The motorcycle madness had left the week before and many of the townspeople seemed somewhat relieved. Sturgis, South Dakota; August, 2014.

The grave and headstone for Wild Bill Hickok. Click the photo to see Calamity Jane's. Deadwood, South Dakota; August, 2014.

Click the photo for more detail. Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota; August, 2014.

Really! I didn't see any aliens or spaceships. I even shouted out the 5 tones from Close Encounters. Nothing, nada, zip. Devil's Tower, Wyoming; August, 2014.

If you click on the photo for a larger version, you can almost see how the battle of the Little Big Horn played out . Custer split his forces and refused re-enforcements before heading down to the villages along the tree line to take women, children, and the elderly as human shields. This was a regular tactic of his. However, he severely underestimated the force awaiting him, was forced to retreat up this hill before taking his last stand. His body was found where the marker with black on the headstone lays. August, 2014; Little Big Horn Battlefield, Crow Agency, Montana.

The Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest hot springs in the US, third largest in the world. (Click the photo for a better viwe) Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming; August, 2014.

The Grand Tetons over Lake Jackson. Grand Tetons National Park, Wyoming; August, 2014.

Let 'er buck! Display in Hamley's Steakhouse and Saloon. Pendleton, Oregon; August, 2014.

Guess where?! Does that look like some sort of comic book drawing instead of my photo? Sun Valley, Idaho; August, 2014.

We just returned from vacation driving across the northern tier of states in the Western US. Longtime Grinders know what that means: Vacation photos! Yep. For the next week or more, you're gonna get your fill of vacation photos, like this one here: Lower Falls, Yellowstone National Park; August, 2014.

Obviously, someone enjoys coming out onto their small balcony and resting their back against the wrought iron. Perhaps with a bottle of vin and some philosophical discourse? Paris, France; September, 2013.

I got my toes in the water, ass in the sandNot a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand,Life is good today, life is good today.

(Zack Brown Band)

Pensacola Beach, Florida; April, 2014.

So if you live in Hurricane Alley right along the shoreline and you want to build a house that is likely to not only survive the winds, but also the storm surge and flooding, you build one big platform and then put your house on that. May not even have to mow any lawn. Gulfport, Mississippi; April, 2014.

From Pilot Butte: The city spread out below, with Broken Top and South Sister on the far horizon. (Click the photo for a better view) Bend, Oregon; June, 2014.

There's not a lot of advantages to getting up at O'dark-thirty to take someone to catch a plane, but this is one of them: being out just before the sun comes up and the rays get scattered across the sky. One has to quickly pull over into a parking lot and start snapping away. (Click no the photo for a much better gander) Cascade Station, Portland, Oregon; August, 2014.

A couple of models ham it up for the camera in front of Ècole Militaire during Fashion Week. Paris, France; September, 2013.

Antique logging truck sitting next to the highway. (Click the photo for more detail) Near Sisters, Oregon; July, 2014.

Lots of interesting things to see down along the docks. On Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, BC, Canada; May, 2014

Decided to walk Mississippi Street for a while before grabbing some breakfast. The sun was only up a little ways, but as we were walking we passed this barber shop created from an old garage, with the garage door rolled up. Portland, Oregon; July, 2014.

The mezzanine level of Timberline Lodge. Mt. Hood, Oregon; July, 2014.

Le Petit Palais, taken from the steps of the Grand Palais. (Click on the photo for a much more detailed version) Paris, France; September, 2013.