Xmas at our house here in Durango, CO

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Sure enough. We got married today. Here's a few pictures at the courthouse and hiking. For the story, check out the 9/15/05 blog.

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Just a couple pictures taken while out and about in Bangkok.

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The Grand Palace was established in 1782 after King Rama I’s ascension to the throne. In moving the capital from Thonburi to the opposite site of the Chao Phraya, King Rama I intended to reproduce the destroyed capital of Ayutthaya.

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Ayutthaya was established in 1350 by King U-Thong and was home to Thailand's capital and 33 kings until it fell to the Burmese in 1767. Ayutthaya was a majestic city with three palaces and 400 temples. After a 15 month siege, the Burmese destroyed much of Ayutthaya - even decapitating the heads of many Buddhas.

After visiting Ayutthaya, we went to the banks of the Chaopraya River and Bang Pa In, the summer palace of the kings of Thailand. The temple and palace date back to the 17th century.

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Meaghan and I went down to Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park with Andreas and Claudia. We hiked to caves and sink holes.

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Somehow Meaghan convinced me to go for an overpriced tourist trap. But, like she said "How many times do you really get to ride an elephant?"

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Meaghan and I reached Cheongpyeongsa after a ferry ride across part of Soyang Lake and then a rather easy hike. Cheongpyeongsa is a historic Buddhist temple that was constructed in 973 during King Gwangjong’s reign of the Goryeo Kingdom.

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Meaghan and I opted to get out of Seoul and head for the mountains. We wound up in Chuncheon which provided a base for us to visit Soyang Lake and Cheongpyeongsa.

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Hwaseong, a World Cultural Heritage site, is Suwon’s impressive fortress wall that stretches for 5.7km.

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Meaghan and I went on a tour of temples, castles, palaces and shrines. Because Kyoto escaped WWII bombings, you can pretty much walk in any direction and hit something historic. We visited the Imperial Palace, , Heian Jingu Shrine, Nijo Castle and the Golden Pavillon among others.

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While in Osaka, Meaghan and I visited the Osaka Castle. It was a carnival like atmosphere and we became convinced that they were trying to set a record for the most people eating watermellon. Also, of interest, the Japanese are really into bad fads. The three main groups that we found were 80's glam, punk and rastafari. There's a good picture of a few 80's glam dancers preparing for a dance contest.

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Just a couple pictures of out and about in modern Beijing.

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The Lama Temple is Beijing’s largest and most spectacular temple. The temple was built in 1694 as the residence for the son of the Qing Emperor, Kangxi. It was later converted into a lamasery, a monastery for Mongolian and Buddhist monks. The lamasery features a mix of Mongolian, Tibetan and Han styles and houses a treasury of Buddhist art.

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Meaghan and I hiked Molas Trail down from Molas Lake to the Animas River. The Durango Silverton train came by while we were down there.

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Meaghan and I went over to Pagosa Springs and hiked up to Fourmile Falls. There was still snow on the ground and a lot of debris from several avalanches. The falls drop over 300 feet.

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Hal, Angie, Meaghan and I hiked up Cascade Creek Trail. Meaghan and I had hiked it earlier in the week but my batteries were dead.

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Meaghan and I actually meant to hike Jones Creek Trail but we ended up on Hermosa Creek Trail. So we went about 4 miles in to Clear Creek Trail and down to the water.

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Meaghan and I did seven miles and 1800 vertical feet at Red Creek trail. It certainly wasn't the most difficult but it was real fun and very pretty.

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Meaghan and I went up to Spud Lake for the afternoon. The trail is really easy and there's tons of beaver dams to check out.

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Meaghan and I hiked the Animas Mountain Trail to check out the flooding. Southern Colorado had some decent snow this winter and we've recently had several days of unseasonably temperatures which has caused such a heavy runoff.

Also, there's one picture where Meaghan is pointing. She's pointing at the Haflin Creek Trail that we did last week. It's from the valley floor pretty much straight up to the highest peak.

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Meaghan and I went down to Albuquerque for her birthday and stopped by Sante Fe and Taos on the way back. Here's a few pictures of downtown Taos and the Rio Grande Gorge.

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4,308,549 visitors couldn't be wrong... could they. Of course not. While there's a lot of visitors (even for the off-peak time), the Grand Canyon is rather remarkable. I had been there as a young child but going again as an adult gives a whole new appreciation.

For me, the size and age of the canyon most contribute to its beauty. The canyon was formed about 5-6 million years ago by the Colorado River slicing through the Colorado Plateau. Of course, the river still continues to carve the canyon. As for size, it's big. The national park includes 1,218,376 acres of land and 277 miles of the Colorado River flow through the canyon.

We had intended to hike into the canyon and camp but little did we know that you had to have reservations a year in advance. As such, we walked the rim and hiked a little bit into the canyon via Bright Angel Trailhead.

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Lake Powell was created with the completion of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963 although it took 17 years for the lake to completely fill.

Meaghan and I visited Page, AZ. We hiked down to the Lake (although too cold to swim) and we took the guided tour of the Glen Canyon Dam.

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Canyon de Chelly is a unique experience. It is a smaller canyon outside of Chinle, AZ that provides a glimpse of ancient Anasazi ruins.

We checked out several of the lookouts and did the hike down to the White House Ruins. Apparently these Anasazi ruins date back to 1200 and are some of the oldest in the canyon.

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This is our biggest and best creation. This igloo is two stories high with a sun deck on top. On the first level, the inside room is about 12 ft by 20 ft and it is 8-9 ft tall. The second level is much smaller. Unfortunately, we've had a week of 50 degree temps. But, if we can get some more snow, we'll try and add a third story to it.

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Hal and I took the camera up hoping to get some good air shots. The problem was that my camera has a delay and we ending up getting nothing. Next time I'll have to take the video camera so we can't miss.

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Went back to Atlanta for my mom's birthday and to see my grandmother.

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