tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84277807908095332372024-03-14T02:41:23.721-05:00Life as we Live itAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400384973745480982noreply@blogger.comBlogger180125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427780790809533237.post-45067897303973767542015-10-04T18:12:00.001-05:002015-10-04T18:12:55.888-05:00Sawtooth Lake Backpacking<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
So, way back in early summer we went on our first overnight of the year. We went up to Sawtooth Lake in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. It was amazing. </div>
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The hike itself is fairly short, but moderately difficult. Just about 5 miles, and a fair amount of elevation gain. </div>
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The lake, worth every step. </div>
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The hike up is gorgeous, and it was so hot! Andrew was working nights at the time. So he had actually worked the night before and we took off as soon as he got home that morning. Despite our early start, we didn't start the trail until 11am. And by 2pm it was close to 90 degrees. </div>
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We kept our packs really light because we were only staying one night. But still, sweat was pouring. </div>
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We finally were close to the end, and there were pretty flowers everywhere. Like the shooting stars (above). </div>
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We stopped for some ice cold water and to take our packs off. And it was just so pretty at this point. </div>
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A little bit farther and there was the lake. It was so gorgeous, and bright blue. There was no one else around despite all the hikers we had seen on the way. We think they all turned at another, lower lake, instead of coming up to this one. And we set up camp, at this great spot that overlooked the mountains and the water. </div>
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From our camping spot, we climbed down the rock and lay right next to the water. Which was freezing. We were so hot and covered in sweat we wanted to jump in the water. So what else would we do but take off our clothes and jump in right?</div>
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Right...</div>
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Andrew, brave, brave man did just that. The water was so cold he had a hard time saying anything as his eyes got wide and he tried to get back to the rocks. I only managed to get half way in the water before I couldn't think straight and pulled myself out. </div>
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Well, at least we washed most of the sweat off, so our sleeping bags weren't gross. We dried off on the warm rocks and just took in the view. </div>
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The next morning the water was like glass, and we took our time making our oatmeal and eating our breakfast and watching the water. </div>
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We wanted to get out of there before it was too hot, and I think we left camp around 9:30 or so. </div>
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It was a wonderful hike. I can't wait to go back and hopefully do more nights in the area. There are several other lakes beyond this one that will make for a nice trip. But that will probably have to wait for next summer! </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400384973745480982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427780790809533237.post-12767550098889407352014-12-08T13:35:00.002-06:002014-12-08T13:35:48.481-06:00Watching for Whales!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Fell off the face of the planet for a while. Back in Idaho, and happy to be back with Andrew and the pets. When we were in Alaska, we went whale watching. This won't be too much of a photo dump because it is incredibly hard to get good pictures of a whale...who knew?</div>
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The trip was great we saw at least eight individual Humpback Whales. Every single one was exciting. And I must say, I am an expert whale spotter. Add it to the resume!</div>
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I miss Alaska. The grand mountains, and having a glacier right in my backyard. But the wide open space that is Idaho is as breathtaking as usual. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400384973745480982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427780790809533237.post-17938558049323517052014-09-30T13:34:00.001-05:002014-09-30T13:34:24.905-05:00Helicopter Ride over the Juneau Ice Field<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
After our excellent tour on the Mendenhall Glacier we had a nice extended fly over the Juneau Ice Field. An amazing basin filled with snow and ice, 100 miles long and 45 miles wide. It's the birthplace of 38 named glaciers. It was so neat seeing the beginning of the Mendenhall.</div>
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In this picture, you can see the pilot but also the Mendenhall and its medial moraine. </div>
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Look at all those mountains, and snow! The farthest mountains are in Canada.</div>
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The below picture is the Norris Glacier.</div>
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The next picture is the Taku glacier. This was a neat glacier to see because it's advancing unlike so many others off the icefield. </div>
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On the descent down to the airport.</div>
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And full circle, you can see the Mendenhall glacier beyond the trees.</div>
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It was such an amazing trip, the guides were excellent and the helicopter ride was even enjoyable. I never thought I'd say that!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400384973745480982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427780790809533237.post-87761810467964538502014-09-28T12:33:00.001-05:002014-09-28T12:33:20.591-05:00Helicopter to the Mendenhall Glacier<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This is going to be the coolest. And the longest blog post ever. I apologize in advance...but the pictures are just so cool!</div>
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I've been working in Alaska for the past two and a half months at the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau Alaska. I've got a month and a half left to go before heading back to Idaho. Last week Andrew came up and spent a whole week with me. We got to be tourists, and oh man was it fun. We'd been saving up and we managed to fit in some great things. </div>
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One of those days the weather was Juneau perfection! Clear, sunny and even a little hot in the sun. After weeks of rain, the sun was welcome! </div>
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And we decided to do a flightseeing tour on the glacier! Via helicopter... That's really the only way to get up to this part. Other than a crazy hike.</div>
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So up we went, in our first helicopter ride and our first-ever walk on a glacier. I don't even like flying in planes and I must say... I LOVED it! It was exciting, and fun! The views were breathtaking. And maybe that's why it didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. I suppose if I died, the view on the way down would be spectacular. : )</div>
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The orange tent is where the guides hang out during the day. </div>
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Bye helicopter!</div>
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Andrew putting on his gloves. And my new favorite picture of myself (below). We were decked out in all the gear. Our tour included a 2 hour hike on the glacier! Not just a quick out and back like some other tours. We got helmets, glacier boots, crampons, an ice axe, a harness and a giant carabineer. Which really made me wonder what the hell I'd gotten myself into. </div>
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Water moves throughout a glacier, creating these beautiful scenes. And moulins, where water rushes down into a cavernous hole. They anchored us and let us walk to the edge. Carabineer use #1</div>
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Here's Andrew walking up from the Moulin. The Mendenhall glacier is 13 miles long. From this spot we were about 2 miles from where I work every day. It was surreal finally being on the glacier!</div>
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This pool was crazy. It was so deep and blue. This is where we filled up our water bottles with glacier water. Yum. And thankfully, we didn't get giardia. </div>
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Carabineer use #2. Down into an ice cave. They anchored us again, this time belaying us down into this ice cave. It was awesome. I only went a few steps down...because I was scared. Andrew went farther and got the pictures. </div>
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Andrew looks so annoyed in this picture. It makes me giggle. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZD-6fWBcjYE/VCg7PZiJZpI/AAAAAAAADtA/YIELuczqBWA/s1600/DSC_0123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZD-6fWBcjYE/VCg7PZiJZpI/AAAAAAAADtA/YIELuczqBWA/s1600/DSC_0123.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gfWVbUNnc8o/VCg8j52HBaI/AAAAAAAADtc/kTLVCzYitro/s1600/DSC_0144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gfWVbUNnc8o/VCg8j52HBaI/AAAAAAAADtc/kTLVCzYitro/s1600/DSC_0144.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a><br />
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The largest erratic I've ever seen. And a bergstrom. A place on the side of a glacier where the ice pulls away from the rock. Sometime these features can go all the way down to the bottom and under the glacier. It was great being able to see the features I've learned so much about in the past couple months.</div>
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Up next is the helicopter ride back. We had the longer tour so we got to fly up and over the Juneau Ice Field. It was such a treat and there are even more pictures that I thought would be a little much adding them into the post too. </div>
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What an experience we had. I am so glad we had this chance to be daring(daring for me, at least) and do something we might never do again.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400384973745480982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427780790809533237.post-80251171559845792792014-09-01T14:22:00.000-05:002014-09-01T14:22:11.949-05:00Mt. St. Helens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
After having such a lovely day over at Mt. Rainier we wanted to go on down to Mt. St. Helens. The weather near Rainier was going to be rainy on Saturday and around St. Helens it was going to be less rainy. When we arrived at the visitor's center the top of the mountain was covered in cloud. Nonetheless, we could see the blast zone, and the information in the center was excellent. </div>
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We thought about going back to Rainier, but as usual, we decided to keep exploring and went to Ape Cave.</div>
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We had headlamps, so we didn't need any of the lanterns. But, how awesome is that poster?</div>
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After walking to the end of the cave and back, we went down the road a little ways to another hike. By this point we were almost on the other side of the mountain from the visitors center.</div>
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We found another suspension bridge to cross. This one allowed two people to cross at the same time. Andrew walked behind me. This one was really rickety, it bounced and swayed, especially with two people taking steps along it. It was very pretty though. </div>
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We kept driving and decided to go up to Windy Point for one last look at the mountain. We took the Truman Trail, because we told ourselves we would be able to see the mountain around the bend. Maybe 4 bends later we finally did see it! It was getting late, past 8pm, but clouds passed over the mountain and we were able to see the bulging lava dome.</div>
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It was so worth going up to Windy Point and hiking a few miles down Truman Trail. </div>
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The "land" along the lake shore is actually logs! They are all jammed up there from the last eruption. It was incredible to witness these signs of an eruption that took place in the 80s. </div>
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On the way down, we saw a fox!</div>
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This whirlwind trip to Mt. St. Helens made me fall in love! So much so, that we decided to summit the peak next summer. Sometime next August, I will hike up my first mountain!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400384973745480982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427780790809533237.post-44912772710200017972014-08-12T17:41:00.001-05:002014-08-12T17:41:35.337-05:00Skyline Trail Rainier National Park<div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This post has been a long time coming. I've uploaded the pictures twice. The first time I closed out of the page without saving. The second time I got busy and forgot to save again. This will be a photo dump of epic proportions. This was our big hike in Rainier NP, Skyline Trail. A 5 mile loop that took us almost 7 hours. But man, it was so much fun!</div>
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Here I am, bright-eyed and ready for a hike at 7 AM. With beautiful MT Rainier right behind me. </div>
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Here was the first snow field, just 1/4 mile up the trail. </div>
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And a baby freaking marmot! It just trotted across the trail in front of us.</div>
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There were marmots everywhere. And apparently, these guys are territorial. These two were fighting for a good 10 minutes before one ran off. We decided they were fighting. It's hard to tell with marmots. They squeak and roll around, and they're so fluffy...it's just a bunch of cute.</div>
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It was the perfect day for hiking to this elevation. Despite the wildfires in Idaho, Oregon and Washington. We could see Mt. St. Helens which fueled our desire to visit it the next day!</div>
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We could also see Mt. Adams as well. </div>
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Ok, so this crazy snow bridge was the bane of the hike. It was a one foot in front of the other steep climb, and huge steps over cutouts that had worn away. It's hard to see those in this picture, but the last step was over three feet across with a 75 foot snowy drop below if I didn't make it. </div>
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The first and second picture give an idea of how high we were up on this snow bridge...can you see the guy in red in the second picture. It was a scary section. By this point I knew I had to finish the loop because I was not going to go back through this snow bridge.</div>
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In this picture we had a trifecta of peaks. Adams, Hood and Helens. You'd have to zoom in to see Hood. But it was there. </div>
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Us at Panorama Point.</div>
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Here is us being goofy at the highest point in the trail. The closest I've ever been to Mt. Rainier. Just about half way up!</div>
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On the back side of the trail we started to encounter huge snow fields. You couldn't see the trail because it was covered under tons of snow. We followed the well stepped in paths of other hikers. And eventually I glissaded down one slope on my butt.</div>
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The snow fields were so big that eventually we started running them. I was walking through them at such a slow pace. So we held hand, with a hiking pole in my left and a hiking pole in Andrew's right and we literally ran down the snow fields. At one point Andrew described our descent as a frolic and I had to stop moving I was laughing so hard. That sure did get the blood going and the adrenaline pumping. After our running we were hiking on a natural endorphin high. </div>
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Eventually we made it back to the beginning and stopped at Myrtle falls, which was very busy because it's only 1/4 mile from the visitors center. </div>
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I have compiled what I think is a hilarious set of pictures. When we were maybe 1/2 mile from the start of the trail we looked back down the valley at the bridge over the Nisqually river and noticed how tiny it was. Then on our way back to camp, from the bridge we took a picture of where were hiking. The arrows point to our different locations. Kind of fun. : )</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400384973745480982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427780790809533237.post-49350431610689908072014-07-23T20:10:00.000-05:002014-07-23T20:10:04.799-05:00Bench and Snow Lakes Trail Mount Rainier National Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
On our second trip to Rainier, we had the afternoon for an easy hike in mind for the beautiful afternoon we had. So we chose Bench and Snow Lakes trail, a relatively easy 2 mile hike back to some amazing, crystal clear and freezing cold lakes!</div>
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The hike starts uphill (with stairs). Man, I hate stairs...As soon as you clear the first patch of forest you can turn around to the amazing view of Mount Rainier. Plus, the added bonus of Bear Grass in the meadow.</div>
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Bench lake was pretty, but Snow lake was gorgeous! It had the snowy mountains along side it and the water was so clear and blue. So wonderful!</div>
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You get to a point on this trail where the maintenance ends. It's not that bad afterwards, just a bit more climbing over rocks. </div>
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See? Rocks.</div>
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Wandering a little more down the (unmaintained) trail means you're rewarded with a nice little waterfall and no people. At least not while we were there. As we left, of course, a sizeable group was heading to where we had been hanging out. </div>
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Andrew filled up our filter bag with deliciously cold water and we sprawled out on a flat rock and chilled. Hermit thrushes were singing in the woods, you could hear the waterfall in the distance and nothing else except our breathing. It's those moments I love when we go hiking. It's not the trudging to the destination. It is those in-between moments where we stop and absorb the world around us. </div>
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And this was a wonderful place to have an in-between moment. </div>
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If you are in Rainier and are looking for a hike that relatively easy (lots of stairs like I said), this is a good idea. Go find the in-between!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400384973745480982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427780790809533237.post-86228552028193260412014-07-20T21:57:00.001-05:002014-07-20T21:57:44.955-05:00Suspension Bridge on Tahoma Creek Trail Mount Rainier National Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Just a few weeks ago I got to visit Mount Rainier National Park for the first time. Not to mention actually seeing the mountain for the first time. We had driven by the park once before several years ago but the mountain was shrouded in cloud. This time, however, was perfect. We only camped one night and had one day to do some hiking. </div>
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We picked Tahoma Creek Trail towards Mirror Lake because it has a suspension bridge. Andrew really wanted to walk across the suspension bridge...I didn't. But I went along anyway.</div>
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Right off the bat the trail is funny. The first mile or so is walking down a gravel road to the trailhead. You used to be able to drive all the way to the trailhead but frequent floods and, oh yeah, giant boulders kept getting in the way. </div>
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The trail(road) was easy until you get to this part, where the trail has been washed away. There was approximately 6 inches of flat ground/shale to walk along Tahoma Creek here. And below, Andrew reties his boot next to a raging river like a boss.</div>
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Like I said, gorgeous views. </div>
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I'm not sure when, but a few miles in the trail went from moderate to strenuous in a heartbeat. Climbing up steep trails with exposed roots and sheer cliffs. I guess, I forgot to mention that the trailhead does have a sign that says the trail is not maintained. However, Andrew read a lot of reviews online that said that pretty much meant it wasn't perfect, but was an ok trail. </div>
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There were actually a lot of bridges on the trail. Including the very broken one...<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xajzRLwqMKU/U8x-3anbrPI/AAAAAAAADaM/--Svti9xyH4/s1600/Rainier+bridges.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; height: 520px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; width: 640px;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xajzRLwqMKU/U8x-3anbrPI/AAAAAAAADaM/--Svti9xyH4/s1600/Rainier+bridges.jpg.jpg" height="520" width="640" /><br />
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We finally reached the suspension bridge! Andrew went across first (one person at a time!). I had to do a lot of deep breathing for this one. Remember, I don't like heights? Well, I made it across...Man does that bridge wobble!<br />
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On our way back we just happened to see this sign... Remember how I said the trailhead said the trail was not maintained? Well, somehow those two signs send very different messages. </div>
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It was a fun trail, even if it was a tad bit challenging. </div>
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Last weekend we were in need of adventure. Like we so often are. I wanted mountains and Andrew came up with Wallowa Lake in Oregon. There just happens to be a tram going up the mountain, which is what Andrew really wanted to do...</div>
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I don't like heights. At all. More accurately, I'm afraid of falling. But I knew how much Andrew wanted to get in the little box(death trap) and float up the mountain. So we did. </div>
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You might not be able to read the sign, but there were 25 towers the tallest being 74 ft. And more than a mile to the top. </div>
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On the way up I managed to take one brave picture before the car lurched and I spent the next several minutes trying to breathe with my head down on my knees. </div>
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FINALLY! We got to the top, my legs felt like jello. But, man! The scenery was beautiful. 8100 feet in the air with snowy mountains all around us. </div>
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And adorable, overly friendly squirrels running around. </div>
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The tram is kind of pricey, but honestly it was worth it. The way down, I sat facing away from the mountain and I did a lot better. Maybe because I knew I was done with the tram. There are a lot of hikes in the area, and a few miles of trails up top. We will definitely be going back to this area again to do more hiking. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400384973745480982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427780790809533237.post-15747127469228936602014-06-28T12:13:00.000-05:002014-06-28T12:13:36.286-05:00Stanley Lake Camping <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We finally went camping in Idaho! Our goal a few weekends ago was fishing, so we drove in the direction of Stanley looking for lakes with campgrounds, and hopefully, fish. We wound up choosing Stanley Lake, so glad we did! It was so beautiful. </div>
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The weather was perfect, highs in the low 70s and at night only got down to mid 40s. It's the warmest weather we've ever gone camping in. </div>
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Here is our excellent campsite. By far the largest, with the best view. </div>
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And really, can we just appreciate the view?</div>
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We were there for fishing, and fish we did. The lake was stocked the day we arrived, and there was a bit of a breeze blowing these gorgeous fish right at us. There were times we were reeling in fish with every cast. It was so much fun!</div>
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OK, Andrew caught way bigger fish than this one, but this is the only time I had my camera with. This fish was actually tagged(which we reported once we got home). We let this little trout swim away.</div>
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So, we spent two days fishing. I did some reading. And we just relaxed, taking in all the wonderful scenery and calm of a mountain lake. </div>
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It was an excellent weekend for camping and we had the perfect spot. We're already looking forward to camping there again sometime. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400384973745480982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427780790809533237.post-72645368854306494172014-04-06T10:06:00.003-05:002014-04-06T10:06:57.024-05:00Cape Lookout Trail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Our last trip to Oregon was such a whirlwind, we didn't have time to do much hiking. We saw tide pools and explored as much as we could. For this trip, we really wanted to get out on a trail. Perfectly, Cape Lookout State Park had a nice set of trails. We picked the longest over 4 mile(R/T) trail. Cape Lookout Trail did not disappoint, we walked along the cliff edge, wandered through huge forests and ate our hiking snack overlooking the ocean. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3ebir6AFUzk/U0FjSFZMTOI/AAAAAAAADK8/7DZ2fnq8j_o/s1600/DSC_0191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3ebir6AFUzk/U0FjSFZMTOI/AAAAAAAADK8/7DZ2fnq8j_o/s1600/DSC_0191.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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When we arrived at about 9:00am, we were the only car. It was a little chilly, but we pulled on our jackets, packs and got started.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iSQJk-PoQnc/U0FjR9ItC9I/AAAAAAAADK4/FQXebeBVx70/s1600/Cape+Trail+193+199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iSQJk-PoQnc/U0FjR9ItC9I/AAAAAAAADK4/FQXebeBVx70/s1600/Cape+Trail+193+199.jpg" height="546" width="640" /></a></div>
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At the very start of the trail (above left) we could tell how beautiful it was going to be. It was crushed gravel for a little while, but soon turned to dirt, and then mud... Deep, mud. Oh, and trilliums abound!</div>
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We had wonderful views throughout the hike. The trail wanders along the south side of the cape, and opens to beautiful vistas of shore and sea. Then as quickly as you see the ocean, it's gone and you're immersed in trees cloaked in fuzzy, green mosses and ferns, with only the sound of the waves hinting that you're near an ocean. </div>
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At the very end of the trail, there's a single bench where we enjoyed our hiking snack, drank some water and of course took several pictures. Even Dakota ate some snacks! Can you see how muddy his paws are? We sat and enjoyed the view for easily 20 minutes before deciding we should head back. On the way back, we started to pat ourselves on the back for starting when we did, because we crossed path with no less than 25 people heading out to the cape. The parking lot was full by the time we got back! We sure do love our solitude when hiking, and we're glad we had a chance to enjoy the views, (and the single bench) without others around. </div>
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It was a beautiful hike, and I suggest it to anyone in the area. And start early if you like a little more solitude like us. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400384973745480982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427780790809533237.post-1076458174497959062014-04-04T11:52:00.002-05:002014-04-06T10:07:21.214-05:00Oregon, Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My goodness, we just can't stay out of Oregon. Our weekend trip marks the third time we've ventured into that beautiful state. Every time we drive out that way the landscape takes my breath away. </div>
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Even when it's pouring rain and cloudy.</div>
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On this particular trip we went camping! Which was our first camping trip of the year, the earliest it's ever been! We stayed at Cape Lookout State Park, and it was wonderful. The campground was quite, and right next to the ocean, you could hear the waves all through the night. We chose a spot farther back from the ocean, with some more trees and seclusion. It was an excellent spot!</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T7WdnrAgm38/Uz7f8x1-tMI/AAAAAAAADI0/m5UI2QDPmq0/s1600/20140314_232704939_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T7WdnrAgm38/Uz7f8x1-tMI/AAAAAAAADI0/m5UI2QDPmq0/s1600/20140314_232704939_iOS.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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The view from our tent. It was perfect. We arrive Friday evening and the weather was excellent. Sunny, and easily 58 degrees. But everything was so green and wonderfully damp. : )</div>
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We had Dakota with us, and after setting up camp we knew we needed a nice walk along to beach to ease his excess energy. We walked south along the beach towards the cape, and there was a beautiful waterfall. Please excuse the horrendous photo of me. </div>
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Here's the beach looking towards the cape. This picture is from Saturday night, when the clouds started to roll in and it got super windy. But, we had to walk along the beach again. </div>
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Dakota sure does love the ocean, but I wish he'd stop trying to drink the water. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400384973745480982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427780790809533237.post-70184336099806951232014-02-12T13:19:00.001-06:002014-02-12T13:19:30.043-06:00More Fun in Oregon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6HDWDUkZC0w/UvvFXr0N4EI/AAAAAAAADBw/Zl-Yiiu3Ty8/s1600/DSC_0230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
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After hanging out at Oswald West and getting back to our car, we stopped at several other beaches. I'll admit, they all are running together now. I can't remember which is which from the photos. I do know, that every one was absolutely beautiful.</div>
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I loved the spots where streams would come down from the forest out to the beach and right to the ocean. We also saw some jellyfish!</div>
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We were waiting for low tide at most of the beaches so we could get a look at the tide pools. At one beach, I went out a ways and stood on a rock to try and look at some birds. One moment, there was no water around me...the next, there was water up above my ankles. Andrew managed to catch that sequence of events. </div>
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These next pictures are from Ecola State Park, I remember because of this log jam we tried to cross. It didn't work out. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P4kLybTvm80/UvvE2YGKfpI/AAAAAAAADA8/6lF-FiYZ8HU/s1600/DSC_0177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P4kLybTvm80/UvvE2YGKfpI/AAAAAAAADA8/6lF-FiYZ8HU/s1600/DSC_0177.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a><br />
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At almost all of the beaches, we had to walk through these misty, ethereal forests before getting to the beach. It was otherworldly, and wonderful. </div>
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Ecola had wonderful tide pools- we time it just at low tide, and climbed over all the rocks so we could play. : ) Low tide didn't last very long, and one particularly large wave came in and Andrew in his 6 foot height was able to jump to a higher rock. I just had to turn around and cling to the rock while the wave crashed into my legs. It was pretty hilarious.</div>
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We finally knew we needed to get back on the road to head home, so I took a few last shots of the trees as we headed out of the state park. </div>
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This was a wonderful trip. It was only one night, but we managed to pack a lot of fun in, as usual. The drive home was much better, the weather mild and no snowstorm. We already cannot wait to visit the Oregon Coast again. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400384973745480982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427780790809533237.post-88329193925676242582014-02-08T21:10:00.001-06:002014-02-08T21:10:12.945-06:00That Time we Drove to the Pacific Ocean<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I have neglected writing down our adventures, and there have been many. I'll go back a little ways to before Christmas when we decided to drive to Oregon, all the way to the Pacific ocean. If I remember correctly we decided to do this in one day, there wasn't much planning. We wanted to do something over the weekend and this is what we chose. It's just so us. Well, who knew that come Saturday morning we'd be battling a snowstorm. We drove six hours at 40mph or less. It was mostly under 25. We drove right through the mountains that were getting hammered with snow. We took our time, and on the other side of the mountains, the weather cleared and there was a sigh of relief from both of us. </div>
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We got closer to the coast, and this was our first spectacular view of Mt. Hood. </div>
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I forgot to say we brought our adventure dog, Dakota!!!</div>
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We stayed in a town called Manzanita, right on the coast. Almost immediately we drove down to Cape Mearas National Wildlife Refuge in hope to see some birds. </div>
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You can see whales from here, but we didn't see any. There were a bunch of Varied Thrushes, which was awesome!!</div>
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We went back to our place in Manzanita, ate our macaroni and cheese for dinner. We were right across from the ocean and it was full dark outside but we went for a walk along the beach. Dakota absolutely loves the ocean. It was his first visit, and it was so fun to watch him sniff the sea foam. </div>
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We went back to our room and we all promptly fell asleep. The next morning we woke up to rain (lots of rain out there). We wanted to hike through a rain forest and went down to Oswald West beach...the walk went right through a giant forest. Prehistoric looking. </div>
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Just a 1/4 mile through the trees we came out to the ocean. </div>
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This was just the first hours of our morning, there was so much more me packed into this day. But, this was enough of a photo overload!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400384973745480982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427780790809533237.post-27086566613719353092013-12-05T12:55:00.001-06:002013-12-05T12:58:34.653-06:00Craters of the Moon National Monument<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A few weeks ago we decided to wake up early and take a trip to Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. If you remember, we actually stopped here on our way into Mountain Home. Just for a few minutes at a scenic overlook, it's right off of Highway 20, which is the way we drove in. Seeing the lava formations from the road was enough to encourage us to go back and spend a little more time there. </div>
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The weather forcast for the day we'd be there changed throughout the week and we decided we'd go no matter what - we longed to explore something new!</div>
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When we got there we discovered it had snowed and was still snowing! The fresh snow on the lava rocks made everything quiet and peaceful, if not a bit slick.</div>
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Through the main section of Craters by the visitor's center there is an auto loop that drives you to the "main" attractions and some hikes. We drove the loop and stopped at all the sights. The first was a small nature trail loop called Devil's Orchard Trail. </div>
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Everything looked so pretty, the landscape is very open and sparse...I'm not sure I'd want to visit in the summer. The parking lots for the different stops were huge! I think they might get quite a crowd during the peak season. But on this snowy day there were only 2 cars we saw in the whole place!</div>
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In the formations they call cones, there were really cool impressions in the rock. Doesn't this one kind of look like a paw print?</div>
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And yes, the whole time we were there we couldn't help but make comparisons to Mordor - if Mordor ever got snow. </div>
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We wanted to go into the caves around the park and Caves Trail is a great way to do it since there are three caves on this trail alone (there are others in different parts of Craters). </div>
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You do have to stop at the visitor's center to get a permit for caving. They ask you a few questions about your activities in caves over the past 8 years. This is, of course, to help prevent the spread of White Nose Syndrome. Since, nothing we were wearing had been in a cave previously we were safe to go in. </div>
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Yeah, they aren't joking about unstable, the giant rock sectioned off fell from the ceiling of the cave. Can you see Andrew's headlamp behind the rock?</div>
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The caves are explore at your own risk and are freaking dark!</div>
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We both had headlamps and flashlights, plus gloves because some of the rocks down there were sharp. I didn't take my camera down into the caves just in case I dropped it, so I left it behind near the entrance. </div>
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When we got a ways into the cave we turned our lights out to see how dark it was and it was incredible. You could see nothing! There was a pinprick of light back near the entrance, but it would only serve as a guide to follow - it wasn't enough to light anything. </div>
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After exploring the caves we were pretty tired and hungry! So we put up our chairs next to a picnic table and made macaroni and cheese for lunch. </div>
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The fact that is was 30 degrees outside and we were the only people there made it all the more special!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400384973745480982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427780790809533237.post-75326745570183774862013-11-11T12:50:00.001-06:002013-11-11T12:50:33.552-06:00Weekend Things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Weekend may not be the best term to describe the times Andrew has off from work. He now works 12 hour shifts several days in a row and then has 2-3 days off. This past week, he did actually have the entire weekend off plus Thursday and Friday to make up for a holiday that he's working. </div>
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It's definitely different from his 7:00-4:30 Monday through Friday he worked in Ohio. It is nice having blocks of time off at varying parts of the month. Since, sometimes camping and visiting parks are best done on weekdays if you want to avoid a crowd. : )</div>
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We definitely took advantage of Andrew's four-day weekend. We toyed with the idea of going a little bit farther out and camping in a national park...but it was too last minute and decided to stick around the local area. </div>
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Pictures from top to bottom, left to right.</div>
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1. Craters of the Moon National Monument (to be blogged about later)</div>
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2. Same place, see the lava rock?</div>
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3. Sunsets over Mountain Home, ID. The view of the mountains where we live. </div>
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4. The Snake River in Boise National Forest. We live very close to National Forest land, and more often than not we find ourselves driving into the mountains. Around every corner is something breathtaking. </div>
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5. Sawtooth National Forest; one of our fishing stops. We both bought day liscenses and decided to go fishing Saturday. Neither of us caught any fish, but man was the scenery amazing. </div>
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6. Same area different spot. </div>
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7. Lightfoot Hot Springs, Sawtooth National Forest. This small hot spring was right next to the road, and very hot. We were too busy fishing but it would have been a nice quiet spot to dip your toes in. </div>
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8. Lily Marsh Trail, Ponderosa State Park in McCall, ID. Spent Sunday hiking around this beautiful state park. </div>
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9. Sawtooth NF, out of order : ) Another spot on the river. </div>
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We had an excellent weekend, full of scenic views and new adventures. Of course, I have more pictures that I'll be putting up later. </div>
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Have a great Monday!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400384973745480982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427780790809533237.post-81054450129244573952013-10-31T14:50:00.000-05:002013-10-31T14:50:20.160-05:00A Day Trip to the Tetons and Yellowstone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We arrived in Mountain Home on a Monday evening, and that Saturday we decided to take a drive to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. It's really only a five hour drive, so not that bad at all. In Ohio, we lived six hours from the Smoky Mountains and we drove down there all the time! We just had to go see this beautfil place again, the last time we were there was 2009. </div>
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So, we woke up bright and early (5am), packed up the Dakota since we'd be gone all day and set out on our way. The plan was to drive to Jackson and into the Tetons and come back home. Well, on the way we decided we would be so close to Yellowstone, we should go there too! We are incredibly spontaneous. </div>
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Just before Jackson there was this beautiful put-in for kayakers. We got out to stretch all of our legs and take some pictures. </div>
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I can see why it's popular with the kayakers - we're definitately not up for rapids like that yet. : )</div>
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We got into Teton and stopped at the first visitor's center and spent some money. Bought a few things, including a Teton ornament. We've started collecting Christmas ornaments from the National Parks we visit together as another way to commemorate our travels. Plus, I love spending money in parks, any way to give back!</div>
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Just a little ways north of the visitor's center we saw a few cars along the side of the road. We thought it might be an elk-jam considering the area...but it was just for magpies!</div>
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Just kidding! It was for this gorgeous grizzly right by the road. Within minutes of our arrival a ranger showed up to usher people away, the bear was really close to the road. Digging for grubs and paying us no mind. It's my best grizzly shot to date. </div>
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We wound our way further north and reached Yellowstone. We drove slow, and stopped a lot, just taking in the scenery and trying to find all the birds we could!</div>
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I was seeing these large gray birds flying in the trees and whenever we would stop to try and ID them, they were gone. I was starting to think they were Clark's Nutcrakers. But, finally there was a pair eating some roadkill. Pleasantly posing for photos before we drove on and we found out they were Gray Jays. Still, a new species for me!</div>
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We stopped at the Old Faithful area and checked out their new visitor's center. This building was under construction when we were here last. It's quite beautiful. We didn't buy anything, the larger gift shop was closed for the season. We'll have to go back next summer, shucks!</div>
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We left through West Yellowstone around 5pm. After seeing the standard bison and large bull elk. The rivers along here were super busy with flyfisher people. And I can see why, fish and beautiful scenery, what could be better? </div>
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As we left the park I called my mom to tell her about our awesome day. I told her about all we'd seen and we lamented that I had not seen a moose. I'd never seen a moose in the wild, despite them being one of my favorite animals from a very young age. Andrew and I took a scenic road as a last minute decision and down the road a ways I saw something large crossing the road. Andrew started speeding forward to reach it. I was frantically reaching for my binoculars thinking maybe it was a large cow and saw it was a...</div>
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MOOSE! </div>
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As soon as I realized what it was my eyes started to tear up and I was telling Andrew I was going to cry! I managed to stay calm enough to take some pictures and enjoy this awesome, gangly, young bull moose wander into the woods. </div>
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It was all kinds of magical. </div>
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What a wonderful Saturday it was, we even made it home by midnight! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400384973745480982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427780790809533237.post-53314126688372426622013-10-29T16:16:00.000-05:002013-10-29T16:16:12.745-05:00Adventures in Bruneau Dunes State Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We are lucky enough to live just a few short miles from a very nice state park: Bruneau Dunes. And, like the title suggests, there are some lovely sand dunes in this park, two rather larges ones by a lake. They make for pretty pictures. We've found ourselves there a few times since we've been here since it's about a 15 minute drive from base. </div>
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The first night we got there rather late, we went on a whim and got there as the sun was heading down over the dunes. We just spent a little while walking around and taking some pictures. </div>
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We had an awesome encounter with a great horned owl, that seemed to be rather mad than we were in its space! It probably didn't help that I was crawling in the sand towards where the owl was making sounds...</div>
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The second time we went, we purposely headed out just before sunset so we could set up the telescope and get a good look at Venus in the southwestern sky. </div>
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Bruneau is a great place for stargazing, there are very few (dim) lights in the campgrounds which are far enough away from the dunes that it gets very dark right after sundown. The silence is something, too! It's so quiet you can feel the silence pressing in on your ears, amazing considering you are only 15 miles from town!</div>
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We kipped out on the sand and waited for the stars...and they delivered. </div>
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There was a fire in the agricultural valley near Bruneau, that's what's lighting up this shot. See the Big Dipper? And the streak of light is what we think was the International Space Station. It was moving so fast, and was much lower than a standard satellite. Which lead us to think it was the ISS. </div>
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On another day we found ourselves back in the Bruneau area...in a more remote section looking for a trail that was supposed to lead to Indian Hot Springs. The guide we were using was giving horrible directions and failed to mention the road back there might require technical 4x4. </div>
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Because within minutes we found a giant sand pit covering the road. About 12-14" of fine, powdery sand and no way around it. Andrew barreled through in our Subaru while I took pictures. (Horrible pictures because it was on manual focus from star pictures)</div>
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It was bad, the car could very easily gotten stuck and we are very lucky. About 20 miles from anywhere, in a desert with no service. Adventure, right?</div>
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We were indeed dusty. The trail didn't even pan out, because down the road it turned into a techincal rock climb and we had to turn around and drive through the dreaded sand pit again. </div>
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It is quite beautiful out there. </div>
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We went along the road to Bruneau Canyon, and saw this sign. Ok, then. : )</div>
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Bruneau is awesome, and we've only seen a small portion of it. We look forward to hiking some more trails, and hopefully avoiding anymore dangerous roads. </div>
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Oh, and a cow. </div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400384973745480982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427780790809533237.post-19945317286596380402013-10-29T13:05:00.000-05:002013-10-29T13:06:02.303-05:00The Big Move<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Well, it's been a crazy few weeks. It's hard to believe we left Ohio on October 5th. We spent a week in Minnesota visiting with family and just hanging out. On the way we were in for some rather flat scenery. I-90 through Minnesota and South Dakota are the most boring sections of 90 across the country. At least the sun was shining and it was a beautiful crisp fall morning when we left Minnesota. But flat...see the flat. </div>
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We finally found some snow outside Rapid City, SD. And a lot of dead cattle. We're quite lucky we didn't drive through here a week earlier because the area had a massive snow storm in which thousands of cattle were stranded and unfortunately died. In places, there were just piles of cows, it was quite disturbing to see. </div>
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We arrived in Rapid City pretty early and after stretching our legs and letting the pets run around the hotel room, we put Dakota back in the car and went for a little drive. </div>
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After a horrible nights sleep (we were right by the stairwell, and some kind of party was happening) we were on the next leg of our journey. So we drove through the rest of South Dakota into Wyoming. </div>
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And then into Montana, where an hour outside Bozeman it started to snow like crazy. </div>
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The snow was sticking to the roads and making a terrible mess of everything, thankfully we were staying in Bozeman, I would have hated to drive much further in the snow. During the drive, my car rolled over to 90,000 miles. The car is 5 years old...</div>
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After a better nights sleep, and a delicious made to order breakfast at our hotel we were on our way. We decided to cut down through Yellowstone for a bit of scenic driving. Of course, as soon as we left the Bozeman valley we hit more snow! But it was beautiful. There's Andrew's car up ahead, leading the way!</div>
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Everything was so pretty, it was really too bad we were in separate cars, it would have been nice to just enjoy the scenery. In this spot in Yellowstone we saw a mama bear and her two cubs crossing the road. </div>
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Down the road we left the park and drove through West Yellowstone and finally we reached:</div>
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Our next home state for who knows how long. </div>
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We stopped at a scenic overlook at Craters of the Moon and took some pictures. We'll definitely have to come back here, there are some awesome lava rocks and formations, it does kind of look like the moon!</div>
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Then, we finally arrived in Mountain Home, and after only one day we were able to move into a house on base...by total miracle. This is a picture of our backyard. </div>
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We've been having adventure after adventure since we got here, there are a lot more pictures and stories to come. We absolutely love it here!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400384973745480982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427780790809533237.post-89787159016947934222013-08-29T14:25:00.000-05:002013-08-29T14:25:32.415-05:00Cox Arboretum MetroPark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Sunday, we had a lot of work to do in the yard, but when we woke up everything was still dewy and damp from the night. I don't know about you, but I hate doing yard work when everything is damp. So we decided to spend a few hours exploring something new. </div>
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So, we went down to Dayton to the Cox Arboretum MetroPark. I've raved about the metropark system here in Ohio, and this park is no exception. It's an oasis of green in a developed area of Dayton. It's completely free to roam around and they even have a butterfly house! Glad we went when we did, it was the last day of their butterfly house season. </div>
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Paths meander throughout the park, around ponds, under trees and through gardens. There are also trails that go off in the woods, we did one of those too. </div>
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So many butterflies and flowers. It was a very hot day, it got to 90 before we left. But we enjoyed walking around the beautiful gardens for a little while before heading home to work in our own garden!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400384973745480982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427780790809533237.post-81077119783391612952013-08-05T10:40:00.001-05:002013-08-05T10:40:33.053-05:00A Military Move<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
That's right guys-we're moving!</div>
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To the beautiful state of Idaho! We've been in Ohio for two years; that's way too long to stay in one place! </div>
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When Andrew decided to enlist again, we decided to put in a BOP (Base of Preference) list just in case. Reenlisting kind of gets you some special consideration for moving. Of course it's all dependent on the needs of the military, your job and the locations you select. </div>
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Andrew spent a lot of time researching bases and their hospitals (since he's a medic) and we made sure our favorites had hospitals with a higher chance of supporting a move. </div>
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And, holy crap-we got our first choice. </div>
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We are so excited! The opportunities in this area of the country for adventure are endless. Not to mention job prospects for an environmental scientist are much better than here in Ohio. </div>
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We'll be leaving in just a couple months-but have a lot to do in the meantime-like rent out our beautiful home. (We've hired a property management company).</div>
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Anyway, wish us luck-and if I'm absent there is good reason. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400384973745480982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427780790809533237.post-63556340255705548912013-07-31T08:55:00.002-05:002015-10-13T19:17:34.171-05:00House <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400384973745480982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427780790809533237.post-91560147403447488652013-06-10T19:00:00.000-05:002013-06-10T19:00:13.268-05:00Birding at Magee Marsh<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
There's a bumper sticker I see every once and while...when I see it, I know that person is like me. They share the same obsessive passion for our feathered friends. Maybe these creatures consume their dreams, as they do mine. Or maybe I'm crazy. </div>
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This bumper sticker says, "I'd rather be birding at Magee Marsh" and on almost any day of the week...that statement is 100% true for me. </div>
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I'd rather be birding. </div>
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This year I experience the Biggest Week at Magee(just Google it), you'll see photos of crowds of people with telephotos the size of baseball bats lined on a wooden boardwalk all pointed in the same direction. Waiting for that passing bird to stop on that branch to rest. </div>
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The thing about Magee and the Black Swamp Bird Observatory region, is that it is the last swath of trees for birds to make a migration pit-stop before flying over Lake Erie. So, clouds of warblers and other amazing migrating species stop here and make us birders go bananas!</div>
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I went twice during the Biggest Week (one day was far better than the other-but weather patterns greatly dictate how long the birds stick around) but I already can't wait for next year. </div>
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Black and white warbler-one I was looking most forward to. I started squealing when I saw it...then realized there were people around me. They just smiled and nodded-they understood. </div>
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Yellow warbler-very abundant, once you recognize their call <em>Sweet sweet, little more sweet! </em>It's hard to hear anything else.</div>
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Chestnut-sided warbler-quickly became my favorite bird of the visit, so striking-and they let me get very close to them.</div>
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Magnolia warbler</div>
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Blackburnian warbler-even more impressive in person, the color is amazing!</div>
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Black-throated green warbler</div>
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Tree swallow-also very abundant, but I couldn't resist this shot when it landed in front of me.</div>
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We even saw a Prothonotary warbler, can you see his bright yellow?</div>
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And one of my favorite birds! American woodcock, sitting on her nest. Can you see her?</div>
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The list goes on for the birds we saw, common yellowthroat, palm warbler, Nashville warbler, yellow-rumped, E. screech owl, great horned owl babies!, a million vireos(maybe an exaggeration). I think we saw 21 new species the first day and another 20 the second. </div>
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The point is...I may be a beginning birder-yes I consult my field guides(yes-plural) throughout the day, but I'd rather be birding...anywhere, any day. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400384973745480982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427780790809533237.post-50376608683561448322013-02-20T08:50:00.000-06:002013-02-20T08:50:28.417-06:00Great Smoky Mountains NP: Andrews Bald<div style="text-align: center;">
Way back in September of last year we went camping in the Smoky Mountains...and I never even talked about it here. We had a wonderful time, and it confirmed my belief that I could live in those mountains and be happy forever. </div>
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Just like when we stayed in Shenandoah, it rained for the first couple days. It's ok, we still hiked and enjoyed ourselves. But, we were really happy when the sky cleared and we were able to enjoy the fall colors with a little bit of sunshine and a little less wet. </div>
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We decided to hike to Andrews Bald, a quick 1.8 miles one-way. The parking lot for Clingmans Dome was insane! We drove around four times before we found a spot. Most people were going up to the observation tower, only a few were going to the Bald. </div>
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The trail was beautiful, it went through a spruce-fir forest and then would come out on some beautiful open vistas.</div>
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Almost there!</div>
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Oh yeah, wonderful. It was amazing, the sun was shining and we were above the clouds. We couldn't see mountains in the distance, but there was a surreal feeling of floating on the bald. We took off our packs and just laid down in the meadow. </div>
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We may have gotten a few stares, but most people saw us and decided to take a seat and enjoy the view too. I mean, why hike out here and not stop and take it in. </div>
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We took our time going back, stopping a bunch and really appreciating our surroundings. And by the time we got back the clouds had cleared and we could see the mountains for quite a ways. </div>
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It made me want to turn around and go right back to the bald. </div>
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Maybe another time. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400384973745480982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427780790809533237.post-3409060103061848642013-02-19T13:39:00.002-06:002013-07-03T07:50:22.323-05:00Marblehead Lighthouse and Birding<div style="text-align: center;">
Hello world! It's been far too long since I've updated this blog. Without really doing much, it seems as if life has been really busy the past few months. It's hard to believe February is almost over. </div>
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Life is good, Andrew moved clinics at work and I think he is pretty happy. He has more responsibility and that makes him happy. I love my job working two days a week at the nature center. And next week I start a part-time internship! </div>
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I love making progress in my field, and every bit of experience I can add to my resume before I graduate is a benefit to me. It does mean that time will be even more precious. I will work Monday-Saturday. That is short term though, it is only three months and then life will be back to normal. </div>
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Anyway, just a few weekends ago Andrew had some leave to use and we decided to head up to Marblehead Lighthouse on Lake Erie. It's somewhere Andrew and I have been talking about seeing for a long time, and never had the chance to go there. </div>
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We picked a perfect day to do it. The sun was shining and the temperature reached at least 45. Of course, there was no one else there. Except a Border Patrol SUV in the parking lot. </div>
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I'm glad we saw it during this time of year, it was beautiful. </div>
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After spending a little while walking around the property (museum was closed for the season). We stopped at a little cafe down the road called Avery's Cafe...highly suggest it. It was delicious. </div>
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After that we headed south to stop by Killdeer Plains preserve to look for some birds. I had gone a few weeks earlier with work and hoped Andrew would get to see some good birds.</div>
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We stopped at the owl wintering area and tried spotting roosting owls, but no luck. We did however find several owl pellets which I took home and dissected. More on that later.</div>
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After leaving the wintering area, we hit the jackpot and saw several short-eared owls. And got pretty close to a couple of them!</div>
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As we were leaving there were about seven perched in a tree, it was awesome! </div>
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Anyway, there's more the story and I'll have to talk about that later : )</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00400384973745480982noreply@blogger.com0