Monday, July 2, 2007

FAVORITE DAY


This has been an unparreled year in terms of favorites.

First and foremost is the pleasure of having my granddaughter near me. I cannot remember being this happy for such a sustained period of time. She makes the years of emptiness disappear and clearly puts into perspective what is important and what is filler. This is my favorite year in the past 20.

Less important(but still a favorite), this past April I was in New York visiting Matt and on that Friday night we (Matt, Miss Sara and I) went to see a show (Putnam County Spelling Bee) and then afterwards went to the Duplex for Mostly Sondheim.

The room was filled with so much raw talent, young singers doing what they can't help but do... BE TALENTED!

I walked out loudly proclaiming (which I do often - especially after a night of cocktails) the evening to be one of my favorites - ever.... and I meant it. The night was magical to me.

Today I spent one of my favorite days - ever.

We drove the Beartooth Highway from Red Lodge, MT to Yellowstone.... and I have never experienced such natural beauty in my life.

Instead of taking the closest route to Yellowstone from Cody, WY (less than 60 miles) I decided to take the more scenic (and longer) route. I think the trip was 150 or so miles but instead of taking 1 1/2 hours it took us 6, and it had nothing to do with the traffic.

Beyond each curve there was another breathtaking scene, and one majestic view gave way to a second and then a third and then a .....

I took nearly 200 pictures... and could have taken more but didnt want to bore Sara and Syd...too much.

I could drive that road again and again and never see it all or under appreciate it's beauty. TRULY MAGICAL!

Below is a write up I found...
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The highway, described by the late Charles Kurault as "the most beautiful roadway in America," winds along alpine peaks and lakes and crosses 10,947-foot Beartooth Pass, the route features breathtaking views of the Absaroka and Beartooth Mountains, and open high alpine plateaus dotted with countless glacial lakes, forested valleys, waterfalls and wildlife.

Surrounded by the Custer, Gallatin, and Shoshone National Forests and their unparalleled wilderness areas, visitors to the Beartooth All-American Road are provided the unique opportunity to witness and explore pristine, untouched alpine and montane landscapes. Since its completion in 1936, the highway has provided millions of visitors a rare opportunity to see the transition from a lush forest ecosystem to alpine tundra in the space of just a few miles.

The Beartooth All-American Road passes through The Beartooth Corridor. It is one of the highest and most rugged areas in the lower 48 states, with 20 peaks reaching over 12,000 feet in elevation. In the surrounding mountains, glaciers are found on the north flank of nearly every mountain peak over 11,500 feet high. The Road itself is the highest elevation highway in Wyoming (10,947 feet) and Montana (10,350 feet), and is the highest elevation highway in the Northern Rockies.

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