Do You Love Where You Live?

On February 8, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Colorado, Photo Challenge30 Comments

A lot of people think that where they live is one of the best places in the world. We have certainly seen some beautiful places, fascinating cities, and gorgeous landscapes, but we find it hard not to think of Colorado as a very special place to live. We recently have had the opportunity to pretty much move wherever we would like within the continental United States, but even after consideration of other locations, we have decided to continue to make Colorado our home. Although flying from Denver isn’t always as convenient as someplace like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, etc., but we can get to every place we want to go, it might just take us a little longer.

What we might sacrifice for convenience we more than make up for in the natural beauty and opportunities for outdoor adventure. Regardless of the time of year, heading into the mountains always results in a memorable experience. Like many other travelers, we are often absorbed with going some place new, some place we have never been before, and don’t take enough time to truly explore the treasures in our own backyard. We actually keep a list of places that are within a few hours drive so that we can use a weekend to go and discover some of these unique locations.

Paint Mines Interpretive Park near Colorado Springs

With that in mind, we thought that we would provide some visual evidence as to why we think Colorado is such a wonderful place to live. This week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge is Tour Guide and we will do our best to take you on a journey across different parts of Colorado and some of the historic towns of the old west. Starting with Colorado Springs and then heading into the high country, there is seemingly something to see around every corner. Do you love where you live and take time to explore it?

View from Cheyenne Mountain over Colorado Springs

Philly Cheesesteak

On February 7, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Pennsylvania, Recipes15 Comments

We used to live outside of Philadelphia many years ago and one of our favorite meals were Philly Cheesesteaks. We have tried to get them occasionally here in Colorado and with few exceptions, nothing matches the real thing. Every time we are back in Pennsylvania, we make sure to get an Italian Hoagie and a Philly Cheesesteak, which is what we did a couple of years ago. There are a couple of important things to making a good Philly and that is getting a good, soft, hoagie roll and the other is slicing the meat very thin. We aren’t going to get into a debate as to the best place to get a Philly in Philadelphia, but in our opinion getting one from one of the many food carts downtown is better than most of the famous restaurants. Some people believe that a Philly should be served with cheese sauce instead of real cheese, but we think that provolone cheese is the authentic way to serve a cheesesteak. The only alteration that we made to the traditional cheesesteak was to add mushrooms, which you will find as an option on the food carts, and it just adds a little extra flavor. This recipe serves up to four people and is really delicious.

Cheesesteak in Collegeville, Pennsylvania (Just Outside of Philadelphia)

INGREDIENTS

1 lb Top Round Beef – sliced extremely thin
1 Medium Green Pepper – sliced
1 Medium Yellow Onion – sliced
5 to 6 Medium Button Mushrooms – destemmed and sliced
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1/4 lb Provolone Cheese – sliced
4 Hoagie Rolls
Salt and Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare the vegetables being sure to slice each of them in equal thicknesses. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the green peppers. After the peppers have sautéed for about 2 to 3 minutes and then add the onions. After about another 5 minutes, add the mushrooms and continue to sauté until they begin to caramelize slightly (don’t over cook them). Remove the vegetables from the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drain on a paper towel. Turn an oven onto broil at 500 degrees. Salt and pepper the beef and then add the meat to the same pan that you cooked the vegetables and cook until it is just starting to brown (again, don’t over cook the beef). Add the vegetables back to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes, just to combine them and reheat the vegetables. Open the hoagie rolls, being sure not to completely separate the halves, and place them on a baking sheet. Add 1/4 of the meat and vegetable mixture to each of the rolls and place cheese over the meat mixture. Broil for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Transfer to a plate and serve with mayonnaise. You can add lettuce and tomato if you would like, but that isn’t necessarily traditional.

Beating the Crowds in Yellowstone National Park

On February 6, 2018February 6, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Travel Tips, Yellowstone21 Comments

Yellowstone National Park has such an amazing variety of scenery and wildlife that it is not surprising why people travel from around the world to visit. We have been fortunate enough to go to Yellowstone over a dozen times over the years and every visit has been as unique as the wildlife that we have seen. There have been times when trying to see the park has been a frustrating experience as the cars and RV’s turn the few roads that traverse the park into virtual parking lots. Joining the crowds at Old Faithful and the Grand Prismatic Lake can make it feel more like you are waiting in line at an amusement park rather than enjoying the beauty of one the most spectacular places on earth. Unless you enjoy people watching, there a few tips that should help you have a more enjoyable experience.

Get Off of the Roads – If you want to have a truly memorable experience, talk to the rangers and get a map of the various hiking trails that can be found throughout the park. The rangers will also be able to provide guidance as to which trails should be avoided due to bears or other predators that might be active in the area. Although everyone wants to see wild animals in their natural environment, having a close encounter with a grizzly bear is something that you definitely want to avoid. There are trails to suit almost anyone’s hiking capabilities from the very youngest to the older among us. There are even trails around some of the major attractions that will allow you to see them from angles that other tourists don’t get to see and the lack of crowds will make the experience even better. It is always amazing to us how just jumping onto the trail can transform the park from masses of people into a world of serene isolation.
Getting a Different View
All Alone on a Trail
Views without the Crowds
Go into the Park Early or Late in the Day – Many of the typical tourists that visit the park start their days around 8:00 am and leave the park in time to catch dinner outside of the park. Not only will getting up before dawn and heading into the park or staying until the sun is setting has the dual benefit of avoiding some of the crowds, but also increases the chances of seeing wildlife as the animals are more active as the sun rises and sets. Also, the earlier that you can get to some of the more popular spots, the fewer people you will have to share the experience with. After all, Old Faithful erupts approximately every hour and a half regardless of the time of day.
Brown Bear
Tranquil Pond
Elk Late in the Afternoon
Enter from the North Entrance – Obviously this depends upon where you might decide to stay, but the northern entrance from Montana is usually a little less busy than the West Yellowstone entrance or the southern entrance near Jackson Hole. Both of those entrances are in Wyoming and the southern entrance is probably the busiest. We love combining the Grand Tetons, Jackson Hole, and Yellowstone into a single visit, but perhaps not during the height of the tourist season, which leads directly to the next piece of advice.
Amazing Views
Getting Away from the Road
Grand Prismatic Lake
Go During the Off-Season – Although the only real off-season is winter, the earlier in spring or the later in autumn you are willing to go, the fewer people will be there along side of you. Personally, our favorite time to visit the park is during fall when the leaves are changing and the animals are actively preparing for winter. You need to be extra cautious when hiking in early spring or fall as the animals can be aggressive as they defend their feeding grounds at the end of the year or their newborns early in the year. As we mentioned before, always check with the rangers, regardless of the time of year, before hiking in the park. Don’t confuse the park with a zoo, these are wild animals who just happen to live in an area that is protected.
Moose in Winter
Seeing the Park Differently
Hiking in Autumn

Going to Yellowstone National Park should be on everyone’s list to visit at least once in their lives. You will need several days or preferably a week in order to see as much of the park as possible, so bring your camera, binoculars, and your patience. Hopefully these tips will help make your visit a little better, but just realize that their are a lot of other people who want to see a place with such natural beauty. You will never have the park to yourself, but there are ways to make the most of your experience.