SUMMERTIME 2017

My busiest time of year is in full swing. I’ve had the luxury of frequent day trips to Yellowstone, thus more time in my town of Livingston, MT which I love, but this summer also provides a good mix of adventures away from home!

ARCHES, ESCALANTE AND BRYCE CANYON

There is nothing more gratifying as a guide than to have a fabulous family I’ve guided in the past return to my life years later. The Quinones children were actual children when I last guided them and now they are teenagers, on their way to being awesome adults. The Quinones brought along their life long friends, the Acosta-Garcias to join in this grand adventure. What great people to lead and explore with!

Delicate Arch at Arches National Park

Marilucy and Alberto standing in front of Delicate Arch

Our jeep trip on the Devil’s Backbone trail was wild! Definitely not for the faint of heart and most definitely exciting. As we climbed this sandstone hill we watched as a storm approached. At one point we took a snack break and enjoyed the view.  Suddenly everyone started noticing that some of the groups’ hair was standing on end. The jeep drivers and I new that was no laughing matter so we jumped back into the safety of the jeeps before lightning started to strike!

Overlooking Capital Reef Park- the perfect place for a group shot of the families! This is one of the last visited National Parks which makes it a delight to explore. It is known for its “wrinkle in the earth” a water pocket fold which is a buckle in the earth's surface, stretching a 100 miles long. I want to thank each and every member of this group for making my job not only easier by their care free, go with the flow attitudes, but for the pleasure in joining their family fun for a week!

Both families are quick to laugh and wonderful jokesters. In this photo I told them to look off into the vast distance, with an introspective gaze. They went for it. Really makes you think deep thoughts, huh?

Yovimpa Point in Bryce Canyon. About to touch the sky.

This stray pup from the Navajo reservation near the Four Corners region of Utah, knows how to work the tourist circuit. I’m a bit regretful that I didn’t arrange for his transport back to Montana. He would have made a wonderful life companion. Perhaps someone road tripping will ask this canine gem to share in their travels.

SMITHSONIAN CROWN OF THE CONTINENT

I have just a couple pics of this recent trip, but I just guidied this area again and will soon post more shots! This is Blakiston Falls in Waterton National Park, Canada’s side of Glacier National Park. Both parks are equally stunning.

A view of the Lizard Range in Fernie BC

YELLOWSTONE DAY TRIPPING

Grand Prismatic is one of the top ten places to show and astound my clients. It is Yellowstone’s largest spring at 295 feet wide and 164 feet deep!

Day trips allow me to meet more folks and get to know them one on one, since it is just us for a consolidated amount of time. Driving folks through the park and helping them get the most out of a day can be an intense experience where it is difficult to say goodbye. These twin 10 year old girls and their mom from Westchester, NY were absolute delights. I truly hope that I can reconnect on a longer trip some day! Here are the twins looking into Dragons Mouth Cauldron. Its steaming and loud gurgling can send chills of fright down your spine.

                                     

 Lower Falls of Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon

Looking north into the Grand Canyon. The Yellowstone River (downstream view) is the longest free flowing/undammed river in the contiguous US, stretching 692 miles.

The rest of the summer is jammed pack! Looking forward to more exploring in Northern MT and Southern Canada, then I am off for the epic 15 day adventure with NAT GEO’s ULTIMATE!!