The inside contains a huge main lobby with a great stone fireplace.
The Crow's Nest at the very top once held musicians for entertaining but an earthquake twisted some of the timbers so that it is no longer safe for occupancy.
Our room was very quaint with no tv, internet, or phone service so we really were able to get away from it all.
The CUTEST bison ever greeted us on our bed. I was super excited to take him home, but in fine print he said take me home and I will just be charged to your room - boo! Still a little upset about that one...
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