Mt. Aspiring from Above

We finally approached Mount Aspiring only to be met with a wall of clouds.






Fresh snow in a few places on the peaks.



I loved all the really jagged peaks and spires.



We got close enough to catch a few of the glaciers coming down the face of the mountain.

They had amazing textures and patterns and just a hint of the beautiful blue hue.

The glaciers looked like they were suspended and clinging to the sheer cliffs.

Beautiful!

We even caught sight of a very faint rainbow.

Lots of twisting & turning, bumps and rolls with all the turbulence made it hard to get a level photo sometimes.

Not only is the snow fall cool, it makes the most fascinating patterns and designs on the peaks.

Although we didn't technically get to see the peak of Mt. Aspiring, the helicopter ride around it was amazing nonetheless. Plus we got to stop and walk around an amazing lake (coming tomorrow!).

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: I'm so happy the people of New Zealand are so proactive and protective of their beautiful environment.

Driving to Duck Creek Village

In Cedar City, we turned off I-15 and onto Cedar Canyon Road, headed to Dixie National Forest.
Into the mountains!



What a gorgeous, gorgeous drive!



I knew it would be good when we went by the "Snow Chains Required Nov-April" sign.



Did you know that 70% of the land in Utah is owned/managed by the government? (Thanks wiki!)



I'd like to buy that mountain though!



Reminds me of a mini Grand Canyon.



Which reminds me I still need to go and see the original Grand Canyon.



Stunning- I really, really want to move to the mountains, somewhere, anywhere!



Eek! We are officially in the middle of a canyon. Sorry about the windshield glare.



We kept going up and then finally went around a bend and say this-



It's called Cedar Canyon Road, so I can only assume this is Cedar Breaks.



The light dusting of snow was the perfect photo-op.



I was unusually amused with this sideways-S sign and all the snow on the ground.



I'd have pitched a tent right there on the side of the road if I wasn't riding in the car with our client.



Ack! All the snow! Luckily, this was near the summit and where we were going was much warmer and the recent snows had all melted.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: The nursing home where my grandparents are is throwing a Thanksgiving dinner this evening & we're invited.

I-15 North Out of Vegas

I've been to Nevada before, but never really got to explore much. All the national parks in the area on my list of things I'd love to see, so I was very excited about this driving trip from Las Vegas to Salt Lake City via the backgrounds and cutting through the corner of Arizona.



Disclaimer- all photos were taken out of the front seat of the car while doing 70+ mph. They aren't great, but I really enjoyed the ride and the scenery was amazing.



A place of such contrasts- green, red, brown and blue.



I'm fascinated with the relative total flatness and then a giant rock jutting up.



What happened here? Maybe a fire of some sort or some type of bug infestation to kill all those trees.



Rock slides!



Maybe I should have been a geologist. That was the 1 science class that my husband took in college & he hated it.



We were so stinkin' close to the National Parks. I think this might be Zion peeking out from behind this mountain.



Why is the mountain all about the same terrain and texture, but then suddenly there is a big cliff on the side of it?



I really, really should have planned my trip better and flown in early to explore.



I think if I lived near here, I'd be a hiking & biking hippie every weekend.



And we soon started seeing snow in the peaks. There was a big snow storm earlier in October, but it was gorgeous and perfectly warm where we were.



Jagged rocks in front and a tranquil looking mountain with a gentle slope in back.



Lots and lots of truckers.....looks like we're going into the mountains!

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Somebody is 5 months old- I can't believe how time is flying. I need to get some new pictures. Mia is getting big!

Mauritius Mountains & Sunset

We've FINALLY reached the end of our Mauritius posts! I'll leave you with a few photos of the natural beauty of the place, because that's what we enjoyed the most.



We learned quite a bit about history as we traveled the island, and saw first-hand my agricultural things we'd never knew about.



We enjoyed the people and culture of the island quite a bit, but over I was a little disappointed. I think I'm a bit spoiled because of all the beautiful islands we have in the Caribbean and the gorgeous state of Hawaii.



We don't regret traveling there at all, and it was our first experience in what I'd term an "Indian culture".



I can't wait to travel to another place and lay on the beach and watch the sunset.



As much as I love mountains, there is nothing as tranquil and serene a walking on a beach as the sunsets, smelling the water, hearing the waves crash on the beach.



Thanks for putting up with me as I posted all these picutres- I can't believe I procrastined posting the final pictures for so long.



I'm still behind on blogging- I have not even processed our Chicago pictures, but I'll hopefully get started on those later this month.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: It's finally cooling off a bit around here....I can almost smell fall!