8/10-14/2009 - Telluride Region

After spending the weekend in northern New Mexico, we took off for one of our favorite regions -- the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado. We based our daily excursions out of Telluride. Below are some pics of the area.

The view from our hotel lodge the first day. Note the smoke filling the valley.

Visible satellite animation illustrating the smoke from a forest fire north of Cortez, CO. Smoke from the flare up filled the Telluride valley the day of our arrival. Additional images of the fire are found in this CIMSS blog entry.

Aspens along Last Dollar Road.

Two bear cubs (lower center) along the Dallas Divide. Not sure where mom was -- but we really didn't feel the need to investigate on foot.

View near the Dallas Divide.

Amazing view from Last Dollar Road, looking south toward Mt. Wilson.

Another view from Last Dollar Road.

"Puppy parking" in downtown Telluride. Other pics of Telluride can be found in this post.

View along SR-145, between Ophir and Telluride.

The waters of the Red Mountain River -- of course, the source of Orange Gatorade.

View of Palmyra Peak from the Alta Lakes area.

Sunset from atop St. Sophia in the Telluride Ski Area.

View from Bald Mountain, looking north toward the Mt. Sneffles Wilderness Area. This was a tough hike for Sharon and I (Sharon being prego, and my ankle being screwed up from a jogging injury), but we had to make the trip anyway -- Bald Mountain was the site of our engagement in 2003.

Town sign for Ophir, CO.

View from the town of Ophir toward Ophir Pass -- a 4x4-only road that Mapquest and Google Maps illustrate as the quickest way from Silverton to Telluride. Yeah right! I'm certain a few people have had a fun time navigating this geography blunder.

8/8-9/2009 - Santa Fe Region

For a late summer vacation, Sharon and I spent a little over a week in the Santa Fe, NM (visiting Sharon's mom) and Telluride, CO regions. Below are some pics of the Santa Fe part of the trip.

A view looking south along US 84 toward famous sandstone cliffs of Ghost Ranch. Various Ghost Ranch sites are portrayed in Georgia O'Keeffe paintings.

Sandstone cliff of Ghost Ranch.

Sandstone cliffs of a Ghost Ranch mesa.

Abandoned log cabin and sandstone cliffs.

View from inside the cabin.

Brush landscape just outside of Santa Fe, looking northwest toward the Los Alamos area.

View from atop Sandia Crest, with Albuquerque off to the right of the frame.

7/3/2009 - Chicago's Independence Eve Fireworks

For the second year in a row, Sharon and I viewed the Chicago Independence Eve Fireworks Show (associated with the Taste of Chicago) from the Museum Campus. The fireworks show -- along with the beautiful skyline -- did not disappoint. The lake breeze brought the firework smoke across Grant Park and the lakefront, making for an eerie view of the city. Below are some pics, which you can click on individually to enlarge a bit. I've actually got the entire display on HD video, but I'm unsure of an easy way to upload it. Instead, I'll provide a lower resolution, sped up version below. Enjoy!

7/2/2009 - Cubs vs. Brewers

After living in northern Illinois for four years, Sharon and I thought it was about time we went to check out a Cubs game at Wrigley Field. So, I StubHub'd some nosebleeds, pricelined a River North hotel, and we made a weekend of it. We picked a great evening to go -- the weather was perfect and the Cubs bats were working. In fact, we got to witness a Derek Lee grand slam. The Cubs won 9-5. Below are some pics from Wrigley, as well as a few views along the Chicago River the next day.

Box Score for 7/2/2009

The infamous rooftops of Wrigley.

View from our seats.

View from left field.

The ballpark has great character, though missing the fancy scoreboards most parks have these days (my eyes had a tough time seeing the center field scoreboard).

Lights of Wrigley -- turned on finally in 1988.

Trump, Wrigley, and Wabash.

Contrasts in architecture.

Kayakers take to the Chicago River -- man-made -- canyon.

The various angels of the Wrigley Building.

6/27/2009 - Northern Illinois Shelf Cloud

A short chase today to intercept an eastward-moving MCS straddling I-88 and I -74 corridor. Sharon and I left late in the afternoon -- well after initiation in eastern Iowa -- intercepting the shelf cloud south of Dixon, IL. We tried to stay ahead of the system as it "gusted out" near Waterman, eventually driving back to DeKalb as the northern end of the line decayed.

Shelf cloud south of Dixon, looking north.

South of Dixon, looking west.

Mendota "Hills" windfarm, near Paw Paw.

Another view of the shelf at the wind farm.

A small bit of time lapse from the short chase.

Animated gif illustrating the MCS -- we were chased by the northern surge across Lee County.