Great Sand Dunes National Park

Seven Weeks Across America

Great Sand Dunes in southern Colorado was our first National Park stop.  I was really excited to see this place in person and it did not disappoint.  It's truly awe-inspiring to see these mountains of sand rising up in front of you as you drive in.  But the fun really begins once you start climbing and exploring.  

It's like a giant playground, bringing out pure joy from those sliding down the hills, whether it be on your backside or with special slides and sandboards.

People lined up on a small ridge, getting ready to slide down.

You can have as much or as little adventure as you choose.  I wanted to get to the ridgetop, but that was no easy feat.  It takes longer than you might think, because the sand you are trudging through is so soft that it slips beneath your feet.  The last 100 feet of my climb were quite steep, and I was literally using my hands and feet, trying not to look down.  I flopped over the top of the ridge when I finally made it, laying there not looking very cool, while I recovered.  Luckily there was no one around to see me!  I spent the next several hours walking along the ridge toward High Dune, the second highest point in the dunes.  Bri made it to Star Dune, the highest dune, but that was quite a bit more strenuous.  As it was, this was my view from High Dune:

That was my reward for the exhausting climb.  That and my first sunburn of the trip :0  Pro tip - If you go, wear long sleeves!

Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site

Seven Weeks Across America

Our first scheduled stop was at Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site in southern Colorado.  It's reconstructed from detailed measurements of a fur trading post from the 1840s.  It was very well done, and made an impressive sight rising from the plains.  Inside it was meticulously appointed in historic details, and outside oxen and horses and chickens roamed freely. 

There were some wonderful historic reenactors, like this fellow who was quite knowledgeable on the trading that took place among the settlers, the local Indian tribes, and folks traveling along the Santa Fe Trail.

Jose was tending the fire and made W an egg burrito, with fresh eggs from the chickens that were roaming around.  She is seasoning it with salt.

Stephen's Restaurant

Seven Weeks Across America

If you ever find yourself in Sharon Springs, Kansas, stop off at Stephen's Restaurant for great chicken fried steak!

Road Trippin' - Day 1

Seven Weeks Across America

Missouri had some beautiful roads and to offer.

And we're off!  My family is on an epic summer trip, what you might call "The Great American Roadtrip."  We started at our home in Pittsburgh, picked up my father-in-law, and have headed to Colorado. 

W enjoys "The Muppets Take Manhattan."

We planned two hard days of driving, traveling through Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri.  There were red-winged black birds perched in nearly every bush or atop every fencepost in the last two states.  They are one of my favorite birds and I enjoyed seeing more of them than I could count.  We really enjoyed our first campground at Long Branch State Park in Missouri.  It was lush, with bunnies everywhere we looked.  That last detail made my daughter so very happy (and who am I kidding, me, too)!  

We convinced my daughter to try sleeping in the top bunk, which my husband made safe with an improvised net.  And a restful night's sleep was had by all :)

Spring Has Sprung

Hello everyone,

Thanks for joining me here on my new blog. 

April marked ten years since I began my photography blog.  Technically, I had kept one before that, for about a year, because my friends and family were so curious about my life after moving to Wyoming.  It might as well have been a different country, it seemed so foreign.  But the challenge of adapting to a new location was one of the greatest things I could have experienced.  Through adversity, we learn more about ourselves.  I had left a great job at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review when we moved, and though I found a part-time job as my church secretary, and spent many hours watching the Food Network and cooking up a storm, there was an emptiness in me.  I think this could cause crisis for a lot of folks, but I was lucky that I had a hobby - photography - to fill the void.  I began to take more and more photos, first with my Olympus OM-1 (yes, folks, that was a film camera) and later with my Nikon D-80.  Soon, it was something more than a hobby.  It was the thing I spent most my waking hours thinking about (you know, besides my husband and my doggies).  I have a little less time these days, now that our family has grown and now that we are back in the hustle and bustle of city life, but my passion remains the same.  Having a lot of time alone when I lived out west, free of distractions, was just the thing my creative spirit needed to blossom.  It was an intense period of self-growth and learning, though I did not necessarily think of it that way at the time.  I have been blessed since with the freedom to make the art I want to make - to show you the world as I see it - and I hope you'll stop by now and then to check it out.

If you need a more regular art fix, I post six days a week on Instagram under the handle victoriabennettbeyer.    

My Bunny and Me

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Do you remember those commercials where they would sing, "My buddy, my buddy, my buddy and me!"  Well, I hear that in my head almost daily since Wyle and bunny are inseparable.