Thursday, September 10, 2009

I'm Back! "Home on the Range"

Oh, give me a home ........

Mother and calf buffalo in Custer State Park, South Dakota

........ where the buffalo roam,

Buffalo in Custer State Park, South Dakota
Where the deer .....

A deer on the street in Gardiner, Montana

.....and the antelope play,

A pronghorn antelope in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Where seldom is heard .....


A joke sign on a store in Gardiner, Montana
A discouraging word,

A sign in the Badlands of South Dakota

And the skies.....

Black Hills of South Dakota --click on to enlarge to see what is on the mountain


Are not cloudy all day.
~
~courtesy the "Home On The Range" song, circa early 1900's

A boardwalk in the South Dakota prairie


Hello everyone! I'm back from a glorious two week vacation in the wonderful "Wild West"! We visited Colorado, South Dakota, and Wyoming, made some brief stops in Montana, and then went back to Colorado for the Labor Day weekend. It was an early 35th wedding anniversary celebration trip to see our son. daughter-in-law and grandson, and then on to visit a few National Parks that we've always dreamed about seeing. I took so many photos that my "C" drive ran out of space, and so I've been busy backing up my photos on a second external hard drive that has more capacity than my first.. Why do computers have to be so darn fussy?

We visited a lot of the beautiful American wilderness and saw many wonderful and exciting sights, and I hope to blog about them in a few future blog posts. I hope you'll join me as I relive some of these special moments.

The USA has such a variety of sights and natural treasures ... we are truly fortunate to live in such a beautiful and diverse country!

18 comments:

Jenny said...

Oh, it sounds like a wondrous trip. And although there's no place like home, having all those memories in your heart is awfully special! Good for you!

RoeH said...

Boy those pics take me back. I've been to Yellowstone several times and recently, but I haven't been to South Dakota since leaving the Dakotas in 1970. The Black Hills are so pretty. I lived in ND for eight years and while I didn't say this at the time, I would go back there now. I liked those states. People are so nice and it's not over-populated. I'd even put up with the winter again. ANYTHING BUT THIS HEAT!!! :

supplies overflowing! said...

I can't wait to travel with you!

I hope we see Leo somewhere along the way!

j.

pammiejo said...

You're right - it's beautiful, isn't it? Great trip for you! PAM

Proud Italian Cook said...

Hi Pat, Welcome back! Sounds like you had a great trip. Happy early anniversary to you and your hubby.
Love the photos, I would never think I would see a boardwalk in a prairie. Looking forward to more!

Judy said...

I'm looking forward to seeing lots of fascinating places through your eyes! We did a road trip through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, Oregon and Washington a few years back...and so enjoyed it.

Great picture of Mt. Rushmore from a distance. It sounds like you had a great trip...but it's always good to have a home to come back to. Happy anniversary.

Ciao Chow Linda said...

Welcome back Pat - Love the way you linked the photos with the song. Our national parks are really spectacular. You got to see a lot of animals, didn't you. Was Leo with you?

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Glad you had such a great time, Pat, and I love these photos.

You are right... we live in a glorious country!

XO,

Sheila :-)

Lynn said...

We took that trip in 2001. Isn't it a wonderful trek?
Except it was in Sept and you know what happened that Sept!

Lisa's RetroStyle said...

Welcome back Pat! I'm glad you had such a great trip. I look forward to reading all about it.

I LOVE the National Park system. So many beautiful places...all ours! Yay!

Unknown said...

Such a wonderful post and welcome back! Thank you Pat for visiting even when you are holidaying, I love that Wanted sign..hehe...In real life, it would almost be impossible to find this perfect woman. Hugs.........M

jeanne said...

Hi Pat, I do love your wonderful post about your trip. It sure brought back memories. Especially in Gardiner. We do remember those rattlesnake signs on another trip to the badlands a few years ago. I also remember 107 degrees and the strong winds that never ceased. A remarkable part of our country. The Badlands of S. Dakota that change dramatically on both occasions that we saw them. If it is drought or lots of rain, makes a huge difference. Custer
State Park is so interesting as well. You covered lots of territory.

I really enjoyed your presentation with the song. Very clever Pat. I do love your blog.

Hugs, Jeanne

Junie Moon said...

What a great trip and photos. I remember seeing the buffalo during our own trip to the Black Hills. America is indeed so full of wondrous sites -- takes my breath away in awe.

happyone said...

What a wonderful vacation you got to go on.
Welcome back home.
I've made that trip too - we sure do have a beautiful and diverse country.

Tracy Watier said...

What great fun you had! The Black Hills and Rushmore and all those buffalo are on my husband's "must see" list, so we'll very likely get there eventually. And I'll be happy to go along just to see what's up with a boardwalk criss-crossing the prairie!?!

Claudia said...

I took that same trip a few times. As a New Yorker, I often thought of the Dakotas as flat and bland. But they are just stunning with so much to offer. Glad you enjoyed it!

GailO said...

This was a unique way to show where you travelled..Love how you illustrated the song! I have got to get me a camper:)

Sue said...

Great pictures....except for that rattlesnake warning!! Glad you had such a good time and where are all the pictures of little Leo? I bet he's getting big....