THROUGH MY LENS: June Favorites part 2

What did I miss while on our 17-day vacation? It wasn't the lack of WiFi or cell phone access. Nor was it the access to sitting at my laptop every day. Puppies...the only thing that could have made our vacation better was being with our dogs. LOL

We had considered it. But the national parks we were visiting didn't allow them (of course we saw other pets...everywhere).

DAY TWELVE -- Yellowstone National Park (south)

Oh wow... the hardest part of our days in Yellowstone is picking out my favorite pictures. And believe me, you need to see the real 3D version in person. Definitely beautiful country.


FIREHOLE FALLS.

Geysers. This one is Grand Prismatic Spring.

Although this may look like the sky, it's actually a bubbling geyser on the shore of Lake Yellowstone, believed to be the largest freshwater lake above 7,000 feet in North America. 

TURQUOISE POOL

WAITING ON OLD FAITHFUL.

We waited on the sunset...all 17 days, too.

DAY THIRTEEN -- Yellowstone National Park (north)

One of the hidden surprises on the trip for me was the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. No picture I took could compare to the real beauty here. And you can see why Yellowstone got it's name.













What can not be experienced through a picture?

THE WIND !!  I had to catch the fence a couple of times to stay upright...and yeah, that's Tim out on the point. (FYI: there was a path and lots of tourists waiting to take their turn alone on that rock.)

Man, was this beautiful !!
AND DEADLY !!

Mammoth Hot Springs adjacent to Fort Yellowstone.

WE BRAKE

for

Bison &

Sunsets.

DAY FOURTEEN -- The long drive through Utah


It was a very long day of driving through Idaho & Utah to get to a beautiful sunset in Bryce Canyon. And definitely worth it. I want to spend a lot more time here. It'll be worth going back.


We met family here for a viewing of the stars. OMG...the stars.  It's another reason to go back to hike and camp.

DAY FIFTEEN -- a day at a mountain creek in Utah

Excellent picnic day searching for the perfect rocks!

DAY SIXTEEN -- Horseshoe Bend, Arizona & Monument Valley, Utah

Horseshoe Bend, Arizona is awe-inspiring if you can handle the no-safety-rail view!


FYI: see that little white dot in the water on the right? It's a boat. This
is a 1,000 foot drop. Definitely worth the 1 1/2 mile hike back and forth to the parking lot.

Seriously, I was crowded way too close to that edge by other tourists. If you take a child...tie a rope around their waist.








Officially on the Utah/Arizona state line ... Monument Valley is yet another spectacular site. But honestly, we spent the entire day pointing out rock formations and taking pictures of them against a cloud-building sky and another gorgeous sunset.

Robin Perini

It rained after dark, making our drive to Albuquerque a little more adventurous.  

DAY SEVENTEEN -- New Mexico & Texas
Open the barn door, we're headed home !!

Our last stop was my cousin's house where I picked up books 

(watch for the giveaway in October) 

and had a "Christmas" burrito. 

It's really a thing in Albuquerque.

The drive from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Dallas is pretty uneventful the second, third, or fourth time (you get the picture) that you've made it. Once you've seen the Cadillac Ranch you don't need to stop again.

IF you get clouds in the sky when you pass through Amarillo then you are in for

a more-than-beautiful sunset.

Every drive you make through that area should be made at dusk and dawn.

TWO GIVEAWAYS

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