road trip with nate

Wednesday morning we headed out to explore the cities and mountains to the southwest of us. Fortunately, we had a clear morning and we had stunning views of the snow covered mountains the whole way there.

Unfortunately the pictures don't do justice to the view. These mountains are big guys, soaring to 15,000 feet. The valley where we live is only about 300 feet above sea level, so it is quite spectacular to see these amazing peaks in the distance!



We stopped at another city and explored the bazaar a bit. Nathan especially liked this young boy, sitting in his box, selling nasty tobacco-like stuff...

The road we took on our journey is brand new, compliments of the Chinese Government. We don't know exactly what they are getting in return, but you can be sure its a good deal for them. These roads are still being worked on and as you travel you will find these little camps full of Chinese slaves workers. All along the road we saw lots of Chinese men working...

We saw lots of animals along the way...


Here are a few other scenic pictures from the drive...



We drove up one valley that reminded us of Norway. Maybe it was just the low clouds...

We gained enough elevation that Ella even found the material for one last snowball...

We are now down in the capital city. Nathan will be here until early Monday morning and then he is on his way back to his family. We have had a wonderful time with Nathan. He will be missed! I want to also take this time to extend an open invite to all you out there to also come out for a visit. We'd love you have you, too!