A tiny fraction of the pumpkin picking area available.
Hay ride to the pumpkin patch! (That is the kids zip line on the right.)
What a variety!
A U-Pick-It pumpkin farm in the Snohomish Valley north of Seattle. It provides a fun outdoor activity for young and old alike. This area has several farms offering pumpkin patches, corn mazes and Halloween spooky stuff too.
Just this week a stray tom cat has been hanging around our house and neighborhood.
He likes to peer in through the screen in the back door
A cute face and a sweet little meow
The scenery in Wyoming is absolutely stunning. On one of our trips West we were driving in Wyoming on Highway 16 through the Big Horn Mountains. We were heading from Buffalo on our way to Yellowstone National Park. On the way we found ourselves climbing up to and descending from the Powder River Pass (elevation 9666) which was frankly at times a white knuckle affair!
Blue skies over the rocks
Massive limestone cliffs
We soon came to beautiful and awesome Ten Sleep Canyon. The glacially formed cliffs had nearly vertical walls that we later learned were popular for rock climbing. There were wide shoulders to the road which enabled us to stop and take in the view.
Sher enjoying the break from mountain driving. The exit from the canyon is in the “V” in the distance.
Just past Ten Sleep Canyon is the little town of Ten Sleep, Wyoming. With a population of about 250, it is at the junction of Nowood and Ten Sleep creeks. Historically it was a Native American rest stop, called that because it was 10 days travel, or “10 sleeps,” from Fort Laramie (southeast), Yellowstone Park (west-northwest), and the Indian Agency at Stillwater, Montana (northwest).
Baltimore Oriole with Sparrow in the back
On the nectar feeder
Back and tail plumage
Sandhill Crane
Baby Sparrow(?) after rain storm
Evil eye Grackle
Turkey Vulture warming its wings
Pileated Woodpecker taking off
Our nation’s symbol: Bald Eagle
A family outing
Here are a few more of our favorite bird images. The Turkey Vulture and Pileated Woodpecker are on the top of the same utility pole. The waterlogged little fledgling was blown out of the nest during a storm. Parents did tend to it, don’t know the outcome. We caught the eagle on a whale watching cruise around the San Juan Islands in Washington State. And the family of ducks was enjoying a walk in the town of Chincoteague on the island of the same name, on Virginia’s Eastern Shore.
Young robin right out of the nest
Starling parent, bottom, feeding youngster, top
Red bellied woodpecker
Red-headed Woodpecker
Immature White Ibis
Female Pileated Woodpecker
Brown Pelican
We have always enjoyed birdwatching and found it exciting to see various birds as we have traveled the country. When COVID hit, stopping our travels, we also began to enjoy birding in our own backyard. We both were surprised at how many different species visited our home.
Hey! Is that corn over there?
“Mmmm…grapes are good!”
Cherry tomatoes. Yep, they are good.
Glad I remembered where I buried this nut!
Some people like to watch squirrels and like them around. Others can’t stand them. It has been said that squirrels are just rats with a great Public Relations Department. What side are you on?
Northeast Wyoming is home to one of the most remarkable landscape features in the United States. The towering mass of volcanic rock known as Devils Tower has long been the destination of curious travelers and is the source of several Native American legends describing the origin of the rock formation. In the fall of 2014 we made a short detour on our way from Indiana to Seattle to see this striking and beautiful gift from Earth.
One of, if not the most striking geologic feature in Wyoming
Detail image of each “column” that is about 8 feet across!
One of the legends of the origin of the tower tells the story of girls who were pursued by a huge bear. The girls prayers were answered when the Great Spirit caused the rock to raise from the ground with the girls safely on top. The bear attempted to climb the smooth sides of the rock, and his claws made the distinctive shapes we see today.
Geologists tell us that the tower was made when volcanic intrusions of lava pushed up into thick layers of sandstone, now eroded away after millions of years. The rock, an igneous basalt type, took on the shapes of columns when it cooled. Called a columnar formation, this shape is not uncommon and can be found in rocks all over the world.
The Devils Tower was the first designated US National Monument, so declared by President Teddy Roosevelt in 1906. The first Caucasians saw the tower in the 1850’s. It was the site of the famous finish of the 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Roadtirement 