Photos of the Day: The Big Texan Steak Ranch

On our way home from Wisconsin we stopped at this iconic eatery on old Route 66. Noelle and I both had delicious lunches.

Galesville, Wisconsin

As we prepare to head back to New Mexico I thought I'd offer some images of Galesville, Wisconsin.

Seven Bridges Trail

Today Parker and I headed out to the Van Loon State Public Hunting Grounds for a walk on the Seven Bridges Trail. This would not be our first time on this trail as we've hiked and even snowshoed it several times. It was a warm November day and there were a few other hikers out, along with a few hunters in their blaze orange. We walked across the old bridges in order

and enjoyed the views through the bare-branched trees in the woods.

We didn't see much wildlife, but we did find a woolly caterpillar.

We stopped at the bench at the Black River and rested for a bit

before turning around and heading back to the car.

Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour 2012-13

Tonight Noelle and I went out on our first date without our Sierra. We went into the big city of Eau Claire for a night out on the town. We got Thai for dinner, a coffee at the Acoustic Cafe,

and then it was on to the State Theater for the first ever Eau Claire showing of the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour.

The picture quality at the venue was sub-par, but the films were excellent as always.  

Films shown included:

Moonwalk


Unicorn Sashimi from FELT SOUL MEDIA on Vimeo.

Danny Macaskill: Industrial Revolutions from Cut Media on Vimeo.

Cadillac Ranch

Just a few images of Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas. Noelle, Sierra, Parker and I are on our way up to Wisconsin. Last night after work we made it as far as Amarillo. We've still got a long drive ahead of us.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park: McKittrick Canyon

Today Noelle, my Mom, Dad, sister Katie, Sierra and I headed into Texas. Noelle and I were itching to go on our nearly annual hike into McKittrick Canyon and this time we were excited to have some company. From the parking lot we headed out on the trail.

The going was relatively easy in the cool November air.

We stopped to look at some of the plants like the yuccas, agave, and sotols. Soon we were into some thicker tree coverage. There were some madrones

and even some maples. We crossed McKittrick Creek a few times on the stepping stones.

Shortly after the second stream crossing, Mom's heel was bothering her enough that she and Dad decided to head back to the parking lot. Noelle, Sierra, Katie and myself headed on to Pratt Cabin.

Soon we found ourselves at the rock cabin. Sierra was wet and so we found a nice place to change her on one of the tables outside

and then fed her on the front porch.

The cabin was open, and so we had a look inside for a bit before relaxing outside.

After a few minutes lounging on the benches outside it was time to hit the trail again.

It was a nice comfortable walk back towards the parking lot.

We saw a pair of mule deer and enjoyed the autumn colors. Near the end of the trail we caught back up with Mom and Dad and hiked with them back to the cars. It was a wonderful first hike with our beautiful daughter and a wonderful hike with family in the crisp fall air!

The Highpoint of Lea County, New Mexico

Today Noelle, Sierra and I headed up to Roswell for lunch at Big D's Downtown Dive and to visit the free zoo there. The Spring River Zoo turned out to be very nice fro a free zoo and we enjoyed looking at all the animals. After the zoo and a shopping trip to Target, we headed east on US380 and then turned south onto NM Highway 172. After a short drive on Highway 172 we found the small cairn off to the side of the road marking the high point. We got out of the car and Noelle took my photo there.

I looked for the register I had heard existed, but couldn't find it. After our short visit it was a long drive south to Carlsbad.

Photos of the Day: Common Loon

Back when we lived in Minnesota, seeing a common loon was a common occurrence. Here in New Mexico it is quite rare. Today while visiting the Spring River Zoo in Roswell we saw this common loon in its non-breeding plumage. It was hanging out with a bunch of ducks and geese in a small fishing pond.