Vacation 2005
September 26th, 2005
I finally got some of the photos processed from our West Coast trip. We visited the North Cascades, Mt. Ranier NP, Olympic National Park, the Washington and Oregon coasts, and returned through the Clearwater National Forest in Idaho.
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Badlands, South Dakota: Black & White Photos
I found some unused Badlands photos and converted them to Black & White using a new filter for Photoshop. I was really pleased with the control afforded by the filter and the ability to capture a truly B&W looking photo from a color scan.
Badlands, South Dakota |
Badlands, South Dakota |
Badlands, South Dakota |
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New Mexico
Our most recent vacation will hopefully be the most driving I will do in two weeks in my entire life. We started our trek from Cincinnati, Ohio and drove the 27 hours it took to reach Albuquerque, New Mexico. A marathon only begins to describe the excrutiating all-night drive. We stopped in Albuquerque and captured some of these photos.
Albuquerque Town
Square Church |
Albuquerque Town
Square Church |
Shopping
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Rio Grande Gorge |
After staying overnight in Albuquerque, we hurried out the next day to hike a nearby National Parks Service trail that wound its way through ancient pictographic images dotting the three-mile trail. We really enjoyed the hike and made our way back to the hotel once the weather was unbearably hot. The next morning we hiked Rio Grande Gorge trail, that provides some very nice views of the gorge and the bridge crossing the river. After finishing the hike, we drove to Four Corners, New Mexico to visit this tourist-centered spot. While getting out of the car, we noticed my dog Sam was limping fairly badly and after examining his feet and legs discovered one of the pads of his rear feet had been torn away. Needless to say, that was the end of our hiking in New Mexico. We decided it was time to head to...
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Arizona
I have been to Arizona quite a few times and am always amazed at the diversity in the landscape.
After resting a few days in Flagstaff, Arizona. We deviced to just hit the road and see where we could end up. We both discussed the dawning realization that we weren't having quite as much fun as we have in Montana... that would end up playing a big part in this story.
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Utah
We have skipped our visit to Las Vegas, primarily because it was around 110 degrees farenheit and we were trying to avoid catching fire. I threw out my back pretty handily while walking the dogs, and we made an early morning dash for cooler weather north.
Bryce and Zion National Parks
We hadn't planned ahead to know where to stop or stay near Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks so we had to move through a bit faster than we would have liked. we really enjoyed a nearly perfect summer day in the two parks with mild, cool weather and azure blue skies. I can guarantee that we will be back to these two gems in the future for an extended stay and to enjoy the trails and campsites they have.
Bryce Canyon NP |
Bryce Canyon NP |
Bryce Canyon NP |
Bryce Canyon NP |
Bryce Canyon NP |
Zion NP |
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Montana
It was hard to believe that when we left for our vacation that we would end up in Montana again, but we just felt like we would be back in a place that feels like home. We dashed through northern Utah and Idaho and wound our way up to Belgrade, Montana where we stayed for three days before heading to West Yellowstone for another two day stay.
All told, we drove more than 6400 miles in two weeks; enough to go from Cincinnati, Ohio to Juneau, Alaska and back. That demolished all other mileage marks we have recorded over the last four years of vacations. I hope never to repeat it again unless it actually involves a trip to Alaska.
This is a story with a happy ending. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Montana, Sam healed up just fine and was hiking in the Gallatin River, and the sun set just beautifully in Belgrade.
Buffalo Jump State Park |
Sam on the Gallatin |
Belgrade Sunset |
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Last Update:
July 8, 2006
Copyright © Rich Adams 2005
All Rights Reserved |
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