We have spent much of our time viewing the beauty of God’s creation and soaking in the awesome sights. This week has been very different. Coleen started her morning routine of stretch exercises on Sunday when all of a sudden she became extremely dizzy. Now many of you probably think I am always dizzy but this was very different. Never have I felt anything like this but I diagnosed that it was vertigo.
After calls to our health insurance and hospital we spent about 4 hours in the emergency room. They work from the worst scenario first so I had a CT scan of my head and blood work. They put a motion sickness patch behind my ear and hooked me up to an IV. That in itself was a challenge because they can’t find my veins.
Well, everything was perfect – no stroke or diabetes. I have positional vertigo. What a bummer. But the doctor did refer me to a physical therapist. Monday and Tuesday I was able to function as long as I didn’t move my head or lay down. My appointment was on Wednesday morning at 7:45. We spent about 1 ½ hours with the therapist after which I had no more vertigo.
WOW!!! AWESOME!!! As I write this I think of all of God’s creation we have been admiring. Now I also think of us who are created in God’s image and of the knowledge that He gives to each of us. I am extremely thankful for a physical therapist who was able to cure the vertigo in one session. (Bob watched and has the instructions in case it happens again).
So our week has been spent catching up on email, blogs and bills. (We had no cell phone or internet connection while we were in Yellowstone). Yet, God is faithful and has taken care of our needs and we thank Him daily.
Friday, August 22, 2008
More Yellowstone
When we left Deb at the airport we headed back to Yellowstone. On the way we stopped to watch a bear either playing or taking a bath in a pond. When finished the bear promptly left and walked away. I got a good picture but we are still up in the air as to whether it is a grizzly or black bear because he is soaking wet. His ears are down which makes me think it is a grizzly. 
Boy, I can tell that I am getting older. I think we slept for 11 hours that night. We did recover enough to visit some other areas of Yellowstone. We went to the Roosevelt area. It is more rustic and there are stagecoach and trail rides from there. Again we saw a deep canyon cut by the Yellowstone River.
Boy, I can tell that I am getting older. I think we slept for 11 hours that night. We did recover enough to visit some other areas of Yellowstone. We went to the Roosevelt area. It is more rustic and there are stagecoach and trail rides from there. Again we saw a deep canyon cut by the Yellowstone River.
I have been to a number of parks where moose are supposed to be but I have not been able to see one. It has turned into a big joke. So we bought a little stuffed moose at the General Store in Roosevelt. I guess that will have to do for a while.
The area of Mammoth Hot Springs was also very interesting. I could not believe the beauty of the springs. They are very white and tiered like shelves or steps.
The area of Mammoth Hot Springs was also very interesting. I could not believe the beauty of the springs. They are very white and tiered like shelves or steps.
We watched three elk graze on the lawn near the visitor center while we ate our picnic lunch.
Then there was this cute little creature that kept coming out from under the porch. We asked and found out that it was a Uinta ground squirrel. He was even joined by a second one.
We drove through the Upper, Middle and Lower Geyser sections north of Old Faithful. 
It was 44 degrees when we left Yellowstone Park on Saturday. We had a long, long drive to Glacier National Park in Montana, over 470 miles. It was a good day and we even stopped at another national park in Deer Lodge. It was a working ranch of 1600 acres where we spent about 1 ½ hours. We could have looked for another couple of hours but we needed to get on the road again. We reached our destination at 9:30 p.m. and the temperature was over 90. Not quite what we were expecting.
There was even a swimming area on the Firehole River. 
As we returned home we saw a female elk and two of her young crossing the road.
It began to get colder each night and we finally gave in and turned on the heater the last two nights. We enjoyed playing some cards each evening. We also had dinner on Friday night with our special friends from Indiana – Lanie & Rhonda and Chris & Donna.
Oh, and the other special animal was a squirrel. He came to visit us each evening around 8:30. Except we never saw him, just heard him. He was up in the ceiling of our cabin. We figured he was busy storing up nuts for the winter. Here is Bob’s picture of the squirrel. (You just have to be able to see through the tree trunk).
As we returned home we saw a female elk and two of her young crossing the road.It began to get colder each night and we finally gave in and turned on the heater the last two nights. We enjoyed playing some cards each evening. We also had dinner on Friday night with our special friends from Indiana – Lanie & Rhonda and Chris & Donna.
Oh, and the other special animal was a squirrel. He came to visit us each evening around 8:30. Except we never saw him, just heard him. He was up in the ceiling of our cabin. We figured he was busy storing up nuts for the winter. Here is Bob’s picture of the squirrel. (You just have to be able to see through the tree trunk).
It was 44 degrees when we left Yellowstone Park on Saturday. We had a long, long drive to Glacier National Park in Montana, over 470 miles. It was a good day and we even stopped at another national park in Deer Lodge. It was a working ranch of 1600 acres where we spent about 1 ½ hours. We could have looked for another couple of hours but we needed to get on the road again. We reached our destination at 9:30 p.m. and the temperature was over 90. Not quite what we were expecting.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Utah to Idaho to Montana to Wyoming into Yellowstone
After a week in Park City we left fairly early on Friday morning August 8. The van was loaded to the top but we were able to make room for Debby and her suitcases. She was excited because not only had she added Utah to her states that she had been in but we were going through Idaho, Montana and into Wyoming. From my perspective it was a very long and tiring day but we finally made it to West Yellowstone, Montana and then to Yellowstone Park entrance. I thought, great we are here, only to find out that we had about 2 more hours driving in the park until we got to where we were to stay.
What an awesome God!!! I had not researched anything about Yellowstone so it was all new to me. On the way to our cabins to check in we stopped to see some falls. Then we stopped in Hayden Valley because the bison were on the road. We went through that valley 7 times during the week and had to stop 6 of those times. We did get some great pictures of the bison.
What an awesome God!!! I had not researched anything about Yellowstone so it was all new to me. On the way to our cabins to check in we stopped to see some falls. Then we stopped in Hayden Valley because the bison were on the road. We went through that valley 7 times during the week and had to stop 6 of those times. We did get some great pictures of the bison.
The next stop was to take pictures of an elk. 
We finally reached the Lake area and checked into our cabins. They were small and simple but workable. We unloaded the van with what we needed and went to bed.
We finally reached the Lake area and checked into our cabins. They were small and simple but workable. We unloaded the van with what we needed and went to bed.
Relaxing on the porch of the Lake Lodge.
The early morning walkers. We tried to do 2 miles each day.
Saturday we went to the geyser area in West Thumb. There were many different types and colors. Some were beautiful blue and just seemed to let off some steam. Others looked like bubbling mud. Some spit out streams of water. Some were very white, some had orange and yellow coloring. 
We drove to Old Faithful and waited to see it erupt. It really was anti-climatic because of all the others we had seen. 
But we were in awe of these geysers, how they work and the effect they have on the surface. They were very interesting.
Sunday we drove to the Canyon area and saw the Upper and Lower Falls along with the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The views can’t really be described well nor do the pictures show the true majesty of the scenery. It seemed that each time we saw something that was so beautiful another thing would be more beautiful.
Then there were the animals. We really did enjoy what we called “the bison jam”. The bison were interesting to watch. They pawed the dirt and made loud grunting noises. There were bulls, cows and young ones. We saw deer browsing near our cabins. Oh how beautiful is God’s creation.
But we were in awe of these geysers, how they work and the effect they have on the surface. They were very interesting.Sunday we drove to the Canyon area and saw the Upper and Lower Falls along with the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The views can’t really be described well nor do the pictures show the true majesty of the scenery. It seemed that each time we saw something that was so beautiful another thing would be more beautiful.
Then there were the animals. We really did enjoy what we called “the bison jam”. The bison were interesting to watch. They pawed the dirt and made loud grunting noises. There were bulls, cows and young ones. We saw deer browsing near our cabins. Oh how beautiful is God’s creation. 
On Monday we went south and drove through Grand Teton National Park. Here we enjoyed the higher mountain range that of course still had snow on top. We saw a coyote. 
This was the last day for Deb to be with us. We are thankful for the time we had together and the fun we had viewing God’s creation. We took her to the Jackson Hole airport which is actually still in the park. She headed home to Nashville and we headed back to Yellowstone for the rest of the week. 
This was the last day for Deb to be with us. We are thankful for the time we had together and the fun we had viewing God’s creation. We took her to the Jackson Hole airport which is actually still in the park. She headed home to Nashville and we headed back to Yellowstone for the rest of the week. 
Utah with Deb
Praise the Lord. I had two great days during our week in Park City, Utah without hardly any pain. We picked Debby up late on Friday night so we slept late on Saturday and then did a little shopping. Sunday we spent doing what Bob & I call the “Mormon” thing in Salt Lake City. The tour that they have and the buildings to see are very interesting. We also enjoy listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. We left early on Sunday and listened to the choir practice. There is a new conference center that can hold 21,000 people. We don’t know how many people were there but we figured that 98% of those in the center are spiritually lost. As we toured Temple Square with a “missionary” I wish we had counted how many times they said “our loving heavenly Father”. But never did they mention a personal relationship with Christ or the existence of the Holy Spirit. Oh, how lost they are and how sad that they are so misled. We did get to hear the organ recital and see the historic film of how they moved across the country.
One day we drove north to Promontory to the site of the Golden Spike where the two railroads came together. It is way out in the desert but a necessity to see for historical purposes.
We went to Bingham Copper Mine, south of Salt Lake City on another day. It is one of two manmade things that can be seen from outer space. The tires on the dump trucks are 12 feet tall and cost $25,000 eachand last for about 9 months. We saw one of these being loaded and I was even able to operate the video on my camera to get a good movie. 
We spent part of a morning watching them practice their ski jumps at the Olympic Park. How in 80 degrees can you do that? Well they put on their ski boots, dive suit, life jacket, walk up the steps, put on their skis and ski down the practice run and land in the water. Not being from a ski area we didn’t know that and were fascinated to watch the action.
We rode the town ski lift up to the top and back down about 45 minutes. It became cooler the higher we got because a rain shower was coming in and of course we forgot our jackets. We didn’t get off at the top though.
Bob & I walked 2 miles every morning and Deb joined us most of the time. We spent time together and visited. We worked on line, on cross stitch and Deb helped us change the look of our blog.
One day we drove north to Promontory to the site of the Golden Spike where the two railroads came together. It is way out in the desert but a necessity to see for historical purposes.
We went to Bingham Copper Mine, south of Salt Lake City on another day. It is one of two manmade things that can be seen from outer space. The tires on the dump trucks are 12 feet tall and cost $25,000 eachand last for about 9 months. We saw one of these being loaded and I was even able to operate the video on my camera to get a good movie. We spent part of a morning watching them practice their ski jumps at the Olympic Park. How in 80 degrees can you do that? Well they put on their ski boots, dive suit, life jacket, walk up the steps, put on their skis and ski down the practice run and land in the water. Not being from a ski area we didn’t know that and were fascinated to watch the action.
We rode the town ski lift up to the top and back down about 45 minutes. It became cooler the higher we got because a rain shower was coming in and of course we forgot our jackets. We didn’t get off at the top though.
Bob & I walked 2 miles every morning and Deb joined us most of the time. We spent time together and visited. We worked on line, on cross stitch and Deb helped us change the look of our blog.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Pagosa to Durango to Utah
Well, my good intentions to post more than once a week didn’t last. We were busy at the end in Pagosa. Bob went on a morning hike sponsored by the resort activity staff and I went to a Mary Kay makeover. 
On Friday morning I was feeling well enough that we were able to go the Chimney Rock Archeological Park. What interesting things we were able to see. There were round kivas and at the top of the ridge where we hiked was another stone structure with many rooms but it was rectangle shaped. The picture is of Chimney Rock which is the one on the right. The larger one is Companion. Of course the hiker is Bob.
There are three trains a day, 45 minutes apart, that leave from Durango and go to Silverton. It is 45 miles and takes 3 ½ hours. There is normally about 2 hours to spend in Silverton, which from our perspective is only a town with souvenirs and restaurants. We went on Sunday but it took our train almost 5 hours to get to Silverton. Because they are steam engines, there must be steam to run them but they were having trouble getting the water to the boiler. We had to make a number of stops to take on more water. The ride through the canyons and along the streams was beautiful. Plus the whole thing was so unique. Because we were so late they left ½ hour later than normal to come back.
Durango was a neat town to explore. Everything was within walking distance for us. We ate at a couple of nice restaurants. There was even a Thai restaurant that we ordered take out from. I thought the food ok, but not nearly as good as what we had in Thailand. I had two really, really bad days so we didn’t do much more. We did manage to take in a movie which is unusual for us. We saw Mamma Mia and absolutely loved it.
On Friday, August 1 we left Durango at 8:30 a.m. We had a long drive (approximately 400 miles) but I felt better and the sights we viewed were some more WOW views. We drove through Cortez, Colorado and then angled across into Utah and up to Moab, Utah. The rock formations and colors were beautiful sites to behold.
Of course the temperature went up and was over 100 degrees for a good share of the time.
We didn’t find the sights north of Moab to be very interesting. It was mostly dry desert landscape until we got almost to Park City. We had time enough to check in, unload, unpack, and eat our dinner and then head into Salt Lake City to pick up Debby. Her plane arrived right on time at 11 p.m. We are looking forward to a great week with her, doing some visiting and of course sightseeing.
We saw more balloons that day.
We also had afternoon storm issues a couple of days. One day there was pea sized hail. It was interesting to watch.
Another day brought tremendous winds which blew the rain horizontal. I have always watched storms with interest because they are fascinating.
On Friday morning I was feeling well enough that we were able to go the Chimney Rock Archeological Park. What interesting things we were able to see. There were round kivas and at the top of the ridge where we hiked was another stone structure with many rooms but it was rectangle shaped. The picture is of Chimney Rock which is the one on the right. The larger one is Companion. Of course the hiker is Bob. Saturday we moved to Durango which was an easy drive because it was only 55 miles. We had a very interesting week. We were on the 4th floor (top floor) of the building and were in one of 2 units from which we could see all of the action in the train yard. It was fun and totally captivating. We watched each train arrive, unload and then move around to the other side of the yard. Then the st
eam engine and coal car unhooked from the passenger cars. The engine backed onto the turn table, the table turned and then the engine went into the round house for the night. There was a diesel engine that then moved the passenger cars to the correct rail in preparation for the next day’s trip. I never knew I would enjoy trains so much.
eam engine and coal car unhooked from the passenger cars. The engine backed onto the turn table, the table turned and then the engine went into the round house for the night. There was a diesel engine that then moved the passenger cars to the correct rail in preparation for the next day’s trip. I never knew I would enjoy trains so much. 
There are three trains a day, 45 minutes apart, that leave from Durango and go to Silverton. It is 45 miles and takes 3 ½ hours. There is normally about 2 hours to spend in Silverton, which from our perspective is only a town with souvenirs and restaurants. We went on Sunday but it took our train almost 5 hours to get to Silverton. Because they are steam engines, there must be steam to run them but they were having trouble getting the water to the boiler. We had to make a number of stops to take on more water. The ride through the canyons and along the streams was beautiful. Plus the whole thing was so unique. Because we were so late they left ½ hour later than normal to come back. 
Durango was a neat town to explore. Everything was within walking distance for us. We ate at a couple of nice restaurants. There was even a Thai restaurant that we ordered take out from. I thought the food ok, but not nearly as good as what we had in Thailand. I had two really, really bad days so we didn’t do much more. We did manage to take in a movie which is unusual for us. We saw Mamma Mia and absolutely loved it.
On Friday, August 1 we left Durango at 8:30 a.m. We had a long drive (approximately 400 miles) but I felt better and the sights we viewed were some more WOW views. We drove through Cortez, Colorado and then angled across into Utah and up to Moab, Utah. The rock formations and colors were beautiful sites to behold.
Of course the temperature went up and was over 100 degrees for a good share of the time. We didn’t find the sights north of Moab to be very interesting. It was mostly dry desert landscape until we got almost to Park City. We had time enough to check in, unload, unpack, and eat our dinner and then head into Salt Lake City to pick up Debby. Her plane arrived right on time at 11 p.m. We are looking forward to a great week with her, doing some visiting and of course sightseeing.
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