This is the famous Gordes Monastery, where they grow all the lavender. Not this time of year, though - everything was gray and dry, instead of the usual lush fields of lavender, backed by a very well-maintained monastery. Oh well, wrong time of year.
Pretty Spectacular, But Would You Want to Live There?
Here is a nice shot of the French village of Gordes, which is stuffed with winding streets and leaning houses. Definitely high maintenance. And yes, that definitely looks like a swimming pool in the lower right corner. Could be medieval, but not likely.
All This for Goat Cheese
We visited a farm in Provence that produces goat cheese (including this goat). The facility was astonishingly dirty, so I skipped the cheese eating part of the visit.
Another Glorious Day in Provence
Here is Melissa at a very nice overlook in the Saint-Remy region. There were sailplanes overhead, working the thermals on a gorgeous, sunny day.
Avignon Water Wheel
It took some work to find it (much banging of cell phones that kept changing directions on us), but we eventually found a street in Avignon with a series of old water wheels running alongside it.
Door Needs Some Work
It also might be a bit drafty. This door is adjacent to the papal palace in Avignon.
Avignon Papal Palace at Not Quite the Right Time
If you stand to one side of the Avignon papal palace at just the right time, the setting sun turns the building’s stones to a beautiful golden color. As you can see, we were a bit late, so only the top part of the building has the right color.
Bridge Needs Some Repair Work
This picture of a partially-destroyed bridge in Avignon was taken from a tour boat that runs down the Rhone River next to the city.
The Prince of Wales Hotel
The Prince of Wales Hotel is an old wooden structure located in the Canadian portion of Glacier National Park. We got a room on the drafty fifth floor, which is badly in need of an overhaul. On the plus side, it has a magnificent view. The hotel is near the bottom in the following picture.
Trail Overlook in Glacier National Park
Here is a fine view of a lake and surrounding peaks on the east side of Glacier National Park.
A Completely Bleached Tree
This tree was next to the trail on the way up to a scenic overlook in the northeast corner of Glacier National Park.
Just Before the Storm Hit
We had just returned to the Many Glacier Hotel in Glacier National Park from a hike when a storm rapidly built up and dumped on us - along with a wee bit of lightning.
Sadly, No Polar Bears
This is the end of the Grinnell Glacier hike in Glacier National Park. The views are great - and a lot of other people seem to agree, based on the large number of people lounging on the rocks. There are icebergs in the water, but no polar bears.
Chill Dude
Here we have a bighorn buck lolling around on a hillside in Glacier National Park, keeping the tourists happy.
St. Mary Falls
St. Mary Falls is, of course, at the head of St. Mary’s Lake in Glacier National Park. A fair amount of cloud cover darkened the texture of the photo a bit.
St. Mary Lake Panoramic
Here’s another shot of St. Mary Lake in Glacier National Park. The trail that skirts its shoreline is both easy and absolutely beautiful.
St. Mary Lake in Glacier National Park
We just returned from a hiking trip in Glacier National Park. Here is Melissa showcasing St. Mary Lake and the surrounding peaks.
Monthly Half Marathon Trail Run #75
This is my 75th consecutive monthly half marathon trail run, this time at Staunton State Park. That’s more than six years of never missing a month! It all depends on weather conditions and not getting sick.
The Plexiglass Box
Here we are in a plexiglass box that sticks out the side of the Aiguille du Midi tram station. The fall is a couple of thousand feet down, so it can be quite concerning to stand in the box. That’s Mont Blanc in the background.
View of Mont Blanc
Here is a fine view of Mont Blanc, highest point in western Europe, from the Aiguille du Midi. The clouds moved in again a few minutes later.
