Yes, that’s Robby. Yes, the snow is taller than him. He’s the same height as me (5’4″ for the curious). It had snowed again just 12 days before we arrived in late May. Not far from there you could see where someone (actually, a few someones) had climbed up on that and proceeded to snowshoe/ski on up the mountainside. Crazy fools …

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About 47 miles west of Amarillo, there’s a small town called Adrian. And on the west side of town just before Historic Route 66 merges back into Interstate 40 is a cafe that is smack in the middle of Route 66 — the MidPoint Cafe. It’s 1136 miles from Chicago — the eastern start to Route 66 — and 1136 miles from Santa Monica/Los Angeles, the western end of Route 66.

On the way back from Colorado (in May), I made a point of detouring through the Texas Panhandle to make a stop in just in time for lunch. While we waited on our food, I took advantage of a lull in people traffic and photographed the colorful interior …

If its not obvious, I adore those red and turquoise chairs! One more shot …

Two of us had their salads (ever had brisket on a salad? Never had myself — and it was quite delicious!) and the other two had their homemade hamburgers. Before we finished our meals, it was a solid consensus that was one of the best meals we’d had while traveling or eating out around East Texas. We were so stuffed we didn’t have room for the cafe’s signature Ugly Crust Pies. But … I got a photo of one for posterity!

(yes, I realize the photo on the right isn’t as sharp as the rest … I handed off my camera to someone else and forgot to have them refocus before taking it!)

Thanks so much for a wonderful meal and making us feel at home! And to everyone else, next time you’re in the Panhandle, make a detour down The Mother Road for a good meal and a step back in time!

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… the color version …

… and the black & white version …

While I can’t say any of the famous spirits made their presence known to me personally (I left with all my jewelry intact and wasn’t scared out of rooms 217 or 404), there was one kid on the tour that insisted on *seeing* quite a bit of activity while on the tour of the hotel!

More Stanley Hotel images as well as of Estes Park through the rest of this summer and fall …

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These images were taken in the Moraine Park area and leading out Bear Lake Road towards Bear Lake. I still have two lakes, Trail Ridge Road, and one other area to process and share at some point this summer and fall … meanwhile, enjoy the scenic vistas and have a great Independence Day Weekend!

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So … until then, a wildlife photography lesson sneak peeking some of the images from Rocky Mountain National Park …

I was minding my own business, photographing this absolutely beautiful landscape with a wide angle lens I’d rented when two things were brought to my attention … #1 — the elk herd and #2 — the idiot standing only about 50 feet from them.

I quickly swapped back to the other lens in my bag (my 28-75 mm lens — I’d left the 135 mm lens in the car) to capture idiocy in action.

Never ever ever go this close to wildlife — even in a national park — unless the title Park Ranger and the salary that goes along with it is in your job description or you have one escorting you.

I was a good 150 or so yards from my vehicle — along the marked trail/road for park visitors (leading to some cabins), and had they taken off in my direction, I *might* have been able to sprint back to the car in time had I cut across to the parking area. Key word is *might*. This dude — he would have been stomped right into that park employees dirt road he was standing on if they’d been spooked and taken off.

This shot was taken from the gate with a sign that — in a nutshell — said “only park officials past this point” … My life and the $4000 + worth of camera gear on my person at that particular moment just isn’t worth ignoring federal park signs to get *the shot* …

… and next time, along with renting a wide angle lens, I’m renting the 70-200 lens so I can get the shot he wanted without risking my life

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These aren’t all the images I took in Manitou Springs — but due to a splitting headache and the glare from sitting here long enough to respond to emails tonight has done me in. Sometime in the next couple of weeks I’ll finish the mini storyboards of the rest of Manitou Springs! Meanwhile here’s a Victorian home near Miramont Castle and the castle itself …

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Just a couple weeks ago I featured some of the remaining 2009 Roadtrip images from our stop in Colorado Springs. Well, this year our destination was Colorado Springs and one other town in the Rockies. While we did a bit of sightseeing again at two of the spots we made time for in CS last year, we also visited a few other tourist spots in the city this time around.

… the Ghost Town Museum …

… bottom right shot — a wavy mirror that made you look like a giraffe or a dwarf. If you saw the image a few weeks ago (my weekly images that appear on Saturdays) of a fun house mirror shot with me and Robby, that was taken at this museum as well.

… the United States Olympic Training Center …

Middle shot is one of the gyms where mens’ gymnastics works out (taken sneakily with my P&S) … womens’ gymnastics don’t train in Colorado Springs due to their ages (aka all mostly minors, whereas most of the mens’ team are 18+ in age).

… and last, but certainly not least, the United States Air Force Academy …

First chapel (of the four — and the largest) is the Protestant Chapel …

Interior shots taken at ISO 3200 with a Canon 16-35 mm f/2.8L lens that I rented specifically for this location and one other destination. The only chapel not pictured is the Buddist Chapel — it was so low lit that the image I captured from the doorway doesn’t do it justice.

The Catholic Chapel — on the lower level below the Protestant chapel.

The Jewish Chapel — on the lower level below the Protestant chapel.

Stones on the floor on the right are from Israel

Fun exterior shots (standing in the same spot, just pivoted left and right for these) …

I had also made reservations for the Pikes Peak Cog Railway while in Colorado Springs. However, as it was gusting winds nearly every day (from Amarillo onward), we didn’t make it to the top of Pikes Peak. The day we planned to go to the summit, the winds down in Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs were 70+ mph winds. At the summit — 110 mph! The winds brought down trees and powerlines on the tracks, so only the morning departures headed to the top — we’d planned for an afternoon departure. Thank goodness — otherwise we’d have been stranded midway up the mountain for about 5 hours! I’m sad we didn’t make it to the top of the mountain, but one of these days I’ll be back in Colorado again to make up for it!

Check back on Monday for images of Manitou Springs …

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After crossing the border (just outside of Raton) into Colorado, we made a pitstop to stretch our legs at Trinidad and walked around the historic downtown area. I love the architecture and colors!

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The post title, if you know your state nicknames, should hint at where we spent at least half a day. If not, welcome to New Mexico …

Did you know there’s a volcano in New Mexico? Neither did I until I was looking at the atlas while trip planning. Needless to say, I’ve now visited two volcanos … Yellowstone being the other one. Note to self: I think I need to visit Mount St. Helens next year to continue this trend …

… the caldera. Thankfully its extinct …

… the vista. Much better viewed from the top where there’s plenty of guardrails to keep you from tumbling down. This flatlander didn’t enjoy all those roads last year or this year (especially when up volcanos and mountainsides) that are devoid of guardrails!

This would be because of the aforementioned rattlesnakes (as well as steep dropoffs!). They have them in New Mexico too …

Another spot we had to make a very quick pitstop at Raton Pass, New Mexico. Why, you ask? Well its a National Historic Landmark for one …

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