Birch tree and leaves

Another image from the Sproul State Forest park along route 144.

Technicolor tree

In Happy Valley, we've had some spectacular sunsets lately, all of which I missed either because I didn't have my camera or I was at the wrong place when they happened. But I had one location in mind I wanted to check out and tonight I happened to be driving down that street as the setting sun was in it's last moments of glory. By the time I got to this tree I had enough time to pull over and snap a couple of images before the show ended. I know I'll be back to visit this tree again.

Fiery Forest

From the Sproul State Forest along route 144.

Standing Tall

After seeking out scenic drives on our trip out west, I was prompted to look for scenic routes here in PA. I found one close to my home that heads north toward the PA Grand Canyon, my ultimate goal. Route 144, also known as the elk scenic drive, crosses through several state forests. One of my favorite trees this time of the year is the birch tree, and when I found this group nestled in the woods, I had to stop and check it out.

Fall or winter?

Here's another scene from last week's snowstorm.

Winter Wonderland in Happy Valley

Those of us living in Central PA were surprised to hear the weather forecast for late last week included snow...up to 6 inches of the white stuff! And they weren't kidding either! By the end of the storm I had 4 inches in my backyard. We set all kinds of records including earliest snowfall ever...in over 100 years of record keeping. I drove past this farm on my way to work early friday morning.

The Long Road Ahead

Ah, there's nothing like the open road that goes on for miles and miles. The speed limit was 75 on most of the roads we travelled, but our Minnie Winnie was more content to stick to a safer 62 mph. Which was probably better on our gas mileage anyways!

This concludes my posts from our trip out west. Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comments!! They are much appreciated, I really look forward to reading them!!

Badlands 3

Another image from the Badlands in South Dakota. I love the beautiful blue skies of the west.

Lone Little Tree

We stopped at a scenic overlook at the Theodore Roosevelt Park. After snapping several images, I turned around and saw this view on the other side of the road. This to me represents what the west is all about, open spaces and beautiful blue skies that seem to stretch on forever.

CHARGE!

This guy was about 5 feet from me when I snapped the shutter (no kidding!). In the Theodore Roosevelt Park in North Dakota the bison roam freely throughout the park. If you're lucky as we were, they will graze along the roadside. We went over to some cabins where about 50 bison were grazing peacefully nearby. I wandered into the pack and one took a great deal of interest in me approaching to within a few feet from where I was standing. There are signs all over the park warning that these beasts are unpredictable and not to do anything to disturb them. I backed up not wanting to find out if the warnings are valid.

The day we visited the park, the temperature was in the 80s, a bit warm for a hairy creature such as this. Though he looks as though he is going to charge us, really, he is panting heavily to try to stay cool.

Badlands 2

Yellow mounds from the Badlands National Park.

The Badlands

When we got to South Dakota, we spent the night at a campground just a couple of miles away from the Badlands. We got an early start and got to see the sunrise from the park. Being at the park early meant having the place virtually to ourselves. We saw more wildlife than tourists, including a mom bobcat who had just caught breakfast for her 3 kittens. It was quite a sight to see the family grazing just a few feet away from us.

Hdr image, 5 combined exposures.

Fields of Gold

North Dakota wheat field...

No Trespassing

On our trip west, we drove through Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North and South Dakota. That's not even 1/2 of what we had hoped to see. Of all these states, North Dakota was our favorite. We stumbled across this scene on a dirt road in a heavily farmed area. A farmer had posted characters like this guy on his fence posts warning people not to trespass. The clue...note the upside down smile. I was too curious to obey, and snapped a couple of images before anyone toting a gun could chase me off the property.