Backpod Highlights "Hands for Americas Panama"

With a mission to educate a global audience on important issues affecting Central America, Backpod acts as a global lens by documenting the work of non-profit organizations that serve populations across the region. Backpod's latest outreach was for Hands for Americas in Panama. Donations to help Backpod continue their good works can be made through Fractured Atlas. 

     To learn more about Backpod visit http://www.backpod.org/. To learn about "Hands for Americas watch Backpods new YouTube video and visit http://www.handsforamericas.org/

Bays Mountain Park, Kingsport, TN

Welcome to Bays Mountain Park. Bays Mountain Park, located in beautiful Kingsport, Tennessee, is a 3,550-acre nature preserve and the largest city-owned park in the state of Tennessee.  Offering a variety of features, visitors to Bays Mountain Park can enjoy a picturesque 44-acre lake, a Nature Center  with a  state-of-the-art  Planetarium Theater, Animal Habitats featuring wolves, bobcats, raptors and reptiles, and an Adventure Ropes Course complete with a 300-ft. zip line.  Outdoor enthusiasts can take advantage of the park’s 38 miles of trails for hiking, running, sight-seeing, exploration and mountain biking

 

 

 

Ted and Jan donated some of our treasures to the Nature Center at the park.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Halle's Welcome Party

Joe, Elle, Halle(3wks old), and Gram Lucy

Proud Grandma and new granddaughter, Halle. 

Proud Mom, Elle, and beautiful new daughter, Halle

Great Grand Parents Susu and Robert Simmons

 

 

Joe, Elle and Halle

 

Elk Creek Campground Tipi Rises

Our summer hangout, Elk Creek Campground in Grand Lake, CO is under new ownership as of August 2012. Don and Rebecca Dean are now at the helm and there have been a lot of updates to the campground in a short period of time.

They have updated and greatly improved the bathrooms, but Don and Rebecca's latest undertaking is a Tipi  The new Tipi is part of the tent area, can accommodate up to eight people and is for rent on a nightly bases.

 

 

 

Follow this link Elk Creek Campground Grand Lake, CO to get additional information on a GREAT place to camp in an RV, tent or cabin....

The Dean's also shared some campground winter scenes.  All the snow is melted and they are open for the 2013 season......

 

Raffaele's Italian Restaurant Kingsport, TN

 

Benvennti Da Raffaele's....had to take a photo of the great Sicilian Deep Dish Vegetarian Pizza we got for lunch yesterday at Raffaele's.  This is a giant pizza with everything but the kitchen sink on it. Had lunch there and took home enough for at least two more meals. If your in the Kingsport area you have to try this PIZZA!

Gus Has A Hair Cut

On Sunday our back porch was a Doggie Spa!  Colby and Joe's Poodle, Gus, got a new DO!!!

 

Virginia Creeper Trail Day Trip

Colby and Joe came to visit for the weekend. Since we live only about an hour from the Virginia Creeper Trail they decided to dust off their bikes for a day trip down the trail. 

The Virginia Creeper is a shared-use trail (mountain biking, hiking, equine) connecting Abingdon, Virginia, 
with the Virginia-North Carolina border 1.1 miles east of Whitetop Station, Virginia. The total length of the trail is 33.4 miles

 

There are 47 trestles and bridges along the Virginia Creeper Trail.