Thank you!.... and the final picture.

I have received a number of compliments on the quality of the photos that are contained in this blog.

To all commenters and readers --- Thank You

And, in bidding adieu for this year, I leave with the image that I like the most.

This was taken just outside of Jackson WY during a storm. I like the foreboding nature of it and the color balances of the dark sky, light horizon and colorful ground cover and shrubs.

The End ... almost.

This blog, Ending in Detroit, is ending.. since we arrived in Detroit and I attended a conference that I want to sit in on. It was the last "adventure"

We took a leisurely trek to cross the country: from Park City to Cheyenne, then Lincoln NE, Homewood IL and then into Detroit, where we camped out in an AirBnB tucked in a loft space near Wayne State University.

During the conference, I mentioned to attendees that I took an Uber from our AirBnB and a fellow replied, "Well that is very contemporary!"

We left Detroit very early on Friday and chose to cross through Canada....since we now have Global Access (certified traveler) and were hoping that that would speed our way past customs.... it DID... ZOOOM

We are now back in Saco and settling in...  but there is one more posting to be offered up in this blog!

So, this is Detroit taken from the 72nd floor of the Renaissance Center -- looking down the Detroit River.

Thinking about our return

We are leaving today and heading back.. but more stop along the way.... DETROIT! .. yes, we are ending in Detroit.

But, sometime soon we will be returning to Saco ME (Oct 10)... for our fifth winter. The first few years we kept looking for something better but just couldn't find it. We've given up looking.
This is one good reason .. taken from the bathroom window at full moon and dead low tide.

We have invited a few of our western friends to come visit. You know who you are! WHEN. ARE. YOU. COMING?

one last adventure

We decided we needed to get one last hike in before we head back, Lofty Lake Loop, a highly recommended hike in the Wasatch, quite near the Bald Mtn Hike we did. Lofty Lake is the highest lake in the range at 10,500ish, glad the trailhead was at about 9,500 so elevation gain was "modest". After reading some reviews, we decided to do the loop counter-clockwise, a wise decision because the scenery began within the first few tenths of a mile. (not so clockwise)

The hike is mostly at or above treeline, so the views were great.

This was Picturesque Lake, not Pretty Lake or Nice Looking Lake, but Picturesque Lake

Onto Scout Lake (in a small cirque)

The trail looking at Bald Mtn.

Looking east

Looking North

A rather rocky trail above treeline

First view of Lofty Lake

Interesting color -- purple rocks?

Over looking Cutthroat Lake looking west

TEBA relaxing at Cutthroat.

High Meadow

Arriving Kamas Lake

Reid's Meadow with Bald Mnt and Reid's Peak

Black and white -- and...........

Colorizing lets you turn your image into black and white and then reclaim the color from selected locations in the image. I paid $4 for the app to let me do this ... BIG expense! Here are a few. I like the way it makes things POP!  Stark but more interesting..

TEBA -- The Ever Beautiful Angler (Alicia) ...

 Tent at Albino Lake

 Buttercups -- just out from under the snow

Mormon Row Barn in Kelly, WY ...

After the rain

Idaho Rt 32

American Avocet

This is NOT Yellowstone!

Signs in Yellowstone advise of Bison in the road
Signs along Wolf Pass near Park City advise of Livestock in the road.

We were expecting cattle .. not these! Would you pahleease get out of the way!

Unlike Yellowstone -- no frenzy

Going for Gold

We have not been in the west this late --- end of September. So some things are new to us.

One striking thing is the change of colors, particularly of the aspen. They go directly from green to gold then fade to brown. Unlike New England, not a lot of reds, oranges, etc to be seen, although there are a few maples here and there and they offer up additional color. But, for us, the aspen in gold was new.

So here is some shots of the gold.

This was on the hike back from Grandaddy

 A view from the "interesting" road down from Grandaddy Trailhead

Just great bands of yellow... here it looks like the change is occurring at higher (colder) elevations first

This sole guy appears to be a maple in a dense patch of dying pines (pine bark beetle?)  - a little out of focus - sorry

More gold sandwiched between live and dead pines.

At the top of Wolf Pass (9500')... appears to be moving from gold to bronze