I took 2 vacations this year. The first was to Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. I have a number of photos, some of which are interesting. The trip was primarily to learn how to fly fish. I had 4 on before my teacher did. The story I have been telling is that I caught 4 small ones and a 200 pounder. My teacher fell into the lake and I hauled him a shore. When he came back up to the surface, his eyes were the size of the old silver dollars. The water was probably around 4 degrees Celcius. I had to row and was worried that he would go into shock or something before I got him into water where he could stand up. Once he got out of the water, he never did look that cold.
 The Dry Falls is one of the most awesome views caused by the Glacial Lake Missoula Floods. It is just the right distance to stop and take a break while driving to Kelowna, BC. There are articles at Wikipedia and a digital book by the National Park Service. |
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The 2nd vacation was to Yellowstone National Park. It was the week after Labor Day. The week after (12-16 September) has its pluses and minuses. The minuses start with the weather. It can be nasty, or it can be great, or it can be both. The last 3 vacations have been both. This year the nasty storm came before I got there. In 2003 and 2004, I sat in a snow storm and waited for a geyser to go off. In 2005, the only snow I saw was driving near Madison Junction. In less than 5 miles, I saw rain, hail, and snow. The rest of the week was around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, which is warm for the fall in Yellowstone. The major plus is the lack of young children.
 It is always interesting to stop at the visitors center at Madison Junction. The ranger there is the one who knows where the bison are located. So, you stop early in the morning and figure out which loop you are going to drive around. |
 Early in the morning is when you have the best light. As you can see in the shadows, it was frostly last night. It has been 7 years since the big Yellowstone fire and these little lodgepole pines are growing fast. |
 I called this shot the "Playful Tourist". She was bobbing and weaving for the baby and was surprised to see my camera pointed at her. She was a lot more interesting than a non-cooperating geyser. |
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 The USGS and others were digitizing Yellowstone this Summer. After Norris Geyser Basin heated up, they wanted a digital reference of the terrain. They would run the balloon across features, with the digitizer hung beneath it. |
It was really strange to see a balloon floating above a geyser. |
