Roughtlock Falls & Spearfish Falls

Earlier in the week I decided I needed to go for a walk and see what the fall colors were doing in Spearfish Canyon.  The best place to do that is to head up to the falls.  It's an easy, short hike, but it never disappoints, no matter what time of year you take the trail.  I tried to make a slideshow of these, but I need to work on figuring that out some more.

Bench along the trail.

Little Spearfish Creek below Roughlock Falls.

All of Roughlock Falls (formed by Little Spearfish Creek)

A 4 legged creature kept photo bombing me!

Puddle along the trail.

Composite of the canyon wall from Roughlock Falls trail.

OK, so fish aren't normally something people would take photo's of.  Far from what I enjoy taking photo's of.  However, as I was walking past the stream, these guys were feeding, breaking the surface so I decided to give it a try.  Far from field and stream quality, but it made for some interesting, patient testing time for me. 

Brooke trout just before he breaks the water surface.

Trout as he heads for a bug on the surface.

Spearfish Falls.  Little Spearfish Creek as it enters into Spearfish Creek.

Hoping to get out and get some more fall photos but we'll just have to see how time goes.  But yes, you guessed it....................

Life. Is. Good!

Mother Nature's Paintbrush

I don't even begin to claim to be an artist.  Especially when I see what Mother Nature does with her paintbrush.  This mornings sunrise had lots of color so I went down to the pond to see if I could capture anything cool.  I like it - hope you do also.

Fall Colors

Yesterday I went to Custer to second shoot a wedding for a friend.  I left early enough that if I saw any colors starting to show I would have time to stop.  The colors this year are kind of spotty - either very vibrant and brilliant or still green.  The next couple weeks should be interesting to see how they develop.

You guessed it......Life Is good!

My Life Is a Wondeful Place to Live

Bill and I spent this past weekend sanding our front and back decks then refinishing.  

Big Job.  Job Done.  

After finishing this project we went for an afternoon ride on the Harleys; road over to Beulah for some lunch then road through part of the Wyoming Black Hills as we made a loop home.  Last evening as we sat on the front deck enjoying the fruits of our labor, watching the sunset, I spied what I thought was a pretty cool sight.  Maybe you will also.

Life. Is. Good.

As I Sleep at Night

I have written on here in the past that I am grateful for the life Bill and I have built together.  We have had the wonderful blessing of traveling and experiencing once in a lifetime opportunities.  (Had our share of hard times and trials, but in the end, we always persevere and make the most of it all.)  

Last night I dreamed of our last adventure in Africa......There was no rhyme or reason to my dream; it skipped from Mozambique to Namibia, and back again.  One minute I was fishing, the next we were sitting in front of the fire in Namibia.  As vivid as my dream was, I still managed a good nights rest as I relived the adventures in my sleep. 

The adventures of Africa 2013.......fishing the Zambezi River with our friends Curt and Renan from Pinedale.  We laughed, we fished, we visited around the fire, we enjoyed each others company.  We caught BIG fish!  I even caught a crocodile the first night - no pictures, he stole the bait and went deep into the reeds!  Life of 'real' Africa unfolded before our eyes as we saw people bathing in the river, families paddling their dug out boats with the catch of the day, listened to elephants eating literally outside our cabin the very first night, our fishing guide Kenneth showed us around the river to the different villages and camps.  We Americans have life so easy......Everyone should experience seeing how others live.  

Namibia brought us to a very dry climate - a very stark contrast to Mozambique.  Life of her people really wasn't much different though.  There is no room for laziness in the bush - you work hard or you don't survive - end of statement.  As I slept, I dreamed of a stalk our guide Bernie and I put on some gemsbok as we crawled on our hands and knees trying to get on them, Bill and I along with Bernie laughing reliving the tales of the day around the bar in the evening, tasting the melt in your mouth schnitzel we had for dinner one evening, the thrill of stalking and harvesting my awesome kudu.  And of course, how can one forget the kudu and the waterbuck fighting just across the watering hole....my camera firing away!

I woke this morning hearing Africa calling my name......The probably of ever making that trip again just isn't real likely, but I cherish my memories.  My memories that Bill and I built just the two of us, the memories we built with Curt and Renan, the memories of new friends we made while visiting Africa, the sunrises and sunsets ever etched in my memory.  Ahh......Africa........I miss you.  But as much as I miss you, life is pretty good around the Snow Chateau.