Family vacation to Cape Cod. June 2021
We visited Provincetown, Chatham, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.
We started the trip in Provincetown, MA with a whale boat tour that did not disappoint.
ISO 400 70mm f/6.3 1/3200 sec
Tough day of window shopping in Chatham, MA
No wonder no one is in the water, check out those signs!
Originally built in 1797 to grind corn.
We stayed at a small beach house hotel on Bank Street Beach
June 2022 we traveled to Missoula MT to run a half marathon. Along the way, we stopped in Spokane WA, Thompson Falls MT, Trout Creek MT and finally Coeur d’Alene ID. This is a chronicle of our trip.
Beautiful view from the window of our airplane while flying to Spokane. June 2022
We arrived during the annual Spokane Hoopfest, which is the largest 3on3 street basketball tournament in the world. 425 courts spanning 45 city blocks. There are brackets for all ages and abilities to participate.
We enjoyed breakfast at Bark restaurant, which supports the Humane Society
It stands today as a reminder of the railroads that built Spokane into a thriving city. Spokane was transformed by its rail industry. The Northern Pacific rail line connected the small town of Spokane to nearby mining districts. By the 1970s, many began to see the heavy downtown presence of the rails as a nuisance. The major rail yards established on the banks of the Spokane River were removed to make way for Expo ‘74. Today, Riverfront Park stands where the heart of Spokane’s industry once stood. The Great Northern clock tower reminds visitors of the city’s history and its booming rails.
The original Pavilion was built for the 1974 World’s Fair. This cable net structure had been the most widely recognizable icon of Spokane. Unfortunately, the space had become cluttered with additional buildings and structures and was under-utilized. In 2019, they reimagined the Pavilion to draw people into the park again by innovating a dynamic light-blade LED system that illuminates the iconic Pavilion with a dazzling light show each night.
Hoopfest Finals will be played at the Northern Quest Center Court
Missoula is located along the Clark Fork River at the convergence of five mountain ranges. It is the second largest city in Montana and home to the University of Montana. We are in town for the half marathon.
Brennan's Wave is a man made whitewater wave experience on the Clark Fork River in downtown Missoula. It was constructed in memory of a world class kayaker, Brennan Guth, from Missoula who died while paddling in Chile in 2001. On any given summer evening you can stop to watch kayakers, surfers and paddle boarders playing on the wave.
Our friend, Katie, met us in Missoula for the half marathon tomorrow.
Katie broke 2 hours!!
Hillside letters, symbol of the town and university are stamped on the Montana landscape
Katie after her race
Matt and Carol
Post race brunch in a downtown Missoula cafe
Katie’s family lives in Thompson Falls, MT. Here are some photos of their home, located also on the Clark Fork River.
Katie’s family operates the local dog shelter. Lots of puppies!
We drove to Trout Creek in search of a huckleberry milkshake
Driving to Coeur d’Alene, ID
The 2 ¼ mile Mudgy Moose Trail along features five life-size bronze statues as part of a children’s story
Took the boat called, Eagle, to the Coeur d'Alene Golf Course which features a floating green.
You take a boat called Putter, over to the green
Me eating huckleberry pancakes while watching activity on the floating green
Walking distance from the resort was this scenic nature trail with spectacular views of Lake Coeur d’Alene
Teenagers had fun all day jumping off rocks into the lake
We were able to get in some safe family time during COVID-19 pandemic during the summer of 2020 in Isle of Palms, SC. We all tested negative for the virus prior to getting together as a group. We staying together in a beach side condo and followed guidelines for disinfecting surfaces, maintaining social distance, wearing masks and hand washing. We ate all of our meals at home. Time at the beach was spent without close proximity to other beachgoers.
We took a Fall trip to visit my Uncle and Aunt who recently moved to the mountains. These photos are from our weekend with them, hiking and enjoying the magnificent view from their back deck. November 2-3, 2019
This is the main street in the Connestee neighborhood
The view from their backyard is spectacular. I stood there with my camera on a tripod capturing the ever changing light. Here the sun is just setting over the mountains.
It was cold in the morning, but I couldn’t wait to grab a cup of coffee and watch the sun come up over the mountains. The colors kept changing every few minutes. The fog is forming over Ticoa lake, down below.
This was taken just after sunset and the sky color was really starting to glow.
This was taken late afternoon, but long before sunset. Kind of a hazy sky color was interesting and the shadows were starting to peak around the mountains.
Sun is almost gone!
I was bracketing my images to show the detail in the sunsets on previous photos. Here is what it looked like without bracketing.
This was taken very early morning, before the sun hit the mountains below. Much more color in the sky for a short period of time.
James is waiting patiently for us to take him on a hike. It’s his daily routine.
James, living his best life!
Huge old trees with lots of moss growing on the trunks.
Here is a little mushroom growing in the moss
We visited Billings MT and Big Sky MT and then traveled to Yellowstone National Park. We ended our trip with a couple days in Jackson Hole WY.
My favorite feature at the park was the Geo Thermal pools. They are so beautiful with their colors. This photo was taken at Mammoth Hot Springs, on the upper terrace.
https://www.visitmt.com/places-to-go/regions/experiences/beartooth-highway-scenic-drives.html
kayaks in the river just outside big sky
Horseback riding in Big Sky MT
Big Sky base camp is where the travel adventure starts
We took the ski lift to the top of the mountain in Big Sky MT and hiked down
At the top of the mountain, we see a couple bikers getting ready for the rocky ride down
This is what the ski run looks like in the summer
I had to stop for a touristy photo at the Continental Divide!
Bison crossing the road caused a traffic jam!
These guys were causing the traffic jam
Hot Springs
Travertine Terraces in Mammoth Hot Springs. The interactions of water and limestone create this chalk-white travertine.
Historic Fort Yellowstone resides in this small town. The US Army protected the National Park in its first decades of existence.
Took this short hike down to the water
Some hikes were harder than others. This one took us down to the base of the waterfall at the grand canyon of Yellowstone
top of the waterfall
Road construction backed up traffic.
Grand Prismatic Hot Spring
Hot Springs are the most most common hydrothermal features in Yellowstone. These colorful calm pools are my favorite.
Waterfall at the Grand Canyon at Yellowstone. If you look closely, you can see a rainbow in this photo. There are upper and lower falls overlooks.
Evidence of fires and regrowth. The largest wildfire in Yellowstone happened in 1988. 36% of the park was affected by this wildfire which caused the park to close for the first time in history. Fire was caused by several small fires, drought conditions and high winds.
Old Faithful did not disappoint
Matt with Old Faithful in the background
So many geysers erupting with steaming hot water. They are hot springs with narrow spaces in their plumbing, usually near the surface.
This hotel was built in 1903 and is located right next to the Old Faithful geiser. We walked thru this hotel and noticed the basic rooms have shared bathrooms located down the hall. No coffee makers, TV or air conditioning. Nothing has changed in 100 years!
Jackson WY
Morman Row
In the summer of 2018, we went on a trip to The Bahamas. Our hotel, Rosewood at Baha Mar, was located on the northern shore of New Providence Island, with white sand beaches and turquoise waters of Cable Beach.
White sand beaches
At 9:30am and 3:30pm they would bring the baby ‘mingos out for a walk about the property. You weren’t supposed to touch them, unless of course they came up to you. I was patient and made friends with the baby ‘mingos and got to pet them. I looked forward to this every day.
2012
2012
Tim & Sue joined Matt and I on a trip to visit our Dad and Mary who live in Homer Alaska during the summer. Trip was taken during the summer solstice June 2014.
2014
The water was crystal clear and we saw so many Bald Eagles!!! Too many to count!
