SOUTH WEST COLORADO: DAY 2 -- OurayOURAY, Colorado Hi everyone, We headed from Pagosa Springs, Colorado to Ouray! You can decide how to pronounce it :) I prefer ooo-ray..... Check out the website if you want to learn more about this super mountain town...considered to be the Switzerland of America....the altitude of the highest peaks in Ouray are just below the highest peaks in the Alps..................and stunning..................... We stayed at the Twin Peaks Lodge and Hot Springs....very pretty place!
Enjoy our view as we drove to Ouray! Hugs and love, Ellie and Gary
Check back tomorrow! For more about Ouray and the area! You will not be disappointed! For Day 3!
SOUTH WEST COLORADO: DAY 1 -- Pagosa SpringsPAGOSA SPRINGS, COLORADO Hello Everyone, It is great to be on the road again--glad you're joining us! For this trip we'll spend most of our time in the southwest quadrant of Colorado. Colorado actually has 5 seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Aspen Viewing. Aspen trees can be found throughout the state. Viewing of these beautiful golden trees starts at the beginning of September and usually goes through the first week in October. The phases on the map below vary depending on the year (weather dependent). Thousands and thousands and thousands of people take to the roads and drive all over the state in search of the "most" trees and the "most beautiful" trees with the "most" spectacular backdrops. This year we decided that we'd wait to "view" until toward the end of the Aspen Season and head south to the San Juan Mountain area.
Here is a video of a few "quaking" aspens:
If you want to learn a little bit more about aspen trees check out this link: http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/beauty/aspen/grow.shtml On our first day we headed to Pagosa Springs. If you want to know a bit more visit this great page: http://visitpagosasprings.com Here is an excerpt from the webpage above: Overview and Facts about Pagosa Springs
Located within the San Juan National Forest amid the majestic San Juan Mountains, Pagosa Springs offers visitors a rich geological and cultural history to explore. Known for its world-famous hot springs, "Pagosah" is the Southwestern Ute word for "healing waters". The soaring cliffs, ragged peaks, magical alpine pools, undisturbed wilderness, cascading rivers, and soothing hot springs reveal a dramatic geological history that invites voyagers, young and old, to venture into the backcountry.
A few photos from Gary:
Here are a few from me (I played with filters):
We ended the day at the Wolf Brewery in Pagosa Springs! Watched the Chiefs and the Steelers!
Day 2 photos will be posted tomorrow! Gorgeous photos [we got snow and sneet (snow + sleet)] and a few short videos coming your way from Ouray! More tomorrow! Love and hugs to all, Ellie and Gary
BLOG 1--ON TO ALASKA: A NEW ADVENTURE BEGINS
Hello! A new adventure begins! All blogs below this blog are from our time in Barcelona and in the National Parks! Everything from now on is from Alaska and Beyond! Feel free to look at the prior blogs and pics! With love and hugs, Ellie and Gary
Check out BLOG 2--ALASKA: WHERE ARE WE GOING? next. **Want more information on Alaska: https://www.travelalaska.com or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska
BLOG 2--ALASKA: WHERE ARE WE GOING?Hi Everyone, We had an unbelievable adventure this summer. We left June 22nd for Alaska and returned July 20th! We took a cruise, land tour, and then stayed in Ketchikan with friends for just under 2 weeks. We traveled with family--Gary's sister, LuAnn and her husband Rich--the greatest travel companions you could ever ask for! Our land and sea tour map. From Denali we went up to Fairbanks (not shown on the map).
See the map of the North America below. You can see how big Alaska is in comparison to the rest of the United States. One of the ongoing themes throughout our trip was: "Texans think their state is big! Alaska is big!" THE LAST FRONTIER* "Some people say there are no more frontiers to explore without leaving the planet. But they're forgetting Alaska." *
"Alaska--the Great Land, the Last Frontier--more than 580,000 square miles (1.5 million sq. km) that taunted early explorers and still challenges modern-day researchers. America's 49th state is so broad, so unpeopled, and so roadies that small airplanes are more common than cabs in other states. The are more private pilots than truck drivers and cabbies combined. Men outnumber women (although women have coined the phrase--"The odds are good but the goods are odd"). The population numbers just over 700,000 almost half of whom live in one city, Anchorage. Nearly the entire state is raw, wondrous wilderness." * "Alaska has lush rain-drenched forests and fragile windswept tundras. There are lofty mountains, still-active volcanoes, and spectacular glaciers, as well as 3 million lakes and endless swamps. No one person has ever seen it all, and no one person ever will." * We've traveled to many, many places around the world and no place in our travels has ever captured our wild and adventurous spirits and love of the nature as much as Alaska. So glad you've stopped by! "Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit." --Edward Abbey Check out BLOG 3--ALASKA: VANCOUVER AND SETTING SAIL! Love, Ellie and Gary *Excerpts above from: Insight Guides Alaska, Discover Channel book. Want more information on Alaska: https://www.travelalaska.com or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska BLOG 3--ALASKA: VANCOUVER AND SETTING SAILHi Everyone,
On day 1, we left the house at 3:30 am (so early!!!) to go to Denver International Airport (DIA) and had a smooth flight to Seattle. We were able to check out the scenery from the plane including the cloud inversion.
We saw Mount St. Helens. This volcano is located in the Cascade Range and is part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, a segment of the Pacific Ring of Fire that includes over 160 active volcanoes. This volcano is well known for its ash explosion and pyroclastic flows. "Mount St. Helens is most notorious for its catastrophic eruption on May 18, 1980, at 8:32 a.m. PDT, the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in the history of the United States. Fifty-seven people were killed; 250 homes, 47 bridges, 15 miles (24 km) of railways, and 185 miles (298 km) of highway were destroyed. A massive debris avalanche triggered by an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale caused an eruption that reduced the elevation of the mountain's summit from 9,677 ft (2,950 m) to 8,363 ft (2,549 m), replacing it with a 1 mile (1.6 km) wide horseshoe-shaped crater. The debris avalanche was up to 0.7 cubic miles (2.9 km3) in volume. The Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument was created to preserve the volcano and allow for its aftermath to be scientifically studied." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_St._Helens
And Mount Rainer which is 14,411 feet high and is considered to be one the most dangerous volcanoes in the world (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rainier).
From Seattle we took a bus (7 hours) to Vancouver. Yes, it was a ride of endurance! What a beautiful city! "Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. The 2011 census recorded 603,502 people in the city, making it the eighth largest Canadian municipality. The Greater Vancouver area of around 2.4 million inhabitants is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country and the most populous in Western Canada. Vancouver is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada; 52% of its residents have a first language other than English. Vancouver is classed as a Beta Global City. The City of Vancouver encompasses a land area of about 114 square kilometres, giving it a population density of about 5,249 people per square kilometre (13,590 per square mile). Vancouver is the most densely populated Canadian municipality, and the fourth most densely populated city over 250,000 residents in North America, behind New York City, San Francisco and Mexico City." Check out more about Vancouver at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver. Enjoy the photos! The city has high rises...
Our hotel, The Sylvia, was just off the beach and we walked while the sun set as we enjoyed the sights, sounds, and colors. Interesting way to create seating wouldn't you say?
No city is complete without a busker! This woman was a crowd pleaser (and crazy)! She had the three enlisted gentlemen do some of the most insane things! (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_performance)
FIRE is always a crowd favorite!!!
Our hotel, Sylvia, funky and just right...
The hotel lobby...
And the last two pics of the night, from Gary...
The next day we were rested and ready to go. Here's a bit of street art...
We spent the second day exploring the beach, boardwalk area, Stanley Park, and the harbor while we waited for Rich and LuAnn to arrive from Connecticut. This is an Inukshuk, a manmade stone landmark. Possibly used as a reference point or a marker for travelers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuksuk
We have no clue what this is...
We spent time in Stanley Park where we enjoyed the lagoon and other beautiful scenery. "Designated a national historic site of Canada, Stanley Park is a magnificent green oasis in the midst of the heavy built urban landscape of Vancouver. Explore the 400-hectare natural West Coast rainforest and enjoy scenic views of water, mountains, sky, and majestic trees along Stanley Park's famous seawall. Discover kilometers of trails, beautiful beaches, local wildlife, great eats, natural, cultural and historical landmarks, along with many other adventures. The park offers a wide range of unforgettable experiences for all ages and interests, including Canada's largest aquarium." Excepted from: http://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/stanley-park.aspx)
This is a huge swimming pool on the shore of Stanley Park.
The lagoon...
The harbor was absolutely beautiful!
Gary busy taking photos...
High rise reflections...
Planes lined up in the harbor for takeoff...
Houseboat anyone?
Art in Vancouver--These are the "A-maze-ing Laughter" bronze statutes (14 in total), created in 2009 by Yue Minjun. These were just outside of our hotel close to the beach and had us roaring. They were created in the artist's own image. If you'd like to learn more and maybe have a laugh--check out: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-maze-ing_Laughter The inscription on the nearby cement seating reads: "May this sculpture inspire laughter playfulness and joy in all who experience it."
The 2010 Olympic Torch...
After two days in Vancouver it was time to get on board! We were all new to cruising and it was so easy to find the ship, The Coral Princess, and go through processing. Everyone along the way was helpful and courteous and cheerful! Once we walked through these doors we were on the vessel!
View from our cabin as we left Vancouver...
And we leave you with the photo below of Vancouver--Gary style!
Check out BLOG 4--ALASKA: CRUISE LIFE next! Love, Gary and Ellie
Want more information on Alaska: https://www.travelalaska.com or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska
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