Thursday, June 25, 2009

Sunset at the North Pole

This is one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen. Can you believe how beautiful this is? This is the sunset at the North Pole with the moon at its closest point last week. A scene you will probably never get to see in person. The sun is below the moon.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Happy Fathers Day, John

I just LOVE this man. He is AMAZING!



I am grateful each and everyday we are together. He rocks my world. This August we will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversay. I am so lucky. He is a great father (even though he doesn't think so all the time). He is a great example of Christ like love. He serves those around him and shows them love. I am so lucky to work with him each day. If I didn't I would hardly see him because he is at the clinic for so many hours a day. He loves me and that is the best part. When we are apart I can hardly stand it. Can't wait to get back together. There are so many thingsHe is a blessing in my life and forever and always. I love you, bunny! You are my world!





Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Palm Springs Aerial Tram

John and I arrived in Palm Springs, CA Tuesday morning. Bright sunny day.



We are here for a conferance called JOURNEY. (more on that later) Last year John came to Plam Springs and took the tram. He called me from the top and described how beautiful it was up there. He told me,"next year when we bothare here we will come together". True to his promise the first thing we did was ride the tram.
First everyone get into the tram. It is ROUND and it also spins around so everyone gets to see all the views. Away we go.



It is the 2nd steepest tram in the world.



These towers are so high. The yellow square pads on top are landing zones for helicopters to land. They carry maintanance people to work on the tram lines. I can't imagine landing on one of those tiny pads and then getting out of the helicoper to work on something.



As you are climbing up the mountian, you see amazing views of Palm Springs and surrounding areas. The mountains are made up mostly of granite.



Once on top there are 14,000 acres of land that is now a state park. In the winter you can snowshoe, cross country ski, sled or just have a good ol' fashion snowball fight. In the summer, many more oppertunities are available. you can apply for a permit for camping, there are MANY hiking trails, short, long and in between. Nature hikes with a guide and ranger school. Wild life abounds. Lizards, all kinds of birds including bald eagles, bears, cougars and fallow dear.




The elevation is about 8000 feet. When we got on the tram it was 90 degrees. When we go to the top it was 53 degrees. I wish I had a jacket.
From this pinacle you can see out across the valley.



When it is sunny like today you can see the Salton Trough. It is the largest expanse of land below sea level in the western hemisphere. This 140 mile ong depression is the northern extension of the ocean filled valley that is now called the Gulf of California. The Salton Sea was formed from 1905-1907 when the Colorado River broke through irrigation canals leading into the trough. Unlike prehistoric lakes that existed here and then dried up, the Salton Sea still existes and continues to rise each year due to run off. It was made by the Colorado River breaking through its banks and forming this sea. This inland sea is 50 percent saltier than the ocean.
(The middle to the pic where the clouds meet the first line of blue...that blue is the Salton Sea.)



This tree is shaped this way because of the high winds up here. The branches all grow away form the wind.



We met our friends, Kim and Shaun Miller here. Shaun and John came here last year together and they both wanted their wives to experiance this amazing area with them this time.



Today was kind of cloudy. Check out this picture. It is of the SUN through the clouds. It was so awesome.



I am so glad I came up here. It is truely a gift form God.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Jon Schmidt

Jon Schmidt is brilliant. I would love to look into his brain one day and see what is in there. I bet there are tiny little instruments and tiny little people that he orchestrates. I can just see it now...Okay guys pick up your instruments and follow along (read my brain he really means). They are jammin' trying to keep up and when they are done all the cells applaud. What a rush.

Dinosaurs lerking in Montana

While I was in ID with my family, my brother showed my this......



It is a dinosaur tooth! He found it on his property in the Yellowstone Valley. A paleontologist is checking it out to identify the species it came form. What a find!

The Langoliers

When flying back to Wichita I got STUCK in Denver. The flight left SLC 1.5 hours late and yet they PROMISED I would still make my connection. LIE, LIE, LIE! Thank goodness Leesa Stiemle was on my flight so we could keep each other company as we tried to sleep in an icebox, ie: Denver airport. Too cold to sleep. If felt as though I was in the Langoliers airport. Kinda freaky when all there is is a few cleaning people and a few security guards. Definitely desolate.



Whirlwind moving trip

Last week I flew to SLC, picked up Nicole and drove to Idaho where I met up with my parental units, Dana and Gary, Jerry and JP. We drove through a nasty storm. Giant raindrops, thunder, lightning and nickel size hail.



We converged upon my Uncle Bill's home to pack it up and move it to Utah. He has been in a nursing home for over a year. My mom is going to put the home up for sale so needless to say ALL the C*** needed to come out. We did find some treasures and he has alot of things he has from all his travels, Africa, Thialand, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, China. On our travels back Nicole and I stopped at the Twin Falls, ID temple. Just Beautiful.



Our next stop was Shoshone Falls and Dierkes Lake. I have not been there since I was a kid. Another beutiful site.



When we arrived back in SLC we unloaded the moving truck. I was carrying a 50 lb carved speaker.



I dropped it right on my foot. OUCH!. Needless to say I broke 3 bones. Now I have this to contend with.....

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Today we cruised the inside passage. Amazing! Quaint little villages, fishing boats, scenery scenery, scenery. WOW! Our ship cruised into Vancouver Harbour early in the morning. The sun peaking over the mountains shed rays of beauty on the harbour. The skyline of Vancouver with Stanley Park in the foreground looks like it is growing out of the trees.



This light house was the first light house to welcome mariners into the harbour. It is situated near the bridge and also is part of Stanley Park.



Stanley Park..... I love this park. There is a huge totem pole display at Brockton Point. It is the most visited attraction in all of Britich Columbia.



Walking the SEA WALL in the park is soothing. It is Along the walking paths are ferns so deep you could get lost in them. 5.5 miles long and is very scenic.



As we came into the harbour we went under this bridge. Quite a feat to behold. This bridge is massive. Not like Golden Gate or Bay bridges but massive just the same.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Iditarod



When we got back on the ship from Ketchican there was a lecture going on. It was Libby Riddles. She ran it in 18 days, 20 minutes and 17 secs. She was the first woman to win the Iditarod. The race is from Anchorage to Nome. Over 1150 miles in 10-17 days. Libby entered her first race kind of on a whim. She took 7th. The next year 7th again. She decided if she was going to get better than 7th she better train and get better dogs. She partnered with a guy and got some better dogs. They trained together I think for 2 years. She entered again. Through all of the hardship, extreme weather that year she came out on top. What a great story and role model for perseverance.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Ketchican

We docked on a bright and sunny day. GORGEOUS! Couldn't have asked for a better day. When you get off the ship in Ketchican you are RIGHT in town.


Of course the touristy shops are right there but it is a short walk to the REAL town. It is very "quaint". Well worth the walk around.


There is a totem pole walking tour with plaques that tell about each one.



We attended a Lumberjack show. It was really fun. They divide the audience into 2 groups and each group cheers for a differant team. I am sure you have seen the Lumberjack guys on TV. It is just like that.

They have log rolling



Log climbing



Chopping



Log sawing



All the events were fun. After the show John and I walked down the the marina and looked at all the sail boats. The water is so blue here. Who wouldnt' want to be out sailing on it.



While out walking John and I came across this sign. So apropos.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Skagway-White's Pass

Today in Skagway we thought that we were going to just look around, call the kids and find a really cool Christmas decoration. (We look for amazing Christmas decorations to represent all the places we have traveled) First we went to the Klondike Goldrush National Park Center. (We are Nat'l Park fans) The exhibits are amazing there. They had a film representing the goldrush that was great. Skagway is very small and there is really not much to see there. John Surprised me with tickets to take the White's Pass train. It starts in Skagway and travels to the Yukon Territory in Canada. What an amazing ride. The track was laid in 1898. It was built ot get people to the gold fields of the Yukon. The train climbs 4000 feet in 20 miles, has 16 degree turns, has 2 tunnels and a half dozen hairpin turns.




Juneau-Whale Watching


On to Juneau. John and I had signed up to go whale watching today. So exciting. We had to get up EARLY! Much earlier than I was expecting. Off the ship at 6:30. We boarded our bus for a short sightseeing tour and then on to the cruiser. Our tour guide was a college student from Oregon. She was just 21 and had just recieved her CDL. She joked about how she could drive the bus better backwards then foreward. Our cruiser boat got us out into the bay pretty fast. Our guides were very knowledgable and answered many questions that everyone had. They told us to look for spray in the air. That was whale breath. We saw humpbacks and Orcas, Sea Lions and Sea Otters. We even saw 2 Bald Eagles.