Yosemite National Park

 The wow factor never ends.

Seriously.

Every time you go around a bend, curve or tunnel

there is an amazing view.

 Half dome.

After we turned that corner there it was peeking

out from the mountains and the clouds.

 Not sure if this Yosemite falls for

bridal veil falls.

But it is waaayyyy out there.

 El Capitan.

I did not see any climbers and looking

at the sheer face with handholds I'm hard pressed to see.

I can't even imagine.

 And just like that the weather changed.

This is called the Tunnel View because when you come

out of the tunnel.

Shazam.

 That view is amazing.

 One last photo before heading out of the park.

We were here a few years ago

June 8, 2011

I

Traveler's Notebook - 2 pager

Love the Pink Fresh and homemade tag going on.

And that itty bitty wooden heart.

Doesn't that make you swoon.

Loved the train ride.

 I decided to go with all train pictures because they

really turned out well.

This turned into a 2 pager because of the tickets.

I glued them back to back and added them in

the rings instead of taking up space

on these small pages.

 Left lots of room for journaling.

Woo hoo.

I have decided that I totally overthink this style.

So...I'll be experimenting.

Won't that be fun!

Printed the smaller pix by mistake and didn't want to toss them

soooooo....

Of course I smooshed the nuvo drops. 

Sigh.

I have made some ahead of time so that won't happen.

Studio Calico, Jillybean soup.Pink fresh.

Project Life- Grand Canyon

Because I wanted to keep the park map I

decided to roll with this PL style.

There's no keeping anything in that top pocket

so clip to the rescue.

I also do not take a lot of portrait photos but

I did want to use these pocket protector

so everyone will just have to look sideways.

This is a front and back and I didn't realize I

printed almost 2 of the same photos.

Whoops.

I kept everything simple in order to let

the photos shine.

Anyway - 8.5x11 album has been retired.

We are only 2 months in and it's stuffed to the gills.

Taking up room.

So.....

Back to Traveler's notebooks and smaller albums it is.

Tim Holtz, Studio Calico

Explore

I did have a white/black debate background on this one.

And I had to roll with black.

8.5x11

It's just way more dramatic and you know I love dramatic

in scrapbooking.

 This photo doesn't even begin to do justice to the

actual scene - moonrise and sunset.

How cool is that.

It just begged to have it's own page and be the star.

Recollections, Tim Holtz, thickers and no clue

on the "explore" - got it at HL.

Project Life - Meteor Crater

This was such a cool site.

Privately owned by the Barringer family because

the patriarch back in the day thought he'd

find the actual meteor to mine.

Fooled him.

The meteor disintegrated.

I really love this PL page. 

It's easy to print the right size photo, I love

using Tim Holtz word strips and I got Tom in the pix.

Woohoo!

Traveler's notebook - I'm in the mood for...

Ice cream.

And who isn't.

I try not to eat a lot of ice cream - but I do love a great cone.

So this is the beginning of the new TN I made here

I have had that project life card forEVER and well as

the Studio Calico paper. 

It's good to bust the stash.

My pal Sharon took the photos and I actually look good

so yeah I'm spreading that bad boy EVERYWHERE.

Because I'm vain that way.

I found I'm extremely bad about getting me and Tom in photos.

Sharon is really great at it. 

So glad I'm gonna try and do better because

why NOT?

Project Life - Joshua Tree

I have had that screen forEVER, given to me

by my pal Holli for a project that it didn't make to.

It's perfect here.

 Used my funStudio Calico Stamps to create this fun journaling space.

 Added some Tim Holtz word strips.

I need to remember to start taking some "portrait" photos 

to fit into those pockets LOL.

Highlights from our trip into the park.

So many pretty sights and the infamous 4 wheelin' road.

It was a long drive.

Verde Canyon RR Scenic Tour

In random order. 

LOL. 

They have inside/outside cars.

Outside was really really REALLY cold, so only

on the really cool stuff did one hang in the open car.

Here is Tom going at the speed of light down the tracks.

Gazing up wonderful scenes - mountains everywhere.

Dried up creek bed and  

the mountains were gorgeous.

 This was the ole switcheroo - where the engine goes 

from the front of the train to hook up with the caboose in the rear of the train

in order to make the return trip.

 This was the stop in Perkinsville.

This depot was used in a cowboy flick - How the West was Won starring George

Peppard and Debbie Reynolds - she stepped out

on a platform (no longer there) and broke her arm.

 This is on the home trek - notice the caboose.

 So many different scenes between the mountains

and the Verde River.

 Our car - it was cool - it has sofa seating for 4 at a windo or

2 at a table by the window.

We chose the right side of the train (facing the engine) in a 

table for two - perfect spot.

Just sayin.....

Evidently they also do the Polar Express.

 I couldn't resist getting the train going around the curves.

 My bad.

FP7 locomotives made by GM way back in the 1900's.

 It is a beautiful ride.

 It's about a 4 hour ride total but it's not boring.

The crew is fun with corny jokes but chockfull

of information about the area and the railroad.

Take the ride.

Meteor Crater - WOW!

 How cute is this little guy that greets you on the way in.

How cool is this shot.

 I wanted the capsule and concentrated on that and

check out that view. 

The framed view.

 You walk outside and there is a ginormous hole in the ground,

that I couldn't get in one shot.

Working on a panoramic photo as soon as I

figure it out I'll let you know.

It's amazing.

If you look WAY down there, there is stuff that

you can only see through high powered 

scopes they have set up around the crater.

They say if the Washington Monument was set up

on the bottom of the crater we would be looking

at the top of the monument.

 A chunk weighting several thousands tons flung itself through

space at about 26,000 per hour collided with earth

exploding with a force greater that 20 million tons of TNT.

Can't even.

Because my lens wasn't able to catch the entire

crater in real life, there is the shot.

Project Life page for Goldwell Open Air Museum

If you read my last post, it never alluded to the weird

size the project life pages are. 

This is the back side of Death Valley.

 The Last Supper and vignette of the crucifiction

just pulled me in.

The artist's rendition is soooo hauntingly beautiful.

This museum was on the way from Rhyolite on the

way to Death Valley........

Put all three on your bucket list.

Death Valley - Scrapped

I wanted a pocket page and I think I'll

be doing a lot of them 

because I'm collecting a lot of the 

National Park maps and guides.

I want to keep them.

It'll be neat for future generations to see them

and hopefully, want to go see.

 Recollections Kraft and Black. 

I actually did the scallops myself and lines

were needed.

I also purchased that Death Valley coin.

Isn't it perfect.

Got a lot of layers going on using Tim Holtz. 

There is hidden journaling there carrying the red

color and the green, how cool is all that.

So this is a photo of Tom out on the salt flats

and he picked up a chuck which has

been fussy cut out (as a photo) and used as part

of the layering only because whole it

dominated everything. 

Anyway, the chunk Tom picked up was solid and

extremely salty.

Of course, we tasted it. 

Grand Canyon - South Rim - you gotta go

You totally NEEEEED to put Grand Canyon on 

your bucket list. 

It's gorgeous, it's colorful, it's deep and wide.

 People are crazy and climb out to the very end.

And I know they have to be shocked as they're

tumbling to the bottom.

The bottom is really, really way far down.

You do not want to mess with the canyon.

Ever.

 Observation tower.

Below the mountain that may be known as

 Humphreys' Peak (as far as I can figure)

correct me please. 

Anyway this mountain followed us to the Grand Canyon and

on the way back from the Grand Canyon.

It's magnificent and snow covered.

Doesn't get better than that.