Puzzling ...

has been a continuous activity for Kellers this summer.









But now all the pieces are back in all the boxes, and Keller-Summer officially ends tonight and School begins tomorrow. I'm so not ready.

More travelogues later this week if I can conquer beginning the school routine ...

Aliso Viejo Family Lifestyle Photographer

Day 2, Return Drive – Back to Yellowstone

If you’ve been around my blog for any amount of time, you’ve probably realized that nature moves me.  Creation never fails to remind me that there’s a Creator God.  I have well in excess of 100 posts connecting Glorious Creation with a Glorious God as revealed thru His Glorious Word. 

 

And thus, I find roadtrips to be immensely wonderful.  My Teen?  Not so much.  I’ll not put words in his mouth – he has plenty of his own – and you’re welcome to read his account from his perspective.  (I must warn you, however, that he makes claims of having his “maturity” grossly underestimated, all while presenting you with a close-up picture of a huge buffalo pooping HUGE poop.  ‘nuff said.)

 

On our drive up, we drove the Western route (where the bulk of the geothermal activity is) thru Yellowstone.  On our drive back, we drove down the Eastern side (where the bulk of the wildlife is).  We were not very far into the park when Big Dude spotted this adolescent Grizzly not too far off the road.

And where there’s wildlife … there’s sure to be some traffic back-up ;-).

Very fun to see both wildlife and geothermal activity side by side.

So there you have it.   “There are a few sights to see, but most of the time you're looking at trees, and hills, and shrubs.  Nothing you can't see on the freeway.”  (The Teen’s words, not mine!)

Next up, more “freeway sights” at the West Thumb Geyser Basin and Grand Teton National Park …

Many of these photos processed with One Willow's presets, Vintage Lace & Bubble Gum.

Let the Clouds Rain Down Righteousness ...

"I am the LORD, and there is no other;
Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me;
That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun
that there is no one besides Me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other,
The One forming light and creating darkness,
Causing well-being and creating calamity;
I am the LORD who does all these.
Drip down, O heavens, from above,
And let the clouds pour down righteousness;
Let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit,
And righteousness spring up with it.
I, the LORD, have created it."

Isaiah 45:5-8

A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows. - St. Francis of Assisi

processing thanks to One Willow's JPG Butterscotch Button preset

A Sweet Equation - Aliso Viejo Family Photographer

One very boyish Boy:



+
One very adorable Baby:



+
One very girly Girl:



+
a very blessed Mommy & Daddy



=
One very sweet, very energetic, very full of life Family

Orange County Baby, Children, & Family Photographer

Days 5-7: Spokane ...

... was filled with family, flowers, fun and lots of raspberries (which were both picked and promptly consumed before I took pictures!)

Jesus is the radiance of His glory ...

Jesus is the radiance of His [God's] glory
and the exact representation of His nature,
and upholds all things by the word of His power.
When He had made purification of sins,
He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high;
having become as much better than the angels,
as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.

Hebrews 1:3-4

The last bits of beauty ...

on the last leg of our journey to Spokane ...

O beautiful for spacious skies ...



For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties ...



Yes, the water really was this glorious color ...





Montana is a spectacularly beautiful place. If not for the brutal winters, I could happily live there.

The Rest of the Herd ...

... were near the end of the 19 mile loop at the National Bison Range.



Seriously, right next to the car!!









Such a surreal experience! Totally worth the price of admission. :-)

Fourth Day: More Wildlife

at the National Bison Range in Montana. $5 admission. Visitor Center + Red Sleep Mountain Drive: a 19-mile, one-way, gravel road which gains 2,000 feet.




"Prior to the 1860s, buffalo were as numerous as the dots on this chart, with each dot indicating 100 buffalo. By 1882, fewer than 100 wild buffalo remained, represented by ONE DOT on the chart."

Big Dude and the boys went into the visitor center. I waited outside in the shade with the Dog Dude. Big Dude came back out to tell me that it was ok to bring Dog Dude in. I picked my jaw off the ground and entered. Big Dude explained to me that we were in Montana now. A state where they don't try to govern every aspect of your life.

Off we go ...



The wildlife owns the road here, too!









Even if we'd not seen a single bison, we would have counted this as a beautiful drive ...



Look! Marketing for KIA!








At this point, we were more than halfway thru the 19 mile loop, but had only seen those two bison at the entry gate. But we were about to find the rest of the herd ...