Fourth of July at Buck and Deb's

Deb's ribs were a big hit

Four photos after the continuation.

Montana flowers

Wild geranium

Green pine cone

Indian paintbrush

Bush-whack!

The objective: a notch at the end of a canyon, with high rocks

Six photos follow the continuation.

Montana evening

Two photos following the continuation.

Trail ride

Lane lets Morgan gallop, meadow near Elk Knob

Four photos, in the continuation below.

Lee and Lynne's

Guest house, cabin, bunkhouse (from left to right)

Lee, Lynne, Robert, Georgia, Lane,
on Woodbine trail, Stillwater River upstream from Nye

Seven photos, in the continuation below.

Big Horn Canyon Recreation Area, Wyoming

Big Horn River, in the canyon

Three photos, in the continuation below.

Over the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming

George, in the lupine

Three photos in the continuation, below.

Spahn's Big Horn Lodge

Devils Tower, Wyoming

Rogue's Gallery, Hulett, Wyoming

Northern Black Hills

Wild Bill Hickok and George

George at Roughlock Falls

Roughlock Falls

Bluegrass at Shipwreck Lee's

The Bluegrass Badboys, pickin' and grinnin'

Needles, Custer State Park, SD

Don't even say it!

Enough!

Mount Rushmore

Monument seen through tunnel, on the approach

Close-up of George Washington 

George tries out a teepee

Sweetgrass Inn, Rapid City, SD

View from the porch

Wildflowers, Badlands, SD

Thistle

Sunflower

Bison, Buffalo Gap Grasslands, SD

Badlands, near Rapid City, SD

Sphinx?

George at the Badlands

Beware of rattlesnakes

White pelicans, Sandhills of Nebraska

Broken Bow, Nebraska

You feel naked in Broken Bow, without cowboy boots.

Where we stayed: the Arrow Hotel, in Broken Bow.

The Bonfire Grill at the Arrow serves a nice steak. In Nebraska, beef is what's for dinner.

Band-stand in the middle of the square, Broken Bow.
There's a Norman Rockwell feel to this town!

Fire works! Doing their best to remain in business.

Gateway Arch, St. Louis, MO

Taylor House, Columbia, Missouri

Taylor House

Leaded window, front porch.

We stayed at one of the best inns we've found anywhere, the Taylor House in Columbia, Missouri. The owners renovated this 1909 house starting in 1999, and have been operating it as an inn (and living there) since 2001. It is beautifully restored, with most of the original finishes and carpentry.

Parlor, dining room in background.

Mammoth Cave, KY

Well, it is Mammoth (more than twice the length of the second longest cave system in the world).

Westward Ho!

Out the door!

We'll be posting here while headed out west, stopping on the way at Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, the Badlands, Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills of South Dakota, the Bighorns in Wyoming, the Stillwater River valley in Montana, Yellowstone and Grand Teton Parks in Wyoming, and Fort Collins and Denver areas, in Colorado. We'll be visiting with Lee and Lynn in Nye, MT, Mary and Dan Ricker in Fort Collins, Beth and John Krauklis and Robin and Darold Smith, in Denver. Then home. Whew!

Yeah, it's off-topic, but it's our blog. So deal with it!

Pontoon boat fuel tank advisory

Update: please disregard; replacement tank has been installed (7/26/2011).

Caution: Combustibles!

From Georgia Tech's Combustion Lab . . .

Probahker, Jackie, Chris, Jack, Andrew and Hillary

Richard and Sarah

George, Sarah and Richard, enjoying the spa garden.

Andrew in the hot tub

Andrew hanging out in the hot tub, after wearing himself out on Mom's projects.

From the Hollywood Hills

Lynn, George and George. Hollywood, GA (not CA).

And after supper, a tour of the farm and gardens in Hollywood, and a whippoorwill serenade on the front porch.

Down from New Jersey

Gail and George

Southeastern lake tour: a night at the Blue Fish Lodge on Lake Burton, then a night at Ginger's, on Lake Keowee, SC.

Up from Florida

Beth and George keep this rock from falling down on the Hemlock Falls Trail. Thanks, ladies!

Dinner with Jane and Lu Li

George, Lu Li (Beijing doctor in Atlanta on CDC assignment) and Jane

Timpson Cove Tornado, Chapter 6 - Meetinghouse Mtn Road

The destruction was terrible along Meetinghouse Mtn Road, where the north shore of Timpson Cove meets the main channel of Lake Burton. Photos are below the fold; click on any picture to enlarge.