*GUEST STAR BLOGGER* - Rick - Adirondack Mts
Category: Travel and Places

Whew!  We are backlogged on Virtual Hikes and will be posting them ASAP.  We are all over the place these days!   We just made a move to Michigan and we're living out of boxes at the moment.

In the meantime...

We've got one of our favorite photo bloggers today!  His name is Rick but you can call him SwampGuy!

He's been living it up in the Adirondack Mts. and wants you to join along!  I'll post a few of my favorite shots here and then post a few links to four Virtual Hikes he has posted recently from his trip.

First off, what a great cabin to spend a week in!

It is my new mission to find this EXACT boardwalk.

Ever seen a mountain swamp?

Well, now you have!

There are some amazing things to see along the way. 

Just look at these mushrooms!

Still doesn't beat the views.

The name of this particular mountain is called 'Poke-O-Moonshine'.  I love it!

To get the full experience you need to continue your journey with Rick by clicking the links below!

ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS - THE WEEK BEGINS!

ADK PHOTO BLOG - HURRICANE MT.

ADK PHOTO BLOG - POKE-O-MOONSHINE MT.

ADK PHOTO BLOG - JAY MT. RANGE

While you are there don't forget to check out some of Ricks' other Virtual Hikes.

You won't want to miss them!

By the way Rick, these are called Cherums. 

Thanks for coming with us!  Keep your eyes open! 

We will be uploading some more of our Virutal Hikes soon!

www.blogmytrax.com

12:18 AM - 4 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Virtual Joyride - Rocky Mountains National Park, CO - Alpine Tundra
Category: Travel and Places

Pack in!  Want to go to the Alpine Tundra?


Let me just say... prepare yourself for a beautiful trip!


Dogs are welcome at Rocky Mountain National Park but they aren't allowed on any of the trails.


The view is amazing on the way up.






Makes me wanna' try my hand at fly fishing.


Elk grazing.


How's that for your backyard?


Lots of wildlife to observe.




Starting to see a little more snow.


Hello!




What a view!


There are still trees at this point.


In a Tundra the subsoil is frozen and nothing can grow.


We climb higher and higher.




As far as the eye can see...




The Rocky Mountains surround you.


The sheer magnitude of these mountains can not be described in words.







Let's pull off and stop at an observation point.




Hmm.. don't you think the clouds are getting closer?


Here we go...


What month is it again?




The snow gets deeper...


...and deeper...


These trees look like they are falling down the side of the mountain.


...umm.. and yea.. the snow gets deeper...


Because now you're in the Alpine Tundra.


It's like driving on another planet.


This road winds back and forth.  See the cars far off in the distance?




Everywhere you look...


Yeah, the clouds are DEFINATELY getting closer.


Check out this interesting cliff in the distance.


It is HUGE.  It's hard to tell in this picture.


The snow glistens in the sun.


Driving merrily along.


The roads up here aren't the greatest.  They aren't open year round either.


I wonder if those long sticks everywhere are used to measure the depth?


Time to get out and walk around a bit.


It's like a frozen desert.


In the distance...


A close up view, from far away, really really far away.




They have signs up in this area asking for people to not walk along the same path to protect the ecosystem. 












The air is crisp and chilly but it isn't too cold.


Until your foot hits a soft spot causing you to fall mid-picture even...


.. then you're buried up to your thigh in snow and someone won't help you out because they are to busy taking pictures... *lol*




People up ahead at a lookout point.


And then there are these little guys...


They are called marmots and they have adapted to the harsh conditions of the Tundra.


We saw lots of them running around.


You can't beat the view up here.










See the little marmot out on the far rock?




The rocks here are awesome.


This kid was stuck in the snow and his Mom got stuck trying to get him out.  Watch out for the soft spots.  You should have heard them laughing.  :)


One could spend ages up here just gazing.








But alas, time to head on...


More "snow measuring sticks"??




Another pull off...












You are here.


Where's Gandolf?


Hmm.. don't trip and fall...


That would NOT be good...


Back in the car!


What an amazing drive!


Thanks for coming along.  :)


Lots more to explore....hmm.. where next?


www.blogmytrax.com

8:00 AM - 15 Comments - 18 Kudos - Add Comment

*GUEST STAR BLOGGER* Angie Gregory - San Gabriel Mountains - Eaton Canyon
Category: Travel and Places

We've got a GUEST STAR BLOGGER for you today!  None other than Angie Gregory who will take us on a "Virtual Hike" of the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, CA.  I've posted only part of her "Virtual Hike" here.  At the bottom click the link to continue your journey.  She has some beautiful shots you won't want to miss!  Enjoy!~




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm finally feeling well enough to sit up here. For those of you who do not know, I was in the hospital last night. I had a 103.6 fever for hours. It's finally down & I'm home.

I went hiking Friday & took these pictures. These mountains are now on fire. I can see the wildfire from my apartment.

Enjoy the pics!
The beautiful San Gabriel Mountains - Eaton Canyon. Near Pasadena, CA.
It is considered an easy to moderate hike. The first 1/2 mile is easy, the last mile is moderate. So, it's a 3 mile hike to the waterfall & back...





The beginning path





Tadpoles







Hydrating











We saw this guy...





Love is in the air...it's Spring...





Go HERE to continue your journey!  You don't want to miss it!  I can't give anything away but there is always something to discover at the end of every trail.

Thank you ANGIE!

8:07 AM - 3 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Virtual Hike - Devil’s Backbone, CO
Category: Travel and Places

Out to Larimer County Open Space to hike along part of Devil’s Backbone!


The drive out is beautiful.  The afternoon sun makes everything glow.



Here is your first glimpse along the road.



The trail is 7 miles long but we are only hiking a small part of that today.



It’s eerie in the distance.



So we start along the trail...



This trail is easy/moderate and they allow dogs and horses out here.



You have to make sure not to step off the trail in this particular area because the grounds are seeded.



Hobbes is glad to be along today. 



Look at this shady little picnic area!



Like being in "the ole West"...



Side for horses/bikes...



Some places have bridges...



...nearby are the horse trails.



Most of the walkway looks like this.



See the houses off in the distance?  Those people have a killer view of this place.



Rikku in the ole West!



And to our left...



Devil’s Backbone is amazing!



It reminds me of the back of a Stegasaurus.



Lots of bird/hawk nest along Devil’s Backbone so you aren’t allowed to climb on it.



I particularly like this shot.



What a great rock.



The views along the trail are impressive here.



The perfect spot for a nest.



We’ll have to come back soon and hike the full 7 miles.  I also want to get some pictures of this place with the sun on the opposite side.



The view behind us...



The wind is wild out here.



The trail continues on but we won’t be going in this direction today.



The trail branches off and we are taking the trail that veers left...



...up to a lookout.



And what a view!



It’s really windy up here!



Great view of the valley and the sky.



Lots of houses below.



Chris in the wind.





Rikku is always smiling.



Hobbes really loves wind!  It gets him all riled up.  He LOVES Kansas.



Part of the trail meanders this way.  We’ll go down and look at the view before heading back.



Come on pooches~



What great rock formations!



The sky is painted up for Easter. 



We definately recommend coming out here.



One last look and back we go.



Hobbes and Rikku back on the set of their next wild West spectacular! *lol*



Here’s a couple close ups before we take off.





Thanks for comin’ out!  Who knows where we’ll end up next!

9:26 PM - 15 Comments - 13 Kudos - Add Comment

Virtual Hike - Round Mountain, CO - Summit Trail
Category: Travel and Places

We are getting things situated and now we have some time to go exploring!

We decided to start with Round Mountain near Loveland.

We didn't bring the dogs w/us this time as we didn't know what to expect.  We had taken Hobbes hiking around Boulder Falls last year only to discover we should have left him at home.  *lol* he almost took Chris down the side of a cliff or two.

We'll have to bring them next time though.  These trails, we discovered, are very dog friendly.  We ran into quite a few hikers with dogs along the way.

Look!  Cactus!

If you live in the area and haven't checked this place out you must!

View to our right. 

Where we parked there was actually a short little trail leading up to the 'Summit Trail'.

There is a main trail that goes up 'Round Mountain' a bit and then it branches off into two seperate trails.

The views are incredible!

Looking behind us down the trail.

Breathtaking!

We'll have to take the 'Nature Trail' next time.

Round Mountain is a difficult hike to the summit of Sheep Mountain above the Big Thompson River and Canyon.

The trail is a steady uphill grade with a forgiving and welcome descent after the summit. It is easy to navigate, with mile markers and informational signs full of trail trivia.

There are some great trees in CO too.

Lots of them.

It's a steep climb.

One false move...

I like that the red is peeking through in this shot.

We won't try to go ALL the way to the top today.  We only have an afternoon and it's a rather long trail.  4.75 miles one-way.

At one point we came to a ton of rocks we had to cross.

They were everywhere!  As far up as we could see!

Looking behind me down the trail.

Looking in front of me on the trail.

Time for a water break.  We found a big rock to rest on with a killer view.

Mountains everywhere.

High enough for snow.

We finally enter the National Forest.

The shadows create interesting views.  Always changing.

In the distance towards Estes Park you can see snow capped peaks.

Hmmm, how much higher should we go?

Then we came around a corner...

... and this is what we saw.

About that time Chris's Mom called.  We didn't have reception at all except in this one area.

OMG we have to go camping soon!

Time to head on.

Climbing higher and higher.

I dig the tall blonde grasses up here.

The setting sun creates such a glow.

It looks like these trees are running down the side of the mountain.

Looking up... 

The mountain we are standing on looks like the ones across the way from us.

The sky is blue as can be today.

The wind up here is pretty incredible too.

This is Chris' Lewis & Clark pose. 

Best view so far!

Look, a red rock!

Time to get going.  That way we have sun all the way back.

Before we left we noticed a sign for a picnic area not far from where we were parked.  There was a short trail to get there.  We took it and this is what we found.

The water was frozen over a bit.

The building beside the water even had a fireplace in it.  It was built right into the side of the earth.

Diggin' the skylights.

Start expecting our "Virtual Hikes" a little more regularly.

And once again, since we don't have a bunch of cute dog pictures for you I'll leave you with one. 

Hobbes makes a killer pillow.

www.blogmytrax.com

~coming soon~

6:00 PM - 8 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

Virtual Joyride - Rocky Mountains, CO - Estes Park
Category: Travel and Places

4:53 PM - 20 Comments - 16 Kudos - Add Comment

Changing History...
Category: Travel and Places

Fox Salehi, a world traveler, had me as a guest on his radio show 'Changing History' on ThinkTwiceRadio.com the other night.  The show topic was travel and I had an opportunity to plug BlogMyTrax.com.

Check out:  http://www.thinktwiceradio.com/

For the link to the specific show:  http://www.thinktwiceradio.com/fox/fox.html

I encourage you to listen to the whole show, but if you want to skip to the spot where I'm on just fast forward to 20:20.

Fox Salehi

COMING SOON!

www.BlogMyTrax.com

11:18 AM - 2 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

*Guest Star Blog* ROADTRIP - OR to TX
Category: Travel and Places

Long time no see!  Our schedule has been hectic lately, and we haven't had many opportunities to go hiking.  No worries!  Soon we'll be doing some hiking around the Rocky Mountains in Colorado!

We've not only got a *GUEST BLOG* for you today it's also a "Virtual Roadtrip" from OR to TX!  My parents have been out adventuring.   

I don't know what everything is along the way but I will try to provide info on what I can. 

Meet Alan!

Meet Becky!

Starting our journey in Portland, Oregon.

First stop, Latourell Falls.

The Columbia River.

Guess my love for interesting trees runs in the family

What an awe inspiring sight!

The entire trip from Portland, OR to San Antonio, TX took them 15 days.

The Vista House.

Waterfalls everywhere!

Multnomah Falls

Back on the road!

Just beautiful.

Fire.

Dee Wright Observatory - Willamette National Forest

Onward!

Finally we get to the Oregon coast along the Pacific Ocean.

If you can see it through all the early morning fog.

The Pacific Ocean in all it's splendor!

Driving down Highway 101.

What an amazing view alongside the highway!

Yes, maybe we'll have to live in Oregon for awhile at some point.

A surfer.

Hello California!

And then you hit the redwoods.

Chris wants to hollow out a redwood tree and live in it like the Berenstein Bears.

Redwood trees are the biggest trees in the world!

Makes me want to hike down there and go swmming.

Check out this view!

Wonder what Hobbes would think of a tree that big?

Back on the highway.

Quick stop to seeeeeeeeeeeeeee............ Potter School!  You know, that school that was in Alfred Hitchcocks' movie "The Birds"

Oooo, a winery that looks like a castle.

WOW.

No castle is complete without a torture chamber.

Wine by the barrel.

Wine by the bottle..... many many many bottles...

The Golden Gate Bridge always makes me think of Rice-a-Roni! lol~

Alcatraz (The Rock)

Lombard Street!

Fishermans Wharf~

Now, THAT is scarey.

San Francisco is such a cool city.

The Ronald Regan Presidential Library.

  My dad is a big historical buff.

Air Force One.

A piece of the Berlin Wall.

The water is such a pretty shade of blue.

A lighthouse along the way.

The sun is starting to set.

Perfect.

Roadtrips are such a blast.

Heading into Arizona.

The Grand Canyon!

When you see things like the Grand Canyon it is only then you realize how very small you are.

They say that you can take millions of pictures of the Grand Canyon and take no two the same.  As the clouds move across the sun overhead different shadows are cast across the rocks below.  Look in the middle of this picture and you will see an eagle soaring above the canyon.

My Dad is talking to me on the phone so TECHNICALLY I was there too for a moment.

Some people are just stupid.

And then along came a black crow.

Another look before we go.

Look above!  Another eagle in flight!

A plateau along the way.  Plateaus are neat.

Getting closer and closer to Sedona.

There are magnificent rock formations around Sedona.

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Check out this huge meteor crater.

It's 550 feet deep and was created 49,000 years ago.

Tombstone, AZ.

A horse drawn carriage passing by.

I love this sign!

A beautiful flowering cactus.

A coyote.

Indian drawings.

Cactus.

Lots of cactus.

What a great sunset!

A cozy cottage.

Hello Texas!

The Alamo.

A really GREAT tree!

A pretty place.

San Antonio's River Walk is an amazing place!

You can dine alongside the water.

A shot of a building along the waters edge.

Thanks for joining us on Alan & Becky's "Virtual Roadtrip" from OR to TX!

Soon we'll be blogging our roadtrip from KY to CO to MI to CO!  Keep an eye out!

And soon we'll be getting

http://www.blogmytrax.com/

up and going! 

We're so excited!

7:43 PM - 8 Comments - 9 Kudos - Add Comment

Virtual Hike - Pennyrile State Park, KY - Nature Trail
Current mood: excited
Category: Travel and Places

Long time no see! We've been so busy lately!

We've been getting ready for the debut of

www.BlogMyTrax.com

Check out this film I took part in recently.

PLEASE CHECK ONE

Or watch here if code above isn't working:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX5LZTHwCJ4

Chris & I are also getting ready for "Sylvia" (dinner theatre) which runs the first two weekends in Nov.

Todays hike is part of the Pennyrile Nature Trail. The entire trail is 14 miles long. We only hiked 6 miles on this particular venture.

Eventually we'll hike the rest! :)

A bridge starts us off.

The beginning of this trail runs along an old hospital road.

The woods are thick.

It's a nice peaceful day out.

Rikku's hair is starting to grow out a little more.

We're so glad it's almost fall. It's our favorite season!

In front.

Behind.

Don't you just love this old road?

Some rock formations along the way.

Hmm... wonder how far down this hole goes?

It's hard to tell,, this might make a nice geocache location.

It's just beautiful out today!!

Mushroom.

A cool thing about this trail is that it holds a variety of different types of trees and vegetation.

This would be a great trail for a 1 night backpacking trip.

The tree on the left is not amused.

Hobbes is.

This is the smallest "bridge" I have ever walked over I think.

As usual,, no water where water should be. I bet this is/was a pretty waterfall.

Chris and the pooches.

There is a spider web in this that you can't see very well.

Here's a closer shot.

So far, the Pennyrile Nature trail is a really enjoyable hike. :)

A hint of fall.

More rock formations along the way.

Me & the pooches.

There is quite a bit of moss along this section of the trail.

Then you come to an open area with tall grass.

It's short lived though as you re-enter the woods once again.

Eventually, we came upon another huge area where water should be and isn't. This has gotta' be an impressive waterfall when there is actually water.... *ahem* ... falling...

Then the trail crosses a road.

There is something compelling about the open road. It constantly calls to me.

Onward,..... duck!

Some of the most beautiful butterflies we have ever seen have been in this forest.

We're nearing our destination.

We finally hit the road we are seeking.

And we follow it down to our destination... Lake Beshear.

The dogs are always up for tethered swimming. lol~

Lake Beshear is a great lake for canoeing.

A lot of people have a lot of nice homes along the banks too.

Rikku drenched.

3 miles here...

...now it's time to hike the 3 miles back to the car.

Keep you eyes peeled. We have an exciting couple of 'Guest Star Blogs' comming your way!

Recently, my parents took a roadtrip from Portland, Oregon to San Antonio, Texas. They hooked me up with lots of great shots of some amazing things along their journey. You won't want to miss them! :)

Until next time!!

2:52 PM - 15 Comments - 12 Kudos - Add Comment

Virtual Hike - Pennyrile State Park, KY - Lake Trail
Category: Travel and Places

Chris' family came down from Michigan to visit us a couple days ago.  We wanted to take them out to see 'Garden of the Gods', but it's a much longer drive to get there.  They had already spent the day in the car so we took it easy on them. 

We couldn't believe it wasn't boiling out so we took to the woods.

We left Hobbes & Rikku behind today.  There wasn't enough room in the car.

Crossing a small bridge.

Looks like a nice spot for picnicing.

Peeking through the trees.

The waterlilies are beautiful.

Chris & I posing.

Natural steps.

Eventually on Lake Trail you come across a place where you can rent paddleboats and canoes.

Facilities at the top of the hill.

Love this picture!

The view out from the dock.

View towards the beach area.

Chris & his Dad.

Suddenly this snake swam up on a nearby lilypad!

Looks like he just got done eating breakfast.

Stairs, stairs and more stairs...

Onward!

The water level here is so low there are places we can get to now that we couldn't get to before.

Shadows...

This place is beautiful.

There is even a small cave we couldn't really access before.

Look!  A tiny frog!

Mike leads the way.

Jill found some snakeskin.

It's starting to get a little hotter out as the morning turns into midday.

Looking down.

Looking out towards the water.

Almost to the half-way point.

There's a hole in the roof of this building.

And some pretty webs along the floor.

The water is thick with waterlilies along this side of the lake.

Look!  How often does one photograph 2 butterflies in nature at the same time!

They are beautiful!

We haven't seen water in these streams for some time now.

We keep hoping.

There are lots of pretty butterflies out today.

Something has been gnawing on this tree.

The lack of rain is causing leaves to turn early.

Another great day in the woods~

www.BlogMyTrax.com COMMING SOON!

10:03 AM - 7 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Virtual Hike - Lake Barkley State Park, KY - Stable Trail
Category: Travel and Places

How's everybody doing today? 

On the way out to Lake Barkley State Park there are lots of rock formations.

It makes the drive real nice.

'Stable Trail' is a nice wide trail.

It's still cooler out then it has been.

Can't believe it is almost September!

'Stable Trail' isn't nearly has hilly as 'Blue Spring Trail'.

This trail is 1.6 miles.

It's like stepping into a story.

Look, Hobbes' feet aren't even touching the ground in this picture! lol~

Moss along the trail.

The setting sun in the distance.

Water break.

When you talk to Hobbes, he really listens.

Hobbes posin' on a rock.

Time to head on.

Hmm.. there is a shadow of something in the distance.

We found the stables!

Sometime we'll have to come back for a trail ride.

How peaceful.

Here's a cool weather vane up top.

Then the trail takes us alongside the fenced in stable yard and back to where we started.

The moon is shining bright on the trip home.

www.BlogMyTrax.com COMING SOON!

6:15 PM - 8 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

Virtual Hike - Lake Barkley State Park, KY - Blue Spring Trail
Category: Travel and Places

It's been awhile!  Hobbes & Rikku have missed you!

We've been so busy and it's been SOOOO hot!  Finally, a breeze in the air~ (It's been in the 100's down here, and our cars don't have working air conditioner.)

Lake Barkley State Park isn't to far away.

Let's check out 'Blue Spring Trail'!

Off we go!

Look at this tree!

It looks like it should be in a Final Fantasy game and walking.

The 'Blue Spring Trail' is well marked and easy to follow.

This is a very hilly trail with lots of ups and downs.

Kentucky woods are full of great vines!

There is bright green groundcover everywhere.

It's beautiful!

Rikku is such a cutie.

This group of trees never did stop dancing.

This tree looked like it had elephant skin or something.

It's hard to tell but look across the way in this shot from where we are standing.  The hill is as high as the top of the photo.

Here's another dried up stream.  It's starting to become a trend around here lately.

It feels great outside today!

Chris off in the distance.

The color green is so refreshing.

These vines make a great natural piece of art.

Even though it's a bit cooler the sun is shining bright as ever.

This trail is very cozy.

Ahead.

Behind.

Tent worms.

It looks like floating hearts.  What do you see?

So far all the trails we've taken at Lake Barkley State Park have been this beautiful.  If you don't live to far away you really should take advantage of them.

Then the trail gets closer to the waters edge.

Hobbes, wading in mud. 

Another look out across the water.

Then the trail leaves the water behind it.

We loved this part of the trail.

We've almost come full circle.

Another great day for a hike!

On the way out we happened upon a large group of deer.

You never know what's around the bend,

or where the road will take you!

    www.BlogMyTrax.com  COMING SOON!

3:31 PM - 10 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

ANNOUNCEMENT: www.BlogMyTrax.com COMING SOON!
Current mood: excited
Category: Travel and Places

BlogMyTrax is excited to announce the upcoming unveiling of it's very own website!  We are grateful to have you along with us every step of the way!  We intend on creating a FREE massive online community of adventurers worldwide with access to travel logs, maps, photos and up-to-date general area information.  Create a personalized online profile specifically tailored to meet your active lifestyle.  Blog your outdoor adventures in a searchable database compiled for others to access.  Join a community you can help to create!

KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING

SHARE WHERE YOU'VE BEEN

Check it out:  www.BlogMyTrax.com

We would like to thank Randy Stone for making this site possible!

10:41 AM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

*Guest STAR Blogger Mary Lou!* Virtual Adventure - Costa Rica
Category: Travel and Places

It's been so hot lately and we've been so busy that we haven't had a chance to get out and enjoy ourselves. 

So today Mary Lou and her friends are going to take us on a 'Virutal Adventure' through Costa Rica! 

Costa Rica is one of Central America's eco-tourist hot spots.

Although it is geographically a small country, Costa Rica is one of the most biologically diverse regions on this planet.

You'll encounter oceans, beaches, rivers, mountains, and an abundance of flora and fauna.

Look at this beautiful ship!

Costa Rica has great weather all year long.

This is a scarlet macgaw.

Aren't they beautiful?

Mary Lou knows how to kick it.

There are little wild pigs running around everywhere!

These parrots are only found in Central and South America.

How often does one happen upon sea turtles hatching in the sand?

They started comming out of the sand by the dozens!

Truely a rare experience!

Costa Rica has more than 800 miles of seashore.

With so much coastline, it is easy to find uncrowded beaches.

Hmm,.. wonder how the geocaching is in Costa Rica?

Costa Rica has 11 conservation areas made up of a total of 161(or more) national parks, wildlife refuges, biological reserves, protected zones, forest reserves and wetlands.  With so many natural wonders to explore, the most difficult thing to do here is figure out which to see first.