I did a test run on SoMee's new #video platform. I'll detail that experience in my next post. When we visited #BryceCanyon, rather than paying to get into the #NationalPark we scouted around to see what we could for free. Just East of the Canyon right at its base is the city of #Tropic in #Utah. This clip was taken going back West on #StateHWY12 towards Bryce Canyon. We didn't stop to check out #MossyCAve, but it looked like something we might want to check out in the future. The #geology around the #cave looked as interesting as the cave itself. This is a test post to see what the new #SoMeeVideo platform has to offer. My next post will be to recommend features that may be missing and will be needed for a seemless experience using #SoMee. ⁣#SoMee #someeoriginals #originalcontent #photography #RVing #roadtrippin #trail #travel #photography #myphoto #video #SoMeeVideo #LandscapePhotography #nature #scenery #adventure #life #landmarks #InterestingDestinations https://play.somee.social/v/p8vnzW

Today my daydreams brought me back to the #BurningCoalVein. A few hours after taking this photo I saw movement in the area I labeled '#deer' and took out my binculars to see what was going on. It was dusk, so the sun was fading and it took me a minute to get things focused in, but when I did, I saw a deer. At first I thought it was a group of deer, but soon noticed that there were two #coyotes chasing him. I felt honored to be witnessing something you normally only see on a #documentary. Note: This photo is just for reference and does not actually show the animals depicted. This image was taken earlier in the day, but shows the exact location. #SoMee #Awesme #someeoriginals #originalcontent #roadtrippin #travel #photography #myphoto #LandscapePhotography #nature #RVing #Geology #adventure #hiking #backpacking #trail #camping #scenery #CycleOfLife #hunting #LittleMissouriNationalGrassland #MaahDaahHeyTrailhead #NorthDakotaBadlands

As I promised yesterday, here's #HighFalls on the #BaptismRiver in #Minnesota. I have all kinds of shots to share with you all for this #waterfall and even some video, which I'll convert into gifs. It was only two miles to get here from the #trailhead and there are others upstream, but the trail was closed at this point when I was there. The trail also connects to the #SuperiorCrest trail, which pretty much follows #LakeSuperior along the shoreline through all of Minnesota. #SoMee #Awesme #someeoriginals #originalcontent #roadtrippin #travel #photography #myphoto #LandscapePhotography #nature #RVing #Geology #adventure #hiking #backpacking #trail #camping #scenery

Here's another shot from #ChimneyRock to give you a bit more of the #history here. Like I mentioned in a previous post, this was a main #landmark used to help guide the #pioneers back in the early days of the U.S. This is a huge piece of the history from before and after expanding our claims to the far West. The pioneers went through hardships we can only imagine. I really wish we worked with the #NativeAmerican, rather than exploiting them. #SoMee #Awesme #someeoriginals #originalcontent #roadtrippin #hiking #backpacking #trail #travel #photography #myphoto #LandscapePhotography #nature #RVing #Geology #adventure

Here's another mini clip of my #RiverRafting trip down the #RioGrandeRiver in #NewMexico. The water was at near record levels, so normally going under this bridge doesn't require you to do anything special. At this time though, we had to hug the boat, because of those bolts sticking down as we went under. #SoMee #Awesme #someeoriginals #originalcontent #roadtrippin #travel #photography #myphoto #LandscapePhotography #nature #RVing #Geology #adventure #video #gif #mygif #gif #mygif

A little while back I showed you a selfie of me standing in front #ChimneyRock. I just found some video of us driving to it and decided to share, so you could see the landscape around it. Chimney Rock is in the #NebraskaPanhandle on the far West side of the state. #SoMee #Awesme #someeoriginals #originalcontent #roadtrippin #hiking #backpacking #trail #travel #photography #myphoto #LandscapePhotography #nature #RVing #Geology #adventure #video #gif #mygif

Just to make it clear, I don't take selfies. [AlphaHippie] is just always camera happy, so nothing escapes his attention nor shooting finger. The view from here over #MerrittReservoir is quite amazing with the rolling #Sandhills in the background. This was from the first time we checked out the area and have continued to return over the last few years. With free #camping right at the boat launch, it's a perfect spot. The next time we came back AH forgot how tight the #ScenicView'ing parking area was and put us in a bit of pickle trying to turn around. With a 31' RV towing a 24' pontoon boat, things can get a bit tricky at times. To get out of here we had to sacrifice a taillight lens, but he got us turned around. He does all the repairs and maintenance, so I can't get mad if he breaks something, ha ha ha. #SoMee #someeoriginals#originalcontent #photography #Awesme #RVing #roadtrippin #boondocking #hiking #trail #travel #myphoto #LandscapePhotography #nature #scenery #History #adventure #life #geology #FreeCampsites #MerrittReservoirSRA #Nebraska #NebraskaSandhills

Here's another shot from the #RedCliffsWildlifeConservationArea. If you look closely, it looks like a dude lounging back just chilling as part of the outcropping towards the middle. If you look even harder, you can almost see a second one to the right using your imagination a little bit. The dirt road back to this spot was sketchy, but it was very worth the possibility of getting stuck. At the bottom you can see that Nietzsche snuck his way into the shot as well. #SoMee #Awesme #someeoriginals #originalcontent #roadtrippin #boondocking #camping #freecampsites #hiking #backpacking #trail #travel #photography #myphoto #LandscapePhotography #nature #RVing #Geology #adventure

Here's another view from the #RedCliffsWildlifeConservationArea in Southwestern #Utah. The dark reds do really make the scenery pop. There was a city nearby, but it was tucked down pretty deep behind the Bluff that this area created where it started. We couldn't even see the lights, so all the stars in the night shy were bright and sharp. I'll share two images this time. The second is one of the informational plaques at the trailhead to give you a little more info if you open the image. #SoMee #someeoriginals#originalcontent #photography #Awesme #RVing #roadtrippin #boondocking #hiking #trail #travel #myphoto #LandscapePhotography #nature #scenery #History #adventure #life #geology #FreeCampsites

Many of you have seen Lucy in quite a few of [AlphaHippies] posts. but since I'm now on SoMee and am her bestfriend I'll start sharing pictures with her. His bestfriend is Nietzsche, so he'll share those. Here she is checking out the #view over #SilverBay in #Minnesota on the backside of the #LakeSuperior bluffs. This is a #freecampsite AH found that has 360* views with these viewing areas all around the peak. They each have educational plaques giving you some history of the area. I'll include one or two with this post for you to read. While this spot is little more than a parking area, it's a much better experience than staying overnight in a #RestArea. Minnesota is one of the few states that doesn't allow overnight parking in their rest stops, so this was quite convenient for us. We've used this spot a few times now. If you go to the original and the photo of the Plaques, you can easily read all the information. #SoMee #someeoriginals #originalcontent #photography #RVing #roadtrippin #boondocking #hiking #trail #travel #photography #myphoto #nature #scenery #History #adventure #life #geology

We found our way to the #RedCliffsWildlifeConservationArea because of some RV trouble we had. Just before the trip we had a frontend alignment done and the mechanic failed to torque any of the bolts down. Our camber adjustor fell out while we were two-tracking on a backroad near #BryceCanyon in #Utah and the tie rod adjustor sleeves on both sides were loose as well. If you envision Utah being a vast expanse with few amenities, you are 100% correct. There was not one place within a towable distance that could service anything the size of our 31' RV. Towing would have cost $1500 and I wasn't paying that. So, I went on a hike and found the part we lost then put everything back together well enough so we could drive to the only place that could help us. This required us to drive 4 hours in the opposite direction from where we were heading. We couldn't get there before the place closed, so I had to find us a free #boondocking site. This is what I found and the #views turned a negative situation into one that simply added to our adventure. I'm glad it happened how it did, because if the part fell out in a different spot during our journey, it could have sent us down into some very deep rocky valleys. As you can see, Nietzsche and Lucy weren't bothered by the ordeal, LMAO. They love it when we find a new place for them to run free. As soon as we pulled into the #trailhead parking all the stress lifted from me as well. From there on out the negative had turned into a positive. It's a good thing I'm an auto mechanic, among other things. #SoMee #someeoriginals#originalcontent #photography #Awesme #RVing #roadtrippin #boondocking #hiking #trail #travel #myphoto #LandscapePhotography #nature #scenery #History #adventure #life #geology

The #GardenOfTheGods #ObservationTrail is only 1/4 mile long, but the beauty and variety of the #RockFormations you see have you slowing your pace to take pictures and everything around you in. All of the trail is well built from the native rock and perfectly sculpted into a level pathway that will last. You can climb on the rock formations and they have multiple #ScenicOverlooks from the rock cliffs themselves to wooden decks they built in a couple spots. Some of it is even #WheelchairAccessible. This area used to be an ancient shallow sea and after that was further carved out by the #Glaciers. Usually when you hear #Illinois #Chicago comes to mind and you wouldn't even think the state has something like this to offer. The whole Southern part of the state is worth checking out for the adventure minded individuals. #SoMee #someeoriginals #originalcontent #photography #AweSoMee #RVing #roadtrippin #boondocking #hiking #trail #travel #myphoto #LandscapePhotography #nature #scenery #History #adventure #life #geology #GardenOfTheGodsWilderness #ShawneeNationalForest

Would you have guessed this beautiful specimen was a pea? It most certainly is! It's a #WhitePea or #Lathyrus sativus L. It's not your normal cultivated variety, but is edible and beneficial. All parts of the Pea plant are edible, though you will want to eat it as a side dish, not the main course and not often. While it is both #edible and #medicinal, if you consume too much it can cause neurological issues that could lead to paralysis of the lower limbs. The good news is that in moderate quantities it's actually great for your brain and it's being studied as a possible treatment for Alzheimer's and hypoxia. As a matter of fact it may help neuroreceptors responsible for memory to enjoy a longer life cycle. It's also exceptionally high in protein and fiber. The best part is that they are super hardy and work with the enzymes in the soil to help maximize the nitrogen around them. For this reason they are also called green manure, because they are almost as beneficial when tilled into the soil. They could go a long way towards helping agriculture cut down on the chemical fertilizers they use. They used to do this back in the day, which is probably the reason I found them in abundance where I did. These were found in the #NebraskaSandhills where I've been spending a lot of time lately. The #Sandhills soils are not great for crops and are essential to filter the waters that fill the #OgallallaAquifer, which lays beneath them. Because of this they are used to free range cattle and the White Pea as well as other varieties of native Peas and Vetches are a great source of feed for them. I'll bet #Ranchers in the early days sowed these throughout the sandhills for their livestock. #SoMee #someeoriginals #originalcontent #photography #AweSoMee #RVing #roadtrippin #boondocking #hiking #trail #travel #photography #myphoto #nature #scenery #Nebraska #History #adventure #life #geology #FlowerPhotography #PlantIdentification #EdiblePlants #MedicinalPlants

The year before last I went on a #FallColorTour out to the #GardenOfTheGods within the #ShawneeNationalForest in #Illinois. I've shared a couple photos from there, but not from my campsite. There are a few trails within this #WildernessArea, two with free hike-in #camping and one pay campground near the most popular trail, #ObersvationTrail itself. The latter is a short 1/4 mile loop that takes you through the #RockGarden. After checking out the Observation Trail and #hiking a bit of the much longer and more rugged #GardenOfTheGodsTrail, I headed to the #IndianPointTrail, because it was just a short distance from the overnight parking lot. It was also high in the #bluffs with magnificent #views, so a perfect spot. The camping is free on this trail as well. When I woke up this was my view right out my tent door. The area was actually fully enveloped in fog, so this photo is after it burned off a bit. I did get shots at different times while it was burning off, which I'll be sharing with you as well. #SoMee #someeoriginals #originalcontent #photography #AweSoMee #RVing #roadtrippin #boondocking #hiking #trail #travel #photography #myphoto #LandscapePhotography #nature #scenery #Nebraska #History #adventure #life #geology

This was the first time I've seen this beauty and it obviously caught my attention right away. It is in the Daisy Family, so each petal is actually a separate flower. I found this one while #boondocking at the #MerrittReservoirSRA in the #Nebraska #Sandhills. The Sandhills have a cool make-up, because it resembles both rolling #Prairy and a High desert rolled into one. The #IndianBlanketFlower or #GaillardiaPulchella goes by many names, my favorite being 'Firewheel'. The only parts of the #Firewheel considered #edible are the seeds, which can be dried and ground into a seed butter. That being said, it's the oil of the plant itself from all the parts that have #medicinal properties. Traditionally it was used by #NativeAmericans to treat tender nipples from breastfeeding and taken internally as a tea for urinary tract issues. A scientific analysis of the oil show it may be used to treat parasites, has #antitumoral properties, it's cytotoxic meaning it may kill living cells(a good thing when treating cancers) and shows promise as a natural antioxidant, according to The Journal of Oleo Science. It's native to the #Midwest and the Kiowa Tribe consider it to be a sign of good luck. They are choice for #pollinators like bees and butterflies and make for a beautiful ornamental landscaping flower. It's also #Oklahoma's #StateFlower. I think the next time we are out there I'll have [AlphaHippie] harvest some for the seeds. Then we'll start them with the rest of the plants we cultivate in our #garden each Spring. For more information you can check out the Wildflowers of New Mexico here, https://www.wildflowersnm.com/Wildflowers_of_New_Mexico/Gaillardia_pulchella.html #SoMee #someeoriginals #originalcontent #photography #AweSoMee #RVing #roadtrippin #boondocking #hiking #trail #travel #photography #myphoto #nature #scenery #Nebraska #History #adventure #life #geology #FlowerPhotography #PlantIdentification #EdiblePlants #MedicinalPlants #NaturalMedicine #FoodAsMedicine