Post for Tuesday's Around the World

My cousin Jane and our friend Susie were on our way home from a day together exploring the nearby Maryland/Virginia/West Virginia countryside when we pulled the car over to see if we could find a spot from which to photograph the glorious sunset sky.

We had spent the day together, wending our way toward a visit to my favorite potter in Sharpsburg, MD with stops along the way to photograph whatever caught our eye. This was taken in Boonsboro, MD after we discovered we could wander down behind some buildings on the main street and get a mostly unobstructed view of the sky! If you want to read more of the story and see more images from our photographic adventure, check out my other blog starting with this post.

This post is for sharing on "TUESDAYS AROUND THE WORLD" at communal global. I've been writing my own blogs for awhile now and have only recently discovered a community of folks who share images based on a theme. I'm finding it interesting but am so busy that I'm also wondering if I'll be able to keep it up long term. Meantime, it's fun and a good way to meet other bloggers so you might want to give it a try yourself. (my previous post was shared too so check it out for another place to share images if you are into macro photography)

Mount Rearguard stands above the Hellroaring Plateau... near Red Lodge, MT

Mount Rearguard at 12280 feet elevation exceeds the approximately 10,000 feet elevation of most of the Hellroaring Plateau... it's possible to hike to the summit but we didn't as we weren't properly prepared for such a hike... this year! (refer to the previous post for information on accessing the Hellroaring Plateau) NOTE: I do realize that the rule of threes is not followed in this photographic image... but we love the Montana vividly blue sky so much that I couldn't bear to crop this!

Road to Hellroaring Plateau as seen from the Beartooth Highway near Red Lodge, MT

When we were in Montana in June, 2008, we failed at reaching the top of the Hellroaring Road in our attempt to get up onto the Hellroaring Plateau (most of which is around 10,000 feet elevation) due to snow and further up, downed trees making the road impassable at that time of year. As a child, I'd heard stories about my aunt and uncle going there every year to camp and fish in the lakes near the top and on the top of the plateau. Now that we've finally managed to reach the top (in September, 2009), I wonder that my aunt and uncle ever made it at all in a regular passenger car. The road up to the top of the plateau is rough, rock strewn and requires a high-center vehicle and a driver willing to travel at speeds that rarely (if ever) exceed 10 MPH on the 7 mile Hellroaring Road. Once reaching the top, the views are spectacular and I'll post some of those in the coming week. (my posting has been somewhat sporadic due to all our travel and other obligations)

Typical New Zealand Countryside... and weather!

This photo was taken en route from Auckland to Rotorua, New Zealand. The weather is cloudy, rainy and sunny by turns but almost always with clouds in the sky this time of year. The lighting was not so great for the foreground but I do like this photo anyway. Enjoy... (note that I'm back from vacation and WAY behind on posts but gradually trying to catch up... my vacation blog has more photos if you care to have a look)