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From my canoe on a water trail in Okefenokee Swamp
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| Early morning swamp view |
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| The best views are from a boat |
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| The view Pat and I woke to on the St. Mary River |
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| I love paddling under clouds - feels like I'm between worlds |
I moved from a watery world to one of hills and wetlands, and big skies at Red Rock Lakes NWR.
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| The ever-changing view I was forced to look at every day from my various living quarters at Red Rock Lakes |
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| Perhaps my favorite picture taken on the north side of Red Rock Lakes |
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| The look of the hills near the end of the summer |
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| View down Red Rock Creek to the Centennial Mountains in late May with the Fish Guys |
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| Lower Mesa Falls on Henry Fork - we didn't paddle this part |
My daughter introduced me to Ottawa on a several day visit. I traveled by bus and foot, and also took one boat tour on the Ottawa River.
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| View from inside the Canadian Museum of Nature |
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| Maman the spider- built by the artist in honor of his mother, a weaver |
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| View of the large hall in the Museum of History |
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| The Locks on Rideau Canal |
My oldest daughter and son-in-law also took me to the Montreal Botanical Garden. It is one of the most fabulous gardens I've visited.
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| The best place to watch time pass |
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| The Olympic Tower next to the garden |
I spent the last six weeks of summer at National Bison Range. Last year the government shutdown caused the bison roundup to be postponed and I didn't get to see it. So I went back for another try at helping with it. And I got to do my favorite job - closing down the nineteen mile auto tour - a lot This is where most of the next pictures were taken from.
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| View of the Jocko River Valley from the first high point of the tour |
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| The cars were stopped to watch the elk in rut but the light is what stopped me |
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My National Bison View of the Mission Mountains from my bedroom and
kitchen - here with first snow |
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| View near Lost Trails NWR, a little refuge managed by National Bison Range |
On the way home I was overwhelmed by the fantastic formations at Dinosaur National Park.
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| A selfie I took on a hike up to see pictographs at Dinosaur |
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| Looking down the Yampa River in Harpers Corner section of Dinosaur NP |
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| A view from a high trail looking down on the green River. You can see the Yampa River in the background. |
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| A view into a box canyon at the end of the tour road in Dinosaur NP |
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| A view of the Green River at one of the campgrounds at Dinosaur |
I drove from Dinosaur NP to Arches NP. And then spent a day there the following day, after traveling a little further to find a vacant camp site.
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| Delicate Arch in Arches NP |
My last stop was the Needle Section of Canyonlands NP. The last part of the drive - which was not the most direct route - was also breathtakingly beautiful.
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| Along the Pot Hole Trail in Canyonlands |
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| Strange formations in Canyonlands |
My trip home from Utah often had overwhelming scenery. I stopped for the first night just before a high pass. It snowed and, the next morning, I was driving - with a lot of stopping - through scenes like this.
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| The best kind of snow - look at it but no shoveling |
I must say getting to see all these beautiful views of spectacular lands is yet another great reason to be homeless.
I'm riding up with my friend, Natalie to visit my daughter in Pittsburg, Pa. So I'll take a Christmas week break when this comes out. Then I'll have a few more weeks until I start physical therapy on my shoulder.
Happy Holidays to all of you. And may you design and produce your best lives of all in 2015. And may Joy be with you always.
