ACGPSY Blog

Wild West Balloon Festival

Posted on August 2. 2014 by Merilee

Cody, Wyoming

August 2, 2014

The weather did not cooperate with the launch of the 19th annual Wild West Balloon Festival in Cody, WY. The sunrise launch was delayed for an hour and a half waiting for the dark clouds to clear. Good thing they had lots of coffee and fresh donuts.

Here are a few of the balloons that caught my eye.

The first firing of the propane burner is the tricky part to get the balloon upright. The sound really gets the crowds attention.

Humpty Dumpty was all together again.

Up, up and away….

Love the colors and feeling of total freedom.

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Custer National Forest

Posted on July 29. 2014 by Merilee

Red Lodge, Montana

July 29, 2014

There are many scenic roads leading into the Custer National Forest from Red Lodge. We followed FSR 421 to the end along Rock Creek.

Here is a view of the famous Beartooth Peak as the Rock Creek flows below.

The tundra wildflowers are still in bloom along the Beartooth Highway.

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Bear Tooth Scenic Highway

Posted on July 19. 2014 by Merilee

Cody, WY

July 19, 2014

The best place to escape the 90 degrees temps in Cody, WY in July is to head north on the Chief Joseph Highway to the famous Bear Tooth Highway. The mountain peaks and valleys still have snow and the temps were in the low 60’s at 10,947 elevation at Bear Tooth Pass. The tundra wildflowers were putting on a great show.

A view of Bear Tooth Lake with Bear Tooth Butte in the background. Yes, that is snow on the butte.

This is the high mountain Long Lake dressed with tundra wildflowers and snow in the Absoroka Ridge Wilderness area.

I created a panorama shot by stitching 5 images together. This is the view from near Bear Tooth Pass with the famous Bear Tooth visible in the center right of the image.

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where the buffalo roam…

Posted on May 19. 2014 by Merilee

Custer, South Dakota

May 18, 2014

The wildlife loop in Custer State Park is always filled with wildlife viewings. On a cold windy day in early spring, the new green grass shoots had got the buffalo on the move. We had many sightings. It can be like a Yellowstone traffic jam at times.

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April Action Car Show

Posted on April 27. 2014 by Merilee

Moab, Utah

April 26, 2014

Although the weather did not cooperate, the car show was just as outstanding as ever. Here are a few old beauties that caught my eye.

Friday night cruise is fun to catch the sound and fury on the road of these great classics.

The rat rod category has grown with many new entries.

This 50’s Dodge Power Wagon was an eye-popper

Had to include the 1968 GTO as my husband drove one in high school when we were dating. Yup, that old.

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“The valley is vast…”

Posted on April 24. 2014 by Merilee

Monument Valley

On the Utah and Arizona borders

April 19, 2014

It is always amazing to visit Monument Valley in the Navajo Nation Tribal Park. I had the pleasure of having a Navajo guide take me into the back country for sunrise at the Yei Bi Chei and the famous Totem Pole. Here is a view just before the sun rose across the horizon. The soft light created this warm sand color and the fresh spring greens.

Here is a panoramic view from the famous Artist’s Point looking west into the “Vast Valley.”

A view from the North Window.

The light and skies are always changing here. Can you picture John Wayne riding across this valley? John Ford shot many famous movies in this valley.

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