The previous night we had stayed in Cheyenne, Wy. It was our first official night in Wyoming.

Before our trip I had done a little research....(not enough to be honest...but, some) of Snowy Mountain Range. There were a few shots I wanted to get.

Unfortunately, we didn't arrive as early as we would have liked, but, we made the best of it during the time we were there.

It was cold. However, we could have managed the cold a lot easier if the wind had not been blowing so fiercely.  It was topping out at about 40mph gusts.  Almost blowing me off of my feet.

Keeping a tripod steady was tricky enough...but, hand-held shots were even a challenge because the wind was moving my body around like a pop-corn ball.

There were so many angles of this place that warranted a photographer to stay in one spot and literally do a 360 degree photographic tour.  

The above shot made the day for us because of the winding road and the view.   The lake below added to the depth and story to the scene.  The mountain range gave a strong presence and spoke stability.  

There is no way, really,  to describe how it feels getting away from the hustle and bustle of city life and venturing out....into the great outdoors.  It can be a little intimidating and make you feel like a loose canon....on the other hand it can be invigorating to finally walk away from everything that seems to hold your mind in a box.  

It was good to finally get to our first hiking destination on our journey and explore.

We drove around to different spots and trail heads to find paths that we could do a small hike  in order to be in the midst of all of the beautiful scenery.   

In the above photo, the wind would not relent.  I had to squat low to keep from getting blown over.
 

Let me just say....

We aren't people to just ride along and sit in the car and take pictures.   We make it our priority to embrace every waking moment possible and breathe as much of that fresh, clean air as possible. 

Sometimes, you take what you can get.  The hounding wind didn't allow for smooth waters on this particular day. But, the turquoise water still screamed at me and I had to feast my eyes on it while I could.

In our driving around, we saw this bridge and pulled over in a pull-out across the road from it.

I love bridges....they make connecting the dots a lot easier on the eyes.  Including the fact that they create a sound structure in almost any image.  

We stayed here for a bit and shot different angles.

If we had not just hiked a 3.8 mile hike upon rocks while fighting the gusts of wind....we may very well had ventured off into the paths that led to the bridge....just for curiosity.

Much to my delight a lone fisherman was nearby attempting to catch.....probably a trout in the stream.  

Trust me...that water was cooooollllllllddddd.  

The above photo is at 11k feet elevation.  Might I add....a 3.8 mile hike to this spot. (Did I say that already????)

We aren't used to walking/hiking/climbing into a "nose bleed" section.  Those big rocks were a little tricky to move around on ....especially with our gear.  But, we made it. 

Then, we sat down.  

For a while.

I finally decided to go a little further.

I really couldn't seem to work the view I was hoping to capture, but, when I turned around to look behind me, I enjoyed what I saw.  The small path leading to the additional lakes kept my attention for a few short minutes.   

But, no, I wasn't about to go any further.  We still had to get back to the car.......and go find a "shorter" distance to hike some place else before we left this beautiful place.

We finally made our way back down towards the car and I took time to capture what we were seeing. 

I love this photo.....(the above picture).  I don't know why....maybe it's because I caught the hikers in the distance and it makes me wonder where they were off to. 

Were they camping some place over night?  Were they going far?

Did they have snacks????  If so, I wanted to follow.  

But, I was winded. Tired. My snacks were in the car.  ( I was out of snacks in my backpack because we had eaten them at the summit of our hike so we would have the will-power to make it back down.)

The "Energizer Bunny" (as Dewayne calls me), was just about to need a recharge.

We were alllllmost to the car. I knew I had to press on or Dewayne would have to drag me.  I simply wasn't used to the elevations. 

Neither was Dewayne.   LOL.

Shhhhhhhh!!!!! Can you hear the water beating against those rocks?  Can you hear the wind blowing?  Can you hear the whistle in the tall pines as they sway back and forth???? 

I can.   Yes, I can still hear it all.

I can almost feel how cold it was that day.......(when I sit in my A/C cooled apartment.....and it's so cold that I have to bundle up and make more coffee so I can keep typing this blog.  Ha.)

Dewayne and I love adventure.  

It's our motto to live on a smaller scale and travel as big as the budget will allow.

We live for our next trip.

We work hard while the work season is in session.....but, oh my, when the season to travel is here.....we play harder than we work. 

If you are about to embark on a journey.....Happy trails to you!

Over and out,

Mrs. Rogers