I'm a guest blogger today!

I am a GUEST BLOGGER  today on this blog:

http://lifecruiser.com/archive/hi-my-friends-lets-travel-again-part-2-of-a-journey-across-u-s/

check it out and enjoy - happy travels!

I Love Nostalgia

Nostalgia is a file that removes the rough edges from the good old days.
Doug Larson

Hi my friends,

I love nostalgia. I loved to see how people were living on the world famous Route 66 back in the good old days. This photo was made in one of the museums on Route 66 during our RV travels last year. Everyone of us remember those old gramophones, right? :)

I'm still a nurse at home, hubby is coughing worse than ever. We went yesterday again to the doctor in the clinic, he got more pills and inhalers, that's all. It seems like its a bad story without an end, the same scenes over and over again - I can't help him to much, I wish I could - and he has all the pain to get trough. I wish the good old days back, also for him, more than ever!

Never give up and think positive, right? It will be well again one day....
See you tomorrow,

Susanne

This is my post #1111

Look at this photo: Are we back in time? I have captured this picture somewhere in a off road valley in Utah. I'm wondering where these people are going and what kind of lifestyle do they have? You can photograph a lot of pictures "back in time" like this one is, even in today's modern America! And that was sometimes almost unbelievable, to see that on my recent travels across America.


Hi my friends,

this is my post #1111.... I like the number...*smile*... easy to remember and easy to write.
Thank you for all the kind comments to my last two posts, they are very much appreciated, as always. Come back tomorrow again. Good old friends know by now that there will be "My Wordless Sunday" picture online, right? :)

See you all....?
Susanne



Please don't forget to check out my shop, because I know, my Calendars 2010 are a wonderful gift to give for someone you love, or for a good friend or just to pep up the gray walls in your office! Thank you!

But the Candle is Always There...

Religion is a candle inside a multicolored lantern. Everyone looks through a particular color, but the candle is always there.
~ Mohammed Naguib ~

Hi my friends,

I love to find great quotes like this one and to combine it with one of my photographs I have in my archives. This photo was made in Santa Fe, NM on my recent travel
"Across America".

Thank you for all the kind comments again to my "Wordless Sunday" photo yesterday.
I'm glad you liked it :)

See you tomorrow, here on the same spot....
Susanne


My CALENDARS 2010 are available to buy!

It's summer in the valley...

I don't want say too many words to these series of my photos I made today, just this: it was a lovely and very HOT summer day here, up in the hills of Georgia

The corn is high in the valley

Two old barns in a picturesque meadow with wild flowers

Hi my friends,

still sitting up here in the hills, close to Dahlonega, GA - a pretty small tourist town where a lot of summer activities are going on. The weather is nice and lovely, very inviting to stroll in this pretty town where only something over 3600 people are living - the rest are tourists! :)

I hope you enjoy my summer photos....

Thanks again for all the kind comments to my last post(s)!

Don't miss my "Wordless Sunday" tomorrow - and see you there. :)
Susanne

What color has the soul?

The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.

~ Marcus Aurelius ~

Hi my friends,

Thanks for all your visit and all the comments to my blog!

It's time for us to figure out in what directions we want be traveling again... tomorrow we will leave this beautiful region of The Smokies and heading towards North/North-West, without a clear plan, just now.... I'll let you know where we will be, what we will be doing and exploring.

Just stay with me and cross your fingers for me, to have a better connection there than I head in the last week.

See you there!
Susanne and David

Outer Banks Good Bye

It was getting dark and it was looking like this here - thunder storms were approaching this morning. That was the reason why we left the Outer Banks up to the main land again.

I like to capture pictures from the same spots, but driving back the same way where we came in - the pictures look always different :)

Pretty sand scenes and pretty water colors

Vacation homes located close on/in the water in Nags Head

After driving many hours on country back roads trough National Nature Refuge, pretty little fishing villages, we arrived in New Bern. And I felt suddenly - as a Swiss of course - my heart beating faster...LOL... After seeing New Glarus in Wisconsin I have seen now New Bern...unbelievable! But, what has this New Bern to do with the Capitol of Switzerland: the real BERN? Read the answer under the next picture please...

New Bern's "flag" is a bear - of course!

New Bern
is a city in Craven County, North Carolina with a population of 23,128 as of the 2000 census. The estimated population in 2006 was 27,650. It is located at the convergence of the Trent and the Neuse rivers, 87 miles (140 km) northeast of Wilmington. New Bern is the second oldest town in North Carolina and served as the capital of the North Carolina colonial government and then briefly as the state capital. It is the county seat of Craven County and the principal city of the New Bern Micropolitan Statistical Area. Originally a Swiss settlement, the city is named after the capital of Switzerland, Bern and shares its flag. The Swiss connection (just as the Dutch in New Amsterdam, and German immigrants in Pennsylvania Dutch) with England was established by Marian exiles and marriages of the Royal House of Stuart, important people in the history of the Calvinism. New Bern is commonly known as the birthplace of Pepsi Cola.

Hi my friends,

You all are so great!! You made my day with all your kind comments and wonderful compliments on my blog, thank you so much! :)

We are sitting somewhere in the deepest woods on a campground - every one is sleeping already around us - it's late - only me and my laptop are "working"...LOL.. it was a beautiful day today and a little bit also sad, that we couldn't stay longer at the Outer Banks, but now we are here, heading up to the cool hills of NC...

The 4th of July is a special day for all you Americans, I know - and I'm so proud to be here and to have the opportunity to see all the beauty of this exciting country! I met a lot of wonderful people allover the 27 States we have visited in this soon 6 months on the road and driving more than 15'000 miles already. I have enjoyed every single moment!

God bless you all and a Happy 4th of July !!

Susanne

On the 5th I have a special day coming up....LOL... smile... :)

The Way out to the Outer Banks, NC

We had to cross over two long bridges to get to the Outer Banks - this was the first one...

...and this was the 2nd one - the white stripe there on the horizon are sand dunes

A friendly sign at the visitor center welcomes you to the Outer Banks

We had to make a quick decision - which way to chose :)

We entered the National Seashore Park on Cape Hatteras

We've visited the Bodie Island Lighthouse:

The current Bodie Island Lighthouse is the third that has stood in this vicinity of Bodie Island on the Outer Banks in North Carolina and was built in 1872. It stands 156 feet tall and is located on the Roanoke Sound side of the first island that is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The lighthouse is just south of Nag's Head, a few miles before Oregon Inlet. It is currently not climbable by the public, but plans are in place to make it safe for climbing.

I love this sometimes scurrilous but stunning architecture in these beach houses that you can see all over the island. And the cars are parked in the sand beside the street.

Hi my friends,

thanks for all your visit to my blog and all the wonderful comments. :)

We will be leaving tomorrow, heading back to the cool mountains of NC with a lot of fresher air than here on the beach...LOL.. is this a sign of getting older - or what...?...LOL... it's way to HOT for us here and the mosquitoes are eating me up like crazy - it's no fun....!

Stay with me.... see you there! :)
Susanne

The House in the Dunes

We arrived today in a pretty fishing village in the Outer Banks, close to Nags Head, at the beautiful and HOT Atlantic Coast of North Carolina
(more pictures will follow).

The Outer Banks

is a 200-mile (320-km) long string of narrow barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, beginning in southeastern corner of Virginia Beach on the east coast of the United States. They cover approximately half the northern North Carolina coastline, separating the Currituck Sound, Albemarle Sound and Pamlico Sound from the Atlantic Ocean.

The Outer Banks is a major tourist destination and is known for its temperate climate and wide expanse of open beachfront. The Cape Hatteras National Seashore has four campgrounds where visitors may camp.

The Wright brothers' first flight in a powered, heavier-than-air vehicle took place on the Outer Banks on December 17, 1903, at Kill Devil Hills near the seafront town of Kitty Hawk. The Wright Brothers National Monument commemorates the historic flights, and First Flight Airport is a small, general-aviation airfield located there.

The English Roanoke Colony—where the first person of English descent, Virginia Dare, was born on American soil - vanished from Roanoke Island in 1587. The Lost Colony, written and performed to commemorate the original colonists, is the longest running outdoor drama in the United States and its theater acts as a cultural focal point for much of the Outer Banks.

The treacherous seas off the Outer Banks and the large number of shipwrecks that have occurred there have given these seas the nickname Graveyard of the Atlantic. The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum is located in Hatteras Village near the United States Coast Guard facility and Hatteras ferry.

Hi my friends,

We made it! We arrived today in the beautiful Outer Banks of North Carolina.

It was also a long dreamed dream of mine to see this pretty strings of narrow barrier islands, out in the Atlantic, many miles off the shores. I'm not sure if I can see the wild mustangs, they are located on another, separate island. It's not possible to drive there with our RV. But I have some shots made from some of the lighthouses here and I will show you them soon. I'm a big fan of lighthouses!

And of course, I'll watch out for "the message in a bottle" on the shores of the blue Atlantic... smile.... you never know... :)

I'm happy you liked my last post, your comments and compliments are very appreciated!

Stay with me, you'll don't regret :)
Susanne

A Pretty Day at the Mississippi River Shores

We arrived in Cassville, Wisconsin. Here, David has a cousin who owns a very nice resort called, "Eagles Roost Resort & Motel" - The resort has five rental cabins and Motel with a wonderful view of the Mississippi river and its side water ways.

View of the cabins.

Davids relatives are very nice and friendly people, they invited us spontaneously to stay a day or two in one of the Motel rooms.

Thank you very much, Ron and Linda
for your great hospitality! We have really enjoyed sleeping in real beds again...LOL... and we are now relaxed and ready to start our next traveling adventures!

The Mississippi River rolls by Cassville as it has for thousands of years and the residents spend much time on the river with boating and fishing.

It must be like heaven for all fishing friends. You can rent fishing boats at the "Eagles Roost Resort" and spend some hours, days, weekends or even weeks out here at the Mississippi shores in Cassville.

There were small boats riding the river up and down.....

...and there were also bigger and very attractive, nostalgic looking boats at the "good old Mississipp" to see...

with a real paddle wheel on the back... that was fun to see!

Beautiful landscapes and pretty clouds

Every day comes to it's end with nice sunset reflections over the water

It's a pretty sunset today!

Reflections of the trees at the Mississippi shores
(click in the photos to see them bigger)

Hi my friends,

we spent two happy, quiet and relaxed days on the Mississippi shores, - one more of all the hundreds of great places we have seen on our travel. I think, tomorrow we will be may on the road again - we want to explore Wisconsin a little bit more :)

Thank you for all the comments!

Stay with me and see you there...! :)
Susanne and David

Fascination Yellowstone NP

We left yesterday morning Jacksonhole and the Grand Tetons NP to see the famous Yellowstone NP. This photo is the last view back to those magnificent mountain chain of the Grand Tetons, captured by the Jackson Lake Dam.

After hours of driving, finally we entered Yellowstone National Park - it was still deepest winter and very COLD - winter wonderland in May?

Yellowstone NP
Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park is America's first national park. Located in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, it is home to a large variety of wildlife including grizzly bears, wolves, bison, and elk. Preserved within Yellowstone National Park are Old Faithful and a collection of the world's most extraordinary geysers and hot springs, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

After a long drive over steep hills up and down - finally we arrived here, where people from all over the world are heading to: to see the "Old Faithful" Geyser in Yellowstone. Unfortunately, the Geyser was just finished spitting up the hot steam in the air. The next "show" will happen in 80 or 90 minutes, told us a Ranger. But we were late in time and didn't wanted wait that long. I took some photos around that place - and then we left towards the East Entrance of the park, another 4 hours drive in front of us.

Old Faithful, how he looks in real action
(it's NOT my photo!)
is a cone geyser located in Wyoming, in Yellowstone National Park in the United States. Old Faithful was named in 1870 during the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition and was the first geyser in the park to receive a name. The geyser, as well as the nearby Old Faithful Inn, is part of the Old Faithful Historic District.
Photo source

Beside the Old Faithful were also some other smaller Geysers steaming, it was a very impressive sight!

It looks like a big open outdoor kitchen :)

Another steaming geyser

We left the Geyser spot and were driving by on many fantastic landscapes like this here: the still frozen and covered with ice Yellowstone Lake

Yellowstone Lake

is the largest body of water in Yellowstone National Park, The lake is 7,732 feet (2,376 m) above sea level and covers 136 square miles (352 km²) with 110 miles (177 km) of shoreline. While the average depth of the lake is 139 feet (42 m) its deepest spot is at least 390 feet (118 m). Yellowstone Lake is the largest freshwater lake above 7,000 feet (2,133 m) in North America.

In winter, ice nearly 3 feet (1 m) thick covers much of the lake, except where shallow water covers hot springs. The lake freezes over by early December and can remain frozen until late May or early June.

Pretty scenes at the Lake

Cold looking landscape

There were many of these steam holes all around the Lake, very spooky looking and as a result of a swarm of recent earthquakes, do they are bringing up the idea of an outbreak of the Super-Volcano again?

Another steam hole - and a majestic view on the horizon

Steam holes and icy water - a spectacular view!

In one of my last posts I've wrote that I have seen a Bison - in Yellowstone Park suddenly came a herd of ten to cross the road. For a second I thought, they come towards me, because look at the first one: the leader, he saw ME and I felt like I had to run back to the RV...LOL... but this time, I've clicked my camera and then: I started to run :)

Later, we saw a group standing in the forest beside the road

After leaving the East entrance, there were a group sitting peaceful in the grass and enjoying the warm sunshine of the valley

And this was a special one! He was walking alone by himself on the side of the road. As he heard my camera clicking several times, he stopped, turned his head and looked back. I'm not sure if that was a friendly look...LOL.... :)

Bison
Yellowstone National Park is the only place in the lower 48 states to have a continuously free-ranging bison population since prehistoric times. Because of their sheer physical size, their numbes increase each year in Yellowstone Park. There are over 4,000 bison residing in Yellowstone and are the #1 cause of summer jams in the park. Traffic can be at a standstill for hours but still we love them. Bison mate in July and August and the mature bulls begin their head butting during this mating period. Bison can exceed over 2,000 lbs and cause more human injuries than any other wildlife combined in Yellowstone Park. Given their docile nature (except when in rut) visitors loose precaution when approaching bison and that's when they become gore victims. Bison can exceed speeds of 30 mph - how fast can the average Yellowstone tourist run. The smart money would be on the Bison. Bison calves are born in late April and May and again, due to the sheer size of their parents. rarely do the calves become victims of predation. Like elk, bison are everywhere throughout Yellowstone so there is no need to stop your vehicle in the middle of the road the take a quick digital snapshot unless the bison are in the road then please slowly give them the right of way.

Hi my friends,

Yellowstone is pretty and very fascinating - and scary too! I'm scared about those proved messages from scientists who say, that the earthquakes are rising (in swarms!) recently and the possibility of an eruption of the Super-Volcano becomes more and more reality for the near future. Read please the link in my post 6 photos above.

Today we have visited The "Buffalo Bill" Museum in Cody, it was very interesting! I'll show you some photos about that maybe tomorrow - so stay tuned. We will be heading toward South Dakota to see the presidents heads carved in stone. Do you know where that place is...? :)

Thanks for all your wonderful comments, my loyal friends :)
Susanne and David