Trip to Buffalo...

Karen and I drove to Buffalo, Wyoming for a camping trip.  Beautiful scenery, almost no people...just like we like it.

This river was right outside our camper door. 

Lots of moose in the area, but very hard to find.  An early morning trek led us to these youngsters. 

Went to Thermopolis to the dinosaur museum.  I had been there before but it was new to Karen.  It's a great museum...lots of dinosaurs.

Estes Park

Drove up to Estes Park today to attend a model train show...have to get some ideas for my new train.  Beautiful drive with the ice and snow in the river.  But oh such trauma!  When I left the show I turned left...which I thought was the way home...but, noooooo it wasn't.  As I drove up into the mountains and realized I was lost, started looking for a place to turn around.

Pulled over onto a turnout, then decided the road was too narrow to make a U-turn.  Okay...on to the next turnout...but when I tried to pull back onto the road my tires spun on the ice...5 minutes later, after backing up and spinning and backing up and spinning, finally shot out onto the highway.  Next turnout was a trailhead parking lot...or you could have called it an ice rink.  Slip and slid my way to a stop, turned around, inched out onto the highway so my back tires were on solid ground and hit the gas...yea, made it out.  I was so shaken I had to stop for a cream puff to calm my nerves for the drive home.

Wildlife

February adventure...an hour's drive to this wildlife sanctuary...they rescue lions, tigers, bears and other large animals from private homes, small circuses and other habitats unsuitable for this gorgeous animals.  They have 320 acres and after a period of readjustment, the animals are placed into family-type groups with lots of room to roam...not perfect but MUCH better than where they were.  That big guy in the middle is the head of this pride.

He's by himself for now...will gradually get to meet other tigers. 

This is a really big warehouse where all the meals are prepared...mostly by volunteers.  All the viewing areas are elevated...less stress on the animals.  I will definitely be going back in the summer when they're open until dusk and the animals are more active.

My 2012 goal is to do something once a month I've never done before.  So yesterday I packed a lunch and drove 200 miles on some of Colorado's backroads...not everyone's cup of tea but I love going anywhere I've never been before.  I keep my eye out for interesting business names...this qualifies.

One certainty out here on the plains is that every town will have beautiful old homes.

Cows...yup, another plains certainty...though how they live on that dry scratchy grass is a mystery.

The perfect wayside stop for a hungry traveler...love See's vanilla fudge and dark chocolate raspberry cremes. 

Fall trip

Rocky Mountain National Park...just an hour's drive from my house...people come from all over the world to see it and I seldom drive up there.  It's beautiful...I need to go more often!!

Day 264 - 286

This post is going to start with the most recent happenings and go backwards...just the opposite of what I usually do because that's the way I loaded the pictures.

My sister, Karen, and I just took a GREAT camping trip to southern Colorado...Durango, Silverton, Aspen, etc to see the fall colors. Spectacular...wow...awesome!! If you've never taken a fall vacation in an area where the leaves change colors, I urge you to do it at your earliest convenience. These pictures are VERY poor substitutes for the original.

We took the Durango/Silverton train...great fun. We went ATV riding...a first for me...sometimes fun...sometimes scarry. We camped out in my camper...roasted hot dogs over the campfire, laid on the picnic table and marveled at the stars, and played lots and lots of games. A terrific time and I will definitely be going somewhere next autumn.

Brianne had her baby September 16...Rilee Allen Simmons. I suggested that that spelling will lead people to think she had a girl when in fact she had a boy. Whatever...he's adorable and mom and baby are doing great.

The last French Nest in 2010 is in 10 days. My vacation burned up several of my "getting ready" days...but it was sooooooooooo worth it. Here are a couple of fall notebooks.

And here are a couple of new cards.

Day 41-82

Yup...it's been awhile. After the card show it just didn't seem like I had much to say. Then I went to California for a couple of weeks. Spent a week with old friends and a week with my sister, Karen. Karen and I were really busy...sailing on a tall-masted ship, going to a kite festival, wandering around the Living Desert Museum in Palm Desert and taking a Segway tour at the San Diego Wild Animal Park...what a hoot! Do it if the opportunity every arises!!

Springtime in the Rockies!

Today there's a bright blue sky...gorgeous!!!...and the snow is melting off the trees and roofs almost as fast as it came down yesterday. Walking under trees you need your hood up or it's snow down your neck for sure. And if you happen to be under a tree when a squirrel is scampering overhead...no doubt about it...you're going to get very wet.

I've been working on Father's Day cards for the next show and fulfilling some card orders I got while in California. Now that I've broken the posting drought, I'm hoping to stick with it.