I came across this interesting article on an experience that most of us would prefer not to think about too seriously: eating airline food. It posed the question whether it was truly horrible or is it that we expect it to be. It turns out that one big physiological problem to be overcome is the... Continue Reading →
Grand Teton Reverie
I've already posted remarkable collision photographs taken by Jim Brandt, who happens to be the husband of my wife's cousin. Last month, he and his wife visited Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks. Any camera hound knows that these places offer infinite photographic possibilities. Among Jim's photographs, I selected one that for me captures the... Continue Reading →
Thrill of Multnomah Falls (Troutdale, OR)
There are few things more thrilling than standing near a stupendous waterfall. The feeling is almost visceral, mesmerizing. Some people claim that they feel better when standing next to a waterfall, maybe having something to do with the production of enormous amounts of negative ions (oxygen molecules with an extra electron) that research has shown... Continue Reading →
Fall Colors at the Washington Park Japanese Garden (Portland, OR)
Our visit to the Portland Japanese Gardens this past May convinced us that we should make a return trip in October to catch the fall colors. As it turns out, the best time would have been next week, but a prior commitment prevented us from going then. Still, the Japanese maples have begun to color.... Continue Reading →
De Libertas Quirkas: Seattle’s Fremont District
The mock Latin phrase De Libertas Quirkas, unofficial motto of Fremont and proudly encouraged on the side of The Rocket, roughly translates into "Free to be Strange." No other place in Seattle can make that boast when Fremont has a statue of Lenin, a troll under the bridge, the Solstice Parade led by nude, painted bike... Continue Reading →
Rugged Splendor: North Cascades Scenic Highway
Though it was less than 200 miles, it took us almost ten hours to get home. Car trouble? Traffic? Weather? No, it was the scenery. We were in no hurry to get home. Every time I take this drive to and from the Methow Valley, it's hard to keep my eyes on the road, so... Continue Reading →
View to the West (Sun Mountain Lodge, Winthrop, WA)
Part of the scenery in and around the Methow Valley is the spectacular arrangement of mountains and valleys. Looking westward from Sun Mountain Lodge, you can see the steepest peaks in the distance, eroded hillsides in the middle and glacial valleys in the foreground. Millions of years ago, volcanic eruptions covered this entire region with... Continue Reading →
Getting Lost
I found this post as I was browsing through travel blogs on my WordPress Reader. It expresses, in the end, what travel can be if you let yourself go—or go with the flow. My wife and I did a bit of this in Venice and wished we had more time. With thanks to Niti.
Last September, I went to Venice for a weekend with my roommate from Rome. Countless friends had told me that half the fun of the trip would be getting lost in the city and spending the subsequent hours wandering around. Getting lost? Not having a destination? How can that be fun? I thought to myself. Little did I know that it was exactly what I needed.
As a Type A planner by nature, I always needed to know what lay five steps ahead. Then, lo and behold, I encountered this sign. If I went right, it said, I would reach S. Marco Rialto. If I went left, I would reach S. Marco Rialto.
I figured, no matter which way we went, we’d get to S. Marco Rialto. But we kept going in circles. Or zig-zags, or some polygonal path that certainly was not getting us to where we needed to go…
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View at the Top: Christchurch Gondola (NZ)
My son-in-law pointed out the earthquake rubble below us. To my untrained eyes, they just looked like rocks littering the side of Mt Cavendish, but from the gondola car making its way to the top, you could see that many rocks were not covered in lichen, signifying recent movement from their original spots. So many... Continue Reading →
Phoenix Rising: The Optimism of Christchurch
Yesterday's news that a large 6.5 earthquake hit Wellington, New Zealand's capital, following a 5.7 rattler only two days before, was yet another reminder that New Zealand remains seismically active. When I was here earlier in the year, Mt Tongariro on the North Island erupted. Volcanic activity and sudden earth movement are alive and well... Continue Reading →
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