Monday, September 25, 2017

A Moment of Awe

We live in a beautiful world, don't we?


Jan here, with a vacation report! Last week, hubby and I celebrated our thirty-fifth anniversary by going back in time to live like it was 1982. No computers. No internet. No cell phones (except to turn it on once a day to see if there were any emergencies at home - there weren't). No television. No news.



No distractions.



Nothing except God's world and each other.



We rose above the tops of mountains...


...and peered into the depths of the earth.


We saw jaw-dropping vistas...


...and delicate details.


We saw more wildlife than I could photograph...









...but mostly, we just sat and took it all in.



"These peaks have been called the Cathedral Group...more evident here than
in many of the great cathedrals of men is the gothic note.
It is seen in the profiles of the countless firs and spruces
congregated like worshippers on the lower slopes;
it reappears higher in the converging lines of spire rising beyond spire;
it attains supreme expression in the figures of the peaks themselves that,
towering above all else, with pointed summits direct one's vision
and thoughts yet higher." ~ Fritiof Fryxell



We enjoyed our week in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, and enjoyed the travel from here to there just as much - over the Beartooth Mountains on the way, and through the Big Horns on the way home.

Awesome. Just awesome.


This was our dream trip, a year in the making, and we loved every minute.

Would your dream vacation be to the mountains, the ocean, or somewhere in between?

11 comments:

  1. Beautiful photos!! Congratulations on thirty five years. Did anyone get you the tradition coral or jade for a gift?

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    1. Thank you, Mary Jane!

      The year we got married, my in-laws celebrated their thirty-fifth anniversary. At the time, I thought that was a long, long time to be married. Now? It feels thirty-five is barely getting started!

      And no gifts. Only the enjoyment of God's blessings! :)

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  2. Happy anniversary, Jan! Beautiful photos. We also went to the Tetons/Yellowstone through the Bighorns this year--to celebrate our fortieth. It's a wonderful trip.

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    1. Hi Julee!

      It IS a wonderful trip, isn't it? We're already making plans to go back.

      And Happy 40th!

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  3. Gorgeous photos. You live in a stunning part of the world. I felt all zen just looking at the pictures. Perfect anniversary trip. And kudos to you for turning the technology off.

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    1. It was much easier to turn the technology off than I thought it might be. There's nothing like unplugging for a while!

      And yes, we live in a beautiful place. We never take it for granted.

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  4. Jan, that's amazing!! That spider web!!! Stunning.

    The poem was just perfect for that photo.

    I'm so glad you had a wonderful, dream trip!! I usually choose the beach for my getaways. But any body of water would be nice. Sometimes there's nothing more relaxing than a lake in the north Georgia mountains.

    Happy anniversary!

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    1. I took that spider web picture on a foggy morning. Very soon after taking that photo, we came across bear scat. You never know who you'll meet in the wilderness!

      That poem is actually a description that Fritiof Fryxell (don't you love that name?) wrote of those same peaks. He was one of the first to map out the climbing and hiking trails in the Tetons and write a guidebook of the area.

      And a lake in the mountains is the best of both worlds!

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  5. Oh, this would be a wonderful vacation! I would love this. I have to plan around farm. That makes it tricky, which you know, because I'd love to see these parks and I don't want to see them in the winter! I'm putting this in God's hands... and we'll see.

    In the meantime, thank you for sharing this. I love it, Jan!!!!

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    1. That farm work! Although, the winter can be a great time to visit the parks. Not a lot of crowds around then, and Old Faithful still faithfully erupts every 90 minutes or so.

      Of course, though, you can't count on the weather. You might have a week of sunny days, or a blizzard might blow in.

      Even during the first half of September! The day we headed east, Yellowstone had a winter weather warning. :)

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