End if Trip :)

   The trip has come to an end a little sooner than expected, but it was an experience unlike any other I have ever had.  I have posted pictures of the last weeks of the trip and will update this page tomorrow. To view the pictures please click on the last tab.  I hope you enjoy them and that you will come back to hear about the last few weeks of the trip.  Thank you all for following along.

Canada and Central USA

To View the rest of the pictures please see the tab  Banff/Jasper.... Please leave a comment and let us know what you think.

  

 We had another set back that delayed the post again.  But we are back on the road again and ready to get back to shooting.  We are 52 days and almost 12,000 miles into the trip now with still a month and two weeks to go.  We are still loving all that we are seeing and learning new things everyday. 

  Banff and Jasper were amazing.  The Canadian Rockies are truly majestic to say the least.  They are so large and powerful looking that you begin to feel very small in the scheme of things.  We had many days that were very overcast and some that were rainy, but no matter the weather it was well worth seeing.  We spent about 4 days exploring the Icefields Parkway and the surrounding areas of Banff and Jasper.  They are both really nice towns.  The wildlife as you will see in the pictures are abundant and often times you had to stop on the roads and wait on them to pass by.  That could take seconds or it could take 10-15 minutes depending on their moods. It was amazing to stand so close to these animals.  Some of them are much bigger than you would imagine.

  We then headed to Winnipeg.  It is a great town.  It has something for everyone.  We did not get to spend time exploring the area though.  We would love to go back and spend more time though. 

   From Winnipeg we crossed back into the US and visited St. Paul for 2 days.  It is a very family oriented place that still has the old style neighborhoods.  It has a lot of activities for the community and visitors alike.  We spent almost one full day at St. Paul Cathedral.  The next day we visited the zoo and rode around the town some.  It has a wonderful hometown appeal to it.  You could spend days there and still not see all there is to see.

   From St. Paul we went to Stevens Point, Wisconsin.  It is also a small town with a lot of appeal...the streets are lined with murals of the history of the town and the downtown area has pretty much everything one could need.  There are still many original buildings still in use today.  I always love to see towns that utilize and restore the older buildings.  They always have such character and make you wonder what it was like back when the town was built.

   Today we moved on to Milwaukee.  We arrived after dark so we will spend tomorrow exploring the area and decide our next move.  The city is much larger than we anticipated, so we are hoping the weather will hold out and that we do not manage to get to lost.  

   We should be able to get pictures up more quickly barring any more set backs.  Thanks for looking and keeping up with the trip  We appreciate each and every one of you.

Banff And Jasper National Parks

To see all the pictures please click on the Banff/Glacier tab.  If you click on the first picture you can see them all bigger.  Please leave a comment if you like what you see or if you dont!  Thanks!

Glacier National Park was great.  However the main part of it was still closed to do much snow :(  We did get to go down part of Going to the Sun Road though.  Would love to see the remaining 35 miles we did not get to see.  We headed North after that and are now in Canada :)  Got in late so we did not get anything done really the first day here.  We went into Banff today.  WOW this park is absolutely amazing and we have not even begun to explore it yet.  We saw more wildlife today than we have seen so far.  We are still hoping to see a bear and a wolf, but you honestly never know what you might or might not see.  We saw a herd of Big Horn Sheep today.  I have never seen one of those anywhere much less in the wild.  We cannot wait to explore more of it tomorrow.  The weather is not being very cooperative, but there is always room to shoot no matter what the day holds in store.
If you ever get a chance to go north Banff is well worth the visit.  We are going to spend a few days exploring this area then move up more towards Jasper National Park.  They have a glacier there that is as thick as the Eiffle Tower is tall! 

The one thing I have noticed is that some people are not very aware of the safety that should be taken when wild animals are around.  We all want to see them and want to photograph them, but you must always maintain your distance and respect them and their home.  To often we see people approach them or try to taunt them to get their attention.  It is going to lead to nothing but trouble for them.  We should all admire and respect what we have been given a chance to see and enjoy it in its fullest. 

Days 30-34

 To view the pictures please click on days 30-34.  You can then click on one and open them all bigger.

Don't forget to comment and let us know what you think! 

 It took some time to get back on the road and back into the swing of things, but we finally made it!  We have been hard at work and on the road a lot.  We have made it through Yellowstone National Park and then went into two small towns in Montana.  Virginia City is where most of the old historic buildings were shot and Nevada City is where we found the trains.

   The land is still constantly changing and it still amazes us that with each new turn there is something new.  We are now over 7000 miles into our trip.  The feelings that come along with a trip like this are almost indescribable.  You see mountains from the distance and they look so majestic and proud, but as you approach them they become very fragile looking as the wind and the rain have beaten them down.  Still they fight to maintain their strength as they try to push back the new growth that is trying to over take them. The sky here goes on forever sometimes, yet others you are riding through the middle of the clouds.  We have been up as high as 12,500 feet and as low as 283 below sea level.  The temperatures are anyone's guess as you go from one place to another.  Just two days ago while in Yellowstone Park it was snowing and sleeting.  My amazement at this country has continued to grow.

Tomorrow we will head into Glacier National Park.  That will be our last stop in the US on the Western side.  We will then cross the border into Canada and make our way to Banff and Jasper National Parks.  We cannot wait to see what awaits us.  We hope that you will enjoy the new set of pictures.  Please feel free to share the page and leave a comment letting us know what you think.  It is always a great help to know what you do and do not like or enjoy so that we post what you most want to see.  Thank you to everyone who has stopped by.  We appreciate all of you.

Delay in our Travels.

We have had to put our trip on hold for a week.  Life is full of the unexpected and that has happened to us.  Jerri will have to have surgery on Tues, but all is well.  Recovery will not take long, but we are taking the time until she feels better to move on.  We expect to resume our travels by next weekend.  There may be a few pictures posted in the next week, but there may not be.  It will depend on how things go in the next week.  I hope that you will all be patient as we work through this development and we will begin to post more of our travels.  We are grateful for all of you that have taken the time to look at our work and we love the comments we have gotten.  We are slowed, but not stopped!  We will update as soon as things change.  Have a great week!

Days 15-20

1. 

 To view the pictures please click on the page labeled days 10-15.  Enjoy!

    The last five days have been full.  We saw the Grand Canyon and it is grand!  But I was not aware that you had to be shuttled through most of it.  We were very grateful that it was not yet summer and there were not to many people there. 

    Our next venture was of Antelope Canyon.  It was truly amazing, as you will see in the pictures.  It is  all made of sand.  Was like being in a giant sand castle.  You did not want to leave, but they do not let you stay in there long as there are hundreds and hundreds of visitors, even this time of year.

   Our next stop was Monument Valley.  WOW.  That is without a doubt the most spiritual place I could ever ask to see.  We have not posted to many pictures of it, as you really just need to experience that for yourself.  You need to take from it what you feel.  We were very blessed to see two rainbows that day.  We came out of there feeling renewed and refreshed and ready to continue on our journey.

   We also made stops at Lake Powell and the Hoover Dam.  Everything we have seen has been an inspiration.  It makes you really appreciate the cultural differences even within our own country.  The way of life is very different out here.

   Tomorrow will make 3 weeks into our adventure.  We are beginning to really miss our families and friends.  But through the use of modern technology  we are able to keep in touch from most places we have been.  9 more weeks to go and so much more to see.  We are so excited to be able to  share this with you all and hope that you are all enjoying the pictures as much as we are taking them.  Please remember to comment if you like what you see.  It is always nice to get feedback on what we have done.  Thank you all!

  We are headed to Mesa Verde tomorrow then up to Pueblo Colorado.  Our trek north will begin then and we cannot wait to see it!!!!

Days 9-15

   To see all the pictures please click on the page above labeled days 9-14  Please    leave us a comment and let us know what you think!

 We have been on the road more than off it this past week.  During that time we got to visit 3 friends and spend some time catching up.  We did not have long enough with any of them, but any time you can get with those you love and miss is a blessing.

   We have managed to see some things.  We went through the Petrified Forest which is really amazing.  It is another reminder that so many have walked this land before us.  We also went through Yosemite National Forest.  Again I am still overwhelmed and awed by the sheer size and openness of the land out here.  I am sure there are times I look and sound like a child seeing a candy shop for the first time.  

   We traveled along Route 66 for a while and found this hotel called the Wigwam Inn.  It was so cute.  It was a huge attraction back in the day.  You will see the pictures of it on the new page.

   From here on out I think we will have a more direct path as we head toward the north.  Today we will go to Zion National Park and then head towards the Grand Canyon.  From there we will head north to Mesa Verde and Durango  Colorado.  Then begins the trek to Yellowstone!  So much to see!

  We are still very excited and having a blast on this trip.  We finally took a down day yesterday and boy did we need it.  It felt good to be out of the car for a day.  We know we cannot see it all, but we are sure trying to see as much of is as we can.  We are getting ready to slow down though and spend more time exploring the upcoming places we are going.

  We hope that you are enjoying the blog and will keep reading and looking.  Please let us know what you think.  It helps us to know what we are doing right and wrong.  Have a great day and we will update again as soon as we can.

Days 7 and 8

  To View The Newest Pictures Click On The New Mexico/Arizona Tab Above

The past two days have not gone so well.  We have had some major set backs, but we have overcome them and moved past them!  We have criss crossed New Mexico and finally ended up in Arizona today.   Arizona like New Mexico is amazing.

   It is funny the questions you come up with when you travel.  We have googled so many things and learned so much about this country already.  We have also noticed that for the last week, we have not once turned on the radio.  We have been lost in our thoughts and reflections on what we are seeing.

    We spent hours yesterday at Ship Rock.  I fell in love with this rock.  It is like something out of Lord of the Rings. For any of you that watch Westerns, Sci- Fi, Fantasy or play video games...we have gone through all the lands of each of them or so it seems.   I can defiantly see where the inspiration for them  comes from.

  We also visited the Petrified Forest today.  We had very limited time, but are going to go back tomorrow before moving on.  We are headed to visit a friend for a couple of days, then we will head back up Arizona to Vermillion Cliffs.  If there was only one thing I could see that would be it.  We are very grateful for all that we are seeing.  This is truly a trip of a life time and we are only a week into it.

   We appreciate all of the views and the comments we have gotten.  We hope you will all leave comments as we can only better our work and our page with your comments.

Day 6 New Mexico

                         
                        ( To view remaining pictures please click on the New Mexico Link Above)

 Today we visited the VLA ( Very Large Array).  It is a series of  dishes that monitor sound in space.  The sound comes out in pictures almost like a telescope would produce.  They are monitoring sounds that are light years away and way beyond our galaxy.  It was amazing!    While we were there they turned the dishes; to stand in the middle of them all and watch them turn in unison gave you the feeling that a UFO might land any minute.

    We  then headed north.  The terrain once again started to change as we got further north into the state.  The mountains have started to change over from very fragile looking (though I am sure they are not) sand formations to solid rock.  We enjoyed the scenery until we lost the light.  We cannot wait to see what awaits us in the morning.

    The whole day today was very overcast, so the night sky had no stars.  Once the night settles in, you can only see as far as your headlights will let you.  The rest remains almost as if there is a black hole around you.  The night seems to absorb the light around it.  We have not yet gotten to see a night sky with all the stars.  We are hoping the weather will clear soon and that the sky will open up and show us all its glory.

    Tomorrow we plan on visiting Monument Valley and if time allows a few sites that contain some of the ancient ruins that seem to dot the landscape out here.  We also plan to visit 4 corners, where we can stand in four states at one time!  There is also an old volcano called Ship Rock nearby we would like to see.  Once our exploration here has ended we are off to Arizona!!!!!!!!  

    We hope you are all enjoying our updates and we look forward to your comments.  Please let us know what you think so we can better the site.

     We have some pictures for the other pages and when time allows we will update them as well.  We have not stayed in anyone place more than one night.  By the time we get back, edit a few pictures and post it is bed time and time to do it all again.  We are loving every minute of it!

   Good night from Farmington, New Mexico

   

Days 4-5

   We have done so much in the last two days.  We went to White Sands National Park.  It is like being at a beach that you can see forever, yet there is no water.  The dunes are like mountains and it is pure white.  Around it is nothing but scrub brush and dirt.  It is amazing to see how the earth can just all of a sudden decide to change that way.

  We have seen that a lot in New Mexico.  Every bend that you round brings a new landscape to look at. There is a serious lack of water too.  We have passed countless dry waterbed, but have yet to see one that has water in it.

  While we were in White Sands, we went to the White Sands Missile Base.  That is a little nerve wracking.  You have to go in show your license, proof of insurance and vehicle reregistration.  You are then issued a pass to move on.  You have to have your car inspected also.  We are getting use to that as we have already been through two border checks.

  On the way to Truth or Consequences, we took what is called The Geronimo Trail.  It winds through the mountains and passes through small towns.  The view is inspiring.  It takes about an hour and a half, but it is a very nice , peaceful drive.

   Today we went in search of some ghost towns, but we did not find any.  Well we did, but they were not really what we were looking for.  We ended up riding through the Cibola National Forest instead.  It was a beautiful drive along a dirt road.  We saw no cars or people for hours.  The views are things that just make you rethink what life is really about.

     We are having a great time and look forward to all the things yet to come.  Tomorrow we head to Albuquerque!   Good night from Truth or Consequences New Mexico.

 See more pictures under the New Mexico Tab !  

Day Two

 We made it out of Atlanta a little after 6 p.m. last night.  We did manage to get 500 miles though and stopped in a little town called Delhi, Louisiana.  As we were exhausted by then we  basically just grabbed our pj's and climbed into bed.  
     
    We have just stopped for the night, having decided we do not want to drive into the night and miss things that we might want to see.  The landscape is beginning to change.  We are beginning to see cactus and the terrain is getting more rocky.  It is rather intriguing to watch mile after mile of trees and flowers, and then all of a sudden realize you are looking at shrubs and cactus that are pushing through the rocks in an effort to grow and thrive.  We are looking forward to the drive to El Paso tomorrow.  

   We have taken some pictures, but all on our phones as we have been driving hard the entire time.  We have gotten our camera's out tonight and are getting them ready for tomorrow.  We will post pictures as soon as we get to somewhere we can settle down for more than a few hours to sleep.  

    Good Night from Abilene, Texas!  500 miles tomorrow to El Paso, then a few days to settle down and start shooting :)

The car is packed and we are ready to go.  We have things to do before heading out of town, but should be on the road by 7 pm tonight.  We will post later tonight or tomorrow morning to let you know how far we got.   We will miss our friends and our family very much, but we look forward to sharing the trip with all of you and the new friends we make along the way.  Be safe each and every one of you!    It beings now :D

  On May 1st we will beginning a journey that will take us over 8000 miles through the United States and Canada.  It is a trip to learn about ourselves and our country and our neighbors to the North.  We have set up this blog to allow our friends and family to follow along with us.  We will be posting pictures and updates along the way.  

We will also be giving reviews of the places we have been, travel tips as we learn them, as well as many other things that we think you will find useful and of interest.  We hope that you will all follow along and post often.  We will miss our family and our friends a great deal and this a wonderful way for us to stay in touch.  We hope to bring in many new friends along the way also.  

  We will begin posting on May 1st and will continue to post as often as we can.  There will be days we may be without internet access, but we will update at least three times a week.  Hope you all enjoy the blog.  Thanks for stopping in to check us out.!