Saturday, June 29, 2013

GeoGuesser Game

OK....just try and guess where Alan and I are now.  These pictures provide all sorts of clues, but the google man we aren't.

What are you riding???

Coal.  Coal.  Coal.

Industrial Road Reconstruction

Rolling Green Vistas

Dream BIG....Live BIG



Bear Lodge to Native Americans...

HAVE YOU GUESSED??
NORTH EAST WYOMING ROCKS



Were You Close?

Who?

Joe is the Project Manager of the Southern Industrial Road project in Gillette, WY  (picture above of a problem area.)  The Southern Industrial Road must be able to handle 350,000 pound trucks.  (Yeah, that is a real number and a really big truck.)  This is WYOMING and everything is super sized.

Sisters!!

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Together in 2013!

The Bly Family celebrated Together in 2013! with a reunion in the Washington DC area.  We come together as a group every few years and thanks to my sister Rachel (planner extraordinaire) , this year's festivities were the best yet!

The event was held at the Algonquian Regional Park in Northern Virginia.  This park is nestled along the Potomac River and features river access for small water craft, pools and a water park, mini golf, 18 hole golf course, cottages and picnic grounds.  The 12 cottages were strung along the Potomac and all featured river views, full kitchens, decks, and plenty of living space.

The highlight of our reunion was a "behind the scene tour" at the Smithsonian's American History Museum to view & touch the original patent model for one of the first moveable limbs.  My great great grandfather, Dr Douglas By, patented a moveable limb in September 1866 and this model is in the Smithsonian's collection.  The Civil War created a huge demand for prosthetics and the Bly limb represented a huge improvement.  The curator, who provided the tour, also displayed more recent prosthetics--it was quite an experience to see and touch this snippet of human history.  Thanks to my brother Matt for making the arrangements for this special tour.

Matt and Dad with the patent model.  From a moveable limb (ankle) to the blade leg....in 150 years or so

 Thanks Mom and Dad for that case of Veuve Clicquot, chilled to perfection!  (Caitlin snapped the photo)

Bly Family 2013.    BEFORE the champagne.
Lovely cottages on the Potomac River....perfect weather.

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Rocky Mountain National Park

Time for a change in pace:  how about green, jagged, and snowy:  how about rushing creeks, lush meadows, lazy elks,  14'ers and glaciers.  Time for Rocky Mountain National Park and a trip to the "top of Colorado"!

But the venerable old park faces the challenges of nature.  The mature forest is struggling to fight off a major, multi-year attack by the mountain pine beetle.  Years of warm winters and drier seasons have given the beetle the edge:  everywhere the pine trees are dying.  Downed trees pile up along the trails and one wonders about the fire danger.  

And fire is a real, every day danger here now.  We hike to Cub Lake -- all the guide books describe it as a lovely, mountain lake.  Oops.  Last October a fire roared through the canyon -- traveling 3 miles in 10 minutes through an area not burned in more than 800 years!   So we hiked through blackened logs and across burned out bridges.  Eerie.  This was the Fern Lake Fire and it still has not been declared "out".   They are concerned that embers remain glowing; buried deep under the surface and could re-ignite in strong winds.

We walked into the visitor center under deep blue skies and 30 minutes later re-emerged to find an enormous smoke plume in the west.  A lightening fire had started the previous day and the afternoon winds, well, the blaze went from 2 acres to 75 acres to 330 acres in an afternoon.  And how long will it burn?  Anybody can guess.  

It was sobering to be in the Park -- rather like a "see it now" trip -- because it is definitely changing fast.

Cub Lake -- still lovely, especially if you see past fire and beetle damage

Western Terrestrial Garter Snake

Lovely Alpine Meadow

One of the Big Boys

Ooops -- Smoke from the Big Meadow Fire

Chasm Falls -- imagine the heavy sound of rushing water in the background!

The Loch.  

Rock, Snow, Sky, and Trees.  A superb example of the Sub-alpine Forest

Dream Lake....we hiked down snow covered switchbacks for this view!

Richly colored wood grain

Spring scene

Just a few wildflowers -- we were about a month too early it seems

Hiking along a creek listening to bird calls.

Wildflower




Monday, June 10, 2013

Walking with Friends

Our arrival in Loveland coincided with the Strides for Epilepsy -- the annual fundraiser for the Epilepsy Foundation of Colorado.  We joined Team MegaTron and walked through City Park in Denver under crystal blue skies.  The 5K passed quickly as we walked and talked for a great cause!



Logo on the shirts

Team MegaTron (and Roxie the dog!)

Why it all matters

We did it -- now where are the goodies!!!  Fruit bars & ice cream straight ahead.

On to Colorado

Time for a change!  It was time to head to Loveland!  We had scoped out campgrounds in the Rockies but alas -- they were not open yet due to heavy snows in May.   So we opted to arrive in Loveland a few days early; rest and recuperation; and then head up to Rocky Mountain National Park and a waiting campsite.   We are way too early for the mountain wildflowers....sigh.

One of the best attractions in Loveland is the Benson Sculpture Garden:  several blocks long with hundreds of sculptures displayed along winding paths.  Every size and every theme imaginable.  And new every year as sculptures are continually added.  We walked for a hour or so and didn't get more than a half through the first block!

Loveland, CO


Fiesta

Monument of Right Feet Major

Best Buddies

The Bell Keepers

Equal to the Pain

The Big Wish

Raven Series

Breeze

Cardiac Relief

Evening Jazz


A Friend Indeed

So inviting to stroll the Park

Swamp Donkey

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Utah ROCKS!

Our lazy days in Utah are numbered; tomorrow we point east again and plan to make:  Colorado!  As we reflect on our nearly 3 weeks in Utah, the theme emerges:  Utah ROCKS.  Every color, every shape, every size, every day.  We'll be back ... some day.

This quote from Henry David Thoreau sums it up:

The finest workers of stone are not copper or steel tools, but the gentle touches of air and water working at their leisure with a liberal allowance of time.

Delicate Arch -- the symbol of Utah

Arches National Park

Arches -- thousands of them -- along with spires, fins, balanced rocks, and walls dot the landscape at Arches National Park.  Even though it is a second or third trip here, the spell of the rocks emerges anew.

North and South Windows  

Wolfe's Cabin -- an early settler who eked out a living grazing his cattle

Even earlier peoples marked this as a special place.  

Rocks, Caves, Arches -- some of everything here