Ouray Ice Park... Kim on her first climb

The area of the Park we were in that day was called South Park, and all the climbs here were named after episodes of South Park. This particular climb was titled "Cherokee Hair Tampon" or CHT for short. Nice....

Ouray Ice Park... Kim's first ice climb

Giving ice climbing a try in the only ice park in the world. In a small mountain valley in South West Colorado. Me at the bottom of my first climb, and a view up the river from the bottom of the Uncomphagre Gorge.

More art inside the Kumbum

View from high on the Kumbum

Looking off the back side, up hill. A monk and some ruins. Gyantse's monastery is one of the older monasterys in Tibet.

View from high on the Kumbum

A view over the Tibetan part of town (Gyantse) to the Gyantse Dzong, high on it's hill overlooking the valley.

Gyantse Kumbum art

A mandala painting inside an inner chapel.

Deity image inside the Kumbum

The Kumbum is a 7 story, tiered stupa. The public is allowed on all but the top 2 terraces. Each level is ringed with small chapels, each chapel housing a different deity image. It is an amazing work of art in itself, and each chapel is filled with intricate and intense iconography.

Deity image inside the Kumbum

Gyantse Kumbum

CLICK ON ANY PHOTO

Just a reminder... if you click on any photo you can see it larger and in more detail.

Snowbird 2009

11 inches of fresh powder made for a fun day Monday!!

Gyantse Kumbum... prayer wheels at the entrance

Gyantse Kumbum... at the entrance.

Gyantse dzong from our hotel roof

... complete with drying laundry.

The ladies... in the Landcruiser

...on the way to Shigatse from Gyantse.

Veggie Vendor... Shigatse

Art at the Tenzin Hotel... Shigatse

The Tenzin Hotel in Shigatse

Entrance art and a view of the rooms from the inner courtyard.

At a high pass

These great folks were living up at this high pass selling prayer flags to visitors. Fish traded this man a hand made glass bead for a roll of flags! Also a through-the-windshield glimpse of what it's like to go over a high mountain pass in Tibet. EVERY mountain pass is bedecked like this. They are considered sacred spots.

Official entrance to the Qomolongma National Nature Preserve

If the storm hadn't been approaching, this would have been our first view of Everest (Qomolongma).