Vacation!

After having been in non-stop treatment for almost five years and developing an anxiety to my current treatment, my oncologist strongly suggested that I take a break from treatment. We decided that after my last treatment that we would take the regularly scheduled week off and then the following week take a vacation to celebrate our 31st anniversary and 5 years of surviving lung cancer. I had my regularly scheduled scans, and then the next day we were off. It was nice to get a break from cancer and treatments, if only for a week. We decided to fly up to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and visit Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park.

We had a great time, and it gave me a chance to play with my camera again. Here are some of my favorite photos from the trip.

We saw a lot of bison. Why someone would want to get up close to one of these guys is anyone's guess, but that's what they were doing. Fun fact, the number one cause of injury in Yellowstone is bison attacks. Don't worry, I was using my zoom lens.

We decided that we had seen enough of the west side of Yellowstone and decided to travel down the east side of the park to view the Upper and Lower Falls. Along the way, we came upon this black bear cub and momma having breakfast.

Of course, there were lots of geysers to see. I have to admit that Old Faithful was neat to see, but after hearing it talked up for years, I was a bit underwhelmed. I thought this little geyser was much prettier. This is at Black Sands Basin.

Some of the most impressive things for me to see were the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, the Lower Falls, and the Upper Falls. Here they are in that order.

For good measure, here are Fire Hole Falls, Gibbon Falls, and a mountain stream.

Once we had seen what we wanted to see in Yellowstone, we headed for Jackson, WY, and spent a few days visiting Grand Teton National Park. Here are some views of the Grand Tetons. As hard as I tried, the pictures just do not do them justice.

The Chapel of the Transfiguration is located in the park, and we stopped there for a bit. We could not stay long because they were preparing for a wedding. I found this little chapel a peaceful place to visit. I feel sorry for any minister trying to deliver a sermon here; the congregation might be distracted by the view.

The Moulton Barn is the most photographed barn in the United States and is now over 100 years old. Here is the barn and a view of the Tetons from there.

Vacation came to an end way too soon, but it was good to get out and see some of God's handiwork. While there, I could not help but think that the God who created all of this also created me. He knows the number of hairs on my head and the number of my days. Most of all, He loves me.