Author: pam

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Tumacacori National Historic Site and Anza Trail

15-12-31 Tumacacori NHP -001
The Mission is on the Juan Batista de Anza National Historic Trail – we had visited here last year but did not hike any of the trail. This year after our trip to Tubac and hiking some of the trail there, we focused on this part of the history.
15-12-31 Tumacacori NHP -002
Such a beautiful detail against a pure blue sky.
15-12-31 Tumacacori NHP -004
The Anza trail is between here and the mountains. It enters the USA just south of here around Nogales and goes all the way to San Francisco as he set up the Mission there. There is an Anza Borrega State Park South of Pam Springs we visited.
15-12-31 Tumacacori NHP -003
Another view with an interesting sky against the Tumacacori mountains.
15-12-31 Juan Bautista de Anza NHT -007
I did not know the origins of the name Arizona! The good oak tree is hard to find.
15-12-31 Juan Bautista de Anza NHT -001 Pam
Here is the section of the Anza trail behind the Mission’s orchard.
15-12-31 Juan Bautista de Anza NHT -002
A large flood plain as the river changes depending on the water flow.
15-12-31 Juan Bautista de Anza NHT -003
We chose this spot to have our picnic lunch. The water is moving quite rapidly and we watched the sandy bottom shift its ripples.
15-12-31 Juan Bautista de Anza NHT -004
These riparian ways are really known for their birding opportunities. We hear a lot of different songs but they are hard to capture with our camera – however this lovely one kept us company during our rest. A huge flock of raven circled overhead making quite a racket – wonder what all that was about!

Here is the blog posting from our visit last year

http://tealsky.com/2014/12/29/tumacacori-national-historic-site/

and from Anza Borrega State Park http://tealsky.com/2011/01/20/anza-borrego/

 

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White Sands, New Mexico

15-12-08 White Sands NM -001
Gorgeous Panorama of beautiful White Sands National Monument.
15-12-08 White Sands NM -002
The undulating and shadowing was very picturesque.
15-12-08 White Sands NM -004 Pam
We hiked 6-miles or so and enjoyed the rippling pattern on the dunes.
15-12-08 White Sands NM -006
An Angle of Repose…
15-12-08 White Sands NM -010
So sculptural! This reminded us of a Henry Moore Reclining Figure.
15-12-08 White Sands NM -011
A Minion has landed. Always on the lookout for UFO’s in NM – ha!
15-12-08 White Sands NM -013 Pam
From one Minion to Another: Thinking of my great nephew and wishing him a very Happy Birthday!
15-12-08 White Sands NM -014
More Aliens on the horizon.
15-12-08 White Sands Missle Range -002 Henry
A full criminal back ground check allowed us access to the White Sand Missle Range museum – can you see our campsite in the distant mountains?
15-12-08 White Sands Missle Range -003 Pam
Can you just catapult this into the air? They also had a V2 rocket inside of a building with explanations – building on some of the knowledge we gained in Los Alamos.
15-12-08 White Sands Missle Range -004
A gorgeous sky. It was fun to photograph the Final Frontier.
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Organ Mountains, New Mexico

15-12-09 Aguirre CG Henry -001 Henry
We motored South with a stop at Bosque De Apache NWS for lunch with the cranes before setting up this campsite east of Las Cruces.
15-12-08 Aguirre CG -006 Henry
Wine O’clock with a sunset view!
15-12-08 Aguirre CG -005
A picturesque plateau for our tent that overlooks the White Sands in the distance.
15-12-09 Aguirre CG Sunset -002
A morning sunrise – we were three nights/mornings in this camp.
15-12-08 Aguirre CG -001
Morning sunrise – I’m Photographer while Barista is fixing the java.
15-12-09 Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks NM -001
Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument, the hike to the historic camp from the visitor center.
15-12-09 Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks NM -002
Some rugged and beautiful country. Our camp is on the other side of these Organ Mountains. We also explored the museum in Las Cruces to see the Permian Seacoast fossil castings from Prehistoric Trackways National Monument.
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Northern New Mexico

15-12-05 Los Alamos Mark's remodel Pam Henry
What a way to start our trip! We met up with Henry’s college buddy in Las Alamos to help with some remodeling. We did explore some of LA and spent the night reminiscing by the wood stove.
15-12-06 Valles Caldera Nat Preserve -002 Henry
A peaceful morning hike at Valles Caldera – a new addition to the National Park System as a Preserve from a ranch.
15-12-06 Bandelier NM -003 Pam
Bandelier National Monument on a gorgeous winter afternoon
15-12-06 Bandelier NM -004
A family of deer joined us on the hike – the littlest one the most curious.
15-12-07 Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks NM -001
After a very welcoming night in Santa Fe with an nice dinner and morning frittata, we stopped for a hike at Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument.
15-12-07 Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks NM -005
The rock formations were very fascinating.
15-12-07 Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks NM -007
The Slot Canyons were a great place to greet the morning sun.
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Hiking the Lakes at Grand Teton NP

15-09 Grand Teton NP -111 - Taggart & Bradley Lakes
The hike to Taggart Lake – Friday afternoon after cheering up Jim in the morning – was short by all the previous hikes. We were not very energetic but it felt good to have a destination on what felt like a beautiful summer day.
15-09 Grand Teton NP -105 - Taggart & Bradley Lakes
The high temp today was 84 degrees with those fluffy summer clouds really fun to laze around and watch.
15-09 Grand Teton NP -107 - Taggart & Bradley Lakes
We continued on the trail to Bradley Lake which looked the same but different. There was only one other quiet couple sharing this lake with us.
15-09 Grand Teton NP -102 - Henry Menors Ferry Snake River
Earlier at Snake River by the Menors Ferry for lunch rock.
15-09 Grand Teton NP -112 - Proghorn Antelope Flats
A pronghorn in Antelope Flats. Apparently there have never been antelope in N. America so this valley was mis-named and should have been called Pronghorn Flats. We came here in the morning for coffee and breakfast – we saw a herd of buffalo through the binoculars as well as a few deer.
15-09 Grand Teton NP -119 - Moonrise Mormon Row
Full moon rising at Mormon Row – the barn is being re-roofed so we looked for other creative shots that Ansel Adams would have appreciated.. The moon has been so bright this week – it has been shining on us like a friend.
15-09 Grand Teton NP -115 - Henry Jackson, WY
Saturday we spent the day in Jackson, WY.
15-09 Grand Teton NP -120 - Sunrise Grand Teton
Sunday morning we woke to much weather personality and wondered if our luck had run out. This is the sunrise view from the car as we enjoyed our coffee and breakfast.
15-09 Grand Teton NP -121 - Moose Visitor Center
We saw this Moose a lot at the Moose Visitor Center. The weather forecast didn’t seem too bad – and we had Joan’s dinner to look forward to –  their company and the lunar eclipse –  so decided that of course we would stay!
15-09 Grand Teton NP -130 - String Lake
We started hiking String Lake at the String Lake Picnic Area. It was calm and nicely a bit cooler as we were tiring of the hot days. Incredible reflections.
15-09 Grand Teton NP -122 - Leigh Lake
String Lake in Autumn splendor.
15-09 Grand Teton NP -129 - Pam Leigh Lake
We went on to Leigh lake and enjoyed the tranquility of having the entire lake to ourselves!
15-09 Grand Teton NP -128 - Henry Leigh Lake
It was mostly cloudy with some sunshine – quick take the picture – and some very gentle rain drops to keep a quiet serenity around us.
15-09 Grand Teton NP -132 - String Lake
Kayakers adding a new dimension to the shadows of the reflections of String Lake.
15-09 Grand Teton NP -135 - Full Moon Setting Antelope Flats
We watched the super moon lunar eclipse Sunday night peak in and out of clouds, while comfortably appointed in J&J’s RV with an amazing cordon bleu variation for dinner. This was the moon on our early morning departure the next morning – our lasting memory of our experience in the Tetons.
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Two Ocean Lake Hike and Antelope Flats – Grand Teton NP

15-09 Grand Teton NP -081 - Two Ocean Lake
The Grand View overlook of Two Ocean Lake – scouting out the hike ahead of us. Joan and I hiked to this point while the guys shuttled the cars so that we could turn a leisurely 8 mile hike into an 11 mile excursion. Good thing we all have strong hiking legs!
15-09 Grand Teton NP -082 - Two Ocean Lake
The aspen were really in their prime and we felt so lucky to be here on this peak day. The temperature also peaked to 80 degrees making the afternoon evergreen hike pleasurable as well.
15-09 Grand Teton NP -084 - Pam, Henry Two Ocean Lake
Beautiful scenery!
15-09 Grand Teton NP -091 - Henry Cunnighan Cabin
A hiking day off on Thursday gave us time to explore some of the historic sites.
15-09 Grand Teton NP -095 - Cunnighan Cabin
So would you homestead here! What a view – how could you get any work done?
15-09 Grand Teton NP -094 - Pam Cunnighan Cabin
The cabin is really nicely constructed. and we were liking the sod roof.
15-09 Grand Teton NP -097 - Henry Mini 75,000 Miles
MINI just drove us 75,000 miles in the past 10.5 years. New tires to celebrate this trip. And Pam was driving!
15-09 Grand Teton NP -098 - Jim Atherton Creek CG
We set up camp near the Atherton Creek Slide in Bridger-Teton National Forest. Our mountain biking friend was checking out the area too so we had lunch together in the shade of these aspens. The afternoon ride home did not go well for Jim when an SUV pulled out in front of him. Horrible! He suffered a broken pelvis which needed quite a few pain meds and time to heal. We were planning dinner together at Chef Joan’s in the RV the next night so we were able to assist a bit in the recovery.

Here is J & J’s blog entry http://thewesternwagon.blogspot.com

15-09 Grand Teton NP -099 - Murie Ranch Porch Talk
Happy Fall Equinox! We went to Mardy’s Front Porch Conversations at the Murie Center. They had a community evening with engaging conversations led by author Fred Swanson on Olaus Murie and The American Wilderness. Is there enough wilderness? Is technology a useful tool? Should there be pullouts along the road for tourists passing through? We enjoyed some wine, cheese, crackers and Mardy’s favorite cookie recipe with locals as well as other travelers. We were missing have J & J there and worried a bit about how they were faring.
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Hiking L. S. Rockefeller Preserve and Jenny Lake – Grand Teton NP

15-09 Grand Teton NP -033 - Joan, Jim Phelps Lake
The four of us joined a ranger at the preserve for the last morning 1.5 mile hike to Phelps Lake (that took over 2 hours!) where we learned about different types of survival.
15-09 Grand Teton NP -031 - Pam L Rockefeller Preserve Ranger Stand
This area had been closed last week due to bear activity so we saw fresh claw marks and scat.
15-09 Grand Teton NP -035 - Henry Phelps Lake
Phelps Lake with our navigator eating lunch and trying to decide if we can survive the 4 mile hike around the lake – for a 7 mile total day.
15-09 Grand Teton NP -040 - Pam, Henry L Rockefeller Preserve
We did survive! The ranger gave Joan and I junior ranger book after she snapped this photo…
15-09 Grand Teton NP -050 -Henry, Jim, Joan Jenny Lake
We met Tuesday morning at the String Lake trail head to do the “required” hike around Jenny Lake to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. The weather is great and it is so picturesque!
15-09 Grand Teton NP -054 - Jenny Lake
Really a beautiful morning and not many other hikers on this first section of the trail.
15-09 Grand Teton NP -058 - Jim, Joan, Henry Hidden Falls Jenny Lake
A lot of people watching at the falls! The falls are nice and morning was a good time to be there.
15-09 Grand Teton NP -063 - Inspiration Point Jenny Lake
Henry got inspired at Inspiration Point to take some artistic photos of Jenny Lake. The point looks east so not sure it was all that inspirational even tho we are glad the Hole (valley) is preserved and not filled with development. Really too many people on this hike to be enjoyable and therefore not one of our favorites.
15-09 Grand Teton NP -064 - Pam, Joan Jr Rangers
High Five a fellow Junior Ranger! We are over age 11 so we qualified to get a badge or patch after completing our booklets and making a pledge with a ranger. Certifiably fun 😉

Here is a link to J & J’s blog for more photos of our fun together:

http://thewesternwagon.blogspot.com/2015/09/gross-ventregrand-teton-wy-914-929-gps.html

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Spaulding Bay Campsite on Lake Jackson – Grand Teton NP

15-09 Grand Teton NP -075 - Sunrise Spalding Bay Camp
Our second campsite was three nights here – across the bay from the other campsite. The view is looking east for some more spectacular – tho completely different sunrises.
15-09 Grand Teton NP -079 - Henry Dinner Spalding Bay Camp
We are tucked amongst the trees on a bluff above the lake. Chef is starting to prepare dinner.
15-09 Grand Teton NP -074 - Sunrise Spalding Bay Camp
View of sunrise from the site – better hurry with that coffee!
15-09 Grand Teton NP -076 - Pam Coffee Sunrise Spalding Bay Camp
Enjoying coffee on the beach with the first rays of sunshine. There was a duck (merganser?) that frequented this bay, sometimes with a friend, that we enjoyed watching dip and feed back and forth.