Rachel's Graduation 

         and 

           Yellowstone National Park    

                                             May 6 - 9, 2017

Rachel graduated from Boise State University on May 6, 2017, with a Bachelor of Science in Health Science Studies, Gerontology Emphasis, Magna Cum Laude. 

More than 1,750 graduates participated in the 100th commencement outdoors "on the blue".  Rachel is somewhere under the arrow.   

Immediately following graduation we headed to Yellowstone National Park, touching parts of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.

In Yellowstone, there were bison everywhere.  We didn't ever agree on the correct term - buffalo or bison - but they were numerous and large.  Wil was thrilled by the modeling ability of this guy who welcomed us just a few miles inside the west entrance.  The National Park literature refers to them as bison.  Google says buffalo reside in Africa and Asia.

Old Faithful did her thing just minutes after we arrived.  Good timing.  With the iconic site checked off our list, we set off to explore the vastness of the Upper Geyser Basin.

There were many, many geysers in Upper Geyser Basin.  In fact, it is one of the largest concentrations of geysers in the world.  Only four others compare (Russia, New Zealand, Chili and Iceland).  Sara waited a long time for the water to bubble up in Catfish Geyser so she could take this photo.  Credit goes to Sara for many of the photos in this post.

We are often lucky on our vacations.  I did not realize at the time Castle Geyser only erupts every 14 hours.  We were just strolling along when...       

ready

set...

GO!

We wondered how natives and animals traveled across this landscape without sinking into a boiling mudpot or having a geyser erupt on them.  Such a marvelous but dangerous phenomenon.                     

Apparently, less drowsy Dramamine is stronger than non drowsy Dramamine.  Rachel took some less drowsy for the drive, then had trouble staying upright.

This round geyser looks cute and small...but to see a perspective of its size, look at Becca standing in front of it.

I've never seen such a variety of formations, colors and geography in one place.  Yellowstone far exceeded my expectations.  This is Morning Glory which used to be clear blue until vandals littered it  which reduced the temperature of the water so colored bacteria were able to grow. 

Bison seemed oblivious to the humans but I was still nervous to get too close.  Wil followed one off the path for a short distance to try for a better shot, but I insisted he come back to safer ground.

Making my way to Grand Prismatic Springs in Midway Geyser Basin to see the prism of color.    

The colors are splendid in aerial photos, but we were only able to get an idea from the ground.   

Either Opal Pool or Turquoise Pool near Grand Prismatic Springs was perfectly blue.  It looked calm and peaceful - almost inviting.  But we knew better.   Clear blue water means it is above the boiling point so few organisms are able to grow in it to form colors. 

       

Get back, Clementine!  For some reason, this doll followed us everywhere.

Heading north to the Mammoth area, the landscape changed entirely.  More trees and green hillsides, and snow capped mountains in the distance. 

Lamar Valley was reportedly a prime region for viewing animals.  On the way to it, bam - there was a bear, right beside the road!  

    Viewing animals at sunset cast great lighting on our subjects.  The pronghorns moved gracefully and had pretty markings.

Animals have the right of way.  These bighorn sheep were in no hurry to clear the road.  

An advantage of visiting in May was the chance to see baby animals.  We saw one mama nudge her baby while they were running and the baby flipped.  I guess mama bison aren't gentle.

On the drive out to Lamar Valley we looked through binoculars at a grizzly far up on a hill.  I couldn't really see it that well, but we can say we did.  We also saw a fox on the way out and the way back.  The wolves eluded us, though.

Time to head to our cabin for the night.

Another animal encounter at our cabin.  The chipmunks demanded crumbs.

We liked our little two room cabin at Mammoth Hot Springs.  The dark spot behind us to the left is a bison. 

The Mammoth Hot Springs area was fascinating.  Wondrous formations have formed for thousands of years.  This one almost seemed ghoulish.   Hot springs are dormant geysers that are cooler water running and dripping, rather than erupting.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

One of the sites Sara most wanted to see was Minerva Terrace.  It was, indeed, impressive.  It looked pure and clean.  

Hot, cascading water still runs down the hills.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Wow, Sara's tall!  She's touching the top of 37 foot tall Liberty Cap.

I was impressed by the varying ecozones (I looked that up and it's the closest word I could find to what I'm trying to describe) that could be seen at once.  Flat geothermal vastness to forest to rocky mountains.  Such variation.

After walking through the hot springs in the morning, before it was too hot, we headed back out toward Lamar valley to see some waterfalls.  The first one was Wraith Falls, a wide, flat fall that looked like a sheet of snow. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      A nice little hike to and from Wraith Falls crossed Lupine Creek, where Becca felt bold...

...and Rachel felt mischievous.   "Stop," cried Mama Bear.   

Everywhere we looked were photo opportunities.  Look at these beasts!

Just down the road was Undine Falls, east of Mammoth.

 Becca wore the right sweater.  

We were all intrigued by an area south of Mammoth covered with rocks that looked like a moonscape.  The girls climbed and frolicked.  Wil photographed.

My family.

One more waterfall on the way out of the park: Gibbon Falls.  The force of the water coming down Gibbon River was tremendous.

Headed back toward home.

                                                     

Thus ends our wild and rugged family outing as documented in Travel Adventures with Wil.

Yucatan Peninsula and Isla Mujeres, Mexico January 12 - 17, 2017

Isla Mujeres is an island in the Caribbean Sea 13 kilometers east of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.  The ocean is jewel colors of blue.

Before relaxing on the island, we explored the mainland.  

Tulum ruins are a 13th century Mayan archaeological site south of Cancun. 

It was a walled seaport, the only Mayan settlement in Mexico built along the sea.  The stairs to the beach were blocked off because, apparently, it was quite windy.  This was the only time it rained on the trip - for a little over an hour while driving and at the start of our walk.  It still felt marvelous to us, though, compared to sub-zero temperatures and 8 inches of snow at home.

  The Castillo is the largest building at Tulum.  Guides were available but we preferred to wander on our own and wonder what might have been.

Mayans worshiped Gods of the underworld, presumably because of the region's intricate system of underground rivers and cenotes.  This building was built around a cenote where bones were found, which may mean it was a sacrificial site.  The opening to the cenote is the hole under the archway.

Cenotes are fresh water caves with cool, clear water ideal for snorkeling.

Stalagmites and stalagtites form.

This is El Gran Cenote near Tulum.  Upon entering the cave, bats darted about us, flapping and screeching to get away from us.  That is one on the rock above Wil.

Our fantastic guide, Jerry with Cancun With Me Day Tours, took us to Xcacel Cenote, which was smaller but a nice walk through the trees.  

Little black fish exfoliate you when you stay still.  It is a firm tickle.  Wil and I didn't swim in this one - just enjoyed the exfoliation.

This iguana was on the walk to Xcacel Cenote. It's quite a big one, according to Jerry and Wil.  

Xcacel Beach is famous for hatching turtles in August.  Still beautiful, even in January.  The sand is so white and feels like finely mixed flour and sugar.

An invigorating cleanse before entering El Gran Cenote was required.  There are instructions to not use sun block or insect repellent.  The same was true while snorkeling at Akumal Bay with the sea turtles.  

Jerry took this photo at El Gran Cenote while we snorkeled.  These are smaller than the sea turtles at Akumal.   We snorkeled with the big sea turtles at Akumal until I felt we were bothering them.  The colectivo driver that took us to Akumal was going more than 120 kilometers per hour, which I later converted to 75 miles per hour.  It felt fast on the highway.  The colectivo drivers race each other to the next stop so they collect more fares.

This was the first "real" meal we had on our first morning in Cancun with Jerry.  We told him we wanted food made by locals that the locals ate.  He drove us straight to this taco stand on the highway where truckers and delivery drivers were stopping for breakfast and the food was excellent.  Places like this serve until their food is gone, then they go home for the day and the children go to school.  A boy about ten was chipping ice into a cooler to put into the freshly squeezed orange juice - perhaps my favorite thing I consumed on the trip.   

       I also had freshly squeezed mandarin juice which was delectable.  That's our guide, Jerry, on the mainland tour.  He was great, acting as everything from interpreter, guide, medic, photographer... he took us anywhere we wanted to go. 

 These guys were performing outside of Tulum and were happy to receive tips.  Apparently our tip pleased them as they captured me for a group photo.  The young man on my right is yelling "tequilla!"  

They spin around this pole while the guy at the top plays a flute.  I didn't ever see them do any flips - they just floated down.

Musicians were at most restaurants.  This group was playing during our delicious lunch of fish and shrimp tacos in Tulum town.

This was the view from our balcony in Playa del Carmen, half way between Tulum and Cancun.

It is a party town filled with people, noise, shops and...noise. The only time I heard the music stop was between 4am and 5am.

The merchants here were aggressive.  We were among the oldest tourists.  One merchant hollered out to us "hey, silvers."  

At dinner I was delighted by this band - there were four band members but I especially liked this little guy.  They were so peppy! 

We greatly enjoyed the taste of tacos al pastor that Jerry told us to try.  It is marinated pork hanging and twirling over a fire.  Then the meat is shaved off.  Whatever it is they marinate it in is deeeelicious! 

A short and festive ferry ride from Cancun took us to our main destination of Isla Mujeres.  A singer had memorized Jimmy Buffet songs and other American songs with tropical themes, but I don't think he spoke English.  Some of us sang along.  It was quite fun.

Isla Mujeres was blue, and tropical and gave us a feeling it existed solely for our enjoyment.  The merchants were good at creating a nice time for the tourists, but they did not hassle us as much as in Playa del Carmen.                         

                           The water was warm - just right for bouncing in the waves.

Perhaps my favorite encounter of the trip was with these two ninos who had mischievously laid there hombre dolls across the street, waiting to see if golf buggies would run over them.  We circled back around specifically to take their picture.

More musicians at dinner.  They were happy to sing but expected a tip.  When we learned what people in Mexico earn in wages, we were looking for locals to give our extra pesos to.  We did not spend nearly as much as we thought we would because things were not expensive.  We felt happy to share our left over pesos with the locals in exchange for making our visit to their land so enjoyable.  We still came home with a small stash of pesos.

The WorldMark Resort on Isla was exquisite - inside and out.

Wil enjoyed spending his time at poolside perhaps even more than gallivanting about the island.  He discovered he could order a strawberry daiquiri with un poco rum and I could drink almost half of it.  Naturally, he had to finish mine for me.

  For some reason I needed very little sleep while there so spent my early mornings - madrugada - on the front porch.  This is a picture of the moon before dawn.  At that time of day the gardener went about the grounds in his coat with the hood up.  It was cold to the locals but pleasant to us.

These are artists at the Womens' Bead Cooperative, where I purchased items hand-made by them.  Very few locals on Isla spoke English.  I managed to convey to them what I was asking and decipher a few words they said in response.  Once, I asked a young man how to get to el restaurante de Cuba and his directions sent us to the scuba shop.  Maybe my accent was hard for them to understand.  Hand gestures were helpful.  

     We enjoyed the food but we didn't quite figure out how to order all the little extras.  Ordering full entrees was the best way to go.  This was the first time we tried mole and it was delicious.

The Green Verde beckoned us with its colors and cute decor and seating.  The electricity was out on the island for two nights and mornings.  We ate most of this meal by candlelight and received the last order of cooked food.  It all added to the charm.

When the power had been restored, Q' Bravo finally opened again, which was a breakfast place that had received good reviews on Yelp.  The food was good and I loved the colors of the place.

Our last night on Isla without power led us to a restaurant right along the beach where candles were the only light.  The waiter welcomed us and led us to a table directly in the sand.  Very cool!  Our meal of red snapper was delicious - something we had never had before.  Pleasant service, great food, another serenading musician, an ocean breeze at sunset with our toes in the sand.  Yes sirree.  

 Sunset on Isla is the main event of the day.  People stop their golf carts wherever they are and watch it.

  At sunrise, Punta Sur on Isla Mujeres is the first spot of land in Mexico the sun touches!  That, to me, is an experience worth viewing.

Ixchel, Goddess of the moon, fertility, medicine and happiness, was worshipped by the Mayans.

 These Mayan carvings were part of a small ruin at Punta Sur.

    My blog is not complete without a photo of a plant.  The lines on these leaves at Tulum caught the artistic eye of Wil.

  There's my honey, happy as a clam on the island of women.

Bonus adventure: we had to spend two nights in Denver on the way home because of the ice storm in the Northwest. Denver's downtown is nice.  These bumpkins did not know there are movie theaters with reclining chairs and full meals and adult beverages!  Best of all, though, was flying over the Rockies in the sunshine.  Magnificent!