nature photography

Remembering Yellowstone National Park

/ Roadtirementvintage / 13 Comments

Seems so long ago, but our memories of our 2014 trip across country are still clear in our thoughts.

During our trip across country we were fortunate enough to stop for a couple of days in Yellowstone National Park. What an adventure it was for Sher and me as this was the first trip for both of us. We stayed at the only campground with hookups for RV’s. The campground was very nice, and we were warned to look out a mama bear with a couple of her cubs.

This bull bison strolled right by us on the road.

Our adventure began before we got to the campground. As we were driving on a road overlooking the Yellowstone Lake we saw traffic stopped. Thinking it might be an accident as the road was narrow with a guardrail on one side and a sheer rock cliff on the other. Well, then we saw the huge bison calmly walking down the road in the middle of the oncoming lane.

Bison in Hayden Valley

Dragon’s Mouth geothermal pool.

 

 

 

 

 

Our journey within the park took us to Hayden Valley, where we saw other bison. Here we also saw the Dragon’s Mouth and the Mud Volcano. The scenery was magnificent.

The geysers cover the walkways with steam

Geothermal hot springs pool

 

 

 

 

 

Our second day took us to West Thumb of the Yellowstone Lake. There were the famous wood boardwalks leading around the geothermal pools and geysers. Since I got my undergraduate degree in geology Sher had to put up with my going ape over the geologist’s dream that is Yellowstone. We had planned on visiting Yellowstone and the western US, but COVID came along and messed that up.

An A to Z Storybook Trail

/ Roadtirementvintage / 6 Comments

A new short trail showcasing highlights and history of Shelby County has been completed along the Blue River Trail in Shelbyville, Indiana. The 13 signs are placed at intervals with two “letters” each on the signs.

One of the 13 signs on the trail

Shot of the trail

Note the limestone benches

Sign showing local attraction and bit of history

The whole trail and sign placements are very nicely landscaped with trees and flowers. Scattered around are large limestone “benches”. These have been quarried from a Shelby County quarry that has has been in operation for decades.

The main Blue River Trail along the tree line

In the far background you can see the Blue River-Wind, Rain and Water public art (here is a link to our post about the sculpture). Shelbyville and Shelby County have done a great job constructing and maintaining the Blue River Trail complex across the city and through at least three parks.

 

 

 

A lovely four-span stone arch bridge

/ Roadtirementvintage / 7 Comments

Ripley County Indiana is a scenic land of rolling hills, wooded tracts interspersed with farming enterprises. Amongst the unique sites include a wonderful stone arch bridge just outside the tiny village of Friendship. This bridge was constructed in 1909 on the Olean Road where the road crosses Raccoon Creek.

From a distance

The approach to the bridge

Nearly perfect stonework


Side view of the stone work arches


The stonework on the four arches is really a stone mason’s dream. This bridge has spans over 20 feet. The deck is nearly 15 feet wide over the 103 foot length. Stone arch bridges were a very common design for many rural stream and river and there are eleven still standing in Ripley County alone, according to records.

Raccoon Creek is typical of southern Indiana hill country drainage streams. Usually running, it can go dry in droughts. The bubbling sound of the passing of the water adds to the serenity of this environment.

 

Cicada emerges

/ Roadtirementvintage / 14 Comments


Last year was supposed to be the great 17 year mass cicada emergence across the Midwest and East coast. In our part of Indiana we only saw one cicada shell and heard none of the loud insects. Within the last two weeks we have heard a lot of cicadas at night. We have found four of them on the tires of our vehicle. One is in the photo, above. They missed the big show by a year…

Tomatoes going red and some mushrooms

/ Roadtirementvintage / 7 Comments

These home grown beauties ripen fast once they start to turn

There were several more that almost made a Fairy Ring…

Our two tomato plants have done quite nicely the past month, giving us, as you can see, some nice fruits. The backyard also was fertile ground, it seems, for quite a few mushrooms that showed up overnight.