Trip to Colorado: Hiking along the Roaring Fork

Hiking by the Roaring Fork river, near Snowmass, CO. (link to a photo album)

Trip to Colorado: Along the Union Pacific Railroad

Taken somewhere near Yampa, CO. I like the mood of this photo.

Prior Lake weather force field?

Well, the force field that apparently keeps severe weather away from Prior Lake, MN, where we live (the + on the map) seems to be working well tonight. Note that the upside down purple triangles are tornado signatures on the radar, one to the north of us and one to the south. I hope everyone's all right out there. Severe weather really does seem to flow north and south of us -- we must be between two "alleys." We were awfully close to getting very nasty weather here last month, though, when very large hail hit Belle Plaine, just to the south of us. We suffered no damage, fortunately. 

Trip to Colorado: Mt Rushmore

On the drive home, we went through the Black Hills of South Dakota, arriving at Mount Rushmore just in time for sunset. We stayed and watched the evening's program on the stage in front of the mountain, and were rewarded with the official lighting of the mountain at the end of the ceremony. The big dipper was visible just over the mountain.