August 2019 – Wandering Dawgs

Throwback Thursday #5 – August 29, 2006

August 29, 2019August 28, 2019Posted in RVingTagged Canada, Driving Day, Saskatchewan, Saskatoon3 Comments

We’re not traveling as much in our fifth wheel anymore so I thought it would be fun to relive some of our most memorable days from previous RV trips.

Some days on a long RV trip are more exciting than others. Even some of the less exciting days days are memorable because of things we saw as we drove down the road towards our next destination. This day 13 years ago was one of those days. It was a day spent driving through the plains from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada to Williston, North Dakota.

We started the day with delicious homemade cinnamon rolls from the RV park in Saskatoon. This is what I wrote in my journal about the day.

“Driving through Saskatchewan was interesting. There were fields of wheat, barley, and alfalfa as far as the eye could see. Some of the farms had really pretty red barns.

We drove through Moose Jaw. All day there was a really strong headwind and we got terrible gas mileage. We crossed the border into North Dakota and drove to Williston. The last 15 miles or so of road in Canada was gravel.

We had a good dinner in Williston and left early the next morning.”

What I didn’t write was we both wanted to kiss the ground when we crossed the border into the United States and didn’t have to bounce along in the dust on a gravel a road any more!

I only have a few pictures. Here they are.

20060829Saskachewan-(3) — The view from the truck pretty much all day

20060829Saskachewan-(5) — Every once in a while we’d see a train

20060829Saskachewan-(6) — Sometimes there were barns

20060829North-Dakota — Welcome to North Dakota

What I remember most about the day was seeing the crops growing on the vast plains as far as the eye could see. Driving through farmland like this always makes me grateful to the hardworking farmers who grow the food that ends up on our tables.

Photo Challenge: Lens-Artists #60 – Framing the Shot

August 26, 2019Posted in PhotographyTagged framing, framing the shot, Lens-Artists, Photo Challenge, Photography24 Comments

This weeks challenge is to choose photos that illustrate different ways of framing images.

When shooting landscapes I like to use trees, flowers, and other foliage as a frame.

Double Rainbow after a summer storm — Palm trees frame this double rainbow after a summer storm

20130728Day-74Homer-(48) — The fireweed on high on a cliff provides the frame above foggy Kachemak Bay in Homer, Alaska

20180916North-Beach-and-Lighthouse-(4) — Sea oats frame the Tybee Island Lighthouse, Georgia

Doors, windows and arches provide frames for some of my photos.

20160305Ft-Pickens-Fort-(32) — Arches at Ft. Pickens, Florida

20110601Custer-SP-(204) — Mount Rushmore from one of the tunnels on Iron Mountain Road in South Dakota

20071002Blue-Ridge-Parkway-(14) — Cyclists on the Blue Ridge Parkway framed by a tunnel

Thanks to Amy at The World is a book for the Lens Artists Challenge – Framing the Shot this week

Throwback Thursday #4 – August 22, 2009

August 22, 2019August 20, 2019Posted in RVing, Tourist Attractions, WisconsinTagged brewery, Good Old Potosi Beer, National Brewery Museum and Library, Potosi Brewery, Potosi Brewfest11 Comments

Welcome to #4 in my Throwback Thursday series of flashbacks to memorable days from our past RV trips.

Flashback to ten years ago, August 22, 2009. We were camping at Grant River Corps of Engineers park in Potosi, Wisconsin, across the Mississippi River from Iowa.

Potosi, Wisconsin side of the MIssissippi River looking toward Dubuque, Iowa

After spending the previous day exploring across the Mississippi River in Iowa, we stayed close to our campsite and enjoyed lunch in the outdoor beer garden at the Potosi Brewery in Potosi, Wisconsin (population 711 in 2009). The National Brewery Museum is located at the brewery.

20090822Potosi — Outdoor beer garden in front of the brewery

20090822Potosi-(7) — Springs at the Potosi Brewery

20090822Potosi-(3) — Natural Spring Water used to brew Potosi Beer

20090822Potosi-(5) — Good Old Potosi Beer

They were having their first annual Brewfest that day which brought lots of people into town.

20090822Potosi-(10) — The town was set up for the The First Annual Brewfest

20090822Potosi-(13) — The town was set up for the The First Annual Brewfest

We enjoyed a Good Old Potosi beer with lunch and bought a Growler to take with us. Sadly, the bottle is long gone and I never even took a picture of it!

Throwback Thursday #3 – August 15, 2007

August 15, 2019August 13, 2019Posted in Nature, RVing, South Carolina, WaterfallsTagged Issaquenna Falls, Oconee State Park, Scenic drives, Stumphouse Tunnel, Throwback Thursday, Walhalla Fish Hatchery14 Comments

Welcome to #3 in my series of flashbacks to memorable days from our RV trips.

Flashback to twelve years ago, on August 15, 2007. After a three month RV trip from Georgia to the west coast, we weren’t ready to sit still yet. With 100 degree heat at home, we decided to escape to Mountain Rest, South Carolina to beat the heat. Our campsite was at Oconee State Park in the South Carolina Upcountry about 30 minutes from the Georgia state line in one direction and the North Carolina state line in another direction.

August 15 was our first full day camping at the park. We started the day by wandering around the state park.

20070815Oconee-State-Park-(11)-close — Lake in Oconee State Park, SC

20070815Oconee-State-Park-(16) — Oconee State Park, SC

20070815Oconee-State-Park-(6) — Water Wheel at Oconee State Park, SC

We took a scenic drive to nearby Issaqueena Falls and the Stumphouse Tunnel.

The falls are named after Issaqueena, an Indian Maiden who fell in love with David Francis, a silversmith who lived in what is now the town of Ninety Six, South Carolina. After she learned that her tribe planned a surprise attack on the settlement, Issaqueena warned the settlers there. Angry at her for warning the settlers, her tribe tracked her down. To escape, she jumped over the falls and hid on a ledge behind the water. The warriors thought she was dead and gave up the search.

200708152Issaqueena-Falls-(25) — Issaqueena Falls

200708152Issaqueena-Falls-(13) — Issaqueena Falls

The Stumphouse Tunnel also has an interesting story. The railroad wanted to connect Charleston, SC with the midwest so they began building the tunnel in 1852. The tunnel goes about 1600 feet into the mountain but was never finished.

200708153Stumphouse-Tunnel-(13) — The Stumphouse Tunnell was never finished

At the Walhalla Fish Hatchery we saw thousands of trout of all different sizes.

200708153Walhalla-Fish-Hatchery-(1) — Walhalla Fish Hatchery, SC

200708153Walhalla-Fish-Hatchery-(3) — Walhalla Fish Hatchery, SC

We camped at Oconee State Park a few more days and continued to explore the area not only in South Carolina but also in North Carolina and Georgia. We discovered scenic drives, more waterfalls, good restaurants, and mountain trails.

200708152Issaqueena-Falls-(6) — Wandering Dawgs at Issaqueena Falls, SC, August 15, 2007

Photo Challenge: Lens-Artists #58 – Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue

August 13, 2019Posted in PhotographyTagged Ireland, Lens-Artists, Photo Challenge20 Comments

This weeks challenge is to find photos that represent something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. For this challenge I decided to use some photos from our recent trip to Ireland.

For something old, I chose the oldest man made thing we saw. The Fahan Beehive Huts on the Dingle Peninsula are from around 2000 BC.

20190507-Day-7-Dingle-Peninsula-drive-to-Killarney-IPhone-(33) — Something Old – Ancient Bee Hive Huts from about 2000 BC

For something new, I chose this lamb. As we drove around Ireland and Scotland, there were many fields filled with sheep. I loved seeing the new little lambs.

20190507-Day-7-Dingle-Peninsula-drive-to-Killarney-IPhone-(17) — Something New – Lamb at the Fairy Fort on the Slea Head Drive, Dingle Peninsula

Our rental car in Ireland is the closest thing to something borrowed I could think of. This blue Nissan Qashqai, similar to the Nissan Rogue in the U.S., got us everywhere we wanted to go.