Halloween in Fresno

It must be Halloween time at the grand kids house. It is always fun time to visit the pumkin patch with the grand kids.

Clare's first visit and Kate's return even after last years scare on the pony ride.





Guess who we are going to be on Halloween night?

Travels in August and September 2005

Spent August at the grandbabies house - after our great trip through out Colorado. Left Fresno and went up the California coast and Oregon coast to the Monaco rally in Salem Oregon. After a great month in Oregon back to California for doctor appointments and more grandbaby visit. Off to my 40 high school reunion in Carmel on October 20. Then it is softball time in Mesa Arizona and another year has gone all to fast again. Oh well, we are having fun!

Civil War reenactment in Springfield, Oregon

Oktoberfest in St Albany Oregon. Doing the Chicken dance

Tight fit but we left no paint on the tree

Fun at Shaver Lake

The first time we have been in a woodsy campground. Three of us in bit rigs squeezed into sites at Camp Edison campground at Shaver Lake. Even though it was tight fits for all of us, and no one could get level or get satellite, they did have cable and wifi. The lake at 5500 ft required a pretty good climb out of the valley to get there with lots of curves and narrow roads. But lots to do there; hiking, boating, fishing, off road trails, and a lumber jack festival when we were there as well.

BUCK LAKE IN ROCKY MOUTAIN NP 

ROCKY MOUTAIN NATIONAL PARK - ELK IN THE MEADOW 

PIKES PEAK AND GARDEN OF THE GODS 

Durango to Silverton Narrow Guage Railroad trip 

CLIFF DWELLINGS

I have wanted to walk among the cilff dwelling for most of my adult life. The experience was amazing. The homes here have been uninhabited for 800 years and they do not know why the 'ancestral puebloans' left. The life living in the clifts and the job of climbing up and down from the top of the mesadaily is mindboggling. The infant mortality rate to age 5 was 50% from falling off of the clifts. Our climb out of the Cliff Palace was 10 stories up from the ruins. But well worth it!

MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK 

SPRUCE TREE HOUSE - MESA VERDE NP 

CLIFF PALACE IN MESA VERDE NP 

NATURAL BRIDGES NATIONAL PARK 

CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK

We visited the Canyonlands NP and Dead Horse State Park. Went on the 'Canyonlands at night' boat ride and it was wonderful.

Colorado River in Canyonlands National Park 

CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK

Finally at the Grand Canyon

Visiting the Grand Canyon this week. Amazing place with a lot of walking. Had the good forture to see several Condors. The days this time of year are nice, but the nights have been down to freezing the past two night.

THE GRAND CANYON AT ANGEL BRIGHT POINT

CALIFORNIA CONDOR

DRIVING OVER THE HOOVER DAM

Immigrant Trail

Hope valley is the site where the wagon trains rested from their crossing the desert before they tackled the sierras. Hope valley is named because the pioneers had hope at this point in their adventure that they will make it to California. Took a tour of the trail where you can still see the ruts and iron stains from the wheels. Also the grooves from the chains used to mustle the wagon up steep mountain.

Hope Valley path of the Immigrant Trail  

Christmas with an old and new grandbaby 

BACK TO GRANDBABIES HOUSE

Back to see the baby in Fresno. But a quick trip to the Nascar races for the week in Phoenix. Lots of fun and crowds -crowds -crowds. Saw four races on four different days topped off with the Nextel cup race on Sunday. Noisey neighbors partying all night long.
But, we are back in Fresno now and awaiting the newest grandbaby in 10 days.

FUN TIME AT PHOENIX NASCAR RACES 

V0LCANO'S

I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T KNOW! I don't know where I'm a goin a go when the volcano blows! Little Jimmy Buffet. Spent two weeks around Mt St Helens awaiting the big one and all we got was a little steam. Oh well it was fun to see. Lot's of people parked all over the place waiting to see something. We are at the Coldwater ridge visitor center about 8 miles from the crater. This was the closest we could get to the volcano as the Johnson ridge visitor center was closed (about 5 miles) as it was not safe to be that close. How do they know 8 miles is safe and 5 miles is not?

Mt St Helens steaming 

Mt Rainier 

REMEMBER 'NORTHERN EXPOSURE'

Visited Roslyn, WA and saw all the storefronts that were used in the TV show 'Northern Exposure'. Shopped in Ruth Ann's store and got a check up in Dr. Fleishman's office. Didn't see the moose though. An old mining town that is really in hard times. Nothing to survive on but the notiriaty of the TV show - so tourism is it. Stayed in Cle Elam 3 miles away another mining town that needs help as well.

ROSLYN, WA - OR CICELY, AL - AS IN NORTHERN EXPOSURE 

OKTOBERFEST IN LEAVENWORTH

After years of reading about the Oktoberfest here in Leavenworth we have finally made it here. A great time in the little German style village. Lots of German restaurants. The Oktoberfest was great with lots of music, food, and of course Lowenbrau beer. The weather was perfect and allowed us the enjoy the hiking trails along the river.

A lot of knee slapping and twirling 

Oktoberfest parade in Leavenworth