Vacation

We have spent the last 12 days on vacation in the lovely Pacific Northwest. I've taken hundreds of photos. Below is one taken early in the trip, at the Gold Creek Pond in the Snoqualmie National Forest.

Other people's vacations

During one afternoon of our vacation, we found ourselves within striking distance of the Painted Desert, in the Petrified Wood National Park. We decided to cruise through to see what the fuss was all about.

The scenery was outstanding, but what really caught my eye was a roadside overlook boasting a sign that told of one man's love for the area. He had his picture taken when he was a boy of about 12, and 50 years later, he returned, with the photograph, to that same spot. He used the original photo to position himself, then had his granddaughter take his photo. I don't know how the Park Service got wind of the story, but they honored his respect for the park by posting the story of that long-ago vacation.

Some of the scenery we saw.

Hiking in the Blue Mesa

The overlook hosting the sign from above.

The Painted Desert

Nothing like a vacation!

We did a LOT of hiking on this vacation (over 200 miles) but we did some touristy things, too. From RMNP, we went down to Colorado Springs, where we drove up this crazy road to the top of Pikes Peak (didn’t see Clara…BamaGirl…there, though…).

We also visited Garden of the Gods, where we enjoyed red rock formations like this one, the Siamese Twins, with Pikes Peak in the background. Didn't see Clara OR Kim there, either. Too bad...could have been Village 365 party!