What a day in Rivendell!

Wow. Did I ever have a day yesterday! Last night, Ron and I finally made the trek to Rivendell. Yes, Rivendell. We packed our bags and made for the refuge near the Misty Mountains. We were chased by the minions of Sauron most of the way so I did not get a chance to take any pictures. The road there was littered with breathtaking views of middle-earth that I had not seen since my childhood. We finally made it to Rivendell, at the crack of dawn, and it was absolutely beautiful. Just as I had left it. Ron and I were both speechless. We ran all over the elf paradise like little kids, taking pictures of everything, like crazy tourists. Apparently we made it there just in time to catch the newly formed "fellowship of the ring". The first picture is with Ron and I on the Bridge of Rivendell with the House of Elrond in the background. I am on the right and Ron on the left. Elrond is such a good guy. Very nice man, despite all his riches. He let us look in all the rooms of the mansion. The next picture is of a very awe-inspired me with the ring-bearer himself, Frodo Baggins. He's actually a little taller than I thought. And I wouldn't tell this to his face, but he was very impatient. I actually barely stole this shot with him while he was walking outside the house. I guess he just has no time for the little people in the world. Haha! The little people! Anyways, I found some other amazing people. In the House of Elrond, we ran into Bilbo Baggins. What a nice hobbit he is. I haven't seen him since I was an elfling. He still has those crazy stories floating around in his old head. The next picture I took is when I was walking around Rivendell and ran into a man named Boromir. He apparently is helping the fellowship as well. I don't know much about him. He wasn't very talkative when I ran into him but I figured hey, I got my camera, better get a picture. You never know when you might see someone again when they are about to venture out on some crazy, idealistic crusade. Anyways, I saved the best for last. The friend of my childhood himself, Aragorn. A lot has happened since we were last together and he was dating my cousin, Arwen. But Aragorn remains the same good person I knew when we hunted boar in the valleys outside of Rivendell. Well, I can't say enough about coming back to this city that I grew up in. I wish you all could have been there. It truly is a refuge from the evils of the world. I wonder when the mormons are gonnna build their temple there.