More Euro Vacation

We found that Tour de France fever is already taking over parts of Europe.  This year, the race begins in Utrecht, Holland.  But, just a hint, the race is already over and guess who won?  And who got the babes?

Great Euro Vacation Pt. 3

A few interesting signs I found in the Netherlands...

Great Euro Vacation Pt. 2

More from Amsterdam...  Sherm and Miriam on the canals...

And immortalized in stone...

Some giant, mutant flowers...

I had some pics from the torture museum, but we're still trying some of that stuff out.  So you'll have to settle for some stained glass windows from our hotel's stairwell.

Great Euro Vacation Pt. 1

First stop...Amsterdam...

SLC has a great new flight...  direct to Amsterdam.  I'm not sure it was worth it, but we spent to bucks for Biz Class.  Here's my $1000 glass of champaign.

Arriving in Amsterdam, we were surprised by the taxi service from Schiphol airport...  one company was using Teslas for cabs!  What a ride!

We stayed at the American Hotel in the Leidseplein Square area of Amsterdam.  The room view was terrific...

Very nice old world hotel with a beautiful cafe...

We took a canal cruise... passing many of the 2500 houseboats parked along the canals, along with other personal watercraft.  The canals are getting so crowed that they actually have no parking signs at critical passage points...

We were also close to several of the famous museums, the Riks and the Van Gogh... and the expansive green areas around them.  Filled with curious sculptures...

Nearby was an interesting bartending school???  (where's Miriam?)

And an Amsterdam oxymoron?

Finally, from our hotel room, a cool comm tower...  It's flat here, no mountaintops to broadcast from, so they have to erect these way cool structures for their communications needs...

OK, not the pics you might expect, just the oddities that strike me about a place...   

Bloomin' Cactus (Cacti? Cactuses?)

This time of year, my 11th Ave front cactus garden comes alive, with California poppies surrounding the cactus blooms.  And all the recent rain sure helps.  Here's a few pics...

The Greatest Generation?

I think those of us who fought the culture wars of the '60s deserve some credit as the greatest generation.

Cinco de Mayo Pt4--The Leaving

We all managed to pack up the next day, hoping to beat an expected heavy storm.  But others remained, searching for the lost gold of the San Rafael...

Cinco de Mayo Pt3--The Party

After a long absence, Bobby D reunited with Marsh to host the Saturday cocktail hour Mai Tai Party (Cinco de Maui?).  Lots of good food and drink brought everyone together.

As the afternoon turned into evening, we got another treat...  the (almost) full moon rising above the desert monoliths...

Then the dark became darker...  and darker...  who remembers?

Cinco de Mayo Pt2--The Hike

The next morning, after the hangover cobwebs cleared, several of us headed down the Mexican Mt. road to the Black Box trailhead.  It was a beautiful day and perfect temperature.  Apparently there had been just enough moisture to stimulate the cactus into blooming.  What a treat!

Not only were the cactus blooming, but there were some wonderful wildflowers as well, a few I'd never seen before in this part of the desert.

We finally reached the Black Box and spied the San Rafael river way below....

We explored the area for awhile, finding some new overlooks, then headed back to camp as the call of a cold one became over powering...