For National Parks Fans...

I have two more National Parks to talk about, both from my recent trip. The first is Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and the second is Mesa Verde. Both in Colorado, both parks we visited on the way home from Pike's Peak. Because, heck, if you're going to drive all the way from California to Colorado, you might as well get a good sampling of what Colorado has to offer.

Here are a couple of small samples of these parks.

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New Releases!

For those of my readers in the UK, today is a big day. It's the day my brand-new novel DON'T LET ME GO is on sale.

For my US readers, the wait shouldn't be long. Within a few months we should see a US edition. And in the meantime, SECOND HAND HEART is out in the US (please see the "buying buttons" on the Second Hand Heart page), and next month WHEN I FOUND YOU will release in the US. That should give you plenty to read while you're waiting.

And today, on the day DON'T LET ME GO hit UK stores, I discovered that the Amazon.co.uk page for next year's novel has been created.

Here's what it says:

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Pike's Peak Cog Railway

For those of you who followed the reports of my trip, you may know that the cog railway trip up to Pike's peak summit was the centerpiece of the whole outing. It had been a bit of a bucket list item for my mom, who is 89. The timing was not ideal. Her back had been giving her some trouble. But she got the blessing of her chiropractor to go. Probably because he knew the same thing we both knew. If not the September, then maybe not for a full year. And then...who knows?

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Bryce Canyon, Early

Got home from my trip yesterday afternoon. It's unusual for me to already have one blog post about the trip, with photos. But that's what comes of an RV park with free WiFi.

Still, I want to back up and chronicle some of the other amazing places I saw. And, of course, get the photos up online.

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Pike's Peak: Promises, Promises

Updated on Thursday, September 29, 2011 at 10:47AM by Catherine

Pike's Peak summit from Lightning PointHere are a few photos from my hike up the Barr Trail to Barr Camp, which is 6.5 miles and 3,800 vertical feet, or a little better than half the way to Pike's Peak summit. I just got back to the motor home about an hour ago.

I'd had the night's reservation for Barr Camp for a long time. The better part of a year. I spent that time wrestling with myself about the summit. I had two choices. I could hike up to Barr Camp, spend a night in the fall aspens, and hike back down the next day. Then the day after that I could take my mother up to the summit on the cog railway. (That's really the purpose of the trip. It's something of a bucket list item for her.) Second

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More...Unusual Pets

Those who follow this blog know I've been doing an occasional More Puppy or More Kitty feature. Highlighting first my own dog (and my dearl departed late dog), then the dogs and cats of my reader-friends. I even did a More Bunny blog post as a foray into slightly more unusual pets.

In the past, I've had some rather unusual pets myself. I stumbled across their photos while looking for something different, and decided to do an "Unusual Pets" post.

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