Lens-Artists – Wandering Dawgs

Lens Artists Photo Challenge # 218 – Over the Hill

September 29, 2022September 29, 2022Posted in PhotographyTagged Delicate Arch, Hike, Lens-Artists, ovarian cancer, ovarian cancer awareness, Over the Hill, Photo Challenge14 Comments

Donna of Wind Kisses is our guest host for this weeks photo challenge. She invites us to show what over the hill means to us.

I can say that at my age I am definitely over the hill in years, but not in attitude. I’ve reached the age that I know my limitations and know that I can’t do everything I used to do. I also know I will never stop enjoying life to the fullest or stop having fun. Every day is a gift.

In my younger days I enjoyed hiking in new places. Back in 2006, the Delicate Arch hike in Arches National, Utah was probably the most difficult hike I’ve ever attempted. Yes, we hiked up that slick rock and along a very narrow ledge to get to the top.

It was quite a challenge but when we reached the top this view made it all worthwhile.

Many other times we drove up mountain for a scenic view instead of hiking.

This stunning view from an overlook made the drive up steep scenic Glacier Point Road in Yosemite National Park, California one to remember.

We were rewarded with this Alpine Visitor’s Center in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado at the top of Trail Ridge Road.

Sometimes life throws us a challenge we don’t want to face. My biggest hill to climb in my personal life was my Ovarian Cancer journey. There have been many bumps in the road along the way but today I am grateful that my cancer has been gone for over 11 years.

Did you know September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month? I was one of the lucky women to be diagnosed at an early stage.

Many thanks to Donna’s Lens-Artists Challenge #218 – Over the Hill

Lens Artists Photo Challenge # 217 – Opposites

September 24, 2022Posted in PhotographyTagged Lens-Artists, Opposites, Photo Challenge15 Comments

For this week’s fun challenge Tina asks us to show opposites.

Many thanks to Tina’s Lens-Artists Challenge #217 – Opposites

Lens Artists Photo Challenge # 215 – Planes, Trains and Automobiles – and the places they take us.

September 5, 2022Posted in Alaska, Road Trip, RVing, TravelTagged Alaska Cruise, Lens-Artists, Ocean Cruise, Planes Trains and Automobiles, Viking Ocean Cruise, Viking Orion24 Comments

The journey not the arrival matters
T. S. Eliot

John from Journeys with JohnBo has challenged us to focus on our journeys and the modes of transportation that got us there.

I am grateful for all the many places that planes, trains, automobiles, trucks, ships, boats, ferries, and buses have taken me. I have been fortunate to see most of the United States, several Canadian provinces, parts of Mexico, several European countries and several Caribbean countries.

For this challenge, I am focusing on our two journeys to Alaska. Our first visit to Alaska was in 2013 when we traveled from Georgia to Alaska and back towing our fifth wheel. Henry drove the truck 14,454 miles during our 106 days on the road.

We just returned from our long awaited second trip to Alaska. This time we flew to Anchorage and rode a bus to Seward to board the cruise ship Viking Orion for a 10 day cruise to Vancouver. We traveled in luxury and saw several new places we couldn’t visit by road.

Below you can see the two major modes of transportation from our two different Alaska journeys. Both journeys were spectacular with amazing landscapes and lots of wildlife.

While our truck was our main mode of transportation on our first Alaska adventure, we had to take a couple of ferries to get where we wanted to go.

We took the truck and RV on the Alaska Ferry from Skagway to Haines

There were places our truck couldn’t take us so we took a plane ride and landed on a glacier, took a ride on the Alaska Railroad, and took three amazing wildlife cruises.

This year, after two cancellations, we finally were able to take our Alaska cruise the end of August. Our journey involved planes, moving sidewalks in the airports, a beautiful ship, an Uber, sightseeing buses, a tender ride, two wildlife cruises, and lots of walking. It was wonderful seeing Alaska from the water. We really enjoyed returning to places we loved the first time as well as seeing places that were new to us.

Stay tuned for more from our latest Alaska adventure!

Many thanks to John of Journeys with Johnbo for his Lens-Artists Challenge #215 – Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Lens Artists Photo Challenge # 212 – Motion

August 19, 2022August 19, 2022Posted in PhotographyTagged Lens-Artists, Motion, Photo Challenge25 Comments

Animals in motion.

Sports Action

Airplanes and a helicopter.

Wandering Dawgs will be taking a break for the next two weeks so we can do some wandering. See you in September!

Many thanks to Patti for this Lens-Artists Challenge #212 – Motion

Lens Artists Photo Challenge # 211 – What’s your Photographic Groove

August 11, 2022Posted in Birds, Photography, WildlifeTagged Bison, black bear, Egret, Elk, Grizzly Bear, heron, Lens-Artists, moose, Pelican, Photo Challenge, Photographic Groove, Roseatte Spoonbill22 Comments

In this challenge host Anne asks us “What is your Photographic Groove? What type of photography do you truly enjoy? “

I enjoy the challenge of photographing birds and wildlife in their natural habitat. The header image is of a bugling Elk in Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park in North Carolina. One fall we traveled there in hope of seeing the magnificent elk herd that lives there. We weren’t disappointed. I posted about our experience at Cataloochee Valley Elk in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

The following gallery contains some of my favorite wildlife images from our travels around the United States and Canada.