Rain

160.
Some might think four days of rain is a bit much, but we weren't complaining.

Souvenir

159.
I can haz jerky now?

She's her daddy's daughter. We had to pull over at a roadside jerky store back in Arizona so they could stock up. The buffalo jerky was gone before we left Las Vegas. But the aroma lingered in the hall outside of our hotel room a bit longer.

Better to keep our jerky-eating at home, where only the dog will notice the smell...

Hannah

158.
There's a special brand of obsessive-compulsive disorder reserved for Border Collies. Hannah, my parents' amazing dog, has a textbook case. If she's not chasing the ball, she's in this familiar pose, watching intently, waiting for you to throw or kick it again. And again. And again....

Busy as a...

157.
I'm behind again -- how did that happen?!

Grade 3

156.
School starts in two weeks.

I'm having a tough time mustering up much enthusiasm for it, though. Maybe that's the post-vacation high talking (Boy, have we had a great summer, or what?!), but I'm really dreading the return to schoolday routines, homework, schedules, lunchboxes, carpools,gymnasticshockeysoccerdancetrackartpiano....

But -- she's looking forward to it, so I'm trying to put on a good show.

Reunited

155.
We missed you, too, Wally.

What Happens in Vegas...

154.
So... Las Vegas.

First off, let me say that as a destination, Las Vegas is not high on the list of places I've been dying to visit with my family. Our decision to go there was based mostly on the convenience and economy of air travel from McCarran Airport. That being said, we figured spending a night in a nice hotel, and enjoying some good food and a fun pool with the kids might be a great way to shake the dust off from our travels before heading home.

Which it was, even though the Vegas scene really isn't our bag, baby.

Happily, we managed to see some sights that were pretty wild, without being too crazy.

Road Trip, Part 2

And then, it was time to move on to our last adventure. Along the way, we made some stops.

For buffalo jerky...

...and the Hoover Dam....

...continuing until we reached our final -and most indulgent- destination...

153.
...Vegas, baby!

Condor Sighting

152.

I'm told that there are people who visit Grand Canyon, not to marvel at the landscape, but in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the rarest of birds, the California Condor.

There are only 180 condors that live in the wild (another 200 live in captivity), and Grand Canyon is one of the few places they call home. Back in 1987, there were only 22 condors left in existence, and they were captured by the US government and put in a captive breeding program. Since then, their numbers have increased to the point where condors have been released back into the wild, though they are tagged and tracked by biologists.

On this day, we were just beginning to enjoy a ranger-led tour of the Rim Trail, when this bird swooped in for a visit. Our ranger was surprised and delighted -- even being at the Canyon daily, he hadn't seen a condor in about a month. He immediately ditched the planned agenda for the tour, and launched excitedly into a "condor talk" for the next 30 minutes or so, while the condor circled overhead. We felt very lucky to get a peek at this remarkable bird.

Into the Canyon

151.

The next day, we returned to the Canyon to explore. We hiked about a mile and a half down a steep, narrow trail toward the bottom. Had it not been for the midday heat, and our already fatigued leg muscles, we might have made it further... Still, we enjoyed our trek and the breathtaking views.

Road Trip!

We drove many long miles through the desert in search of our next adventure. Along the way, the vast expanses of sandy, flat terrain gave way to some amazing sights.

150.

Just as the sun was setting, we reached Grand Canyon.

The Last Ride

149.

Our final day of cycling was a beaut! Gorgeous clear blue sky, rolling green fields and a mountain backdrop surrounded us for the 30 downhill (yay!) miles back to Durango from our overnight stay at Purgatory Mountain. It was like cycling through a postcard vista. We could do that ride every day.

Along the way, we paused by the side of the road with some new friends to capture some family snaps for each other.

....And then, I made another silly video. Enjoy!

All Aboard!

148.

On our third day of bike touring, our group - with bikes- boarded a train to take us partway up the mountain. The Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad used to haul gold and silver out of the mountains, and now carries passengers on this scenic trip using the same vintage locomotives and railcars.

Once we reached the end of the line, it was back on the bikes (for some of us), to continue the trek up the mountain.

Cowboy Dave, My Hero...

147.

Now, I'm no geologist, but I know enough about Colorado to know that there are lots of hills there. It's mountainous. So, I was prepared for some climbs. But, the hills just kept coming all morning -- steep and looonnngg! Somewhere around our 40th uphill mile, just about the time we were ready to call a cab -- as if we could have ever found one, let alone get a cell phone signal on this remote hillside -- we were rescued by this fine gentleman.

Dave -- cowboy, Marine, pick-up truck owner -- very generously agreed to ferry us the remaining three vertical miles to our lunch stop. He stepped, lean and leathery, right out of Central Casting to play the role of rancher rescuer of five hapless city slickers who were bested by the hills on their goofy-looking bikes. Seriously, I almost kissed him right there.

But, I decided it would be better to save the smooches for Mr. CM, who had the inspiration to hail us a cowboy in the first place.

Ready to Roll

146.

So, here's where the main event of our vacation really began. We did a four-day bike tour in and around Durango, Colorado, organized by Santana Cycles, who manufactures tandem (and triple, quad and quint) bikes. There were about thirty teams of riders who descended on Durango, of all ages -- from small children riding with parents, to young couples and retired folks. All with their lycra shorts, loud jerseys and odd-looking bikes. We were quite a sight.

In this photo, our fearless leader, Bill McCready of Santana, was giving us all a pep talk before our very first ride.

But, the day's fun went beyond a little ride around town. I had to share a few more shots from our night out at the Bar D Chuckwagon Ranch

(For a taste of the evening's entertainment, click here.)

Don't Look Down

145.

The people who inhabited the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde centuries ago probably never had a fear of heights. Or claustrophobia.

To reach the ancient sites, visitors must descend deep into the canyon, then climb a steep 32 foot tall ladder to enter the homes. From there, it's several narrow passages - including one section that can only be negotiated on hands and knees - followed by tiny rooms that verge on the cliff face, and a final 60 foot ascent on ladders and skinny stone steps to get out of the ruins.

All of which required this tourist to get out of her comfort zone in the pursuit of a little vacation-adventure-inspired enlightenment. It was just the beginning...

Vacay!

144.
I'm sorry -- I have more than a week of catching up on posts to do. But, I have a good excuse -- we have been on vacation! It's been the sort of epic family adventure that includes national parks, extreme sports, chuckwagon suppers, wild animal encounters, planes, trains, automobiles... and spotty internet connections.

There was so much to see and do, I don't think I could ever do it justice in photos. I took lots of snapshots, but left my tripod and heavy lenses at home. I wanted to travel light, and keep this a family vacation instead of a photo safari. So, without further ado... our family vacation photo album....

On our first day, we arrived in Mesa Verde, in Colorado. If you look closely, you can see the lodge at the top of the Mesa, where we spent the night. The views are expansive, and the air is thin way up there (about 8000 feet). Exhausted from traveling and acclimating to the altitude, we turned in early, so we'd be ready to start early the next day.

Happy Birthday, Mr. CM!

143.
Can you count the candles? My daughter tells me she put one in for every year, but I didn't check her math...

Downpour

142.
Finally, we got some rain -- a brief, but intense storm that will hopefully restore some green to our parched yard.

Dragonfly

141.
This guy (girl?) met an unfortunate end, trapped between panes of glass next to our window air conditioning unit. Unfortunate for him (her?), but quite interesting for us to look at up close.

Summer Showers...

140.
... are best outdoors!

Summer Bouquet

139.

One of the outtakes from the kids photography class I taught on Monday... Lesson one: turn off the flash and use natural light whenever possible!

Research

138.

Sigh. As a photo, this was pretty uninspired. Truly, it doesn't get any more lame than this. (Though I probably shouldn't promise anything....)

What can I say? It was a busy day. On top of all the regular shenanigans, I had a last-minute call from a friend who needed a favor: Could I teach a three-hour photography class to a group of ten-year-olds at camp tomorrow?

Sounded like fun. I've taken plenty of photography classes, but never taught any. Where to begin...?

Dishwashing

137.

Sometimes, we wash them all before bedtime.

Sometimes, they wait until morning.

Sometimes, I wish there were kitchen fairies that came in the night, and cleaned up after us...

Shipped

136.

FedEx picked up our bikes today. We'll catch up to them soon...

Packing

135.

I'm reminded of that alphabet game game we play with the kids on long car trips:

I'm going an a trip, and I'm going to bring an Allen wrench.

I'm going on a trip, and I'm going to bring an Allen wrench, and a bicycle tire.

I'm going on a trip, and I'm going to bring an Allen wrench, a bicycle tire and a chain ring...