Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Lighthouse and Custer State Park

My Sisters sons were all born in September and October plus I have a brother in law in there too, so more masculine cards to come.  My family are all in Michigan, and  I think of water and lighthouses so that is why I did this card.  The stamped image was colored with markers.



Taylored Expressions -- From my window stamp set colored with markers
Spellbinders -- Lg. deckled Rectangles
October Afternoon -- Campfire papers
Button from flea market 
Twine from gift packaging

I am sharing this post once again with Stephanie's Roses of Inspiration link up .  Last week there was a lot of Autumn Inspiration now that we are into our new season, wonder what this week will hold.  

Now to share the last half of our day, after we left Mt. Rushmore and had a bite to eat in town we went on to Custer State park.  

I spotted these Pronghorns first. It was a bit better picture than I got at the Badlands.



Then we stopped at the visitors station inside the park and the gentlemen told us what part of the park the buffalo were last sighted so we headed that way and wow did we find them. You can see the shadow of our car in this picture to let you know how close they were. 


This one I took through the windshield of the car as they were crossing the road in front of us, needless to say I drove through this area never using the gas, very slowly so if they decided to dart across the road I would have no problem stopping, it was so neat to watch them move around and interact with each other.


A neat wooden bridge we drove over, we decided to get out and take some pictures of the stream running under it, yep that's my hubby down there in the center.

This was the view once I made it to the center of the bridge.


There is nothing better that God has blessed us with then a combination of water trees and mountains, in my opinion, there is just something about it that brings me peace and I feel so close to him, we spent a bit of time here as there was no one else on the road at the time.

Then we headed up a drive that we were told about back where we ate lunch, I could have shared so many pictures of what lead up to this point but at the top this is the rock formation that is up there and it is called the Needle eye.  The sun was setting at this point.


There were many tunnels on this drive through the rock but since they had an area to get out and park at here at the needle I was able to get a shot of the tunnel you drive through just before the needle area.

And my last is the same area just looking down, I thought this was neat how the trees are growing in all that rock.


We left here and made our way down the mountain, we were glad we left when we did since it is very dark and a lot of turns and twist getting back down, when we reached the bottom there was a turn off and we parked there and just checked out the beautiful night sky without all the lights of town, an amazing sight we don't see out here in the city.  If you get the chance I would encourage you to take the trip out there, just amazing land God has blessed us with to enjoy!

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by, thanks so much for your sweet comments on my cards and the pictures of my trip so far.

Connie

15 comments:

Celestina Marie said...

Hi Connie, your card is amazing. Sounds like you have a heavy birthday time this fall. This card is darling and perfect for anyone in Michigan. Love the light house!!
Your travel pics are beautiful. Such a blessing to see and enjoy God's country.
Thank you for sharing.
Hugs and Blessings, cm

CherylQuilts said...

Oh, Connie, what a great masculine card, and I'm with you. We have birthdays for all three sons in October/November, Walt's brother in November, and our younger grandson coming up in early-October. So it's a big masculine card time for me too. And what amazing photos of your trip. Yes, God has surely blessed us with an amazingly beautiful and intriguing earth that sings of His mighty power and glory! Hugs!

Dreaming of Vintage said...

I love your card Connie! That lighthouse stamp is so cute! Great photos too! I loved Custer State Park. Seeing buffalo up close was really cool!

Anne Payne said...

You certainly live in a beautiful area of our country. Nice card for a guy, too! that's sometimes such a challenge, getting the right blend to create a masculine card. Good job!
Visiting from Roses of Inspiration blog hop.

Cathymac said...

Wonderful masculine card, Connie! Lighthouses are perfect images for the men in our lives! September and October are heavy birthday months for our family as well. Your photos are gorgeous…we certainly are a blessed people to live in such a beautiful country!

Anonymous said...

Connie, love your card. I need to get motivated and start stamping.

I am so enjoying your vacation pictures! Simply beautiful.

Alex said...

It's hard to find cards for Boys! You don't have that particular challenge :)
I like the lighthouse card!
What stunning scenery you drove through. So exciting to get up close to the huge buffalo.

Christine said...

How neat is that card! Love it!
Thanks for sharing more pics of your vacation! Amazing scenery but those bison were too close for comfort!

Leslie Miller said...

Another great masculine card, and it sounds like the lighthouse is a good choice. You sure do get lots of practice at guy cards! LOVE the pics. You make me want to take off down the road. I agree about the mountains and trees and streams being so peaceful and beautiful. I am so enjoying this as you share your vacation with the rest of us.

Michele Kovack said...

I struggle with masculine cards myself! This one is right on the money! Love your travel pics too!

Sandra said...

My Mothers side of the family comes from Maine. So seeing lighthouses have been a part of what I have grown up with. And my husbands first choice would be to live by the ocean. Your card is just perfect for your family. I love seeing all the wildlife around us. The buffalo's amaze me! All your pictures are great and a wonderful way for you to always look back on and remember such a special event in your life. I have enjoyed seeing your travels.

Debbie said...

first, your card...awesome!!!! i have a deep love for lighthouses and it is such a beautiful card!!!

i enjoyed viewing your vacation images. i glad you took the time to stop and smell the roses along the way!!! great captures!!!!

Pam Sparks said...

Fabulous masculine card Connie! love it! Gorgeous photos too! I haven't been to the Black Hills since I was a kid. We need to do that some day! :D TFS!

Chris Olsen, Glowbug said...

What a perfect masculine card, Connie!! I love lighthouses and they are perfect for masculine cards. Our family has a few birthdays in Sept. and Oct. too, including mine (at least that is one less card for me to have to make...LOL!)
Your photos are gorgeous!! It certainly shows the splendor and majesty of our creator!! It makes me feel closer to Him also!! Thanks so much for sharing.
hugs,
Chris

Bethany Carson said...

Lovely view, wooden bridge, and rock formations! You captured some very neat photos of the wildlife as well. Thanks for sharing them with us! I can definitely understand you driving slowly--smart move! We have a lot of white-tailed deer here in Iowa, so we have to be careful.