Sunset at Apache Junction

On December 10th we caught some of the most amazing colors during the sunset at apache junction. The sunsets here sometimes at night are absoutely breathtaking. Have never seen a sunset like this at home.

December 7, 2010 - Apache Junction, AZ

Today we hiked in Gold Canyon and we saw some hydroglyphs in the rock and a beautiful view of the valley. We enjoyed a warm beautiful morning; temperatures reaching 74 degrees.

November 19, 2010 - Apache Junction, AZ

These pictures are of a hike that we took up through the Canyon Lake area. It was a 4 mile hike with the first two miles ascending up 700 ft from the lake below. At the top of one of the peaks we can see Gold canyon with Weavers needle in the background.

November 16, 2010 - Apache Junction, AZ

Today we spent the day jeeping with friends from last year. We jeeped across Montana Mountain and the views were beautiful.

November 2, 2010 - Sante Fe, NM




Today we drove the Turqoise Trail from Tijeras to Sante Fe. It was a beautiful ride through the Sandai Mountains. We strolled downtown Santa Fe and experienced some of the Spanish culture.

    



October 29, 2010 - White Sands, New Mexico

 

At the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert lies a mountain-ringed valley, the Tularosa Basin. Rising from the heart of this basin is one of the world`|s great wonders-the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert, creating the largest gypsum dune field in the world. Slowly but relentlessly the sand, driven by strong southwest winds, covers everything in its path. Within the extremely harsh environment of the dune field, even plants and animals adapted to desert conditions struggle to survive. Only  a few species of plants grow rapidly enough to survive burial by the moving dunes, but several types of small animals have evolved white colorations to camouflafe them in the gypsum sand. 

October 25, 2010 - Mount Rushmore - Black Hills, South Dakota



Mount Rushmore is a National Memorial created by sculptor Gutzom Borglum and his crew. Borglum carefully selected four presidents which are said to symbolize American Freedom and Democracy. Work began on the gigantic sculpture in the Black Hills on Aug. 10, 1927 and took 14 years in total, as he worked on the piece gradually finishing in 1941. George Washington signifies the fight for independence. Thomas Jefferson stands for the notion of a people’s government. Abraham Lincoln symbolizes the concept of equality and the union of the states. Theodore Roosevelt represents the international importance of the United States in the twentieth century.





October 25, 2010 - Crazy Horse - Black Hills, South Dakota

Today we visited Crazy Horse, near Hill City in the Black Hills of South  Dakota.

At Crazy Horse the world’s largest sculpture is in progress as the focal point of a non-profit, educational and cultural Memorial honouring the North American Indian. It began in 1947 when sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski (1908-1982) arrived in the Black Hills to accept the Indian’s invitation to carve the mountain. Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear’s invitation said “My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know the red man has heroes too. “ When he started work on the mountain he was almost 40 and had only $174 left to his name. Over the years he battled financial hardship, racial prejudice, injuries and advancing age. A strong believer in the free enterprise system, he felt Crazy Horse should be built by the interested public and not the taxpayer, twice he turned down offers for federal funding, the Memorial is not a federal or state project. Since his death in 1982, the project is being continued by his wife Ruth and their large family.


"My lands are where my dead lie buried" - Crazy Horse


 











October 1, 2010 Okotoks, Alberta

Our home town, Okotoks, Alberta. Situated 20 miles south of Calgary and 60 miles east of the Rocky Mountains. We are enjoying the beautiful fall colors and finally getting our indian summer. 

We have had a fun and busy summer, working at a golf course and enjoying the golf privelages that this scenic course has to offer. This is a view from the fouth hole looking towards the Rocky Mountains. You can see little or no snow yet even though it is the beginning of October.

As we get ready to start our winter travels, our plans are to travel to South Dakota to visit Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse monument. From there we will be travelling south to New Mexico to spend some time exploring this state. From there we will travel to Arizona to visit relatives in Bullhead City and the Cottonwood and Sedona area. We then will settle down in Apache Junction for some winter nesting.  

February 16 - 21 - Portland, Oregon

Interstate 84, eastbound from Portland, OR, is a scenic highway going through the Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood National Forest recreational area. The Columbia River`s gorge spans over 100 miles and on one side of the river gorge is the state of Washington, the other side is the state of Oregon. Mountains, forest, waterfalls, damns, fishing, hiking, rafting, golfing, lots of state parks, and phenonmal camping. This area has a ton of activities to do amidst of lush scenic landscapes. The terrain made us feel like we were getting closer to home. and is very very scenic. It deserves another visit, in the summertime, sometime down the road for us to explore it more.

February 8 - 16, 2010 - Driving up the California Coast

Driving inland up the coast Southern California to Northen California was a new travelling adventure for us and allowed us to see a variety of lanscapes. The Sacaremento area is ambundant to growing grapes, we were surprised to see the volumes of vineyards we drove past. As well, the area is a large producer of fruits and vegetables, Doyle is a big fruit and vegetable growing producer in this area. It was a shame for us, because we realized that we were driving through through this growing belt too early, it was only just spring, just the start of the growing season. We were a little sad, because we both agreed that it would have been way cooler to see this landscape in the summer. Northern California was beautiful, snow peaked mountains. and green pine trees.  Mount Shasta stands out from all the rest, she can be seen from two different states, California and Oregon. Such a beautiful mountain, she hypnotizes you with her size and her beauty.

February 7, 2010 - Pebble Beach - Monterey, California

17 Mile drive through Pebble Beach was spectacular!

February 3, 2010 - Jalama Beach, California

Jalama Beach is located on the Pacific coastline 140 miles west of Los Angeles. Our camp site was on the beach where we could walk for miles and miles with no one else in sight. 10' waves crashing the shoreline, blue ocean for as far as you can see and the cool, windy ocean air made our stay here tranquil and invigorating. A little piece of heaven.

January 29, 2010 - La Quinta, California

La Quinta, is located in the beautiful desert valley of Palm Springs, elevation only at 40 ft, it is nestled in the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains, and beside Johusa Tree National Park. This pristine area covers 272,000 acres of wildnerness from desert to pine forest.  This area grows 95% of the United States palm dates and magnificient palm tree orchards are abundant. Citrus, melons, berries, and vegetables are also grown in this region. The area is an oasis to desert resorts, championship golf courses, polo and tennis clubs, and arts and music festivals. The area offers fantastic scenic beauty with gorgeous moutains, and a colorful setting of flowers, trees, green grass and palm trees which all are landcaped impecably. A very gorgeous and unique place.