tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69912262024-03-23T11:14:03.912-07:00Life of KeithThere is something for everyone on this blog.Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.comBlogger1061125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6991226.post-76277179185812444302014-06-30T18:58:00.000-07:002014-06-30T18:58:09.161-07:00College World Series 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoRAYhz_Z1qWmxBp8-Oj6WMoLmwt6ADHI0vwsdlPmAZZDjf5c4WwAOsF0m5JF2nOUXSJ2m7SSnprw7O4-4yMzq-5qy0I7SfiSYomAdJYITNSOzLtGzoz_xQUPtb-qV51OEORdGw/s1600/CWS_GroupStatium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoRAYhz_Z1qWmxBp8-Oj6WMoLmwt6ADHI0vwsdlPmAZZDjf5c4WwAOsF0m5JF2nOUXSJ2m7SSnprw7O4-4yMzq-5qy0I7SfiSYomAdJYITNSOzLtGzoz_xQUPtb-qV51OEORdGw/s1600/CWS_GroupStatium.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
For the first time ever I went to see some of the NCAA College World Series in Omaha, NE. Traveled with a group of friends, pictured above. I think it was everyone's first time going to the CWS.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho56RvCRJ6UnpIP1od9PElfUXkaruMKVCQ3Hld2jqrg0VNtfgmDmgENwZdfLNBYcK_qR7HTn9fI9sTywjJHP64PFOyBCCvGdwiyufjncmu5iIlAk6YGlWXwxf83pZnb0IizIqjwA/s1600/IMAG1088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho56RvCRJ6UnpIP1od9PElfUXkaruMKVCQ3Hld2jqrg0VNtfgmDmgENwZdfLNBYcK_qR7HTn9fI9sTywjJHP64PFOyBCCvGdwiyufjncmu5iIlAk6YGlWXwxf83pZnb0IizIqjwA/s1600/IMAG1088.jpg" height="320" width="181" /></a></div>
<br />
It was also my first time in Omaha and Nebraska, so add a new state to my list. Our hotel was in the center of the city, where there are tons of bars and restaurants within a short walking distance, such as the Upstream Brewery.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjoprx20VQU-aCByW9OluPPvbDc-UCP8HbihbW1kSkIJhQC9pETaqm45kEThXZPJ1jZSuSgkGbc8WImGECKFUAy4TlJE-OEcWdlBK21B_xl3uAPF4e3BPWQj2tOfoKKmb60ydd7g/s1600/IMAG1100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjoprx20VQU-aCByW9OluPPvbDc-UCP8HbihbW1kSkIJhQC9pETaqm45kEThXZPJ1jZSuSgkGbc8WImGECKFUAy4TlJE-OEcWdlBK21B_xl3uAPF4e3BPWQj2tOfoKKmb60ydd7g/s1600/IMAG1100.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
We had tickets for a total of three games, but saw only parts of all three, as we showed up later and left early the first day, partly because of how hot it was, and our seats were in the sun. I forget what teams we saw, but I really don't care about teams unless my college team was playing, and there weren't.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzfrYaVhzz_0K62nWc8jgV66o9CA0z3m48vC06qq-rpzGniOVK3x_5fOYoyR_c96s-FlGDMpdLxbwmWXfn1xTe0WFZMoqVEWlcGt9BSA5fW_cqejo-IWWC1tTeGEmAoFWviLWjoQ/s1600/IMAG1104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzfrYaVhzz_0K62nWc8jgV66o9CA0z3m48vC06qq-rpzGniOVK3x_5fOYoyR_c96s-FlGDMpdLxbwmWXfn1xTe0WFZMoqVEWlcGt9BSA5fW_cqejo-IWWC1tTeGEmAoFWviLWjoQ/s1600/IMAG1104.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The second game we had tickets to was canceled due to thunderstorms near by as soon as we walked in. So we went to the bar across the and had some beers before it started pouring rain. Being from Southern California, I had never seen so much rain. People were probably wondering why I was taking so many photos of the rain. There was also lots of lightening, and we probably should not have been outside under a tent, but it was dry and everyone was having a good time waiting out the storm, which only got stronger, so we ran to another bar and got soaking wet.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_AuVjKukrTBqpTMupIFFnA3bnDErqQ6uf4ryt8UgSlooXUoyMO59afB1DDom-S3AnoC-t2qfOXhKFBOXmGi7Ql2ibSnARvL8b67JXivVwK36d11I_vLZxtta4FRhK5C5ZqZHQdg/s1600/IMAG1114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_AuVjKukrTBqpTMupIFFnA3bnDErqQ6uf4ryt8UgSlooXUoyMO59afB1DDom-S3AnoC-t2qfOXhKFBOXmGi7Ql2ibSnARvL8b67JXivVwK36d11I_vLZxtta4FRhK5C5ZqZHQdg/s1600/IMAG1114.jpg" height="320" width="181" /></a></div>
Nearby the hotel was a park next to the Missouri River. On the second morning I took a walk by myself for 90 minutes and explored the area. It is so green there and they had lakes and fountains like the one in the picture above.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9NBkf4oFb0inIauVK4U8r86t4-KLo5UeXZLnW4IfFw4j1LCg36X2SGCLMtC16Rac6QddizOQ6nL2bPAQlRIIzh-Q6pz91IALjASrZOskUn_EAa9Ndhw2LhFAoxDaYEXPyFjOj-w/s1600/IMAG1126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9NBkf4oFb0inIauVK4U8r86t4-KLo5UeXZLnW4IfFw4j1LCg36X2SGCLMtC16Rac6QddizOQ6nL2bPAQlRIIzh-Q6pz91IALjASrZOskUn_EAa9Ndhw2LhFAoxDaYEXPyFjOj-w/s1600/IMAG1126.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I wandered around until I reached the pedestrian bridge that crosses the river, so I was in both states at once. It was also my first time in Iowa, where we went to a casino the previous day.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq4Um9hp2k31BjMR9akEZdY0QOCkHeMIde-2c_fk-xGy76girXWEcU006hJD0yDmkhXRKK7xCmuRJmiHXzkIJYqwNlALx7o2sY-pGn2iiZiIuQ9q9V-NqY5rN0MTOanHa3MP-0cw/s1600/IMAG1136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq4Um9hp2k31BjMR9akEZdY0QOCkHeMIde-2c_fk-xGy76girXWEcU006hJD0yDmkhXRKK7xCmuRJmiHXzkIJYqwNlALx7o2sY-pGn2iiZiIuQ9q9V-NqY5rN0MTOanHa3MP-0cw/s1600/IMAG1136.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
This was the big storm, luckily no tornadoes. We arrived Thursday evening and left Sunday morning. Both flights had a stop with a aircraft change, and all the flights were delayed for various reasons, making it lucky we made our connections. We all brought carry-ons so no one lost their luggage. I had a great time and may even go back some day.Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6991226.post-63293664214507663922014-03-26T19:25:00.002-07:002014-03-26T19:25:54.860-07:002014 NCAA Tournament<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4qp8O6GCxD2WjMn-KtaP4ka67SbaqYHRlzB_g_V9OMwUln2xQ4gX-u64fMdgmmhkBh8dG4TwgdegmStzALUCbom7M4LiWHcULht-emPnsnvybYdv_dQSnd7hz7hoJP3oTfhPJQ/s1600/G1AzAtWeb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4qp8O6GCxD2WjMn-KtaP4ka67SbaqYHRlzB_g_V9OMwUln2xQ4gX-u64fMdgmmhkBh8dG4TwgdegmStzALUCbom7M4LiWHcULht-emPnsnvybYdv_dQSnd7hz7hoJP3oTfhPJQ/s1600/G1AzAtWeb.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></div>
Back in 2006 I attended the NCAA tournament games at what was then called Cox Arena on the San Diego State campus. We had fun, so when it was announced that they would be having the tournament again at what is not called Vejas Arena on the San Diego State campus I was all in. There were to be four games on Friday for the round 2 of the top 64, and then four games on Sunday for the top 32.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwfpZrGC6SD8s9nbA9-k3YGU6BhMDfuQdmZ2XYbaalYPbqCdPugYg_9TnnQK6mFO-UphZuS7i_zooKdKzxx_alstwfKMTZs5OI5le7L84zHjpCYJdqZgf3TRcZcAm2qUo8j4lFA/s1600/G2GonAtOSU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwfpZrGC6SD8s9nbA9-k3YGU6BhMDfuQdmZ2XYbaalYPbqCdPugYg_9TnnQK6mFO-UphZuS7i_zooKdKzxx_alstwfKMTZs5OI5le7L84zHjpCYJdqZgf3TRcZcAm2qUo8j4lFA/s1600/G2GonAtOSU.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></div>
On Friday the first game was at 11:30, so we had to to meet up and have breakfast at the same restaurant as we did in 2006 - The Original Pancake House. Funny thing is, it was the people who did not go with us in 2006 that made that decision. So the tradition was kept alive, except now that we are older we did pound a few beer before going out to breakfast.<br />
<br />
The person driving worked at SDSU so he had a free parking pass and knew where to park that was close and not crowded. We got parked quickly and set up our tailgating. We weren't sure if tailgating was allowed, but no on stopped. Since there is no alcohol sales at these NCAA events, we had a few drinks before heading in.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTgElqVnb_S2qtefuSYZpwPCbyZkrHp6UewWhTfDLSBb-_oTBEFEczCajRLSeINAZDn1euoG0ULYWy0nEcSjz3VLLkZiOAX_fmsbFSH0kN6azxYuK00Zbi6Tp88CeNQn-3dLoalQ/s1600/G3VCU_AtSFA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTgElqVnb_S2qtefuSYZpwPCbyZkrHp6UewWhTfDLSBb-_oTBEFEczCajRLSeINAZDn1euoG0ULYWy0nEcSjz3VLLkZiOAX_fmsbFSH0kN6azxYuK00Zbi6Tp88CeNQn-3dLoalQ/s1600/G3VCU_AtSFA.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></div>
The day had two session of two games each. Between each session everyone had to leave the arena and then re-enter, at least for those who had tickets to both sessions, which we did. Our seats were way better than last time when we were stuck in bench seating. Also, ticket prices had at least doubled. The first game was Arizona at Weber St. I had never heard of Weber St. It is somewhere in Utah. Arizona was expected to win, and they did, but it took them five minutes into the game to score their first points.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHITwdTtS9teeSHGZ1uXCukj9MTxX2MRY4jbp-s35mgnpywqRhf8wg9zlBg1iQJuDXMNJ_2cqGXUjtcaKwMmP7OAbqR_ximxNiXiGNs1RLZ7vP9FE26S8O8ZJ6Sayq3wR5XUAueQ/s1600/G4UCLA_AtTulsa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHITwdTtS9teeSHGZ1uXCukj9MTxX2MRY4jbp-s35mgnpywqRhf8wg9zlBg1iQJuDXMNJ_2cqGXUjtcaKwMmP7OAbqR_ximxNiXiGNs1RLZ7vP9FE26S8O8ZJ6Sayq3wR5XUAueQ/s1600/G4UCLA_AtTulsa.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></div>
The second game was Gonzaga at Oklahoma State. This was probably the most boring of the games, mostly because the officials called so many fouls in the second half. Gonzaga ended up winning.<br />
<br />
After we cleared out, we gathered up two more friends who were there for the second session and went back to the car for some more drinks.<br />
<br />
The third game was VCU and Stephen F.Austin, another unknown college, and this ended up being the best game of the day. VCU was winning most of the game, but SFA somehow made some big shots at the end of the game, and with four seconds remaining and down by four points, they made a three point basket AND were fouled. The player made the free throw and the game was tied! The crowd, not really caring about either team, suddenly became SFA fans and were cheering them on. They ended up winning and got a standing ovation. Also, sitting near us, was a young man who was the biggest SFA fan there. Near the end of the game he ran down the stairs, and sure enough he tried to run onto the court, where he was bear hugged and stopped by a large man. We all thought he was going to get kicked out, but somehow he, and his friend, got back to their seats. Later during the last game this kid was able to get the team to sign his shirt, so he was happy.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWc3FtQrQrZSqDqkWdTZIlSx_ZEXTvCoPmJ249y8vYfULtHCSN9g3Cjv3Z2Veg1d8lQeSyTJAxueCMbouad78DSj-BoEuW9YN8ZMP6zyi4RzUpyM0FJ8Ob9NtZfJnUvRrlXxzyjw/s1600/G5SFA_AtUCLA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWc3FtQrQrZSqDqkWdTZIlSx_ZEXTvCoPmJ249y8vYfULtHCSN9g3Cjv3Z2Veg1d8lQeSyTJAxueCMbouad78DSj-BoEuW9YN8ZMP6zyi4RzUpyM0FJ8Ob9NtZfJnUvRrlXxzyjw/s1600/G5SFA_AtUCLA.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></div>
The final game of the night, and it had already been a long day, was Tulsa at UCLA. I had my UCLA shirt on since I go to their football games. There was a lot of blue in the arena and UCLA defiantly had a home field court advantage. They won, but the game wasn't too exciting. By the time we left we had been there for almost 12 hours. It was so late we opted to skip dinner and just go home.<br />
<br />
So I had Saturday to rest - except I didn't I had a BBQ to attend, where I had more beer and lots of good food with friends. After getting home I stayed up until past midnight and slept in to almost noon. Luckily our meeting time was 1:30 since the first game on Sunday was 4:00 PM. My friend and I rode down with another friend had his daughter. We directed them to the same parking garage, but had to pay to park this time.<br />
<br />
We walked to the 4.0 Deli on campus and got some food and beer before heading into the arena. The deli was packed, as there only a few places near the campus that sell beer and food.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYxL2A-d10LejxgJvmA3pDKQjgI2x6PQnfFFgQyWp3a3QNc0x8iuGjXfNvfEyC93Qk-rO409XeMIaEIsiCyN7I8SISzSpYjiIMOpuxcK8K-CJ7SolUFMDX4_zMa9Z3VEJdhItcaw/s1600/G6AzAtGon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYxL2A-d10LejxgJvmA3pDKQjgI2x6PQnfFFgQyWp3a3QNc0x8iuGjXfNvfEyC93Qk-rO409XeMIaEIsiCyN7I8SISzSpYjiIMOpuxcK8K-CJ7SolUFMDX4_zMa9Z3VEJdhItcaw/s1600/G6AzAtGon.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></div>
My friend and his daughter were Arizona fans, and this time I wore my Aztecs shirt and was happy that they had won on Saturday. The first game was Stephen F. Austin at UCLA, and SFA didn't do so good this time, and UCLA won, but the crowd still have the player of SFA a loud cheer as they walked off the court.<br />
<br />
Finally it was the sixth and last game, Gonzaga and Arizona. Arizona dominated the game and the fans started to leave before the game ended, including us, as we all had to work the next day.<br />
<br />
I have to say, I and my fill of college basketball for a few years. Six games in one weekend is a lot, but I had fun and would do it again.Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6991226.post-32990713397654123492014-03-17T18:14:00.001-07:002014-03-17T18:14:44.450-07:00Spring Training Trip 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYwuVup2z_O4V3dqw-4MaO5bk6a12eaLF6_RwNsGPPaMMTT6xYcGA62QNVf0ZAiXgBUvsOApz63ABRwoTamH-JoiyWDWVVbCpK_LHKk9qqQzSPzM0FYF1SQo6_KbwVjB9XIBi7PQ/s1600/GroupFirstDayMarg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYwuVup2z_O4V3dqw-4MaO5bk6a12eaLF6_RwNsGPPaMMTT6xYcGA62QNVf0ZAiXgBUvsOApz63ABRwoTamH-JoiyWDWVVbCpK_LHKk9qqQzSPzM0FYF1SQo6_KbwVjB9XIBi7PQ/s1600/GroupFirstDayMarg.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Almost every year for 20 years I've been going to watch Spring training baseball in Arizona (once in Florida) and once again I made it this year. At first my friend who organizes the trip said he wasn't going to plan a group trip, just one for this family. But then he ended up buying 20 tickets for two games and so I bought my airline ticket to fly out.<br />
<br />I got there late Friday night. Usually we all fly together, but this year everyone drove except me. I got to the hotel in time to get some food and beer at the bar. I was soon joined by a few more from the group and we ended up talking until past closing time. They were nice enough to not kick us out.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqfP76InHz8rfkclo0Z9u3rXNC7Ntq63-V5dDLGjNUYYnFPYec0P2mj81Y21KDKY-Zueap6nNBPFhfaZORVBKi8QsSNzjo210BKuIZmYtnNNmzZrmSYumyqFqRHzTiDhaJuHJjZA/s1600/IMAG0933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqfP76InHz8rfkclo0Z9u3rXNC7Ntq63-V5dDLGjNUYYnFPYec0P2mj81Y21KDKY-Zueap6nNBPFhfaZORVBKi8QsSNzjo210BKuIZmYtnNNmzZrmSYumyqFqRHzTiDhaJuHJjZA/s1600/IMAG0933.jpg" height="181" width="320" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The first game was at the new Cubs park in Mesa. We had a little trouble finding it because the GPS took us to the old location. Well, we still had time to get to the correct park, do some tailgating and get in before first pitch. It wasn't hot, but it was nice that we had seats in the shade the whole game. For food and drink I had an Old Style and a bratwurst.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBegdO8baYKnlt_wz1snkxMxwLsN6E8IfR0AZCMoux2e4hfus8gBpe6kiNdL-MRDp7OKz39MWjSqCKJGd3nqmTTCFusqCLzyPzlJDrJrBrWrESxITD17kcDWfQtl11qUjThWv4g/s1600/IMAG0928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBegdO8baYKnlt_wz1snkxMxwLsN6E8IfR0AZCMoux2e4hfus8gBpe6kiNdL-MRDp7OKz39MWjSqCKJGd3nqmTTCFusqCLzyPzlJDrJrBrWrESxITD17kcDWfQtl11qUjThWv4g/s1600/IMAG0928.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGno3UfTtaM2rVU_9LOYvF5AAbRir_SZvczweu8pkrHxXYLKHc6YA_6hiRcwx3GubpFchT5chl40XEGQcpI8hb3gP4OPWHBDdNU7dYEA8Sh5jYkuxhO-pDcnwxIYPWrjXLgxh7w/s1600/IMAG0926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGno3UfTtaM2rVU_9LOYvF5AAbRir_SZvczweu8pkrHxXYLKHc6YA_6hiRcwx3GubpFchT5chl40XEGQcpI8hb3gP4OPWHBDdNU7dYEA8Sh5jYkuxhO-pDcnwxIYPWrjXLgxh7w/s1600/IMAG0926.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIXSmOYX96s4oLliB3zNZh9gUP2pCVdxhqH1eGGJ4Y-tQ3AqTve95o8UHCKaTGI66-A3kf5M9xFrOujIsSGqtSuLH-JUMEDIj42I7NlVJCeZ2UQM21vPEcO59ZnGFK-ZAOHb2sQ/s1600/ZOE_0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIXSmOYX96s4oLliB3zNZh9gUP2pCVdxhqH1eGGJ4Y-tQ3AqTve95o8UHCKaTGI66-A3kf5M9xFrOujIsSGqtSuLH-JUMEDIj42I7NlVJCeZ2UQM21vPEcO59ZnGFK-ZAOHb2sQ/s1600/ZOE_0002.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></div>
Above is my lunch and a view of the outside of the park. Right after the game was over a freak storm hit with a little rain and strong wind blowing more dust than rain.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq0VjxpA0uYZl2yl5D-sVw27s2MleRNROjW9joDMVtx5d5Fvq6eYT-f_dP2CXjOCJWcCENYzyJe38ST8zPsrJUqgWeJweYQxpcT5XpsavCeo6TjaQgr3Myaw3DiApAPU9cHXXYHw/s1600/IMAG0925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq0VjxpA0uYZl2yl5D-sVw27s2MleRNROjW9joDMVtx5d5Fvq6eYT-f_dP2CXjOCJWcCENYzyJe38ST8zPsrJUqgWeJweYQxpcT5XpsavCeo6TjaQgr3Myaw3DiApAPU9cHXXYHw/s1600/IMAG0925.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></div>
On Friday night after eating pizza in the hotel banquet room, we went to the bowling alley across the street where after two games of just breaking 100 I was done. My yearly bowling.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFXlQCgf8A5HHjZtGAV8FxJqsaVMhs6PGa-vGc9-tDDyqaCCJh-kHEk_ikAWGfx4IY-J1HSQ9OprKG4M0nL7cfbeAVfP0ijM2hPW4lx0F0R-rMPGjJcXbssFQ4XaTc7H2QaDAbA/s1600/IMAG0930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFXlQCgf8A5HHjZtGAV8FxJqsaVMhs6PGa-vGc9-tDDyqaCCJh-kHEk_ikAWGfx4IY-J1HSQ9OprKG4M0nL7cfbeAVfP0ijM2hPW4lx0F0R-rMPGjJcXbssFQ4XaTc7H2QaDAbA/s1600/IMAG0930.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></div>
On Saturday we went to see the Giants in Scotsdale. These tickets are hard to get as the games always sell out. We thought we had good seats in the shade, but they ended up being in the sun on bleachers. It wasn't too hot and the bleachers weren't too crowded or uncomfortable. The Giants lost to the A's so the fans weren't happy.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZErmzHA0xSigZV5tUlIA_q2CiLA7yA_ssd6EPotGnpFYYQGYOEQstbH0wXOmqMCuFDuvfI2jNOQMkZJNWqV-yKO3d3LOfq_F_VlDuXGAck_OO8Z0pMDpFUDQW3B_7UIMw1PRkfw/s1600/GroupNightOutCrp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZErmzHA0xSigZV5tUlIA_q2CiLA7yA_ssd6EPotGnpFYYQGYOEQstbH0wXOmqMCuFDuvfI2jNOQMkZJNWqV-yKO3d3LOfq_F_VlDuXGAck_OO8Z0pMDpFUDQW3B_7UIMw1PRkfw/s1600/GroupNightOutCrp.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Then on Saturday night after happy hour at the hotel bar we went out for our usual dress-up dinner. Instead of a nice steak place we went to a popular Mexican restaurant that we had never been to before. We sat outside, where it was also very windy, and had a nice meal with some beer and Patron.<br />
<br />
Sunday morning I had time to sleep in, get my free breakfast and get to the hotel in plenty of time for my flight home. Even though I was there for just two full days instead of the usual four, I felt like I was there for a week. Guess I'm getting old(er). Can't wait until next year, or actually this June in Omaha for the College World Series!<br />
<br />
<br />Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6991226.post-67146343687021933882013-12-09T18:19:00.000-08:002013-12-09T18:19:18.042-08:00Thanksgiving Vacation 2013: Last Day in Venice and Bologna<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXwZ7sSQs6_XqS17TLE8lR9Pu8cVzo2LgAaYqTHxtvlRc_ecTEwJCO4bZowq57yl0xMQm80U9OvZk3ru_z8Me76pvS3xVWfINPRB4ya3Kt7e8amFNdeb51hMYOEykxr8jFs9zsQ/s1600/IMG_2453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXwZ7sSQs6_XqS17TLE8lR9Pu8cVzo2LgAaYqTHxtvlRc_ecTEwJCO4bZowq57yl0xMQm80U9OvZk3ru_z8Me76pvS3xVWfINPRB4ya3Kt7e8amFNdeb51hMYOEykxr8jFs9zsQ/s320/IMG_2453.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rialto Bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This was our last day of vacation in Italy. We had time to spend in Venice before taking the train back to Bologna. We had our breakfast and checked out of the hotel, leaving our luggage at the front desk so we do some more exploring of the city before heading back to the train. We only had a about two hours, because we wanted to get back to Bologna with enough time to see a few more sites before the sun set. So we started following the signs along on the buildings that guide you through the narrow streets and over the bridges towards St. Mark's Square. We didn't have time to walk there and back, so we made the <span>Rialto Bridge our destination, stopping at various shops along the way. Before too long my sister had to head back because she was flying out of Venice in the afternoon. So we waved goodby as she left Venice and I continued walking with my brother and his wife. We hadn't bought any Venice made glass souvenirs yet, but the one shop we waked into actually had a man make making small glass animals at the front counter. So my sister-in-law bought some small glass animals. I wanted to buy some but was afraid they would break on the way home.</span><br />
<span><br /></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNJf48su6tOkwkw68DxLxvUAX6Fbm1dhXLMRGJHRD8N-0knTH8VqARzegKiUnWgmlYH-1E0d58NVxb0Jj_UnQCKLz8pFdEE6tmcHTA482i6EuDyr02P8IRiMEx-OlmkwT_6fyQA/s1600/IMG_2460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNJf48su6tOkwkw68DxLxvUAX6Fbm1dhXLMRGJHRD8N-0knTH8VqARzegKiUnWgmlYH-1E0d58NVxb0Jj_UnQCKLz8pFdEE6tmcHTA482i6EuDyr02P8IRiMEx-OlmkwT_6fyQA/s320/IMG_2460.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Canal, Venice</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span>We continued onto the Rialto bridge, which I had seen the first day in a boat and later in the dark, but this was the first view in clear sunlight. Being off-season, I'm told that usually there are so many people on the bridge that you can't get a good photo. I had no problem viewing the canal from the bridge and taking some photos, but I forget to get one of myself. We then turned back and headed to our hotel where we got our bags, bought a train ticket, which we now knew we needed to get validated before boarding the train, so there was a lot less panic than there was on the way here.</span><br />
<span><br /></span>
<span>We found seats in the first class car, and the train slowly left the station. I could have spent another day in Venice, but as usual, our trips are quick and we had to see as much as we can in limited time. As the train got to each train station, more people got on. By the time we got to Bologna, the cabin was almost full and most everyone got off with us. We thought about going to our hotel first to drop off our bags and then coming back to the city, but with limited time, we opted to leave our bags at the train station where you can store your luggage - for a price. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjdmMe9yOEDx8YBGway48cRUgNihkArxuARTTEViflIJjRD9EjX6Difi9Obegumk9Cu_tSLem7_2xSbfdr-hwSdOlwXRuj6xoREnlx-hQgRb1WpGAsbHROdu-QnyXjaOQYe9Ru1g/s1600/IMG_2465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjdmMe9yOEDx8YBGway48cRUgNihkArxuARTTEViflIJjRD9EjX6Difi9Obegumk9Cu_tSLem7_2xSbfdr-hwSdOlwXRuj6xoREnlx-hQgRb1WpGAsbHROdu-QnyXjaOQYe9Ru1g/s320/IMG_2465.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the twin tower in Bologna</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span><br />Our main reason for going back to the city center was to walk to the top of the hopefully now open tower. After a quick cab ride to the plaza, we found the tower open and after buying our tickets we started walking up the 500 stairs to the top. Many of the steps were narrow and small, not made for someone with big feet. Luckily it wasn't to busy, but there were a few places where we had to stop and let the people heading down pass us, as there was only one set of stairs. Once at the top you realize how high you are when you look down on the other other tower and buildings. I took many pictures through the iron gated windows and it was pretty clear, as you can see from the photo of the city. Just some smog along the horizon. It was cold and breezy at the top, so once we saw all of the 360 degrees view, we headed down, which was almost more difficult than walking up because of the small steps</span><br />
<span><br /></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuHh6riWGUT1nLDjS6qWhrNnTk5Int5DdDYMwds9igPSNODMc7ScJAoIM16UvsVi7fbx6EItoq_0pRsNjhTNtAujzTGFBKTaq1HZml2tA2Kfz97Qd6-ISIqBnrt1g3MkHuPGmSZQ/s1600/IMG_2472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuHh6riWGUT1nLDjS6qWhrNnTk5Int5DdDYMwds9igPSNODMc7ScJAoIM16UvsVi7fbx6EItoq_0pRsNjhTNtAujzTGFBKTaq1HZml2tA2Kfz97Qd6-ISIqBnrt1g3MkHuPGmSZQ/s320/IMG_2472.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down at Bologna</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span>Once at the bottom we headed to the plaza where there was a band playing Christmas music and people watching. There was also unfortunately the people begging for money, including two women with all white mime-like makeup and an old man that wouldn't leave me alone. I was ready to punch the man but that would have been a bad idea.When we arrived in the taxi we saw the Christmas tree lit up, but now the lights were off. They must have just been testing them. We saw signs of Christmas lights and decorations being put up along the streets and buildings, but very few were turned on. We had hoped that as it got dark they would turn on, but that was not the case. I guess it was still too early for the Christmas celebrations. However, they did have a booth that was selling hot wine, so I bought a cup and it helped warm me up. </span><br />
<span><br /></span>
<span>After walking around some more we were ready for dinner. We knew that there were places to eat, but once again, they were all the small bars with no sit-down seats. We eventually did find a place that had seats and they squeezed the three of us into a small table, but we were happy to sit down, warm up and get some food. We all enjoyed our meal and dessert. We almost had a small emergency when they said cash only, but we had just enough Euros to pay for the meal.</span><br />
<span><br /></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvKqF6CSVm_w1e9emnB31W-CQyeQNAe-Pghs_cXynGNsNm8jVvPfLH6k4vQ_60WHzaSBlgMxUUpitE_Si7ly2-vrxBxNheXwP_c0Sgp5abppy6nx3B2a_FfbdTM1_9A6y1AqGVg/s1600/IMG_2476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvKqF6CSVm_w1e9emnB31W-CQyeQNAe-Pghs_cXynGNsNm8jVvPfLH6k4vQ_60WHzaSBlgMxUUpitE_Si7ly2-vrxBxNheXwP_c0Sgp5abppy6nx3B2a_FfbdTM1_9A6y1AqGVg/s320/IMG_2476.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me at the top of the Tower</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span>Since it wasn't that far back to the bus station, we decided to walk. Along the ride here we saw what looked like a Christmas market. As we got closer to the stations, sure enough, there was a Christmas market, but it was still being set up, with just a few booths open. So we continued walking to bus station and stopped to look at some more ruins, which were hard to see in the dark. So back at the station we had to find an ATM to get cash to pay for our luggage storage. We found one, collected our bags and got a taxi to our hotel which was located near the airport. It's always nice to have a hotel near the airport on your last night so you have an easy ride the next morning to catch the flight out. Our flight left at 8:30, so we planned to get there by 7:00, which was plenty of time.</span><br />
<span><br /></span>
<span></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-N1z6ERbpFZQVwqVQE7ds-dQci4cavac2kHR8NFRwKTw4zrvp6SvXpUJa7CPsLf8_3VeGdX_EBGjF_Hr6C3Pz5D5estsLkctoPFFr6BridNGe3Upeg2aEq9Rt7b1qK60N4TstVQ/s1600/IMG_2485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-N1z6ERbpFZQVwqVQE7ds-dQci4cavac2kHR8NFRwKTw4zrvp6SvXpUJa7CPsLf8_3VeGdX_EBGjF_Hr6C3Pz5D5estsLkctoPFFr6BridNGe3Upeg2aEq9Rt7b1qK60N4TstVQ/s320/IMG_2485.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas Music</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next morning we checked-out and took the free shuttle to the airport, which turns out is pretty small. Since we had all booked our flights in business class using frequent flyer miles, we had access to the executive lounges at each airport. The one at Bologna was small, but I was happy with a coffee, juice and pastry. Our plane left on time, if not early, and we quickly arrived back at London, where we had about three hours before our flight back home. The British Airways club there is huge with all the food and drinks you can consume, plus free WiFi. Time went by so fast we almost didn't notice when they posted our gate for the flight, and we got to the gate as they were boarding. But with our tickets we got to use the fast line so we were on board quickly.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONoZyusozouKm-Z11GcU4KkjPYeceuM88rOYjdi1vmUfAsHUlLp_3sdXJYi2m2QbpdvUIVuwnINWbZI0MRRTdXyyhr1C4RTE-MLYawsIQZxp31Ko88C8uZbr1qKJaz_H1zPiwEw/s1600/IMG_2493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONoZyusozouKm-Z11GcU4KkjPYeceuM88rOYjdi1vmUfAsHUlLp_3sdXJYi2m2QbpdvUIVuwnINWbZI0MRRTdXyyhr1C4RTE-MLYawsIQZxp31Ko88C8uZbr1qKJaz_H1zPiwEw/s320/IMG_2493.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas Tree in Bologna</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This was going to be a long flight, about 11 hours. I planned to watch a movie, read, listen to music and try to get some sleep. I did all of the above, but it was still a very long flight. They did have good service, with all the beer you wanted (or wine for most people - only I was drinking beer in business class). The food was good and topped with a nice plate of desserts. As we got closer to home they served another snack and then we were set to land. Luckily we got in near sunset, so it wasn't too late and I wasn't too tired. After all, I had to drive home still. Once we cleared customs, using our fast track global entry, we got the shuttle to the parking lot and I said goodby to my brother and sister-in-law and drove home. By the time I went to bed, I had basically been up for 24 hours, but I know I got some sleep on the plane. I had Sunday to recover before going back to work on Monday. So another year's overseas trip was complete and now we get to plan where to go next year. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6991226.post-39641773305386489012013-12-07T13:07:00.000-08:002013-12-07T13:07:27.247-08:00Thanksgiving Vacation 2013: Trip to Slovenia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJHKv8cDoQeM3AXkBh_y5UGp5WkU8Vw85Do6V2xak3NVPD4DnhT-pcPTUuRwxFc8GOcuXXhZgDQUUpWcasmxuIvju08uJ4w3sBXARYlmidtCZkutGlW5WcH2P9S6aW87Pc5mAgcw/s1600/IMG_2370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJHKv8cDoQeM3AXkBh_y5UGp5WkU8Vw85Do6V2xak3NVPD4DnhT-pcPTUuRwxFc8GOcuXXhZgDQUUpWcasmxuIvju08uJ4w3sBXARYlmidtCZkutGlW5WcH2P9S6aW87Pc5mAgcw/s320/IMG_2370.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Up until a few days before we left for Italy, we had no real plan on how we were going to get to Slovenia. We knew we wanted to see the Postojna Caves and Predjama Castle. We also wanted go to Slovenia because it was a new country for all of us and only a two hour drive from Venice. If you search the Internet on how to get there, you'll find that there is no train or bus. Most people suggested driving, saying that once you get out of the city driving in Italy isn't that bad. But none of us really wanted to rent a car and drive. So luckily, my brother found a company that provided tours of Slovenia called <a href="http://www.slovenia-explorer.com/" target="_blank">Slovenia Explorer</a>. A trip from Venice was not one of their standard trips, but they do have custom trips for a higher price, which was well worth it.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTTIStuTiNCq4mmtI1f0UVAZGMAwtKwa1XYnM7X5MBlqqcoeKu509SNIdj050MmjHwd4gpHydAxzu88_asmuJqHOtmO10iqJ7iB-mvBNGjlqvDFbPsytk_GNHUDM1abC-QCpM2_Q/s1600/IMG_2375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTTIStuTiNCq4mmtI1f0UVAZGMAwtKwa1XYnM7X5MBlqqcoeKu509SNIdj050MmjHwd4gpHydAxzu88_asmuJqHOtmO10iqJ7iB-mvBNGjlqvDFbPsytk_GNHUDM1abC-QCpM2_Q/s320/IMG_2375.JPG" width="320" /></a>The tour guide was going to pick us up in Venice at the bus station near our hotel at 8:30. So we were up earlier to get our free breakfast at the hotel. This hotel had less of a selection than the one in Bologna, but there was enough food selection to fill me up, plus they also made fresh Cappuccinos. After the usual trip back to the room to gather our stuff for the day, we headed outside where it was sunny but very cold. We were told to meet by the information center near the bus station, and we found it and then waited in the cold. The tour guide called and said she'd be there soon and she would be driving a van with brightly colored decorations on the side. Sure enough, we saw the decorated van pull up and we quickly got in out of the cold. Our driver and guide, who's name was Ivana I think, was very nice and spoke perfect English, with a bit of an Australian accent. Once we paid her in cash, we were on our way.<br />
<br />
The first hour of the ride was just getting out of the city and traveling along a very busy highway where every car and truck was speeding. As we got closer to Slovenia, Ivana started talking about Slovenia. She had a microphone that was piped to the speakers so we could hear her better. The van wasn't that big, but could hold six people, and with just four of us there was plenty of room. As we got closer to Slovenia the landscape was more mountainous and green, and there was less smog or smoke. One interesting fact we learned is that Slovenia has the most bears per area of any country, as well as caves I think she said there are 10,000 caves with like 50 open for tours.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJsNOiaozS-v0m3b7tRG0cWGHT0bbZrZUVWj0ZEega1KZvldJEsWL5vx5AWd_36qdhw-mLPIxcBGhP9DeopuhKTPnYH-qP9jzn6QCVEB4S0lJxGcTuo5UiyONurI1HmwSZsrI-Ig/s1600/IMG_2380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJsNOiaozS-v0m3b7tRG0cWGHT0bbZrZUVWj0ZEega1KZvldJEsWL5vx5AWd_36qdhw-mLPIxcBGhP9DeopuhKTPnYH-qP9jzn6QCVEB4S0lJxGcTuo5UiyONurI1HmwSZsrI-Ig/s320/IMG_2380.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
Crossing the border into Slovenia was easy, as there was no border checkpoint, just the old buildings from the days when it was part of Yugoslavia. Once in the country, it took less than 30 minutes to get to the caves in the small, quiet city of Postojna. When we parked, there were almost no cars and no buses. Our tour started in 45 minutes, so we had time for a snack. When we got our tickets, we headed to the entrance of the caves. During peak tourist season, they can have groups of up to 500 people at a time. There were about 50 people in our group, which was nice.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDgIAnylb8Cf3EeeEGFJMCeNFbKAnuk5cXlNC7zeTvdTovR1kZm8BxNb8Md4WLA-TVl4bIVTSmw8hnG3Yze6eEixIV2OaIGiGnld0vbIOsoUltwRQHfuXBtiL-QTKbVThlZapWA/s1600/IMG_2381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDgIAnylb8Cf3EeeEGFJMCeNFbKAnuk5cXlNC7zeTvdTovR1kZm8BxNb8Md4WLA-TVl4bIVTSmw8hnG3Yze6eEixIV2OaIGiGnld0vbIOsoUltwRQHfuXBtiL-QTKbVThlZapWA/s320/IMG_2381.JPG" width="320" /></a>This cave was like no other I had been in. It started with a three mile ride in on a small Disneyland type train. I was surprised how fast the train traveled, or at least it seemed fast because some of the tunnels didn't have much head clearance and I felt like I had to duck. The caves were well lit in places so you could see the formations. Also, because it was winter, it was actually warmer in the caves than outside. Then the train stopped and it was time for the one mile walking tour. Here is where they break you up into language groups, and the English group was the biggest. The group leader was Slovenian, I assume, and spoke pretty good English. As we followed him, he would stop and explain the features of the cave. He pointed out the usual formations that all caves have, such as stalagmites and <span class="st">stalactites</span>. These caves had no stairs, but some of the walkways were steep, but luckily had some kind of anti-slip coating as they were wet from dripping water. No photos were allowed in the caves because the flashes would kill the plant life inside, algae, I think.<br />
<br />
Near the end of the walking tour, they had a tank with a very unique salamander that only exits in this cave. The salamander has no eyes, and can live up to 100 years, and more amazingly, can go years without eating. The ones in this tank get feel three times a year, so they are happy. And yes, they get released back into the caves after a few years and replaced by new salamanders.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF1fOxKxAmqXQr1OaKJliRG3QYqkKMvJsBR0c_OnQY-KE2ropCJImd5dA-k2Q6zHq6DtHgiExEP55qkTTtVcmmQ27_xU2Qs7B4L1YFuJGIDb4EszmfFzVPEk2ruqWocYIT1auH9Q/s1600/IMG_2398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF1fOxKxAmqXQr1OaKJliRG3QYqkKMvJsBR0c_OnQY-KE2ropCJImd5dA-k2Q6zHq6DtHgiExEP55qkTTtVcmmQ27_xU2Qs7B4L1YFuJGIDb4EszmfFzVPEk2ruqWocYIT1auH9Q/s320/IMG_2398.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
So before boarding the train to go back out, they have conveniently build a gift shop inside the cave. Also, this area of the cave is the one place where they kind of let you take photos. The room was huge so most of the photos I took didn't turn out that well. The one posted above is the best one. So then they ring a bell and everyone heads back to the train where you once again are whisked away back out, and once again I kept ducking thinking my head was going to hit the caves.<br />
<br />
Back outside our guide was waiting for us. We had time to do some shopping in the gift shop outside the cave where I bought my traditional magnet for the city or country I was visiting. Then she drove us to a restaurant for lunch. It wasn't very busy, but with only one waitress they were a little slow, especially when it came time to pay and leave. The food was good and we had time to talk to Ivana. I asked her how many languages she spoke, and was surprised that Italian wasn't one of them, but I'm always impressed with people who can speak three or four languages. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNh3Pjghnj7k5cb5Cgvh8esfPsJc9Vp2w6rEEn8oAB53fP0zN0k4m1fh5KeD1oUZX4GIYQeKSFmSDWwWBTOUdGOnWqga8AnicngPTZKL351PftC41B1Cg7ysoYy4tScYTlD0z2Sw/s1600/IMG_2408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNh3Pjghnj7k5cb5Cgvh8esfPsJc9Vp2w6rEEn8oAB53fP0zN0k4m1fh5KeD1oUZX4GIYQeKSFmSDWwWBTOUdGOnWqga8AnicngPTZKL351PftC41B1Cg7ysoYy4tScYTlD0z2Sw/s320/IMG_2408.JPG" width="320" /></a>Once we finally paid, and yes, we bought her lunch, we got back in the van for a the 15 minute ride to the castle. She told us the history of the castle, including a story about one of its "rulers" that may or may not have been true. I enjoyed the ride there just looking at the small houses along the green hills. Upon arrival, once again the parking lot was almost empty, which meant no crowds in the caves. In fact, we only saw four other people inside. This castle had no guided tour, you are free to wander around. But like the reviews said, you don't need more than one hour to see everything. There were stairs and walkways everywhere, and it would be easy to miss a room or passage way if you didn't look at the map, which we almost forgot we had.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrmkty5LOAzXYPOraun_TlU28foNakCBz66hWfNtaJFZe9lAq6d7Eo7_to7EWXbvpb_NTF_0lAyYJZ8tVgUGzzBPh_6dHxmANpKqRJTT_m-ie7S7zXiopwzI9JhrDBLjC8JTq5Q/s1600/IMG_2423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrmkty5LOAzXYPOraun_TlU28foNakCBz66hWfNtaJFZe9lAq6d7Eo7_to7EWXbvpb_NTF_0lAyYJZ8tVgUGzzBPh_6dHxmANpKqRJTT_m-ie7S7zXiopwzI9JhrDBLjC8JTq5Q/s320/IMG_2423.JPG" width="240" /></a>One of the passageways led up to the inside of the cave that the castle was built in. We almost missed this part of the castle. Each room was decorated with furniture, artifacts and mannequins like the one being hung by chains in a torture room. After we saw all the room and took many photos we headed out just to find the entrance gate closed. Apparently we were the last visitors of the day. Ivana was waiting for us once again. It was already starting to get dark, so we finished the tour just in time.<br />
<br />
The ride back was uneventful, and I briefly fell asleep along the way. Luckily there was no traffic most the way, expect as we entered Venice, and we arrived there around seven. We thanked our guide and said goodby, and then walked back to the hotel for rest before dinner. Since we had a late lunch we weren't all hungry, but I was. So we walked around looking for restaurant and finally found one that had a good menu and at least some people eating inside. I ordered a Calzone, which was just enough food, along with an Italian beer. They got us our food very quickly once we ordered. After we finished, we walked around the city a little more and bought some Gelato for dessert.<br />
<br />
We still had a half day in Venice the next day, plus a half-day in Bologna. So we went to our rooms where I used their free WiFi to upload all my wonderful pictures I'd had taken. This day was the best part of the trip. Nothing wrong with Bologna, Venice or Italy, but I never thought that I would be spending a Thanksgiving exploring caves and a castle in the country of Slovenia! In fact I knew nothing about Slovenia before this trip. I'd encourage anyone to take the time to see Slovenia if they have a chance. Someday I'd like to go to the capital as it looks interesting as well. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6991226.post-8761260426969454212013-12-05T19:15:00.004-08:002013-12-05T19:15:59.158-08:00Thanksgiving Vacation 2013: Travel to Venice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyZ8lCLKepUS3o9FF0c4TbbH7J9ZzZeVjYaCHdBV69ZOXxuxwjPfvgIFTf-9XyNLdjgyc4XX8Ofx8NDKngCtbTXRfcZlR0G8OH1DwPHHWpxBsR6ANINr_Bwy-1WR-VbEyklOFKA/s1600/VCE+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyZ8lCLKepUS3o9FF0c4TbbH7J9ZzZeVjYaCHdBV69ZOXxuxwjPfvgIFTf-9XyNLdjgyc4XX8Ofx8NDKngCtbTXRfcZlR0G8OH1DwPHHWpxBsR6ANINr_Bwy-1WR-VbEyklOFKA/s320/VCE+002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
So when I read my posts from the day before it sounds like I'm writing a police report or something. Like, "...and then I did this, and then we decided that." Where is the emotion? I'll try harder today, and maybe drinking a Stone Double Bastard Ale will help.<br />
<br />
I think I woke up before my annoying watch alarm went off, and had plenty of time to pack up and get ready for breakfast and check out of the hotel. I had the same food for breakfast as the day before, and for some reason what I enjoyed the most was the fruit juices. I guess I don't drink fruit juice much, plus, this stuff had lots of sugar.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJYD9ckklXqP3En4vZAuyqmAtrNoeUIThucVd2XDBPaZ_irhCWC-48gITOe05wZBJu_mfMrMrbEuI4u5zZqQrbscjVxMQtPBF3HTmTmMGSRrgNZMUFOtmcay7SXZR-a0k_SzUOw/s1600/IMG_2335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJYD9ckklXqP3En4vZAuyqmAtrNoeUIThucVd2XDBPaZ_irhCWC-48gITOe05wZBJu_mfMrMrbEuI4u5zZqQrbscjVxMQtPBF3HTmTmMGSRrgNZMUFOtmcay7SXZR-a0k_SzUOw/s320/IMG_2335.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
After a quick trip to the room, we all dragged our bags down to the lobby, checked-out and asked for a cab, which arrived within minutes. The ride to the train station was quicker than expected. Once at the station, we walked into the ticket office and saw a long line of people buying train tickets, but there were also kiosks that sold tickets. So after one opened up, and pressing a few wrong keys, we bought four tickets to Venice! The train was scheduled to leave in about 20 minutes, so we walked out to the platform to watch the sign that told us what platform the train was departing from. Platform 10 was announced, so we went down the stairs and back up on platform 10. There was a train there, but the number on the train did not match the number they were showing on the screen, so we assumed it wasn't our train. Meanwhile, we saw people getting on and off the train, looking confused. As the departing time neared, we began to realize that yes, this was our train. So one of us ran up to an employee and he said yes, we just needed to validate our ticket. So my sister-in-law ran around frantically until she found the validator, and we quickly boarded in first class and found four good seats for us and our luggage.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJserpeiV2Ph2b1DK9HhRBuJbYgQDf8rUCga8ifAlGHc1mv38qh-H4p8twdJpxB5XR7GaDteTsmbkhhE1XFxdLhdQbpW38yN2RHON5LmaA04HQZGzYgstpnAVDiJURdr7zLUXAVA/s1600/IMG_2342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJserpeiV2Ph2b1DK9HhRBuJbYgQDf8rUCga8ifAlGHc1mv38qh-H4p8twdJpxB5XR7GaDteTsmbkhhE1XFxdLhdQbpW38yN2RHON5LmaA04HQZGzYgstpnAVDiJURdr7zLUXAVA/s320/IMG_2342.JPG" width="320" /></a>We opted for the regular train as opposed to the high speed train, so it was a two hour ride with some stops along the way. We were really in no hurry, as we had no specific plan for the day. I was the only one that had never been to Venice. So when asked what I wanted to do, my reply was "See the canals and bridges." Simple enough. The ride was quite relaxing, and I enjoyed just looking outside at the countryside. There were mostly farms between Bologna and Venice, and you could see the Italian Alps off in the distance covered with snow. At each stop, more people boarded first class, and soon we were moving our luggage out of the empty seats and into our seats or the overhead bins.<br />
<br />
Once we got to Venice, we departed the train and headed to our hotel which was located right across the canal from the train station. We weren't sure if we could check in early, but the staff was very friendly and helpful. They got us checked into all three of our rooms. First they had someone take us to our rooms, and then deliver our luggage, because like many older hotels in Europe, the elevators, or lifts, can hold people and their bags. My room was very nice, and after unpacking what I needed for the day, I went back down to the lobby to begin my adventure in Venice.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zliTsAMCke5kohzfDnbU6LSpg82HbIJEHxzY0dNS693114-9q7MqtI6uX5PmQpX3rPhF1ccsAiWW_ZtyzXVTSyJVPyeXZ7MXbFTS6JhqN1ieoSn5-1bJVgNFLXHFaHXqg-YM2Q/s1600/IMG_2313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zliTsAMCke5kohzfDnbU6LSpg82HbIJEHxzY0dNS693114-9q7MqtI6uX5PmQpX3rPhF1ccsAiWW_ZtyzXVTSyJVPyeXZ7MXbFTS6JhqN1ieoSn5-1bJVgNFLXHFaHXqg-YM2Q/s320/IMG_2313.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The staff was extremely helpful. They gave us a map and showed us all the must-see sites. When asked if I wanted to walk or take a boat, or <span class="st">Vaporetto as they are called (I just had to Google that term because I couldn't remember it), I said boat! So off to the Grand Canal we went and purchases our tickets for a one way ride on the canal. The boats run often, so when the next one arrived, we boarded. Once on, I quickly found a seat up front with a good view of the city for taking photos. I didn't care how cold it was. As the boat went along the canal and stopped at each stop, I was just happy to be in Venice, even with the clouds in the sky, and I took photos of everything.</span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st">Eventually, we got to our last stop which was at </span><span class="st">Piazza San Marco. Now, I had not done my homework before coming here, so I was unfamiliar with all the famous bridges, buildings and plazas. Not any more. Now I know that St. Mark's Square is the main tourist destination in Venice. I took many photos of the buildings near and far, but before I knew what was happening, I was buying a ticket for entrance into the popular attractions. According to my ticket, which I still have, it includes: Paizzo Duncale, Museo Correr, Museo Archeologico and one other building. I'm not sure which one we went into first, but I know it had lots of rooms, some small and some VERY large. </span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4pBynBGgN2GXLNXgIGCB8JVzRCvRsweZm6qCrf3xBclZ6wQscmWl4qL3TCTVzM7_g202nu9mGEwDssg_4Y3uc-w9pZZs49K4VFMYL_BW8LKlnoPPf6ey9CYwEqQuO3Ugiw1yhQ/s1600/IMG_2349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4pBynBGgN2GXLNXgIGCB8JVzRCvRsweZm6qCrf3xBclZ6wQscmWl4qL3TCTVzM7_g202nu9mGEwDssg_4Y3uc-w9pZZs49K4VFMYL_BW8LKlnoPPf6ey9CYwEqQuO3Ugiw1yhQ/s320/IMG_2349.JPG" width="320" /></a><span class="st">I wasn't really interested in reading what every room was and what was displayed on the walls, but I guess the most interesting rooms were the ones where prisoners were held. This included walking across the Bridge of Sighs, which was a bridge across an canal that prisoners walked before being locked up, and apparently "sighed" at the site of the city, knowing that they'd never see it again.</span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st">After we left the building, I had to take a WC break, and when I came back, I found my brother taking a survey by a women who was entering his answers into a tablet. Well, after that we walked around the square some more, and eventually waked into another cathedral. After a quick walk around, we went back into the square, which I learned at one time encouraged people to feed the birds, but now discouraged that practice. Either way, there were lots of pigeons.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7iO3utQE3Yso5MhZ6_AcTxny0beLnTEJBfqB-iKFyJ9FsOQ6_yPQqZwn4GZYhvcs4P-XnqeWZRP6HQfx09VI2f0Xiw_vRpD19Jfyl_cwWcxyrOvm_mNZ_3WvU487IqhQYPCbP9Q/s1600/IMG_2316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7iO3utQE3Yso5MhZ6_AcTxny0beLnTEJBfqB-iKFyJ9FsOQ6_yPQqZwn4GZYhvcs4P-XnqeWZRP6HQfx09VI2f0Xiw_vRpD19Jfyl_cwWcxyrOvm_mNZ_3WvU487IqhQYPCbP9Q/s320/IMG_2316.JPG" width="320" /></a><span class="st">It was now in the late afternoon, and we were all hungry. Luckily, we knew there was a Hard Rock Cafe near by. So we headed there for a late lunch, and what would be also our dinner for the day. The restaurant wasn't too busy, so we got seated quickly. I ordered a beer, and for food I can't seem to remember what I got, but I think we all agreed that it was our best meal of the trip. The waiter was very nice and spoke good English. I had dessert,which was a cheesecake, but the cheesecake was served in a dish. That didn't matter. It was just as good.</span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st">So now as the daylight was starting to fade, we knew it was going to take about an hour to walk back to our hotel. They told us to follow the signs, so we did. The walk took us along the main walking path through Venice, and it was lined with shops selling everything, including glass trinkets made of glass, which Venice is famous for, as I found out. My traditional </span>souvenir is a magnet. And once I found a Venice magnet that was also a mini snow globe, I bought it. <span class="st"></span><br />
<span class="st"><em></em> </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifipHsdXb9nq9L0kyuMNYDR9EbzkH04yDq3Lb12mwNrbvE0HwSENdUiAKpix9TESOmk-N9GXt7vgfN9_JuCQj9DB9yzUQMwVbluGLMt0dTFg5rj9hTDwoT1gT913Kb58oFECud9w/s1600/IMG_2356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifipHsdXb9nq9L0kyuMNYDR9EbzkH04yDq3Lb12mwNrbvE0HwSENdUiAKpix9TESOmk-N9GXt7vgfN9_JuCQj9DB9yzUQMwVbluGLMt0dTFg5rj9hTDwoT1gT913Kb58oFECud9w/s320/IMG_2356.JPG" width="320" /></a><span class="st"><em></em>So we continued to walk the path back to the hotel, crossing many bridges and taking more photos. Looking at the map now, it seems that there are many ways to make this journey. Sometimes your make a wrong turn and end up at a dead end and turn around. That's part of the adventure. We actually missed our turn to the hotel, and ended up by the bus station. But is was just a little backtracking to get to our hotel. So with the Sun setting and the clock near eight, we turned in for the night. Tomorrow was a big day for us. Not only was is Thanksgiving back home, but it was our big trip into the neighboring country of Slovenia! As this was the the third night in Europe, I was beginning to get adjusted to the local time. So going to bed at nine wasn't too difficult. The guide for the next day was going to pick us up at 8:30, so we needed to be out of the hotel by eight. Once in my room, I was quickly ready for sleep and the great adventure that awaited us the next day.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6991226.post-57363890118001880072013-12-04T19:00:00.001-08:002013-12-04T19:00:34.934-08:00Thanksgiving Vacation 2013: Full day in Bologna<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbpRdG_NMdBWZ8x-IKt0b62lrHYH6NSnG8WMOkrJx0WP35wMM-oRbHEPU4wDM6iCzoVYhYhP4secp2Ij2IOJpGGJ8J2d_6jL8LmNNZCbDS4w5eXRC9GpKbAyNTa6UMxHJ1RsjsuA/s1600/IMG_2237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbpRdG_NMdBWZ8x-IKt0b62lrHYH6NSnG8WMOkrJx0WP35wMM-oRbHEPU4wDM6iCzoVYhYhP4secp2Ij2IOJpGGJ8J2d_6jL8LmNNZCbDS4w5eXRC9GpKbAyNTa6UMxHJ1RsjsuA/s320/IMG_2237.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drinking a beer with my sister</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So awake I was for my first full day in the city of Bologna. It was bright and sunny outside, and as we noticed as we flew in the previous night, it was dark by five, so daylight hours were not to be wasted. Breakfast was the first task of the day. The hotel offered a free breakfast with enough selections of pastries, fruits and of course coffee to fill me up for at least a few hours. After we finished, a short break in our rooms to gather warm clothes and cameras and out the door we went.<br />
<br />
We had no specific place to visit first, so we headed to the closest plaza. With the bright sunlight lighting up the buildings, it was time to start taking photos. So every building and statue was fair game for photographing. Near this square, whose name I can't remember, was an information center. Inside, where it was warm, my brother talked to the lady behind the desk who took out a map and circled the places to see in the city. So our day had now been planned. Follow the numbers on the map.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXKvAS4q1gzPQv6VwQ3TiGrwBGcoTOvHD2bpvcaC8Cv84Kzvk18oWR4nojI3_gmMMlZLm0pmN4V_DdRbbN19Wh9yVQ4fxV9n4V1O1GqbPv8ttgNReNwcjzWKo9Ieuo7dcC2KkfA/s1600/IMG_2247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXKvAS4q1gzPQv6VwQ3TiGrwBGcoTOvHD2bpvcaC8Cv84Kzvk18oWR4nojI3_gmMMlZLm0pmN4V_DdRbbN19Wh9yVQ4fxV9n4V1O1GqbPv8ttgNReNwcjzWKo9Ieuo7dcC2KkfA/s320/IMG_2247.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old building</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The closest place to us, other than the plaza we were already at, was the library. Not sure what to expect to see the the library, we walked in and soon noticed that the floor in some places was made of thick glass and below you could see ruins! Now our goal was to go under the library, and turns out it was just one floor down. The entrance was free, as were almost all the places we saw, but they had a donation box so I put in some coins. Inside the ruins were old city walls, streets and wells. Also visible from below were the people walking above who you could see through the thick glass floor. My brother and I went upstairs so my sister could take a photo of us from below, and of course I took a photo of her from above. <br />
<br />
After we saw all there was to see in the library, we continued our walking out in the city. I'm not going to bore you with every place we saw, and I don't remember all of them either. I do have the map we used sitting next to me, but even looking at the map I have trouble remembering where we went. There were the usual cathedrals and churches, but if you looked around, almost every building was decorated with paintings and other art.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nAGHDHordG05PNSiMVfsVoi-Gi0qt-VVckoLe98vHL85VEYiGju3noQRMM25LBpQmWFy-_P6eYa_1j7skR0jMXTJDvrOg1c9dXCieSpFyr_STeqXcse1cezpYaauGCz6JjLBbw/s1600/IMG_2257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nAGHDHordG05PNSiMVfsVoi-Gi0qt-VVckoLe98vHL85VEYiGju3noQRMM25LBpQmWFy-_P6eYa_1j7skR0jMXTJDvrOg1c9dXCieSpFyr_STeqXcse1cezpYaauGCz6JjLBbw/s320/IMG_2257.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down in the library</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We did walk in circles some, passing by one place we wanted to see and having to come back. Because the tall tower was closed, when we saw that one of the buildings had a observation deck open, we opted to pay the three Euros and climb to the top. This building was under renovation, so the stairs were actually the scaffolding the workers would use to do there work. The building was only about four stories tall, but at the top you still had a good view of the city. More photo of more buildings were taken.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-LWTwNmnlQq93OjMCsGrANxCSpIhCtP3J7TpEpK3lYUEgKeb6T11txxWZ1o-zfdVrcG3TZbT88JitTJSBwRyWSuJtfrfWfXJ9LR8H5FyKj0lfz-2QS9tKmqJFK53Q8h_pPeWOQ/s1600/IMG_2249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-LWTwNmnlQq93OjMCsGrANxCSpIhCtP3J7TpEpK3lYUEgKeb6T11txxWZ1o-zfdVrcG3TZbT88JitTJSBwRyWSuJtfrfWfXJ9LR8H5FyKj0lfz-2QS9tKmqJFK53Q8h_pPeWOQ/s320/IMG_2249.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the library</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Some time during the day, we stopped for lunch. It wasn't easy to find a good place to eat, even though there were "bars" on every corner. These are the places where the locals eat at the bar standing up for a quick snack and they leave. Most of them had very little sit-down seating. We wanted a sit-down type restaurant, so those were harder to find, but we did find one, however, I don't remember what I ate. Lets assume it was pasta. After eating lunch we continued on. A little further away was a place where one of the cities' underground rivers was visible running between buildings. The photos we saw made it look nice, so we followed the map, stopping for gelato along the way, which is always nice, and found the river. From there the next closest site was the university area. There really wasn't much to see there, but it did have the largest concentration of younger people as Bologna is a big university city. I think this university was founded in the year 1000! Now that's old. From there we continued to wander until we found what was the ancient gate to the port of San Donato, a site that wasn't even on the map.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggevtV_-wiTRf1hFL9KRywmsoLtmfE1rT48z9suOb84SejFhnIDBveffJkiD3pXrNvyEJnJ3Ge-q1jLP1rQxPmo9Nh05xNc2ItJcLyKVMsjZw2TXrXzWrtvO2qx2fHCFCsW1dDdA/s1600/IMG_2267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggevtV_-wiTRf1hFL9KRywmsoLtmfE1rT48z9suOb84SejFhnIDBveffJkiD3pXrNvyEJnJ3Ge-q1jLP1rQxPmo9Nh05xNc2ItJcLyKVMsjZw2TXrXzWrtvO2qx2fHCFCsW1dDdA/s320/IMG_2267.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the few parks with trees</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We then walked back towards our hotel and stopped at a few more places. During the day, we did check if the lost luggage had been delivered to our hotel. It ended up arriving in the afternoon, so we all took a break before heading back out. As the sun was setting, we had more time to walk around the squares and explored yet another cathedral. When it started getting dark, we took another break at our hotel before dinner. We planned on going to the same Irish Pub as the night before, and since happy hour started at 7:30, we still had two hours. Well, I didn't want to sit in my room for too long, because I was afraid I'd fall asleep and not wake up for eight hours. So as seven approached, we headed back out, walked around some more and then went to the pub. <br /><br />We found a good table near the bar and placed our food orders at the bar. It started to get busy, and suddenly a woman asked me if I spoke English and then inquired if we were there to see the match, meaning a soccer game. She was basically saying she wanted our table, but we were not moving. I had a very good double cheese burger and beer, and after we were done eating we left and our table was quickly taken even before the staff could clean it. The match had not yet started. Hopefully no riot took place and I hope the home team won.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQb6xsI_FALwAZ3BNnCyk1OHnxfesHy_100sBGkl1dmGocPNKVV9doNdkTXDJfzfN6FP6JUsI-XFVlQygCZRG_XKV2GrkhyKIiqaBJ3OyaWPwqsgf_CLBKS_fN2s1kmd4h5j1PrQ/s1600/IMG_2270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQb6xsI_FALwAZ3BNnCyk1OHnxfesHy_100sBGkl1dmGocPNKVV9doNdkTXDJfzfN6FP6JUsI-XFVlQygCZRG_XKV2GrkhyKIiqaBJ3OyaWPwqsgf_CLBKS_fN2s1kmd4h5j1PrQ/s320/IMG_2270.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside a cathedral</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Well, it was now late enough to turn in for the night. We were all very tired. Our plan the next day was to meet for breakfast once again, check out of the hotel and take the train to Venice. The trains to Venice left at least every hour, so we planned on catching one around 11. So back in my room, I downloaded the photos I had taken during the day, posted them online and crawled into bed. I tried to watch TV but all the channels were Italian. Not even CNN or any other news stations. So I tried to read but was too tired. Pretty soon I was sound asleep and had a dream that Tommy Shaw from Styx stole my camera for some reason. I have lot of strange dreams, so this wasn't unusual. Hopefully I'd wake up refreshed for another long day.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6991226.post-33937931872570015422013-12-03T17:37:00.002-08:002013-12-03T17:37:10.255-08:00Thanksgiving Vacation 2013: Travel to Bologna<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd4asm6JjrV0nJvGmk_7snWjPz5BfSAjPzIy8bh5kazkaIEcg3YNlE6ZmNScJyr1IqBakLFqKCGO5CCvTXxbAWPLZV8E5teqUEL-lDHjdWtT4IlkNNVj-vxdSeMFe7X93dxFRTSg/s1600/IMG_2238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd4asm6JjrV0nJvGmk_7snWjPz5BfSAjPzIy8bh5kazkaIEcg3YNlE6ZmNScJyr1IqBakLFqKCGO5CCvTXxbAWPLZV8E5teqUEL-lDHjdWtT4IlkNNVj-vxdSeMFe7X93dxFRTSg/s320/IMG_2238.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from my room's balcony</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We kept up the family tradition for the eighth year in a row of traveling to a foreign country during the week of Thanksgiving. Our original plan was to visit Capetown, South Africa. This would have been my first time to the continent of Africa. However, due to uncertain work schedules we decided on a destination that was easier to get to. We, meaning my brother, his wife, my sister and I, had been to Italy before, but never Bologna. So that was our base city. Or plan, which we mostly stuck to, was to fly into Bologna, spend two nights, then take a train to Venice, spend two nights there, and finally head back to Bologna for the flight home. To make the trip more interesting, and to add a new country to our list, we decided to take a day trip into Slovenia to see some caves and a castle. That would be a day trip from Venice.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdIPWBGFmncxCoRpBXFNOny4ol5H_mqCBUz18ikivDezl7Mef5sdDJU42S_EdaVyHfzZPWw-vD2jobwV4m9WzaU__VIC97xtkqIfTKw3U0D6QJHpjMxp8FekvXtn9NqKRJjfZsHw/s1600/IMG_2244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdIPWBGFmncxCoRpBXFNOny4ol5H_mqCBUz18ikivDezl7Mef5sdDJU42S_EdaVyHfzZPWw-vD2jobwV4m9WzaU__VIC97xtkqIfTKw3U0D6QJHpjMxp8FekvXtn9NqKRJjfZsHw/s320/IMG_2244.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The two towers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My flight left Sunday afternoon, and it went through Chicago and then to London where I had a four hour layover, my brother and his wife and a different flight to London but we all had the same flight to Bologna. Their connection was very tight in London and I had lots of time to rest in the British Airways lounge as all my flights were on time. Once the gate was announced for the flight to Bologna I began to worry because my brother and his wife were not there yet. So I boarded the plane and was happy to see them walk onto the plane just before the gate closed.<br />
<br />
The flight to Bologna was only two hours, and we arrived at what I thought was a small airport. My one checked bag was on the baggage carrousel, but the other bags did not make it. So my brother had to go to the lost luggage counter and fill out a form. They said most likely the luggage would arrive later and be at the hotel in the morning. Turned out the luggage was delivered after noon the next day. Better late than never. We took a taxi to the hotel and got caught up in some traffic as we got closer to the hotel, which was in the historic downtown of Bologna.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismBiCFclNgg4SsT3XuDQU9gq7aoimy4O3L5qAAzvfIK31IMyb7B_j6uOycFqucah7ZiHXQPGCUnevr56687HHsGNSdzzB6daQ3nC7yBiL_cOsJ0n4bemx4JSR94Zdrz3L5F2FzQ/s1600/IMG_2246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismBiCFclNgg4SsT3XuDQU9gq7aoimy4O3L5qAAzvfIK31IMyb7B_j6uOycFqucah7ZiHXQPGCUnevr56687HHsGNSdzzB6daQ3nC7yBiL_cOsJ0n4bemx4JSR94Zdrz3L5F2FzQ/s320/IMG_2246.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neptune</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Once at the hotel, check-in was quick and the lady at the front desk was very friendly. We weren't sure how tired we would be upon arrival, but it was only six in the evening (or three in the morning according to our internal body clocks), plus, our sister was arriving in one hour. She flew in from a different city. So after a quick trip to our rooms, we headed back out into the city, bundled up in layers of clothing as it was freezing outside.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Dylu4X3St17n0al5Vw6XLpH4jeyJxBScgRylxAdnaxNerw4wuEzBWx4ZbO8PB1lsWRXbFMXBwGoVt9FeUe5KI212hdHixPGYXEkHNfZ7t8XdtIImMI4t0sXXmVhO9pN-tt-jZA/s1600/IMG_2252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Dylu4X3St17n0al5Vw6XLpH4jeyJxBScgRylxAdnaxNerw4wuEzBWx4ZbO8PB1lsWRXbFMXBwGoVt9FeUe5KI212hdHixPGYXEkHNfZ7t8XdtIImMI4t0sXXmVhO9pN-tt-jZA/s320/IMG_2252.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruins under the library</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
All of the sites we wanted to see were within walking distance of our hotel, so we never needed to use a taxi except for when we went to the train station later on. So we walked around the area to get a feel for the city. One of the sites we wanted to see, the famous two towers, were one block from our hotel. The taller of the two towers, the Asinelli tower, was the one you can walk to the top of. The other tower is closed and leans almost as much as the leaning tower of Pisa. As we walked up to the towers in the dark see what hours they were open, we were disappointed that the tower was closed until Friday. Well, we planned on being back in the city on Friday, but staying at a hotel near the airport.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6bhoW89OPuDAY2zojecYpJvtaCjqJ32ZqSqMK98OWHzusGXtKnQvvV2sqm2qDgWAjWgrtAgeIsGg5q4H6FeWEHiJbY19jjf5y41v7aX67SVMsbg8Tq6MfKKUrMAYDOe9puT8NQ/s1600/IMG_2266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6bhoW89OPuDAY2zojecYpJvtaCjqJ32ZqSqMK98OWHzusGXtKnQvvV2sqm2qDgWAjWgrtAgeIsGg5q4H6FeWEHiJbY19jjf5y41v7aX67SVMsbg8Tq6MfKKUrMAYDOe9puT8NQ/s320/IMG_2266.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="gphoto-photocaption-caption">arched porticoes in bologna</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As we walked around more I tried to take some photos, but it was too dark and they didn't turn out, so the photos on this page were taken the next morning. We knew our sister was arriving soon, so we were able to text her with a phone, not mine since it won't work outside the US, and we met up with her near the hotel. There wasn't much to do at night, but since some of us were hungry and the others wanted a beer, we walked around until we found an Irish Pub! It was kind of busy inside, and after awhile we figured out that you seat yourself and order food and drinks at the bar. My sister and I got a Guinness and my brother and his wife got food. As a bonus, it was happy hour, however, they were showing a soccer game on the TVs, and like most Americans, we didn't care to watch, but the rest of the patrons were sure into the game. After finishing our beers and food, we headed back to the hotel for the night.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7g-LEPJCPHHwDVl4xU3Q2gspLagylA0nJnAwoCZ-rvgfpMLPhXyx1ZuTiULVtolqmFuFa6Vf2IuJAsBL_vWL5a5kyMPPWVdmDHnqTsXrnYLDfJoBjnVfhnVO-7rSTe26C68wfow/s1600/IMG_2278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7g-LEPJCPHHwDVl4xU3Q2gspLagylA0nJnAwoCZ-rvgfpMLPhXyx1ZuTiULVtolqmFuFa6Vf2IuJAsBL_vWL5a5kyMPPWVdmDHnqTsXrnYLDfJoBjnVfhnVO-7rSTe26C68wfow/s320/IMG_2278.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me on the roof of a church</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The rooms were pretty small, but all we needed was a place to sleep. Our plan was to meet in the breakfast room in the morning for our free breakfast. As usual, I had trouble sleeping even though I was exhausted. I fell asleep quickly enough, but woke up at two, laid in bed for an hour before drifting off to sleep and having the alarm go off way too soon. But as I always say, we were there to see the city, not sleep. However, taking half an extra strength nighttime Tylenol helped me sleep some.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6991226.post-56620083584850256842013-08-26T19:33:00.003-07:002013-08-26T19:33:59.848-07:00Trip to Portland for Star Trek in the Park - The Trouble with Tribbles<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIuQQnVMA7t64v4Agr3WpBr46wjQqaWg8ZgaOXfGuRW08T_o9U0SahizwNtaMQwbu1MKeeG1Rod9QxydfdrGbh4wFXiA9CQG7D5q9qznXTb_wTPslXzHLIC0Jp8S2hFfG94oJWsQ/s1600/IMAG0051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIuQQnVMA7t64v4Agr3WpBr46wjQqaWg8ZgaOXfGuRW08T_o9U0SahizwNtaMQwbu1MKeeG1Rod9QxydfdrGbh4wFXiA9CQG7D5q9qznXTb_wTPslXzHLIC0Jp8S2hFfG94oJWsQ/s320/IMAG0051.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">VooDoo Doughnuts Too</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I've been through Portland, Oregon before, but I've never stayed there until last weekend when I flew there to see Star Trek in the Park. This year they,<a href="http://www.atomic-arts.org/" target="_blank"> Atomic Arts,</a> performed The Trouble with Tribbles. We took an early flight, so our first stop was breakfast, where we found the much talked about Voodoo Doughnuts. This was actually Voodoo Doughnuts Too. I had that sad looking maple and the very sweet grape one. There were very sweet, almost too sweet, but I finished both with no problem.<br />
<br />
From there we drove to Cathedral Park where the play was taking place just to scope out parking and where we would be sitting. The play began at five and when we got there around 10:30 there were a few people milling about.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYYCF_kjYwNRdI2mujJonwcb2fr5PaQtfNY8l8Wj-bnSAaZ2PvXyTUv-FpyFKimkHqsKBwAmQNhYndDcKRBZseu86wgUlB90pzG6NsFJVxwBvmXAqZFAUdXoTqedHQKQNmZRlcg/s1600/IMG_1947.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYYCF_kjYwNRdI2mujJonwcb2fr5PaQtfNY8l8Wj-bnSAaZ2PvXyTUv-FpyFKimkHqsKBwAmQNhYndDcKRBZseu86wgUlB90pzG6NsFJVxwBvmXAqZFAUdXoTqedHQKQNmZRlcg/s320/IMG_1947.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japaneses Gardens</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So since we had time we went to the <a href="http://japanesegarden.com/" target="_blank">Japaneses Gardens</a>. For $9.50 you get to wander around this very green and shady garden. It wasn't hot as the clouds were out, and it had rained a little earlier, but still, it was nice to walk in the shade. I took many photos but only posted two here to give you an idea of what it looks like.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilHjJcRzXel6ttb5iLxC4z97Tazn5Sk4N-0lcFNV4VKOFKUbaeGltuNtnAPOes2zxvnjh4ZKrhDCPSQDttSey6AEQRCY8ydia7hGJiUXm8mM1-V0arsa0m9ySRQHtrtXiHQ3dEuQ/s1600/IMG_1962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilHjJcRzXel6ttb5iLxC4z97Tazn5Sk4N-0lcFNV4VKOFKUbaeGltuNtnAPOes2zxvnjh4ZKrhDCPSQDttSey6AEQRCY8ydia7hGJiUXm8mM1-V0arsa0m9ySRQHtrtXiHQ3dEuQ/s320/IMG_1962.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waterfall at the Gardens</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I think we spent about an hour there before heading back to Cathedral Park, located under the St. Johns Bridge you see in the photo below. It was 12:30 and we were one of the first 100 people there. So we set up our blankets near the center, not too far back from the stage. We brought some food so we dove into that first before the long wait. I had forgotten a hat and the Sun, when it was out from behind the clouds, was bright and hot. So I journeyed up towards a farmers market and found a store nearby that sold mens clothes.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1f37zCcRZPhzz6PkAV0VN5vnlht7FspDezTHC4gGHpnKvxqzJ2CNWvHusUtyhsgnxrN7QuN-DKcVuC_2U1gr29VQ4dsaPiGQufxUmAdmLEfmWhDMOhf4wtsN8utox8sxsrVCj6g/s1600/IMG_1981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1f37zCcRZPhzz6PkAV0VN5vnlht7FspDezTHC4gGHpnKvxqzJ2CNWvHusUtyhsgnxrN7QuN-DKcVuC_2U1gr29VQ4dsaPiGQufxUmAdmLEfmWhDMOhf4wtsN8utox8sxsrVCj6g/s320/IMG_1981.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fans at Cathedral Park for Star Trek in the Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Back at the park we sat for hours, watching more and more people show up. By the time the play started people were filling in any empty space, including about 10 people with children that squeezed behind us. Before the play they made a few announcements and then began.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5EG2o_aOOpOjxJi_CdMeOde09JGccefAE7FxwFIMksqSF9eBo8dPrIBF6CEe7AnlamxwJbEPDE-X195GnoADoXcbt64Ej23bFb7PrtYJdfSbgtj83MFPyYofUEY0JzbpIyAt9iw/s1600/IMG_2001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5EG2o_aOOpOjxJi_CdMeOde09JGccefAE7FxwFIMksqSF9eBo8dPrIBF6CEe7AnlamxwJbEPDE-X195GnoADoXcbt64Ej23bFb7PrtYJdfSbgtj83MFPyYofUEY0JzbpIyAt9iw/s320/IMG_2001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spoke did a really good job too.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
They followed the original script word for word, and every scene ended with the actors walking off stage and the audience clapping. The brochure list 20 people in the cast including the extras, but not including the 100's of tribbles that were added to the stage during the course of the play.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40VHjx5SAvNCPEHdUVTYwqTIJ9bBYyTMa4q0_yBKSdYFR5tg1Oyx996nXHbcuSRpR4uJja4J5pxpdeJjQJj8t00sHlGVQSHrLTXesj-lBvuAY3-NVnasFGPvIJwXNH9uelFBRDg/s1600/IMG_1991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40VHjx5SAvNCPEHdUVTYwqTIJ9bBYyTMa4q0_yBKSdYFR5tg1Oyx996nXHbcuSRpR4uJja4J5pxpdeJjQJj8t00sHlGVQSHrLTXesj-lBvuAY3-NVnasFGPvIJwXNH9uelFBRDg/s320/IMG_1991.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kirk and the Klingons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The best scene overall was the fight scene between the Enterprise crew and the Klingons. It was very realistic, with fake punches, people flying across the bar and fake glass broken over heads. I took a three minutes video of this, <a href="http://youtu.be/3C6ShGYCKFM" target="_blank">as you can watch here.</a> I had a hard time hearing some of the dialog mostly because the speakers were aimed to the right and left, and we were in the center.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlhKeFRQYWlXA8aMIfXm_CCXUm99RFmu1hyGYLvx8Zp5rs1tSCkcQyce5mULIxDIo34LM_PRG6ck38UZWOMbLKkEjpPij1w4lD9GqSJknGzJaqKFnxBYHCn9nCkX8lQ81x5JlnVQ/s1600/IMG_1999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlhKeFRQYWlXA8aMIfXm_CCXUm99RFmu1hyGYLvx8Zp5rs1tSCkcQyce5mULIxDIo34LM_PRG6ck38UZWOMbLKkEjpPij1w4lD9GqSJknGzJaqKFnxBYHCn9nCkX8lQ81x5JlnVQ/s320/IMG_1999.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kirk buried with tribbles</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The funniest scene was when Kirk was buried with tribbles. The people who filled this storage container and then continued to throw tribbles into it and onto Kirk's head must of had lots of fun. I also took a <a href="http://youtu.be/2oq3SmnPrzs" target="_blank">short video of this scene</a>. The play lasted about an hour, and afterwards the cast and crew came out in groups and took a well deserved bow. I was expecting everyone to stand and give a standing ovation, but only a few people did. They deserved it for putting on this play for free with their own time and money. This is the fifth year of the same group doing a play each weekend in August. We saw the second to last performance.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxDni-SQBWoQPK4xGK7w6zx2XC3dNfr-fREJ0DiMSgdpp_wVluYZZJ6JlRXBMxk_kj5pki9H-bviZzwxYwQaTtrO3HNe8YM3A-rwsTPuPYxfbl5t0bXIcd9txCMp-5YCqraWis-g/s1600/IMG_2006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxDni-SQBWoQPK4xGK7w6zx2XC3dNfr-fREJ0DiMSgdpp_wVluYZZJ6JlRXBMxk_kj5pki9H-bviZzwxYwQaTtrO3HNe8YM3A-rwsTPuPYxfbl5t0bXIcd9txCMp-5YCqraWis-g/s320/IMG_2006.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entire cast and crew of the play</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
People were wearing shirts from the previous years play, and when the shirts went on sale after the show I bought one. Also, after the show, the band, or due, The Doubleclicks performed. They played songs they wrote where were all geek/nerd based songs with funny lyrics that only other geeks would understand. They got such an applasuse after their show they did an unexpected encore.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4r7-IjjL34X1P3O0lPZKJI8jKVqTOX2qa3wOXUnmjaC-LmIVUE6bykE0fBGcsx1eoNZH_rqo3VBpeh1uPffg4AGL-CeEQ1xP1ehAsRCkq2QSwYDcTyBs-zmw78X4v8b-C28aQSA/s1600/IMG_2016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4r7-IjjL34X1P3O0lPZKJI8jKVqTOX2qa3wOXUnmjaC-LmIVUE6bykE0fBGcsx1eoNZH_rqo3VBpeh1uPffg4AGL-CeEQ1xP1ehAsRCkq2QSwYDcTyBs-zmw78X4v8b-C28aQSA/s320/IMG_2016.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Doubleclicks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So now it was close to eight, and we all had been awake since 4:00 AM or sooner, but still needed food and beer. For that we chose <span class="st">McMenamins at the Kennedy School, a place and restaurant I had never heard of until that night. I drank three of their beers and my favorite was the Terminator Stout. No photos from this dinner as we were too tired and forgot, plus our phones were running low on power, much like us.</span><br />
<span class="st"><em><br /></em></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzOAWROhaxT78WYo2kmxT6knMz8PxPP0k3ufAoncSeO-7moe8AdnGbIQr5Zv2rFE1ortkEpc3YAhT-qI3iMqrBY7ytEmAVqB3tuP1ZCoKy0vjRAQlqPu5AzN4eD6YTyFubOgq0vw/s1600/IMAG0063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzOAWROhaxT78WYo2kmxT6knMz8PxPP0k3ufAoncSeO-7moe8AdnGbIQr5Zv2rFE1ortkEpc3YAhT-qI3iMqrBY7ytEmAVqB3tuP1ZCoKy0vjRAQlqPu5AzN4eD6YTyFubOgq0vw/s320/IMAG0063.jpg" width="181" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me at the Kennedy School</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="st"><em><br /></em></span>
<span class="st"><em><br /></em></span>
<span class="st">Once we had our fill of food and beer it was back to the hotel. It was getting late and we were all tired. Luckily my flight didn't leave until almost noon, so I got to sleep in some. Got to the airport in plenty of time and 2:30 flight home went by rather quick.</span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st">Portland was a very nice town, at least what I saw in less than a day. It was very green, both the trees and their Earth-friendly ways, such as recycling, bike riding and eating healthy. Also, the people were friendly and very "diverse". I'll go back some day and make it out to Mt. Hood and other sites in the city and beyond.</span>Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6991226.post-59581649746008626802013-07-31T19:39:00.000-07:002013-07-31T19:39:07.167-07:00Horsetail Falls Hike<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Z86izpNfi-GNZVBlK9I9-GSomMS5Cn-eLiJV3kPJHcWy6eN9M-Jak95TPcSHd5KawGEDee61W4OSSGQUcEJJhifJVz84uPZUrAb7VR27C2GblxEU1fpKFnIKVHHPR8VL358t5A/s1600/IMG_1835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Z86izpNfi-GNZVBlK9I9-GSomMS5Cn-eLiJV3kPJHcWy6eN9M-Jak95TPcSHd5KawGEDee61W4OSSGQUcEJJhifJVz84uPZUrAb7VR27C2GblxEU1fpKFnIKVHHPR8VL358t5A/s320/IMG_1835.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pyramid Creek Flowing over Rocks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This year's hike on my annual trip to Lake Tahoe was the Horsetail Falls hike. I didn't choose this hike but I'm glad my friends did. It was a hike I had never been on before and for the most part was quite pleasant. Our goal was to walk to the base of Horsetail Falls. The reviews of this hike said that the hike to the top of the falls was difficult and took an extra hour each way. I was hiking with my friends and their families, with kids ranging in age from 12 to 19. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRN82TaFEiJvd9sYV-jBc0k-_pB7Znjeo5pFF8kxjJnD1ZSXF4aJSaiHKy4NYNcvjp4wxQy28vCrCKbYYWmP7wVmzG3AObqqfnxPKFBS9qFt3b3STb93b4NtG5kkhJQCqqyW9dFA/s1600/IMG_1839.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRN82TaFEiJvd9sYV-jBc0k-_pB7Znjeo5pFF8kxjJnD1ZSXF4aJSaiHKy4NYNcvjp4wxQy28vCrCKbYYWmP7wVmzG3AObqqfnxPKFBS9qFt3b3STb93b4NtG5kkhJQCqqyW9dFA/s320/IMG_1839.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water rushing down rocks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The trail follows the Pyramid Creek, which if were in my home town would be called a raging river! Even with a low snowfall year, the creek was running swiftly in mid-July. The creek creates lots of small waterfalls as it flows down the mountain. In some spots the flow is slower and makes a perfect pond for the younger ones to swim in and cool off. I did not go it the water, just filled my hat with water and put it back on my head to cool off as the temperature was getting close to 90 degrees.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEColUjl2Re006391YXsoJBFROchDDxjOINWCSFfIO805nphekxD6qe9jm_j365UIRafbR3Nwn_QMzaXsTT5jWWBt3PzOWbxN9oHXS2oKXkQkM1Mk6o7DcTH8Tybwy1FKshqocKw/s1600/IMG_1857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEColUjl2Re006391YXsoJBFROchDDxjOINWCSFfIO805nphekxD6qe9jm_j365UIRafbR3Nwn_QMzaXsTT5jWWBt3PzOWbxN9oHXS2oKXkQkM1Mk6o7DcTH8Tybwy1FKshqocKw/s320/IMG_1857.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me Standing Funny</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The trail wasn't too crowded, but the a parking lot was full, as we were warned by the reviews of the hike. We ended up parking across the highway off a dirt road. Not sure if that was legal, but none of our cars got tickets, or worse, towed. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4ZZtfOHUdEJyGyVhyphenhyphenNgKNyhetYxkUtZMbxK79tQvFraW2os9G-ktaOkAVXB6mO8O4xzn7NT1Bmt497Gs1BdguTggcySSbha9VdSAYzjbZJGkuuY8mVqI8RgI6-MiTebUBJF8LQ/s1600/IMG_1861.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4ZZtfOHUdEJyGyVhyphenhyphenNgKNyhetYxkUtZMbxK79tQvFraW2os9G-ktaOkAVXB6mO8O4xzn7NT1Bmt497Gs1BdguTggcySSbha9VdSAYzjbZJGkuuY8mVqI8RgI6-MiTebUBJF8LQ/s320/IMG_1861.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More flowing water</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The hike was about half in the shade of trees and half out in the open. The parts of the trail near the creek were nice, but the exposed sections were mostly over granite rock and sometimes the trail was hard to find. Hiking down was even more difficult because we took the second half of the loop back at the Desolation Wilderness sign.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXJpuJ0-nB1TInjHm76egbCvFkTlP5aC7wEQAl1oCiuKS7IlwvgQyecox7rFU4oy2WaI75pWZbm75GDppuLq0d1fTmkJKFF73R_hsUC6sfPnx40u9B4rxlwH_W8Qqvnc8zi5QoA/s1600/IMG_1874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXJpuJ0-nB1TInjHm76egbCvFkTlP5aC7wEQAl1oCiuKS7IlwvgQyecox7rFU4oy2WaI75pWZbm75GDppuLq0d1fTmkJKFF73R_hsUC6sfPnx40u9B4rxlwH_W8Qqvnc8zi5QoA/s320/IMG_1874.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horsetail Falls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We never made it to the base of Horsetail Falls. We had our fill of hiking and had to get back to South Lake Tahoe for burgers at Izzy's. The photo above is zoomed-in. The trail from where I took the photo got even more ambiguous and hard to follow. I was doing this hike alone or with other adventurous hikers I would have gone further up and maybe with more time all the way up to the top. That will be a hike for another day, as well as summiting Mt. Rose and Tallac Mountain. Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6991226.post-81891475242379803262013-06-26T19:12:00.002-07:002013-06-26T19:12:41.647-07:00Kern River Camping 2013<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO7m8-Z0RcwhNF0ypGxprIOTE03u3uPZGpmMccjU_v3Gswhqo2Rv4a7r7PGEfrKPnLHdWE4zjpXsRANgT9Am67CwFL0jVqVRCkKDltdbgJGDq3ZhUJHhCC3StbqRDlPwEwg0hAiA/s1600/IMG_1632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO7m8-Z0RcwhNF0ypGxprIOTE03u3uPZGpmMccjU_v3Gswhqo2Rv4a7r7PGEfrKPnLHdWE4zjpXsRANgT9Am67CwFL0jVqVRCkKDltdbgJGDq3ZhUJHhCC3StbqRDlPwEwg0hAiA/s320/IMG_1632.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Kern River Flowing Slowly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I always say that the more bruises I come home with after a camping trip the more fun I had. Well, I'm typing this blog with a wrist brace on my right arm due to a fall I had while camping at the Kern River. It is not the only bruise, or the only fall, just the one that I was afraid I might have broken a bone, but x-rays showed I didn't. The other bruises cause me to limp but they are getting better. I'd blame age for my clumsiness, but the real culprit is booze. I'm fine with beer, but when I was offered margaritas, that did me in. That and vodka and a shot of something too.<br />
<br />
I first started camping at the Kern River in 2001 and have been many times since, but not every year. Up until two years ago we always camped at the same location, but last year it was very crowded at that site, as were all the other known spots. Luckily my friends found this isolated site just of highway 99 about 10 miles north of Kernville. We call it Camp Judy after my friend who found it.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs1ARyAMYqx-uKiDOc0fi1b2mCeTcHHc67oA8q4Dia-WNx9vO7js3pMWqAw1p6U5iAvQ-_tHYhhYseboubUGzr4gPHzuQtC9tySQti0VvrdQQ1c6itywzmnLUpszccrgCs0OXNAA/s1600/IMG_1656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs1ARyAMYqx-uKiDOc0fi1b2mCeTcHHc67oA8q4Dia-WNx9vO7js3pMWqAw1p6U5iAvQ-_tHYhhYseboubUGzr4gPHzuQtC9tySQti0VvrdQQ1c6itywzmnLUpszccrgCs0OXNAA/s320/IMG_1656.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not Quite the Super Moon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I arrived Friday afternoon and quickly set up my tent so I could relax with some beer. The rest of our friends arrived about an hour later. The weather was perfect, not too warm and very clear, with no smoke from fires like there usually is. As a bonus, it was the first day of Summer, so it would be light late, and on Saturday we had not only a full Moon, but a Super Moon, which I think is when the Moon is at its closest distance to Earth. The photo above was taken the day before. I have no Super Moon because my camera stopped working when it fell into the river.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-LaEDwDX_ViD_LMb4LJ6moj6Ke5lI1DV0Z2F1EZ27H8653Q04SYzEgmWe373ddm7MjRO3djMvdklUS6j4UBH8SCVk8n8t5M3lh9DqYm2KoFfEAbvVKmfRqzzv6-BnEsYWp0hIJQ/s1600/IMG_1686.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-LaEDwDX_ViD_LMb4LJ6moj6Ke5lI1DV0Z2F1EZ27H8653Q04SYzEgmWe373ddm7MjRO3djMvdklUS6j4UBH8SCVk8n8t5M3lh9DqYm2KoFfEAbvVKmfRqzzv6-BnEsYWp0hIJQ/s320/IMG_1686.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Crew Relaxing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Two years ago the river was rushing with whitewater and too dangerous to cross. Lots of rafters and kayakers came by. Not this year. As you can see from the photo below the water is hardly moving. In fact, the wind was blowing up river and pushing the inter-tube up stream. This did make it nice and safe to sit out in the water. Also, the river wasn't deep at this spot and I easily walked across to the other side.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixsQzspLELH2ZLmNXQSX8J3_X9_bsTb8Y48q1MFPwy8QgI6DHhsA6sNHrBF9iK-bAd46QMUbDnHq5omibi2c7QksJwJSSiD3AAVk5IRUQreh-j2Rsw3jh77h4MLej4gxqs_WEkDQ/s1600/IMG_1696.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixsQzspLELH2ZLmNXQSX8J3_X9_bsTb8Y48q1MFPwy8QgI6DHhsA6sNHrBF9iK-bAd46QMUbDnHq5omibi2c7QksJwJSSiD3AAVk5IRUQreh-j2Rsw3jh77h4MLej4gxqs_WEkDQ/s320/IMG_1696.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slowly Tubing in the Kern River</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On Saturday, a few of us took what we thought would be a short walk up the river. Turns out we were gone for two hours. We had no real plans on where to go, but we made up rules along the way such as no back tracking. Well, we got stuck in a few places where the water was deep and the current was fast, so we did need to go back and find another route. I brought my camera to take photos, but even when I held it above my head I slipped on a mossy rock and fell in the water with my camera. It got water inside and stopped working. After letting it dry out it is now working so I don't need to buy another new digital camera.<br />
<br />
We kept our meals simple, with some eggs for breakfast, red beans and rice for diner and on the second night we had some steak, chicken and carne asada. Well, I say it was simple, but that's because I didn't cook, only eat. I brought stuff for making sandwiches during the day.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9bru35F0H-BClPiR-n1xUXt69aqwtSMXvqo4DjRU7PF02GjM9AHJ-MKNpw189y7VAiQQAZ5S08hyFatkitJTTykVoi2lumXhXPQchQIopg4aeDwxr_8QBijurbaekyIUj6oE-w/s1600/IMG_1714.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9bru35F0H-BClPiR-n1xUXt69aqwtSMXvqo4DjRU7PF02GjM9AHJ-MKNpw189y7VAiQQAZ5S08hyFatkitJTTykVoi2lumXhXPQchQIopg4aeDwxr_8QBijurbaekyIUj6oE-w/s320/IMG_1714.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are a few Rapids</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Everyone was having fun, despite various injuries, including someone who did break a bone in her arm, until 8:30 Sunday morning when a group of 25 loud people showed up and set up their day camp site right next to where we were. That's the downfall of camping in a primitive site where you don't have reserved sites. Once we heard the baby start crying, we very quickly packed up and left way earlier than we planned. Another sad trend at the Kern is people writing graffiti on the rock and leaving lots of trash. We assumed this group were the type to do that.<br />
<br />
I was ready to make the five hour drive home, so I said my goodbyes and drove south, hitting traffic as I approached the 15/215 merge.<br />
<br />
Overall it was a great trip, and I'm looking forwards to going back next year. I can't make that long trek more that once a year. And next time - no hard alcohol, just beer.Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6991226.post-76062059203061054122013-06-16T12:26:00.001-07:002013-06-16T12:26:56.064-07:00Hiking around Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1dGMMPxDHbEG4nwD-M_zzv6ewl451jmIBSWUHJnYQj-M_YuTVxAzrxWr2dmRpT1BuRr07eoLTg3mxJ4H3C-B1JSLs1q8w-gHknDjz9oZxovYvDyFqDUWfZG6B2cwqSwnXjiNuA/s1600/IMG_1600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1dGMMPxDHbEG4nwD-M_zzv6ewl451jmIBSWUHJnYQj-M_YuTVxAzrxWr2dmRpT1BuRr07eoLTg3mxJ4H3C-B1JSLs1q8w-gHknDjz9oZxovYvDyFqDUWfZG6B2cwqSwnXjiNuA/s320/IMG_1600.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visitors Center<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 13px;">The last time I was in this area was in the late 80's, late at night after work. My friends and I drove out to the Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove/Questhaven area because we heard rumors about mysterious religious cults, drug houses and hell holes. When we stopped in front of the drug house and got out of the car, within a few seconds all the outside flood lights came on and we jumped in my car and drove out, along the narrow, windy road, very fast. That was a fun night. Well, there are still strange religious retreats out there that are hidden behind gates, fences and hills, but now there is the Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve which is popular with hikers and mountain bikers.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxV_677bcB_YZMJhsjCiRy_VwYiAB-Sz6wKn3-ipxSbRkjnlH3MrshBj4Rz9D22V3T69W0utWJCS3k52HwDTh-RZt1JGKT3noOOplI_jZ-xEvPZA-g7qN3hpEw_n7IK0mRC4BOAA/s1600/IMG_1599.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxV_677bcB_YZMJhsjCiRy_VwYiAB-Sz6wKn3-ipxSbRkjnlH3MrshBj4Rz9D22V3T69W0utWJCS3k52HwDTh-RZt1JGKT3noOOplI_jZ-xEvPZA-g7qN3hpEw_n7IK0mRC4BOAA/s320/IMG_1599.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Owl with Sunglasses</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At the main parking lot there is a very nice visitors center. Almost as nice as one you might see at a national monument or state park. We didn't spend very much time inside, but long enough to takes some photos of stuffed wildlife wearing sun glasses.<span style="font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<br />
The map at the trail head shows all the trails and distances. We decided to follow that main trail, called the Way Up Trail. For some reason I had the idea that all the trails were flat, but I was way wrong. This trail climbs steeply up the hillside and before you know it you are looking way down at the parking lot. It wasn't hot so we didn't need too many breaks, and luckily I was well stocked with water.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKCBTIztohutMyXZH1vn_YuVj0OgpSN8EYS9IFuOGcdg1EXZ1v9gUFLujKXsC18htkIihmtS84TtSMIRQKloghLgnOiqL5Ti4Jnl3s1o25E3SYJeL79onDnxYVA9jX6EtQ6xnlQ/s1600/IMG_1603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKCBTIztohutMyXZH1vn_YuVj0OgpSN8EYS9IFuOGcdg1EXZ1v9gUFLujKXsC18htkIihmtS84TtSMIRQKloghLgnOiqL5Ti4Jnl3s1o25E3SYJeL79onDnxYVA9jX6EtQ6xnlQ/s320/IMG_1603.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small creek </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Once you go over the small creek the vegetation along the trail is your typical dry chaparral, with no trees for shade. There are many trail markers along the way to let you know what trail you are on, the distance you've traveled, and what facilities are located at the trails end, such as benches and restrooms. We had no specific goal other than to view the reservoir which I had never seen.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimHabVyc1VNZZnR0tGplXKJc0kBfTJyMFqilENAxXqAWc4-1P9SE2_GH0HAJ11mpOY1fZM35agULx8UsKLWzcLNQUee5Oj8sqMhbrIvdxcZTQaEwzDvV0VlohQSpwk7Le8ivqvfw/s1600/IMG_1605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimHabVyc1VNZZnR0tGplXKJc0kBfTJyMFqilENAxXqAWc4-1P9SE2_GH0HAJ11mpOY1fZM35agULx8UsKLWzcLNQUee5Oj8sqMhbrIvdxcZTQaEwzDvV0VlohQSpwk7Le8ivqvfw/s320/IMG_1605.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of many trail makers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The trail wasn't that crowded, and we talked to other hikers and bikers along the way asking them about the trails and what to see. So we just kept heading up and then towards the direction that we thought the lake was until we finally saw the reservoir. It isn't all that big, or at least it didn't look big, but the water was very blue and clean. I think I read an article about how they were going to pump water in from Lake Hodges but decided not to because that water was much dirtier and would have ruined this lake, which seems to have no recreational use. It is just for drinking.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqiN5WCgxMR_Hvp-9NJ8vV7I5wJbSFvMFOEhzcCtLEA6ZoMCvXxdWZ16TzgVqgO5bg4UnDqArNhi6b6D-_w2gpNqR9KxsavocGQCJqriQhRI6K7nY7LuusM1N6XUU1GXap5WhR7w/s1600/IMG_1622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqiN5WCgxMR_Hvp-9NJ8vV7I5wJbSFvMFOEhzcCtLEA6ZoMCvXxdWZ16TzgVqgO5bg4UnDqArNhi6b6D-_w2gpNqR9KxsavocGQCJqriQhRI6K7nY7LuusM1N6XUU1GXap5WhR7w/s320/IMG_1622.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with Lake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We continued exploring, and found even better views of the lake like the one below that was at a summit along a trail that led to a Lake Hodges lookout. We didn't take that trail because it was too long and I've seen Lake Hodges many times. In the background you can see Mt. Woodson and Iron Mountain. You can also see how low the water level is.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibGLKcaQZy2S6UBz8PlARmVGV81VMAdGwBBEoNIOEc0AP87NX4-_X4W-fqtQPIY-q23gsDt9u_YAAJp0X_m9SwnvfjZKL5nYYNui37Fn6CYIK8dSXsnHLBatAU-99bDwOe9qwT6A/s1600/IMG_1626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibGLKcaQZy2S6UBz8PlARmVGV81VMAdGwBBEoNIOEc0AP87NX4-_X4W-fqtQPIY-q23gsDt9u_YAAJp0X_m9SwnvfjZKL5nYYNui37Fn6CYIK8dSXsnHLBatAU-99bDwOe9qwT6A/s320/IMG_1626.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Olivenhain Reservoir</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On the way back down, we took the botanical garden trail, expecting to see a garden. Instead it was just another trail but with posts with numbers on it that probably referred to some guild that told you about the plants in that area. Near the bottom there were trees with shade, and then we had to walk across some rocks to get over the creek where kids were swimming in the slimy, green water as the parents watched.<br />
<br />
I wished I had recorded the trip on my GPS so I'd know how far we walked. We were hiking for less than two hours but it was a pretty good workout. On the way home I took a different way out that took us though the new community of San Elijo Hills. I knew this places existed, but I had no idea how big it was. All the buildings, houses and even the school looked like they were just build. It was well landscaped and probably an expensive place to live. Once we got back to freeway we stopped at Rubio's before heading back home.Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6991226.post-53656176064019593502013-06-03T19:12:00.001-07:002013-06-03T19:12:18.414-07:00Black Mountain Hike<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc5fUHcbMLvvPZU0zaMDPVH3OYVJNv1cxn6KqsINtw4XPPoCQnhvGseCQexcNVitjxVzGx1y9SKvGI5GakabelF7TKHUxqjJEI3MIXigqkWBo5BnmKK82D9nMg7BE1MIjBbuERVw/s1600/BlackMtFromTrailhead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc5fUHcbMLvvPZU0zaMDPVH3OYVJNv1cxn6KqsINtw4XPPoCQnhvGseCQexcNVitjxVzGx1y9SKvGI5GakabelF7TKHUxqjJEI3MIXigqkWBo5BnmKK82D9nMg7BE1MIjBbuERVw/s320/BlackMtFromTrailhead.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Mountain From Blackhawk Trail Head</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Black Mountain, located in northern San Diego, is a mountain that I've seen thousands of times but had never hiked to the top of. It was on my list of local peak to "bag", so finally, on June 1st, National Trails Day, I decided it was time and gathered two friends to join me in the hike. We started from the Blackhawk trailhead, which is on the south side of the mountain.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The weather was a cool 72 degrees, but it sure felt a lot hotter. I didn't know what to expect as far as trail conditions, but I believed that the trail to the top was shorter than my usual hike up Iron Mt., which you can see in this photo of me. Mt. Woodson is directly behind my head and Iron Mt. is on the far right.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_0Kq3fGxYkhX7bt7eqCRheZiynWGPRBss5lsPFsrfisHEt229wgs9ORhV0-sLU8c3oF5jPDt72yXDEsFUCbpDkyEh6TPduEt7x-yHg8Bkin7Vo0HxleGkctlr16BWZIs8e2UNQ/s1600/MeBlackMtCrop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_0Kq3fGxYkhX7bt7eqCRheZiynWGPRBss5lsPFsrfisHEt229wgs9ORhV0-sLU8c3oF5jPDt72yXDEsFUCbpDkyEh6TPduEt7x-yHg8Bkin7Vo0HxleGkctlr16BWZIs8e2UNQ/s320/MeBlackMtCrop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me At, or near the top of Black Mt.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The trail was very rocky with lots of medium-sized rocks covering the whole trail in some spots. I had good boots on but I still had to watch my step on the steeping sections. As we hiked up it looked like we took the wrong trail, as the peak was on the other side of a valley and we didn't seem to be getting closer to the peak even after hiking for 30 minutes. Plus, there was no one else on the trail.<br />
<br />
Finally the trail met up with a junction and there was a man with his three sons and he told us we were on the right trail to the summit. I'm not sure how long it took to hike up as I didn't look at my watch and I wasn't recording this hike on any GPS. We took many breaks on the way up so it took much longer than the hike down which we made in less than an hour.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjHD5tjMBrSKtZoX3ZyrIWXpZ5s3QVyCc63XYG951bGTPztQnJWPkMuD23-F7Pr0v33pIFYjQq3dmJGp6BYo_g7VDhTWDUcwYbY8WYH_vUlJ04Xua5OCAy1TGaz1xVzB9r88PRg/s1600/Houses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjHD5tjMBrSKtZoX3ZyrIWXpZ5s3QVyCc63XYG951bGTPztQnJWPkMuD23-F7Pr0v33pIFYjQq3dmJGp6BYo_g7VDhTWDUcwYbY8WYH_vUlJ04Xua5OCAy1TGaz1xVzB9r88PRg/s320/Houses.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Over-development below Black Mountain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
From the summit, on a clear day, you can see 360 degrees for long distance. It was foggy towards the west so you couldn't see the ocean. It was clearer looking north and east. Pictured above is the dense housing developments that were all built since the 1990s. That used to be 4-S Ranch, which was a real ranch with fields, farms and horses. Also it was a popular, and dangerous place to go off-roading.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWS-LY5dOmL4ygYx0e6BF-6Ai3tD0y824iVr1SuMM6VjlQ0WXqGw5-qO4qLIZ4U7l2quy8-M_7UqkpXyjXpjyR0JPrj4ltR0nDQ8rwItuy_G_y-L31S38vmtaJGd5b-HmIiVvyyA/s1600/SteveJudyAtTop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWS-LY5dOmL4ygYx0e6BF-6Ai3tD0y824iVr1SuMM6VjlQ0WXqGw5-qO4qLIZ4U7l2quy8-M_7UqkpXyjXpjyR0JPrj4ltR0nDQ8rwItuy_G_y-L31S38vmtaJGd5b-HmIiVvyyA/s320/SteveJudyAtTop.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve and Judy at Summit of Black Mt.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Even at the summit we only saw a few other people, including one mountain biker who flew down the hill with a Go Pro camera on his helmet. After the hike we were all tired and ready for a beer or two, or three. Now that I've done this hike, I don't need to do it again, but I will if the opportunity comes up. Maybe I'll try a different route up.Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6991226.post-47981705485228755742013-05-05T14:02:00.001-07:002013-05-05T14:02:46.254-07:00Cuatro de Mayo Bike Ride<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Nnz1Nw5SwDTG171i34hwy3W2eONbhZwEyGJJz4pwbTm38aoRgPK9OWqVbms2HoRgolRGFMCLwzhyphenhyphenG05tCzxRFiSVdlRnu5MljIy8_slr1ZsHVbU-sYRY_ctGkjy-iQjbhoiC0Q/s1600/IMAG0787.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Nnz1Nw5SwDTG171i34hwy3W2eONbhZwEyGJJz4pwbTm38aoRgPK9OWqVbms2HoRgolRGFMCLwzhyphenhyphenG05tCzxRFiSVdlRnu5MljIy8_slr1ZsHVbU-sYRY_ctGkjy-iQjbhoiC0Q/s320/IMAG0787.jpg" title="Big spider on house way past halloween" width="191" /></a></div>
<br />
For the third year in a row my friends and I rode our bikes to Old Town San Diego for the Cinco de Mayo celebration. The first year we found it by accident, as we were just on a bike ride and decided to go to Old Town for tacos and found the big street fair. This year we opted to go on Saturday the 4th because the weather was predicted to be warm and sunny and on the 5th they predicted rain.<br />
<br />
We wanted to get more biking in for exercise, so we took a roundabout route to Old Town by exploring more of the streets in Mission Hills. There are always some really nice houses to look at with well maintained yards, but this year the house the stuck out was the one pictured above with a huge spider on the garage roof. Not sure if they just forgot to take it town after Halloween last year or if it is up there all year. I don't like spiders so I'm glad I'm not that persons neighbor.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtWEaP8piwUarrcwMUhne1WOLgyFgnq7R2BnJWjYJpG09csSBogFTof-nI67JNy_k6vHHmtLNv5Kp7dsCciayeE5-mq0DjsMFOHPjQpWYkoHIy_B_ERZKW2kxKS63p10sNWniqLA/s1600/IMAG0788.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtWEaP8piwUarrcwMUhne1WOLgyFgnq7R2BnJWjYJpG09csSBogFTof-nI67JNy_k6vHHmtLNv5Kp7dsCciayeE5-mq0DjsMFOHPjQpWYkoHIy_B_ERZKW2kxKS63p10sNWniqLA/s320/IMAG0788.jpg" title="Lowriders" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Once in Old Town we locked up our bikes and walked around for a while before looking for beer and food. They had this usual street lined with low-riders, which even though I'm not a big fan of, I admire the work that the owners put into their cars to make them lift up and down and even bounce. Other attractions to see included people playing football (soccer), which I had no interest to watch.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtABFNz1e5BRrGYb1x5U7tOPxbcmlDYdxxtQhSEJrFWYbyolt6tFrXT89d7D8cmJ312Gxtiq0eeuMsBkaZE0pRSyGMfCs96jlCsjKQ1eft1Yz3XKIKZzVyLNDm3IAlw8RrqV0fvA/s1600/IMAG0789.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtABFNz1e5BRrGYb1x5U7tOPxbcmlDYdxxtQhSEJrFWYbyolt6tFrXT89d7D8cmJ312Gxtiq0eeuMsBkaZE0pRSyGMfCs96jlCsjKQ1eft1Yz3XKIKZzVyLNDm3IAlw8RrqV0fvA/s320/IMAG0789.jpg" title="Small stuffed man" width="191" /></a></div>
<br />
This small, stuffed man was in front of one of the low-riders. After walking around for a while we headed to the "usual" bar and ordered a round of margaritas. They tasted good after the bike ride there. The weather kept changing, going from warm and sunny to cold, cloudy and windy, but it all felt good to me.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-8mRdOzXYRZyXfTk-N9tqeYhKKuq2C_JQ1Co0WwYVV86EuqEFll1MvpZZJsZUQZ9OcaHoxhD7ekW-HoWCxJlPw2HhkfjazjYAiNsg7tB8VBgNTRAUTzk8YBRxBzI3coxTxxecQ/s1600/IMAG0790.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-8mRdOzXYRZyXfTk-N9tqeYhKKuq2C_JQ1Co0WwYVV86EuqEFll1MvpZZJsZUQZ9OcaHoxhD7ekW-HoWCxJlPw2HhkfjazjYAiNsg7tB8VBgNTRAUTzk8YBRxBzI3coxTxxecQ/s320/IMAG0790.jpg" title="Band at Cinco de Mayo in Old Town" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Then we went on a search for food and went back to a small stand we found last year that had really good carnitas.<span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"> I ordered two since they were small, and due to lack of any place to sit and eat along the street we ate our tacos over a trash can along the street. We were hungry and weren't worried about looking like some homeless people. Then more walking, past the stage where this band was playing, but didn't stop to listen.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiLqaSDAHc9PdOCWuXCCpGRswR4LbSYIuzd17pDf7_ZRLQCmLYP0zgNIms1vAczLO3tTlaNbW9YzT66HaaNbzKf1-8EWG2vlCd1hj5BSRaf4iDtjP7mt-iLplFiJ0oo3OAESnELw/s1600/IMAG0792.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiLqaSDAHc9PdOCWuXCCpGRswR4LbSYIuzd17pDf7_ZRLQCmLYP0zgNIms1vAczLO3tTlaNbW9YzT66HaaNbzKf1-8EWG2vlCd1hj5BSRaf4iDtjP7mt-iLplFiJ0oo3OAESnELw/s320/IMAG0792.jpg" title="Stay thirsty, my friend." width="191" /></a></div>
<br />
We then went into another restaurant for a round of beers and to sit down to relax. They wanted the drinkers to go out back to the patio, but we sat at a table inside and service was very slow, but the waiter was also obviously not happy we ordered no food. Oh well. He still got paid and got a tip.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrSm-pZbrG6YkAlejqMhRXKLlu2VQhIvtG-RwgGnlGd2yvOz4PCASRs7Mj2TkYfkEb-ijnNersxzj_7Bj1mpuNSWBE5SZTOy_jHK5_04H9GrppXu_ISvpevZ5QpO4lQ4jYO39Rg/s1600/IMAG0794.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrSm-pZbrG6YkAlejqMhRXKLlu2VQhIvtG-RwgGnlGd2yvOz4PCASRs7Mj2TkYfkEb-ijnNersxzj_7Bj1mpuNSWBE5SZTOy_jHK5_04H9GrppXu_ISvpevZ5QpO4lQ4jYO39Rg/s320/IMAG0794.jpg" title="Display at an Old Town San Diego museum. " width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Somehow it was already getting "late", as in 4:00, but we wanted to ride home before it got colder. First we walked around to let the food and beer settle as we had a long, steep hill to ride up. We visited a museum where I took a photo of these "dolls".<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_9qGhy0oHTv1ksqQ6raaAVzV2H_O6qym6jeGzUP_cCAUX59wdbl4QwMbJOt1cVbpC7_94QDFUqXfMnRHMUNuJB7b6gMJWRg4BgwLrnD4u5HtMmMGqk5G2E_A8FuxcE42qchKPvw/s1600/IMAG0795.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_9qGhy0oHTv1ksqQ6raaAVzV2H_O6qym6jeGzUP_cCAUX59wdbl4QwMbJOt1cVbpC7_94QDFUqXfMnRHMUNuJB7b6gMJWRg4BgwLrnD4u5HtMmMGqk5G2E_A8FuxcE42qchKPvw/s320/IMAG0795.jpg" title="Really? A risk at a petting zoo?" width="191" /></a></div>
<br />
Then we found a petting zoo which was really busy. I had to laugh at the "Enter at your own Risk" sign with a small goat below it. I know some of the animals can bite if you don't feed them right, but really?<br />
<br />
So the ride home took us up Juan Street, a very long and steep road up to Mission Hills. Once again I made it all the way up without stopping, using the "granny" gear. Once everyone made it to the top we took a more direct route back home and proceeded to relax. I ended the night by watching Ironman 2, so now I can see Ironman 3.<br />
<br />
Today is the real Cinco de Mayo, but I plan on staying home (after my trip to the gym) and relaxing.Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6991226.post-75221722831174860482013-04-21T12:53:00.001-07:002013-04-21T12:53:34.202-07:00Casual Bike Ride Exploring Hidden Bridges<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8W06n8emi7R2S6zhnKO_lNESVW7N74O50-BFYTxyAug5d3hnsE55zKdMNhJniOfJ45cbMuVs5XPLlsS7p5Zxmyfd7RbkpNYjsYGPZMPgbNcrmc2B-zwzIVx60SPZlp0NV9AA4Mg/s1600/SmallBridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8W06n8emi7R2S6zhnKO_lNESVW7N74O50-BFYTxyAug5d3hnsE55zKdMNhJniOfJ45cbMuVs5XPLlsS7p5Zxmyfd7RbkpNYjsYGPZMPgbNcrmc2B-zwzIVx60SPZlp0NV9AA4Mg/s320/SmallBridge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small wooden bridge in canyon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Got a call from my friend on Friday saying he and his girlfriend wanted to go on a casual bike ride on Saturday since it was going to be a nice, warm, sunny San Diego day. I say "casual" ride because more of my recent rides have been longer and more intense, where I ride between 12 and 30 miles on my road bike. In fact, I had just gone on a 13 mile ride after having a three hour job interview. For this ride I took my older hybrid bike, which is good for streets and off road if the path isn't too rocky or sandy.<div>
<br /><div>
Once I got to my friend's house and we got our bikes ready with air in the tires and oiled chains, we had a long discussion on where to ride. We decide to explore some hidden bridges in San Diego in the Balboa Park, Mission Hills and Banker's Hill area. Our first stop was a canyon below Balboa Park on a bike path that runs along highway 163. As we got near the usual entrance we take, we saw a trail leading down to a canyon that we had never taken before, so our off-road biking began by carrying our bikes down some steep steps to get to the trail where you see this small wooden bridge in the photo above. We did not cross the bridge but took a parallel path.</div>
<div>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3rTCFuEMg4M6R-KPskVLqisXToOAKyUkme-DM6A7UUuPb2gsm7LypgJiySGcwk0HCRC1FqnQL_F-zfaDP9XmqxZBdB3C7bRkZ0ncjE-_j-FtKH6Dlf46YG6rtLUAzwcFvn6Xqrg/s1600/FirstStreetBridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3rTCFuEMg4M6R-KPskVLqisXToOAKyUkme-DM6A7UUuPb2gsm7LypgJiySGcwk0HCRC1FqnQL_F-zfaDP9XmqxZBdB3C7bRkZ0ncjE-_j-FtKH6Dlf46YG6rtLUAzwcFvn6Xqrg/s320/FirstStreetBridge.jpg" title="First Street Bridge" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Street Bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Our bike ride continued to the bike path along 163 where at the end we ended up once again carrying our bikes up an even steeper path that lead to Balboa Park. Perhaps there are some hard-core bikers who could have ridden up this trail, but we did not and by the time we got to the top we needed a five minute break to catch our breath.<br />
<br />
Then we rode around the dirt and paved trails of Balboa Park going no place in particular. There were lots of people out having picnics on the grass as well as the usual homeless people wandering around. We then headed towards Mission Hills and rode past the interesting and unique (and expensive) houses of the area. Somehow, with Steve leading, we followed a road, or series of roads that zigzag down through Banker's Hill and ended up in an area of town that I had never seen before, located not too far from interstate 5 and Pacific Highway. Well, we knew that after that long downhill ride we had to ride back up. After a break we headed back up after we heard and saw a large swarm of bees near us. I managed to ride all the way back up using my bike's "granny gear". We took a different route on the way up that was shorter but steeper.<br />
<br />
Then we explored some more side streets and eventually followed along First Ave. where we crossed the First Avenue Bridge pictured above. I've driven across this bridge before but had no idea how historic and beautiful it is. The sign on the bridge says it was build in 1911 and it is obvious that it is a well built steel bridge that could withstand a major earthquake. Below the bridge we saw a dirt trail but couldn't figure out how to get down there. That will be a ride for another day.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqZhwXWOgxN7fz1I0FenrAdtfapHnIPxPwbhzmZ3L7hFCj4Nzaa1rgl5rgX2HsefkSRnIzVIPrzDMu5nOzJlI-WAnP21EQ2o1rK45JA_dkYpnRe5dr9_Xs0y_lqcN0DUC8yNGYA/s1600/LookingDowntown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqZhwXWOgxN7fz1I0FenrAdtfapHnIPxPwbhzmZ3L7hFCj4Nzaa1rgl5rgX2HsefkSRnIzVIPrzDMu5nOzJlI-WAnP21EQ2o1rK45JA_dkYpnRe5dr9_Xs0y_lqcN0DUC8yNGYA/s320/LookingDowntown.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Diego Bay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The photo above is looking towards San Diego Bay and you can see Point Loma in distance. I don't remember exactly where I took the photo but it was during one of our rest breaks. Our ride lasted 2 1/2 hours and was 10 miles long. We took a lot of breaks as we were in no hurry.</div>
<div>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvK0Jwd-Lz7VxfKdfv5HW6sZ2jtakoqvsWSMSi39XM3R_PQ3bbUS44Sxo9a8GRf6lfKkZWoi1cCVUNCRLS2tFE_RwuVTcoZN8scjPhuJBQBaRt9XBztIOdh6wxHHnNhKOrjpZpvQ/s1600/UglyHouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvK0Jwd-Lz7VxfKdfv5HW6sZ2jtakoqvsWSMSi39XM3R_PQ3bbUS44Sxo9a8GRf6lfKkZWoi1cCVUNCRLS2tFE_RwuVTcoZN8scjPhuJBQBaRt9XBztIOdh6wxHHnNhKOrjpZpvQ/s320/UglyHouse.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue and Green House</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Many of the houses we passed were very unique, including this one that was painted with clashing colors of blue and green. It could be a fun house to live in. It is hard to know what this inside looks like and who knows what colors the walls are painted. We saw other houses that were much nicer and one that looked like a big square building with no thought put into the design.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFvLQKPz5fN1Rn341yOaLlT1rkWQeN7h16ZqwyjFWIm54Vgq0iWMgfAr34rEdUwDRQ5duIkIR10svyxMyp2TTErY7LQXvoWJQQZAS9-UqxrrzMwllUGcvulwLBv6CLGxE04WxTQ/s1600/QuinceStFootBridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFvLQKPz5fN1Rn341yOaLlT1rkWQeN7h16ZqwyjFWIm54Vgq0iWMgfAr34rEdUwDRQ5duIkIR10svyxMyp2TTErY7LQXvoWJQQZAS9-UqxrrzMwllUGcvulwLBv6CLGxE04WxTQ/s320/QuinceStFootBridge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quince Street Bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Getting back on track, we still had two more bridges to find. I've seen photos of these bridges but had never seen them in person. The next bridge was the Quince Street pedestrian bridge. We parked our bikes on the east side and I took a walk out to middle so I could get a photo of the valley where I saw another hiking trail below. I could also see how to get down there, a series of long, steep steps. That too will be a ride for next time. While I was on the bridge a woman and here four-ish year old daughter passed me and the girl very politely walked up to me and said "How are you doing? I'm going to a playground. Have a good day." She said this is a very clear manner and I had to smile. Her mom said nothing but she did acknowledged me with a smile.</div>
<div>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hxcrPTZNmmPwBo7aPY6QxmOVXHzuwj0rq11tgsqePVOwZGLs2Z1ZTjqO6bPFzQRJvi5OgMi_FmT_w0sbsBsDUObA-B26V0zciZzscXr2V8E2uD7yUVrIbRb3t0l5Im6rLLjEQQ/s1600/ViewFromQuinceBridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hxcrPTZNmmPwBo7aPY6QxmOVXHzuwj0rq11tgsqePVOwZGLs2Z1ZTjqO6bPFzQRJvi5OgMi_FmT_w0sbsBsDUObA-B26V0zciZzscXr2V8E2uD7yUVrIbRb3t0l5Im6rLLjEQQ/s320/ViewFromQuinceBridge.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Quince Street Bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Steve and Judy had enough of walking up and down steps so they stayed at the top of the bridge. While were getting ready to leave, a man and his daughter walked by and we asked him where the suspension bridge was. He said it was near Spruce and 1st. So that was our next destination. But first we rode some more and stopped at a 7/11 for some water.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1kMLPp2Vzz0g74ZoBuqF3QqXacLakuEgde1O5OUHI3mAnHZ4cn7JTvFxrAAbhgRA4Lw77kgqRgSA4RZ9cHh6nb5zionxGEa8STygijh08Klh5lYaZcAA38X_6kTWV6RTK08XRQ/s1600/SteveAndJudy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1kMLPp2Vzz0g74ZoBuqF3QqXacLakuEgde1O5OUHI3mAnHZ4cn7JTvFxrAAbhgRA4Lw77kgqRgSA4RZ9cHh6nb5zionxGEa8STygijh08Klh5lYaZcAA38X_6kTWV6RTK08XRQ/s320/SteveAndJudy.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve and Judy above Bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
From there we rode down to Spruce and then followed it to the end where sure enough, there was the bridge. I started by riding my bike on the bridge but soon my acrophobia kicked in and I got off my bike and walked it across. I called this the bouncy bridge because it did move. There was one woman who walked a little ways onto the bridge and then stopped, holding the railing tightly. She had an even greater fear of heights than me. This bridge was pretty crowded. Also, there was no place to take a photo of the bridge from the side, so I snapped a photo of it after we crossed, as you can see below.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv3bNqHYrVKXXNU6xCtqoplSbbY-TivdswE3CTOITa2fOGt_p805PqI7s2HIyFRG0wzymUzmw8xYJ1r207ZE4KhH5P_0mkcum1aK8Zkfi4X7j19hbiEnCjfWrzZd-wyz1rgk7VHQ/s1600/SpruceStBridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv3bNqHYrVKXXNU6xCtqoplSbbY-TivdswE3CTOITa2fOGt_p805PqI7s2HIyFRG0wzymUzmw8xYJ1r207ZE4KhH5P_0mkcum1aK8Zkfi4X7j19hbiEnCjfWrzZd-wyz1rgk7VHQ/s320/SpruceStBridge.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spruce Street Suspension Bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As we were all getting tired, we headed back to my friend's house where we started. Luckily the ride was pretty level. Back at his house we had a few drinks and then grabbed some Mexican food. I had a shrimp burrito with rice and beans which was really good.<br />
<br />
It was a great bike ride for a Saturday. It was fun, relaxing and also a good work-out. So now today, Sunday, I woke up still feeling tired and sore, but still got to the gym for an upper-body workout. I plan on relaxing the rest of the day and will probably take a nap in the afternoon. Tomorrow for most people is back to work, but since I've been unemployed for over six months, I'll be doing more job searches and hoping for a call during the week from the company I just interviewed with saying they'd like to continue the interview process which would hopefully lead to be getting hired and once again being a productive member of society, as they say.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6991226.post-68282849209033585782012-11-30T12:49:00.001-08:002012-11-30T12:49:22.672-08:00Thanksgiving Vacation 2012 - Paris, Last Day<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTd1AZ9YFGWIBm1sbRql91qMtapOQRI1PuFe8PpKANSoSrS4vw1HK-Z1wxQ5jiCcx2MLKWuz68Darb2Va2xEH0qMq1tronFgeUgn_jY3V_lYPAQC6-1S9pSaJJRPSZjpyoR7j9TQ/s1600/VincennesCastleEntrance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTd1AZ9YFGWIBm1sbRql91qMtapOQRI1PuFe8PpKANSoSrS4vw1HK-Z1wxQ5jiCcx2MLKWuz68Darb2Va2xEH0qMq1tronFgeUgn_jY3V_lYPAQC6-1S9pSaJJRPSZjpyoR7j9TQ/s200/VincennesCastleEntrance.jpg" title="Entrance to Vincennes Castle" width="200" /></a>Our first stop of the day was the Vincennes Castle, located further out of town than we had been. It was easy to get to, just get on the Metro line near our hotel and take it to the last stop. As we left our hotel we were surprised to see the entire street closed to traffic. There were barricades along the sidewalks and police everywhere. Apparently something big was going on this day and hopefully it wouldn't interfere with our plans. So to the Metro we went and sat, at each stop more and more people got off. By the time we reached the end of the line there were only a few people left. When we got to the surface we were right at the entrance to the castle.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRE6UkcZ5UY_V7ZytKtj9J7IrsYeWzbvzmcakg4F-XEMKhazNM87qeSlcBPXyi3x6ovPZrQMmoPKKiMkrWUy4UkA2tmrq1kxIq_rxlatA7saCHjrCgxIJMiCkAHrgO4C5pbvJaAw/s1600/VincennesCastleBell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRE6UkcZ5UY_V7ZytKtj9J7IrsYeWzbvzmcakg4F-XEMKhazNM87qeSlcBPXyi3x6ovPZrQMmoPKKiMkrWUy4UkA2tmrq1kxIq_rxlatA7saCHjrCgxIJMiCkAHrgO4C5pbvJaAw/s200/VincennesCastleBell.jpg" title="The Bell Tower" width="200" /></a>A short walk to the entrance where we took some photos and then crossed the drawbridge across the moat. We used our Paris Museum Pass to get our tickets and then were free to wander the sites that were open in the castle. There weren't many people here yet, but there two groups of guided tours, one with mostly older people and one with children. We planned our first stop by going in the building that the children didn't - the bell tower and dungeon. It was fun exploring the different rooms and levels of this building. Some of the rooms were small, once used at the latrine. We climbed more spiral staircases to get to the upper levels, but sadly the path to the very top of the tower was closed and looked like it was only accessible as part of a guided tour.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7R6dX9N6W2JeqzasxSftIJZtLthIHLjvkP6dU3Lv7sZhMr0AN2KwuRW1lzBT0YbYniG_ss8BEEjBKEh14LFXdPiUpN4iIVnx6KpusGqDpNh8Zw0SFkM4zNqioVD3bEw5SFeSHjQ/s1600/ConciergerieModelCastle4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7R6dX9N6W2JeqzasxSftIJZtLthIHLjvkP6dU3Lv7sZhMr0AN2KwuRW1lzBT0YbYniG_ss8BEEjBKEh14LFXdPiUpN4iIVnx6KpusGqDpNh8Zw0SFkM4zNqioVD3bEw5SFeSHjQ/s200/ConciergerieModelCastle4.jpg" title="A miniature castle. " width="200" /></a></div>
The second building was the chapel. It was one big room with paintings on the walls and more stained glass windows. There was a second level that gave a good view of the chapel from above. We left this building and walked back to the gift shop to warm up and decide where to go next. We opted to try the Conciergerie again, the place that was closed the day before.<br />
<br />
Back on the Metro we headed back to our familiar stops, and along the way we heard announcements that the Metro line would be closed between certain stations, most likely related to the police activity we saw in the morning. Luckily we didn't have to go to any of those stops to get to the Conciergerie, and since we found the entrance the day before, we were able to walk straight there from the closest Metro stop. There was a small line to enter, and once again we used our Paris Museum Pass to get in.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjalT2kYFu6jrvf2GC8o1c5TuL8wC8G9txqZqWf9Sj5eVItLR-YNFMg6Zx_4081a4e-H8ITdGzO3CGPbpkqz5Fk6udmkmpELbstzFNGejx3z-oJXhwmpEG2PmyAJRfMowId5zEPlA/s1600/ConciergerieMarieAntoninetteCell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjalT2kYFu6jrvf2GC8o1c5TuL8wC8G9txqZqWf9Sj5eVItLR-YNFMg6Zx_4081a4e-H8ITdGzO3CGPbpkqz5Fk6udmkmpELbstzFNGejx3z-oJXhwmpEG2PmyAJRfMowId5zEPlA/s200/ConciergerieMarieAntoninetteCell.jpg" title="Marie-Antoinette" width="200" /></a></div>
It turns out that it was closed because they were setting up a special exhibition that seemed to be dedicated to castles. They had lots of miniature castles made of various material including Legos! The room was dark, but they had cool lighting for each castle giving the room a fantasy like atmosphere. Now the rest of the place was a palace and prison. You walked through various rooms where they had mannequins set up like prisoners waiting to be executed. The highlight, if you could call it that, was a room depicting the cell that held Marie-Antoinette with her sitting with her back to the door dressed in all black. Once we finished the self-guided tour we left to go find lunch.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzW92UNavDWjTd8_9Waf5T9NAPrwZgQE2pEYRQCXxYhB7GOSU8MXvF7AN_dBPlqduYoLHBlcWN23ZYG32OMBd8i8y8nltOYaOqZYNTG4YLoA_JOM0jRNDZZr1v_zU-qu_HI4kjw/s1600/LibertyFlameAndEiffelTower_Rotate2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzW92UNavDWjTd8_9Waf5T9NAPrwZgQE2pEYRQCXxYhB7GOSU8MXvF7AN_dBPlqduYoLHBlcWN23ZYG32OMBd8i8y8nltOYaOqZYNTG4YLoA_JOM0jRNDZZr1v_zU-qu_HI4kjw/s320/LibertyFlameAndEiffelTower_Rotate2.jpg" title="Liberty Flame " width="240" /></a>It took three tries to find a place to eat that we all agreed on, and once again we were given seats near the window. I ordered a plate of meats, and I'm not really sure what they all were. One could have been liver, and if it was that's the first time I've had liver. It was all good. Next we wanted to see something that wasn't too far away and would take too long to visit. We somehow decided on what we just called the sewer museum, "a history of water and mains drainage, and a visit to the hear of the sewerage network.". Well, we found the entrance, a small building along the banks of the Seine. However, it was closed. We weren't the only tourists showing up to find it closed. And actually, I forgot that earlier we tried to see some Roman ruins near Notre Dame and they were also closed, as well as some catacombs that were also not open on this trip and the previous trip to Paris.<br />
<br />
<br />
At this point my sister was ready to go back to her room to warm up and do some blog posting. So my brother, sister-in-law and I attempted to take the train to another site, but our tickets got rejected. We had three day Metro tickets so they should have been good. So instead we walked across the river towards the Metro stop and along the way stopped to take a look at a full sized replica of the Statue of Liberty's Flame. While walking around it I noticed writing on the bridge we were standing on and it was all messages to Princess Diana. Turns out that we were standing above the tunnel where she crashed and died. There were also small memorials to her placed next to the flame. Very sad.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3DeIMKX8Sraya51JgQg0rsrLqa4cV9VejmNridlBuomJ32RRpPnCsKYOfb1E-l4a07m_20MFGrihoK95ByOPCGUjtksHzINp-KnY35OPPIjDCHVyzzoTsYGrAjpxjTPl8-6pYIg/s1600/ParisChristmasFair3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3DeIMKX8Sraya51JgQg0rsrLqa4cV9VejmNridlBuomJ32RRpPnCsKYOfb1E-l4a07m_20MFGrihoK95ByOPCGUjtksHzINp-KnY35OPPIjDCHVyzzoTsYGrAjpxjTPl8-6pYIg/s200/ParisChristmasFair3.jpg" title="Pandas in Motion" width="200" /></a></div>
So back down to the Metro where we had more trouble with our tickets, at least my brother did. His wife and I got through okay but his ticket kept getting rejected. All we could think of is that the system knew that the ticket was used and rejected a few times within ten minutes, so it may have been rendered invalid. So we gave up and decided to walk. Along the way we stopped to take photos of the many statues, mostly men who we didn't know on horses. We also decided not to go to the site we were originally taking the train to because it was getting late and most museums close by five. So we walked passed some interesting looking buildings before ended up back at the Christmas Market. It was now in full swing, with people shopping at the little shops and ice skating in a cool looking ice rink and path that passed by displays of <em style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;">animatronic a</em>nimals like bears and pandas.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSxCzXSV8L2umUyj49NX8s7Xn9YcofqFhKkrR3m-49DVsg-i9EkkOkhlmhD8wNcWfOPdKNhectTyGSkJbCQsPW6SfA6eovwSUyKAfvzLQr1lgblAa5g3Tch1XlRlRaipPGCOwwxQ/s1600/ParisWheelOblisk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSxCzXSV8L2umUyj49NX8s7Xn9YcofqFhKkrR3m-49DVsg-i9EkkOkhlmhD8wNcWfOPdKNhectTyGSkJbCQsPW6SfA6eovwSUyKAfvzLQr1lgblAa5g3Tch1XlRlRaipPGCOwwxQ/s200/ParisWheelOblisk.jpg" title="Ferris wheel and obelisk. " width="200" /></a></div>
We walked all the way to the end where the Obelisk stands in the center of the Place de la Concorde. There was also a large Ferris Wheel that I had been seeing since I got to Paris and finally got to take a photo of. We then crossed the street and continued walking through the Christmas Market as we headed to our hotel. Along the way my sister-in-law stopped a woman from steeling from a man's backpack as he was taking photos. I had no idea she did that until later. And no, the two women, working together, were not wearing red like in the warning posters.<br />
<br />
We finally made it to our hotel and by now all the police activity was gone and the street was opened up to traffic. We later learned that a Russian delegation was in town and there was a wreath laying ceremony, and we luckily missed any Metro stoppages by just a few minutes at one time during the day. So a short break before dinner where we were joined by my sister. This time we ate at the other Italian restaurant across the street. After dinner we made our final stop - the Arc de Triomphe. It was a short walk up to the tunnel which led under the street to the arc. We used our passes to enter and proceeded up a very long stairwell where people seemed to be in a rush to get to the top. Another 284 steps to add to my total for the trip. It was now dark and from the top there was a great view of the Champs Elyesse lined with lights and the Eiffel Tower all lit up. I took many photos, many turned out blurry because I wasn't using a tripod to stabilize the camera for long exposures, but enough turned out semi-decent. Then, I think on the hour, the Eiffel Tower changed to its "sparkle" setting, with lights all up and down the tower flashing brightly. This caused everyone on the arc to walk to one side for viewing.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Uz82sY_4xfApzhVekLzoBq2OAXZr5A7nKOn8_EzR0HHOzXzT9Ba5ZbB2Qwlgs4Q3CwiakMPA0uUruna3U0bwR983vd0_3mDLdBxIzp33pFKog8MKKd9ewl1XorQihOQfhHEcTA/s1600/EiffelTowerAtNightSparkleFromArc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Uz82sY_4xfApzhVekLzoBq2OAXZr5A7nKOn8_EzR0HHOzXzT9Ba5ZbB2Qwlgs4Q3CwiakMPA0uUruna3U0bwR983vd0_3mDLdBxIzp33pFKog8MKKd9ewl1XorQihOQfhHEcTA/s200/EiffelTowerAtNightSparkleFromArc.jpg" title="Sparkly Eiffel Tower" width="200" /></a></div>
Well, it was really cold and windy, so we walked by down after a visit to the gift shop, where I bought another souvenir. Back at the hotel it was bed time. My flight with my sister home in the morning left early, so we had to leave the hotel by 5:45 in the morning. My brother and his wife had one more day in Paris. The next morning we checked out and took a taxi to the airport which was much quicker with no traffic. Then the long trip home. Paris to Frankfurt to Washington DC to San Diego, which one to three hour layovers at each airport. By the time I got home I had basically been awake for 25 hours as I got very little sleeps on the flights.<br />
<br />
So what did I think of Paris? Well, everyone said what a great city it was and it was a must see, and I agree. But I didn't get a "Paris" vibe. Maybe all major European cities are staring to feel the same, like Madrid, Barcelona, Rome and Vienna. Would I go back? Yes, there is still plenty to see. Some people say you could spend three weeks there and never get bored.<br />
<br />Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6991226.post-87755754297497708272012-11-29T11:00:00.000-08:002012-11-29T18:14:24.323-08:00Thanksgiving Vacation 2012 - Paris Day Two<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQRNI38Py80XH5gTUhZ044v5EPKEVsT-oLEw_I_JFjVSI2kDAiVR5UYAhYCSy7aGCTokga4-Sh8mcmH1QSpohA_1hEPUsCEpxMwfYT9YgQo4cMX7iP__Dc-4n8I8LldY_pkG8N1A/s1600/BodylessHeadsInsideTheCluny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQRNI38Py80XH5gTUhZ044v5EPKEVsT-oLEw_I_JFjVSI2kDAiVR5UYAhYCSy7aGCTokga4-Sh8mcmH1QSpohA_1hEPUsCEpxMwfYT9YgQo4cMX7iP__Dc-4n8I8LldY_pkG8N1A/s200/BodylessHeadsInsideTheCluny.jpg" title="Heads inside the Cluny" width="200" /></a>Our second day in Paris became a museum day. For one, it was going to rain and museums are a great place to be when the weather is stormy. Also, the Louvre is open late on Wednesdays, so we decided to make that our last stop. After our breakfast buffet ritual, we bundled up with warm clothes and this time umbrellas as it was already lightly raining outside. A short walk to the Metro station and we were ready for a quick trip to our first stop, the Cluny Museum. According to Wikipedia, the "Cluny houses a variety of important medieval artifacts, in particular its tapestry notable works stored there include early Medieval sculptures from the seventh and eighth centuries. There are also works of gold, ivory, antique furnishings, stained glass." It was a smaller museum, so we spent less than an hour here. Instead of buying a ticket for just this museum, we ended up buying a two-day Paris Museum Pass, which is good for entrance to over 60 museums in Paris. So we planned our day around museums that were on this pass to get our monies worth.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7LqB3ERNCazVvHvtd-ID7GDT27BIZ9af6wPU6HzsynJO3lAWBcoLKg5CERqGUg8Y1Pu8HJ4NP414uFEM8hztLRRop7rvnyP-EwkMXXK50LiObq276ho79fLDjZvZMb2G-tVE7Q/s1600/PantheonInside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7LqB3ERNCazVvHvtd-ID7GDT27BIZ9af6wPU6HzsynJO3lAWBcoLKg5CERqGUg8Y1Pu8HJ4NP414uFEM8hztLRRop7rvnyP-EwkMXXK50LiObq276ho79fLDjZvZMb2G-tVE7Q/s200/PantheonInside.jpg" title="Inside the Pantheon." width="200" /></a></div>
Just up the street was The Pantheon, not to be confused with the famous one in Rome. The inside was well decorated and had picture-worthy architecture with the usual tall columns, statues and paintings. In the center was a pendulum hanging down from a very high ceiling. It represented the rotation of the Earth, according to the green brochure I'm looking at. They were consistent in having the English brochures in green in most of the museums. Down below was a very large crypt, where many famous French people are interred.<br />
<br />
Once outside the Pantheon it was nice to see the rain stopped, for we were walking to our next destination, the Conciergerie. It was located on an island in the middle of the Seine near Notre Dame. The building was supposed to be big and hard to miss, but it took us a long time to find the entrance just to find out it was closed but would be open the next day. So off to lunch we went. There are so many places to eat, we tend to stop and look at the menu, and if it looks good and someone from the restaurant welcomes us in, that's were we eat. We were seated next to a window along a busy street and with a great view of Notre Dame and other buildings. I ordered the special, which included the appetizer of the day, a main dish and then the dessert of the day. For a drink I went with a coke, and man, cokes are expensive. A single small bottle can cost up to $10. Beer and wine are cheaper, but I knew a beer in the middle of the day would make me more tired. The food and service was once again good, and we left to head to our next stop which I believe was the Museum of Cinematography.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkFhEaM35dnvZVbLalek4CIXNYIxUdP7VB_XbWkj7yAVgmrVpxzqxeAOjBhuM7LhanH0bvqtf9uESoeFcE2wIKZuCTjoD_X1uSQUQLZ1Ed3ZKGoKDxY9aoEL7bZzj9vSlWskcjg/s1600/UsLunchOutsideNotreDame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkFhEaM35dnvZVbLalek4CIXNYIxUdP7VB_XbWkj7yAVgmrVpxzqxeAOjBhuM7LhanH0bvqtf9uESoeFcE2wIKZuCTjoD_X1uSQUQLZ1Ed3ZKGoKDxY9aoEL7bZzj9vSlWskcjg/s200/UsLunchOutsideNotreDame.jpg" title="Us eating lunch" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
It was located further away from the city center, so it took a few Metro lines to get there, which put us in yet another district of Paris - Bercy. The museum is located in a building that houses many attractions, but our tickets got us access to two rooms. The first was a room dedicated to the history of cinematography in France. It contained old film projectors and cameras. There were projections of movies on the walls, and some of the exhibits were hands-on, which were probably for the children, as there was a large group of children there on a field trip. Upstairs was an exhibit dedicated to the famous French director Marcel Carné, who I probably had heard of, but I was not familiar with his works. They were projecting clips from his movies on the walls and there was other stuff to look at as well. As you might have guessed, I can't remember much from this museum, maybe because to photos were allowed (or I was tired), and I tend to rely on my pictures to piece together my trip and write this blog.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnO1RpY_BxhML2I2T2DKwXA2_EiVeaDl5WMBXJXldp9i-_jWE7N3YczmQwWpt21fAP-_eCvbJxfa5XQwaGiAr4aE8yK0TPGXBM6mOKOeLidTLyaWrCMms1jnQ6vaJqXRAXOCQ3yw/s1600/ActionFiguresInParis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnO1RpY_BxhML2I2T2DKwXA2_EiVeaDl5WMBXJXldp9i-_jWE7N3YczmQwWpt21fAP-_eCvbJxfa5XQwaGiAr4aE8yK0TPGXBM6mOKOeLidTLyaWrCMms1jnQ6vaJqXRAXOCQ3yw/s200/ActionFiguresInParis.jpg" title="I resisted going into this store to look at all the action figures." width="200" /></a>Now we were headed back to the Champs Elysees district to the Museum of Decorative Arts, located near the Louvre. It contains, according to Wikipedia, "... furniture, interior design, altar pieces, religious paintings, tapestries, wallpaper, ceramics and glassware, plus toys from the to the present day." These displays are in various rooms on different levels, some of which were closed, such as the room of tapestries. However, we were lucky to find that there was a special exhibit of Star Wars collectibles that contained some very rare pieces such as prototypes for Princess Leia. I'm sure the collection was very valuable, and I would have loved to have owned some of the figures, even though I don't really collect Star Wars memorabilia. And unfortunately but understandably, no photos were allowed. People of all ages were looking over the exhibit that included all six movies. After this exhibit the rest of the museum was kind of boring so we walked quickly through most of the rooms. The French furniture room for some reason contained only a few pieces of furniture. A more interesting room was a few floors up. It was dedicated to music and pop culture. They had lots of album covers displayed and had music playing. The highlight of this room for me was a display that included an Atari ST, just like the one my Dad bought back in the 80's and I still have! What made that computer unique was that it had build in MIDI ports to be connected to other MIDI equipped hardware such as sequencers and synthesizers. I thought I took a photo, but I can't find any so photos must not have been allowed.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ZQ6ygms7JbjarBFw8lDkDr8t4REhM2q0pDFtu-b5nSfEKJRVGAAudXfnPz8aolLLgCYB5eqRH_oczVL6WG9pYbUAEkeD1FJXQQvaBYTLOyAmTtjEH0XwnJgJw5AlfqFz076PXA/s1600/MonaLisaCrowds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ZQ6ygms7JbjarBFw8lDkDr8t4REhM2q0pDFtu-b5nSfEKJRVGAAudXfnPz8aolLLgCYB5eqRH_oczVL6WG9pYbUAEkeD1FJXQQvaBYTLOyAmTtjEH0XwnJgJw5AlfqFz076PXA/s200/MonaLisaCrowds.jpg" title="Crowds at Mona Lisa" width="200" /></a><br />
So finally, our last museum of the day was the Louvre. The biggest and most famous in Paris. Since my sister was tired and had been there before, she headed back to the hotel for the night. So my brother, his wife and I entered the Louvre, at least the shopping area downstairs which in itself was massive. Once we found the entrance, there was no line and all we had to do is to show our museum pass. Now the Louvre is really big, taking up four stories that are divided up into themes. Really the only painting I had to see was the Mona Lisa, and since it is the most popular artwork there, all signs led you to that room. So we made a beeline to the room and there it was, sitting on a wall all by itself, protected by glass and a roped-off area. There were crowds of people jockeying to get up close for a photo of the painting a photo of them near the painting trying to make a Mona Lisa smile on their face. I opted just to get a photo of the painting, and the problem I had was in every photo you could see the reflections of other people in its class covering. So I took about seven photos hoping one would turn out.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilWnL3w-Hjxyccrf1m8NPVRu1mbLb85alNiwXAOX-5oWEbyUiOAT5NBoj0JThQNjie5G_KUHXQC1MH2eMXa3bnGT2dVHdDPewbicAZ8AttGbN5L6E-9IMi5lCgzSWHfaFrOcszhw/s1600/VenusDeMilo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilWnL3w-Hjxyccrf1m8NPVRu1mbLb85alNiwXAOX-5oWEbyUiOAT5NBoj0JThQNjie5G_KUHXQC1MH2eMXa3bnGT2dVHdDPewbicAZ8AttGbN5L6E-9IMi5lCgzSWHfaFrOcszhw/s200/VenusDeMilo.jpg" title="The Venus de Milo" width="200" /></a><br />
So now we had to plan what to see next. Unless you want to spend a whole day here, you need to decide what to see, and more importantly, how to get there. It is not always easy to get from one room on a floor to another room on a different floor. The map may show that the rooms connect, but they don't always, sometimes due to closed areas of the museum. As we tried to get to the section that contained paintings from France, Germany, Belgian and other European countries we viewed what we passed along the way, including the Venus de Milo, which I almost walked passed without seeing. Whenever I think of this statue I think of the Simpson's episode where Homer stole and ate the Gummy de Milo.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgtC64j6bb_jaUQdDHUdP4ROmtAXR8oARVRRTYOvFUGmghhpPiK5iy1qtT1nWnmMZXu0cre82bhCt2prUa-R6b4nD6VKAhMMk__xfLwbuZgKSH2TTqlyijc9-PF0vduDxyLJKxw/s1600/LouvreNapoleanIIIRoom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgtC64j6bb_jaUQdDHUdP4ROmtAXR8oARVRRTYOvFUGmghhpPiK5iy1qtT1nWnmMZXu0cre82bhCt2prUa-R6b4nD6VKAhMMk__xfLwbuZgKSH2TTqlyijc9-PF0vduDxyLJKxw/s200/LouvreNapoleanIIIRoom.jpg" title="Napolean III Room" width="200" /></a>We passed through a large section dedicated to Napolean III that had lots of rooms filled with fancy furniture and chandlers. Another room contained large Egyptian statues, much like the ones I saw in the British museum, which should probably be returned to Egypt some day, when they have a stable government. After making lots of wrong turns, walks up stairs and escalators, and hitting dead ends, we finally made it to the European paintings. We walked through the rooms and after a while we all agreed that it was time for dinner. I was told that there was great food in the Louvre, but when we went to the main food court, most of the places were close to closing and only had limited foods selections. Another restaurant was closed for a private event. So we chose to leave, get on the Metro and get off on a stop and find a place to eat in the city. Well, we chose the wrong stop because we found no restaurants that looked good, and the one that did had no customers. So we got back on the Metro and got off near our hotel, and decided to eat at the first place we saw, which was a pizza place, and pizza sounded good. The restaurant was very busy and they seated us once again near a window. I ordered a whole pizza and ate all but the crust, and drank a beer or two.<br />
<br />
So needless to say, we were all exhausted and ready for sleep. A short walk across the street to our hotel where we retired to our rooms for the night. Tomorrow was our last day in Paris, at least for me and my sister, so anything we wanted to see, that was going to be our last chance. Luckily I slept really well and was ready for breakfast the next morning.<br />
<br />
<br />Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6991226.post-82039015978884774012012-11-28T13:18:00.000-08:002012-11-29T18:14:42.532-08:00Thanksgiving Vacation 2012 - Paris Day One<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Q_SAYdYtXvBZQzRWrU3kXj4v2-XADxuaOGA0C9l9tr2xq0Rhr5VVJnqXf9OTtDHBsp0D9qv_wr2Djsi0mGQDtzGW_yrCdIoPs_ZICsLQSRqPjWNiFxTFoT-zIpCchzWziQ90aQ/s1600/ParisFromEiffelTowerTop3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Q_SAYdYtXvBZQzRWrU3kXj4v2-XADxuaOGA0C9l9tr2xq0Rhr5VVJnqXf9OTtDHBsp0D9qv_wr2Djsi0mGQDtzGW_yrCdIoPs_ZICsLQSRqPjWNiFxTFoT-zIpCchzWziQ90aQ/s200/ParisFromEiffelTowerTop3.jpg" title="View From Top of Eiffel Tower" width="200" /></a>It is usually the second night on an overseas trip that I get the worst sleep, and yes, once again I woke up at 4 AM and didn't get back to sleep until 7 AM and my alarm went off at 8 AM. Well, there's plenty of time to sleep when I get back home, so begins my first full day in Paris. We met for breakfast in the hotel and opted for the full buffet, where all the food was tasty. Since today was going to be the sunniest day of the week, with rain forecasted for the next day, we agreed to head straight to the Eiffel Tower. The rest of my family had been to the Eiffel Tower eight years before when it was cloudy and had no good views of the city. So out the door and off to the nearest Metro station we headed.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMEp1r1NBmQz5x4VIgqpPWwMJstWPGNpbV0hNwyJQABugF93PQtgZgUu9PtOg7Lf30UOFjqq9MXClY8x354wJEDSw6j4CXcKLDKHHlTmbd7I7Chv6wEWuEbRDOplfr7YQvmVnJw/s1600/MeEiffelTowerFromLawn_Rotate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMEp1r1NBmQz5x4VIgqpPWwMJstWPGNpbV0hNwyJQABugF93PQtgZgUu9PtOg7Lf30UOFjqq9MXClY8x354wJEDSw6j4CXcKLDKHHlTmbd7I7Chv6wEWuEbRDOplfr7YQvmVnJw/s320/MeEiffelTowerFromLawn_Rotate.jpg" title="Me and the Eiffel Tower." width="240" /></a></div>
It took three Metro lines to get us there, but we probably could have made it in two if we looked at the map more carefully. A short walk from the Eiffel Tower Metro station and there it was. Finally I got to see the famous tower, and like I was told, it was much bigger than you'd expect. We headed straight to the ticket line which really wasn't that long. Once we got our ticket and through security we queued up for the next elevator, which takes you to the lower platform where you have to stand in line to take another lift to the top. There are signs everywhere warning you about pick-pockets, and apparently they all wear red because the photos show a red person reaching into unsuspecting people's backpacks.<br />
<br />
They pack you in tight in the elevators but it wasn't too bad, and the lifts go up surprisingly fast. Now I have acrophobia (fear of heights) and I was a little nervous at first, but once I got to the top I was so amazed with the view I ignored how high up I was. So the first order of business is to get a photo of yourself at the top, which I did, and then walk around to all sides taking plenty of pictures of the city. You get a great view of the city and can see the different districts, parks and downtown buildings. It was also cold and windy, so finding protection from the wind was wise. Then back inside where it was warm I visited the conveniently located gift shop and bought my usual souvenir magnet that best represents the city. After we had our fill of the top we look the elevator back down, getting off by mistake on a mid-level section, where I snapped a few more photos before getting the next lift to the bottom. Then we walked towards the grassy park area where you have a good, unobstructed view of the tower and took more photos.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-MbLHS7nOUySENtWTDtqmu9lO00eDNmWIQ5nlg6t-BIYbF2tje39mmXm5jCwo2tIYFfteCZ0PuJcfAAgsdAfi9CNh7YhF6UX37R2UVJolNpi1FXiaJcKtvRBRzzF_VfMjV7xEw/s1600/OurBoatTaxi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-MbLHS7nOUySENtWTDtqmu9lO00eDNmWIQ5nlg6t-BIYbF2tje39mmXm5jCwo2tIYFfteCZ0PuJcfAAgsdAfi9CNh7YhF6UX37R2UVJolNpi1FXiaJcKtvRBRzzF_VfMjV7xEw/s200/OurBoatTaxi.jpg" title="Out Boat Taxi" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
Upon my sister's suggestion, we walked to the Seine River to go on a one hour boat ride, but then decided to buy tickets for the Boat Bus, a hop-on-hop-off boat that stopped at eight major sites, including Notre Dame and near our hotel. The boat runs about every 15 minutes, so it didn't take long before we boarded the glass enclosed boat. You had a great view of the buildings along the Seine, but if you wanted to take any photos you needed to go outside in the back where it was cold. I stayed inside. Once we reached the Notre Dame stop we disembarked and walked to the site. Entrance to the inside of the cathedral was free. It is an active church and they keep visitors away from the church goers, and there are signs everywhere reminded you to be silent. It is very large inside, probably the largest cathedral I've been in. The walls are decorated with stained glass windows which sparkle when the sun shines through. After making a full circle inside we then headed to the entrance to the tower. We realized it was past lunch time, and if we were going to climb 425 stairs we needed some food. So after a quick snack we got in line. It took about 15 minutes before we were let in, as they limit the number of people to prevent overcrowding in the narrow staircases and walkways.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFJVW1ahNmeF450ZATuqI1rMr3AsHnYKELg4CKjBTc8sHVGobIW8vzrEgmM0gniLzelMrJUI05nXSki4dDMvKfZauyZjovsl10_JY62-kMGW4W9DGnTtgcZm7STr9p5CgvGq0CAw/s1600/NotreDameFromRiver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFJVW1ahNmeF450ZATuqI1rMr3AsHnYKELg4CKjBTc8sHVGobIW8vzrEgmM0gniLzelMrJUI05nXSki4dDMvKfZauyZjovsl10_JY62-kMGW4W9DGnTtgcZm7STr9p5CgvGq0CAw/s320/NotreDameFromRiver.jpg" title="Notre Dame From the Seine" width="320" /></a><br />
Somehow the trip to the top of the tower didn't feel like 425 steps, but you go up in sections so it is broken up. They should warm people at the beginning that you really do need to be fit and not overweight, because some of the passages were very tight. Luckily I saw no one get stuck. Once we got near the top of the tower the line stopped for about 10 minutes. There is limited room on the tower and once again they need to let one group off before letting the next group in.<br />
<br />
Just like the Eiffel Tower, you have a great view of Paris and I took plenty of photos. After our allotted time was up we made the hike back down which is done all in one staircase. Even with the hikes I had been doing at home in the weeks before taking this trip, my legs were really feeling the stress of all the towers and domes I'd been up so far. Yes, there were more towers to tackle. We then walked back to the boat launch and hopped on the next boat for the ride to the stop near our hotel. Now I believe that this is when we discovered the Christmas market along the Champs Elysees. We didn't spend much time here as we planned to come back later in the trip, but my sister and I stayed long enough to buy some Gluhwein. We walked back up the street to our hotel for a much needed break. We had been walking and moving about all day and needed to rest before going out to dinner.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCPysKTV353QU-26HbIerml70SloCVG8lRaYVttWCE7qzjE3N2i7Uvebhd0uV94uE4_UEO_UmzRG8Uywn5rg3zIjkkdPaWcIU4Pp92Vuu7gEGUG4fIbjsSELYvxRyOsdiOXETqQ/s1600/ViewFromTopOfNotreDame2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCPysKTV353QU-26HbIerml70SloCVG8lRaYVttWCE7qzjE3N2i7Uvebhd0uV94uE4_UEO_UmzRG8Uywn5rg3zIjkkdPaWcIU4Pp92Vuu7gEGUG4fIbjsSELYvxRyOsdiOXETqQ/s200/ViewFromTopOfNotreDame2.jpg" title="Eiffel Tower from top of Notre Dame." width="200" /></a></div>
My job for the trip was to find a restaurant, or brewery, that served local beer, and luckily I had found one not too far away by Metro. It was also my job to figure out what Metro lines to take go get there. That turned out to be harder than expected. I spent 40 minutes of our hour long break to figure out the best way there. The maps of Paris are hard to read and there are many little street that run in funny angels to the main roads. But the planning paid off. It took us two lines to get to the stop and the place was just around the corner. It was called the Frog and Rosbif, part of a local chain called Frog Pubs.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJTjP-VheV6WvkcZVNIe4sjSKo3IGD7FPVueb8YICAaB1F_-kNwLoMf5UzGksw3_n_HM4ptiZA5Z7qTqCFBaTQxf_9KsD0BWbaInHl7IwtVPEfkLPs1Xf-yuedtGt8YAp1fZ6NQ/s1600/IMG_1098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJTjP-VheV6WvkcZVNIe4sjSKo3IGD7FPVueb8YICAaB1F_-kNwLoMf5UzGksw3_n_HM4ptiZA5Z7qTqCFBaTQxf_9KsD0BWbaInHl7IwtVPEfkLPs1Xf-yuedtGt8YAp1fZ6NQ/s200/IMG_1098.jpg" title="The Frog & Rosbif." width="200" /></a>We were there early for dinner, as I'm told Europeans tend to eat later in the evening than us Americans, so there were only a few people inside, which was actually nice. Our waitress was very friendly and spoke English well enough. Looking at the menu, both my sister and I started with a pint of their darkest beer, the Dark de Triomphe, yes a play on words. And yes, it was a really good beer! For food I opted for the cheeseburger, and should have asked for it to be cooked well done, because it was so rare I heard it go "mooo". The second beer I had was the Parislytic, a very mild but malty beer. Once we got our check and paid, I wanted to explore the neighborhood. It had a much different vibe than the Champs Elysees, and I spotted a pedestrian only street that curved off in the distance. Not really knowing what direction we were headed, I assumed that we'd find a Metro stop along the way. This street had lots of shops, some of which made us feel like we were in a red-light district, and we may have been. But my sense of direction turned out to be good, and we ended up at the Metro stop that we had used to transfer trains on the way to the Frog Pub. So back on the Metro to our hotel stop we went.<br />
<br />
It was after 9 PM by now, and that meant time for bed. We were all very tired but had a full day of exploring Paris. So once again be planned to meet for breakfast in the morning.<br />
<br />Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6991226.post-84780934222255138662012-11-27T10:34:00.000-08:002012-11-27T10:34:34.205-08:00Thanksgiving Vacation 2012 - Berlin Day 2<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWUeSHmmGFUOeKWNrMGxmu8jIZWg_bL6OD46CFlq2EHu7V4hFGik2kEyjDzBNtu68KyDaKiOZdNnNpXUApH2_PNcQuChGr9UCW0fHbxlDAoD5Mm2eOj3KyGmKNnNyJ3fCNam027w/s1600/TiergartenHorse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWUeSHmmGFUOeKWNrMGxmu8jIZWg_bL6OD46CFlq2EHu7V4hFGik2kEyjDzBNtu68KyDaKiOZdNnNpXUApH2_PNcQuChGr9UCW0fHbxlDAoD5Mm2eOj3KyGmKNnNyJ3fCNam027w/s200/TiergartenHorse.jpg" title="Tiergarten" width="200" /></a>For our second day in Berlin we had until about two in the afternoon to continue exploring the city before leaving for the airport. I slept really well having been awake for almost two days but was ready for breakfast, coffee and more walking. Our first sight to see was the Berlin Victory Column located in the middle of the famous Tiergarten (actually, I'd never heard of the place until now). Our hotel was located on the edge of the park and we cut across the Tiergarten using one of the many bike and pedestrian paths. This huge park, which was about two miles long and a half mile wide, had designated bike and running paths everywhere, and even though it was pretty cold, there were abundant people biking and walking this morning. As we walked towards the Victory Column we stopped to take photos of statues, trees and lakes. The path was covered with wet, fallen leaves but there were still red and orange colored leaves on the trees.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggI5OJ_s3moq4QkTOk6Wwzdr10Bcp_EJ6a0GlJyMAtDq_kh7GgIPcsIgJhW7mUiK1DQ2OKBrn5jzGeIDID6-YftJ-VvzEb44cDeslezVLsoJSlElpMHhGW-2QD1LiyWeChiBixYw/s1600/BerlinVictoryColumn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggI5OJ_s3moq4QkTOk6Wwzdr10Bcp_EJ6a0GlJyMAtDq_kh7GgIPcsIgJhW7mUiK1DQ2OKBrn5jzGeIDID6-YftJ-VvzEb44cDeslezVLsoJSlElpMHhGW-2QD1LiyWeChiBixYw/s320/BerlinVictoryColumn.jpg" title="Berlin Victory Column" width="240" /></a>Getting to the intersection where the Victory Column was located was easy, getting to the column itself took some time. There were no cross walks to cross the street and after walking in circles we finally found the underground path. There was a three Euro admission to enter and once inside we found that there was a whole museum containing various artifacts and pictures. Our main goal was to get to the top, or as far up as the steps led. Well, there was a spiral column of 285 steps to the very top and I got winded walking up as I tend to climb too fast. Once at the top you have a full 360 degree view of the garden and surrounding city. But just like the day before, it was cold and cloudy so the visibility was limited. The statue on top of the column was above us and was larger than it looked from the bottom. After taking or fill of photos we walked back down to the warm rooms of the museum and then left for our next sight.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-EQ5eSHszM0YGfkvVpZxk-QUE0AOoh5k4EU1JgJ2HMfOn8f5cmkqf02z2zaFXiAQ8s3iBCmGEL7MhuKI43VC3enk_kM3H2Mpu_nfhvEijhP6kJ8QqzIa9c8sy41vlr-xqvbyhOg/s1600/JewishMemorial2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-EQ5eSHszM0YGfkvVpZxk-QUE0AOoh5k4EU1JgJ2HMfOn8f5cmkqf02z2zaFXiAQ8s3iBCmGEL7MhuKI43VC3enk_kM3H2Mpu_nfhvEijhP6kJ8QqzIa9c8sy41vlr-xqvbyhOg/s200/JewishMemorial2.jpg" title="Jewish Memorial" width="200" /></a>As we had walked through the park we saw a building with old tanks in front, so that was our destination. Once there we found out that the building was a Soviet war memorial. There are memorials all around this part of town, and later we'd visit the Jewish memorial. The Soviet memorial was all outside, and if there was something inside it wasn't open. After taking photos of the tanks and guns we walked back towards the Brandenburg Gate, stopping briefly in front of the Reichstag building, now used by the German parliament. Just past the Brandenburg Gate was the Jewish Memorial. This memorial is very different than any other I've seen. It was about the size of a city block consisting of rows of rectangular blocks ranging in height from four to ten feet. The blocks had no writing on them and you could wander the maze between the blocks.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGF47NsvlraU_j6skpLTjC1etZVe-ZscTUqETT9C0OAAzy6JIwOq9XKwbewopE-7jTKXY0zQFeChgfKNXjGns8i8BabajfHp9Gq8zOYkShyphenhyphennQO-fk72Y6v0OaDAYcPnILdRkOrA/s1600/IMG_1001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGF47NsvlraU_j6skpLTjC1etZVe-ZscTUqETT9C0OAAzy6JIwOq9XKwbewopE-7jTKXY0zQFeChgfKNXjGns8i8BabajfHp9Gq8zOYkShyphenhyphennQO-fk72Y6v0OaDAYcPnILdRkOrA/s200/IMG_1001.jpg" title="Curry Sausage" width="200" /></a></div>
Well, it was now past noon, and we had a late check-out from the hotel, so we headed back to the hotel but first we had to figure out how to take the Metro to the Hard Rock Cafe, which was my sister's suggestion for lunch and to kill time so we didn't get to the airport too early. The subways did not have clear directions on how to get to our destination, so back in the hotel my sister got online and spent 20 minutes figuring out what Metro to take and what stop to get off on. So we checked out of the hotel and walked down to the Metro station. The trip took about 10 minutes, defiantly not walking distance. As you may know, each Hard Rock Cafe has a local menu item unique to the city. Their's was a curry sausage burger. I had seen signs all over the town advertising curry sausage and until my dish arrived I didn't know what it was or tasted like. Luckily it was really good! My sister said the other customers were looking at my plate as the waiter brought it too me, but I didn't see anyone else ordering it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrIZJrxAAxHR64ADg-FCWTW2KEzNthkFswBZKNIn9kxPhLf-PBHrZ3BcO_rCDTjdr6B-PT1hf0vCVDco5JckPcYpq9D-ndoJB1tOEn6lL639SqMg76B0kxSrBWO-WxKvFgGa9kQ/s1600/MeBuddyBearCrop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrIZJrxAAxHR64ADg-FCWTW2KEzNthkFswBZKNIn9kxPhLf-PBHrZ3BcO_rCDTjdr6B-PT1hf0vCVDco5JckPcYpq9D-ndoJB1tOEn6lL639SqMg76B0kxSrBWO-WxKvFgGa9kQ/s200/MeBuddyBearCrop.jpg" title="Me next to a Berlin Buddy Bear." width="154" /></a></div>
After lunch, we were ready to go to the airport and jumped into a taxi. Our time in Berlin was short, and there was defiantly more to see, but I did get a good feel for the city. It has been over 20 years since the Berlin Wall was torn down the the East and West united. I could see no difference between the old East and West sections of town, and if it weren't for the maps to reference, I would not have known which was which. The city still seems to be under construction. At the top of domes and columns you could see tall cranes where building were being constructed or renovated and there were still vacant lots where new buildings could be built. I'd recommend that if you have a chance, visit Berlin.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPYke-L1aHuG8TZkbPSEH4Ukkb6AZa4YYNK8LkkX0U2XrjSiJ-XQWsI8P_9baNQQ0OCa-KVFWPKMw04fDLPwnQxymfMF5sNHsUssQ0IDSzKQ-WAaDmReek-zYESMwtUut51B5Qw/s1600/OurHotelOnTheChampsElysees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPYke-L1aHuG8TZkbPSEH4Ukkb6AZa4YYNK8LkkX0U2XrjSiJ-XQWsI8P_9baNQQ0OCa-KVFWPKMw04fDLPwnQxymfMF5sNHsUssQ0IDSzKQ-WAaDmReek-zYESMwtUut51B5Qw/s200/OurHotelOnTheChampsElysees.jpg" title="Hotel in Paris" width="200" /></a>Our taxi got us to the airport in plenty of time and the driver was really nice. He took the time to let us determine which terminal our flight left from. There was a large digital sign just outside the airport that listed all the departing flights and what gates they were departing from. Once we checked our bags, we spent some time in the Lufthansa lounge before heading to the gate. Our flight from Berlin to Paris was only one hour, but it seemed to take almost that long once we exited the plane in Paris to get to the luggage carousel. We took the longest moving walkway I have ever seen! Our next adventure was how to get to our hotel. We attempted to find a city bus but our long walk to the other terminal ended when we found out the bus left from the terminal we landed in. The signs were very confusing - or we were really tired. So taxi it was. It was later in the evening so we were hoping for little traffic and a quick trip to the hotel. There was some traffic in a very long tunnel, and then again once we got to our street, the Champs Elysees. Now, I'm still trying to figure out how to pronounce these words. I don't know any French, and if you pronounce the words like they are spelled in English, you'll get laughed right out of the country.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxlCkYY1JA1aKGtQmbJ_0qpY53OoBQU0YF2UNAPVUxX6TITwS_WGKqU-HffKDk5508UlGyVoHisYpNJ-Tv5h4AkQaYj9LdtoNq3wimewJXZwrK4Y8vQOdFd_JVWzfxRCEDyhhX_A/s1600/ParisArcAtNight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxlCkYY1JA1aKGtQmbJ_0qpY53OoBQU0YF2UNAPVUxX6TITwS_WGKqU-HffKDk5508UlGyVoHisYpNJ-Tv5h4AkQaYj9LdtoNq3wimewJXZwrK4Y8vQOdFd_JVWzfxRCEDyhhX_A/s200/ParisArcAtNight.jpg" title="The Arc de Triomphe" width="200" /></a>We arrived at our nice, centrally located hotel before our brother and sister-in-law and after checking in and taking a short break, we went for a walk along the Champs Elysees. This is the main "drag" in Paris, and it was very busy with people walking up and down and decorated with bright lights that changed colors. The Arc de Triomphe was a short walk up the street where we stopped to take some photos, but did not go inside. That would wait until our last night there. Once back at the hotel we were surprised that our brother and his wife had already checked in they were about ready to go take the same walk we took. After discussing what time to meet in the morning and what our plans were, they left and we each had a very expensive beer. The hotel charged 10 Euros for a bottle of beer, which is about $13 USD. This wasn't so bad considering we had three rooms for four nights for free using my sister's hotel reward points. What a deal that was. By now it was almost 10 PM and our plan was to meet for breakfast at 8:30 in the morning. Paris is ten hours ahead of Pacific time, so my body had not yet adjusted to the time shift and jet lag was setting in. After uploading some photos to Facebook, I fell asleep with the help of extra strength Tylenol PM.<br />
<br />
<br />Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6991226.post-88684869395512146892012-11-26T13:30:00.000-08:002012-11-26T13:30:08.596-08:00Thanksgiving Vacation 2012 - Berlin Day One.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVc0GEunc1nytZrv7cIkqKPA6VgK9surCa2rDKcl4ZDI2iyVRSO7TyJFZGWInPYnmlsq5dmTX7sT_f2JB3VfzQfJCl4iN0PpwB0cn7JLH8_29WCSb8uhTx1zWL_JL6TzJAgnyf2Q/s1600/BerlinWallGraffitti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVc0GEunc1nytZrv7cIkqKPA6VgK9surCa2rDKcl4ZDI2iyVRSO7TyJFZGWInPYnmlsq5dmTX7sT_f2JB3VfzQfJCl4iN0PpwB0cn7JLH8_29WCSb8uhTx1zWL_JL6TzJAgnyf2Q/s200/BerlinWallGraffitti.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
This year our annual family Thanksgiving vacation was a trip to Paris, France. Each year we take turns on where to go for this trip. This was my sister's turn and she had chosen the Maldives, a small, tropical island chain that is expected to be under water within a 100 years. Well, somehow that trip got changed to this Paris trip that I wanted to take. My sister, brother and his wife went to Paris before I started going with them on these overseas adventures. So now I'll have to wait four more years to choose our next destination, which as of now will be Santiago, Chile with a side trip to Easter Island.<br />
<br />
I had options to travel to Paris. I could have used frequent flyer miles to travel for free, but my sister was able to get me free tickets on all legs of the trip but one and in business or first class! How nice. And as an added bonus I got to travel with her on a side trip to Berlin, Germany. So one day in Berlin and then we would meet up with our brother and his wife in Paris for three days. We had planned another day trip to Luxembourg, since it was a short distance by train from Paris, but it turns out that it is also very expensive, so that trip was scrapped, leaving Luxembourg for another day.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ0_wPJOfqg_1mCSMpx2LCvCd5v6exJVg2-b9oWx4MR1iNkNehL0tnLAUZjkdRtZ51pmW82tq-Jf3ZIt6LUqFb8v5tLvuHsdSYjck4jbhyBga8Lb7UfVLzgWIK7l4aQWFZd8oyAg/s1600/BerlinWallAndMemorial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ0_wPJOfqg_1mCSMpx2LCvCd5v6exJVg2-b9oWx4MR1iNkNehL0tnLAUZjkdRtZ51pmW82tq-Jf3ZIt6LUqFb8v5tLvuHsdSYjck4jbhyBga8Lb7UfVLzgWIK7l4aQWFZd8oyAg/s200/BerlinWallAndMemorial.jpg" title="Original Berlin Wall section" width="200" /></a></div>
We left San Diego Saturday morning and jetted off to Washington DC for a short layover. Then the overseas flight to Frankfurt. Flying in business class on these trans-Atlantic flights is nice because you get plenty of food and the seats have lots of leg room for sitting and sleeping. However, with the flight being only seven hours, by the time they get done feeding you, there is only about four hours left in the flight, and they wake you for breakfast 90 minutes before landing. So you only have three hours to try to get some sleep, and I was lucky to get about two hours. From Frankfurt we transferred to Berlin and got to our hotel by 11:30 AM on Sunday and were then ready to explore the city by noon on very little sleep.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ8F4pD1G3o8j_jtDXgMHhkAha4NlN2_McDMmpfj3hGqmNbPmXIkZ_nfO26rW6iGt5-5aWSO9HZtBFxjuRqlp7ItlO90gsrkDH2XuVyhCQPjAXfWyrxuXuMyDQW3FPgF3jxHzX0g/s1600/CheckpointCharlie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ8F4pD1G3o8j_jtDXgMHhkAha4NlN2_McDMmpfj3hGqmNbPmXIkZ_nfO26rW6iGt5-5aWSO9HZtBFxjuRqlp7ItlO90gsrkDH2XuVyhCQPjAXfWyrxuXuMyDQW3FPgF3jxHzX0g/s200/CheckpointCharlie.jpg" title="Checkpoint Charlie and a McDonald's" width="96" /></a>Our hotel was located in a historic part of Berlin. There were remnants of the Berlin Wall right outside our hotel as well as the Berlin Wall Trail. We had an idea of what to see, and thought about getting tickets for a hop-on-hop-off bus that would take us too many of the important sights, but it turned out we walked to most of these sights. Our first stop was the Checkpoint Charlie museum. We followed the Berlin Wall Trail, stopping along the way to take photos. Most of the original wall is gone, and there are many small sections that are on display and many have been painted by various artists. We did pass by one of the longest remaining sections of the wall, which sat between a busy street and the Museum of Terror.<br />
<br />
From there we found the Checkpoint Charlie Museum in an area that was very busy for a Sunday afternoon in November. It was also very touristy and there were people asking for money, which is really annoying. I made sure my wallet was safe from thieves. Once inside the museum I really didn't know what to expect. It was made up of many small rooms on three floors, and each room had a theme. The most crowded room was also the most interesting. It had many artifacts from when people were trying to escape from East to West Berlin, such as a suitcase that was used to carry a women across the border. It had the stories of these escapes written on the walls in four languages. I found it hard to read them because of all the distractions from the people walking around.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir9fAVQfFe0DtWWi55osi6UIUexz0iZ8pfE9e30QpymvABFsCDFPlYo0e7XeLjQNEJ79oaRWLhZMRbHJOo0o3WjMkGrseslu2yIvsvLIF62Qp-17P2XZaHR6raNaeGP1XtoggHww/s1600/BerlineWallArtBigDog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir9fAVQfFe0DtWWi55osi6UIUexz0iZ8pfE9e30QpymvABFsCDFPlYo0e7XeLjQNEJ79oaRWLhZMRbHJOo0o3WjMkGrseslu2yIvsvLIF62Qp-17P2XZaHR6raNaeGP1XtoggHww/s200/BerlineWallArtBigDog.jpg" title="Painted section of the Berlin Wall" width="81" /></a></div>
So we continued on to other rooms and floors. Not all rooms were dedicated to Checkpoint Charlie. One room was all about Ronald Reagan and his famous "tear down this wall" speech. Other rooms had paintings of the "Arab Spring" from 2011. After more than an hour we left the warm museum and returned to the cold streets. There was lots to see on the streets in the area, and we spent some more time taking photos of decorated Berlin Wall pieces. Then we walked back to the hotel to take a short break.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWsnd_16eT-Ki_6A6p7k5Glm6s3ratxKGsAcP71DHyjagihIy6kSEnl4huU1rjYozXferl9Hwut7rIATg9Wgarr9Sn1jLfhROZxgRNf6goUjO5NcNY8JS7mzuk2IgLhY11KVTkg/s1600/BerlinDom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWsnd_16eT-Ki_6A6p7k5Glm6s3ratxKGsAcP71DHyjagihIy6kSEnl4huU1rjYozXferl9Hwut7rIATg9Wgarr9Sn1jLfhROZxgRNf6goUjO5NcNY8JS7mzuk2IgLhY11KVTkg/s200/BerlinDom.jpg" title="Berliner Dom" width="200" /></a><br />
After our break we headed out the other direction from the hotel. Our first destination was the Brandenburg Gate. This area too was very busy and now there were tour buses everywhere too. Down the street from the gate was a pedestrian walkway that was lined with trees lit with white lights. They were getting ready for Christmas and more lights were be strung up as the day went on. Since we didn't use the tour buses we ended up doing lots of walking. We were headed to the Berliner Dom, which we could see from a distance (or a landmark near it), but it took a long time to get there, partly because there was some event going on and the police had the road and once side of the sidewalk closed. There were near 100 police and dozens of police cars and vans. We didn't know what was going on, but eventually we made it passed the closed section and to the Dom.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DnwjDvfmYPAuc_8REVBeeKm0PhJSQrnkrBFMQ-4T_qgq47WBf0cjA39zVMjl2ifd3uIgD_MChtjmQbw1b5h9DWYI6ADT1JrlB8KpNle0yIt81n_-BSa6Sce4kMNVr5OMWy73-g/s1600/BerlinDomPipes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DnwjDvfmYPAuc_8REVBeeKm0PhJSQrnkrBFMQ-4T_qgq47WBf0cjA39zVMjl2ifd3uIgD_MChtjmQbw1b5h9DWYI6ADT1JrlB8KpNle0yIt81n_-BSa6Sce4kMNVr5OMWy73-g/s200/BerlinDomPipes.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
We weren't sure what was in the church, probably just that same stuff that's in all Cathedrals in Europe. Once inside we did see the usual displays of religious art and sculptors, stained glass windows, organ pipes and of course the painted dome at the ceiling. After walking around we found the entrance to the steps leading up to the top of the dome. We weren't sure how far up they went, but we were happy that there were 270 steps that went all the way to the top where you were on the outside of the church dome and could walk entirely around to get a full view of the city. Unfortunately it was cloudy and hazy outside, so views were limited, but it was still worth the climb to see Berlin from above.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghgwJ7FI7vOwK3padq0Ee-HvNAOK4T-IbmZcjbv7tVWODiEAJ989wussSzwzNualz7JANC7MunO73ma001MftX7jq0-XpKsoPpqrEdiFYaohzKIF3fZ046TM5P354YkUWIgVtVZw/s1600/BrandenburgNight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghgwJ7FI7vOwK3padq0Ee-HvNAOK4T-IbmZcjbv7tVWODiEAJ989wussSzwzNualz7JANC7MunO73ma001MftX7jq0-XpKsoPpqrEdiFYaohzKIF3fZ046TM5P354YkUWIgVtVZw/s200/BrandenburgNight.jpg" title="Brandenburg Gate at Night" width="200" /></a><br />
We then walked back down the steps and continued the self guided tour to the basement where the crypts were located. This was a much bigger area of crypts that usual. We wandered around for about ten minutes before leaving the Dom and walking back to the hotel. By now the police activity and ended and all the streets were open. We stopped by the building that seemed to be the center of the activity, and inside was a large room with a small statue in the center, which was surrounded by newly laid wreaths. There just had been a ceremony where foreign dignitaries had visited the site and laid the wreaths, apparently a common event. We encountered the same situation later in Paris.<br />
<br />
By now it was getting dark Berlin is pretty far north, and the Sun sets near four in the Winter. As it got darker the Christmas lights shined more brightly, making the mode more festive. The Brandenburg Gate was also lit up, making for more photo opportunities.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3J0n6h0674gDdbjVoWiv4igm0h1CGuxU07BwrZuCYxvxH-MEShD_YMzssMgaSJQ372q6s4X14FCdmTEwHHhwQnNyBQ5CagjPQN7RBS1fUeXvfb_jKaj5M2RA1vvOdixmGlycCdw/s1600/BerlinLights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3J0n6h0674gDdbjVoWiv4igm0h1CGuxU07BwrZuCYxvxH-MEShD_YMzssMgaSJQ372q6s4X14FCdmTEwHHhwQnNyBQ5CagjPQN7RBS1fUeXvfb_jKaj5M2RA1vvOdixmGlycCdw/s200/BerlinLights.jpg" width="200" /></a>Our plan was to go back near our hotel and get some Gluhwine form the not-quite-open Christmas market. The market was opening the next day but they were already selling the hot wine which we first discovered in Vienna two years before. The hot drink tasted good in the cold, but since we were so sleep deprived and tired, the alcohol took effect quickly. So we went back to the hotel for dinner. We had access to the private lounge where they had a full dinner buffet available for free. The food all tasted good and after two beers I was about ready for bed. I had thoughts of going back outside, but was glad that I returned to my room. It didn't take long before I crawled into bed and got some much needed sleep.<br />
<br />
We didn't leave for Paris until later the next evening, so we still had a half day left in Berlin and planned to make the most of our time the next day.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6991226.post-29050628875602095612012-07-03T19:26:00.000-07:002012-07-03T19:32:26.771-07:00Vacation in Vancouver<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3KYwfqQTihMBMhrq2v9KIi7BXdOCz5AjOyCGtupXCIQX1Hr3rjcGvw4m2_Ob6GhVb5GqrnnPWQvchIdmorpEjIHk_esfRVTlYiA7E9wf9hLl9iC3CG9HEwJtOeurtKzQQnSg59g/s1600/IMG_0110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3KYwfqQTihMBMhrq2v9KIi7BXdOCz5AjOyCGtupXCIQX1Hr3rjcGvw4m2_Ob6GhVb5GqrnnPWQvchIdmorpEjIHk_esfRVTlYiA7E9wf9hLl9iC3CG9HEwJtOeurtKzQQnSg59g/s320/IMG_0110.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
So I had been wanting to take a vacation in Vancouver, Canada for some time. Well, ever since I saw a show on TV about all the great microbreweries there. So last year when I got invited to join a group of friends who were going to Vancouver to celebrate a friend's honeymoon, yes, as group honeymoon, I said yes! The group consisted of the newlyweds, their friends, family and dog. Many of the people had been to Vancouver before so they were familiar with the city and what to do in the two full days we had there.<br />
<br />
I ended up on a flight with three of the other travelers, and by chance I was sitting next to two of them on the flight from San Diego to Seattle! It is always nicer to travel with someone than alone. The photo above was taken from my seat on the plane as we approached Seattle.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0v0pKtJeEpVxXpkaVi25OvcEn7_oeEHY-94jEwowkWbSjqGTHgG8k8taFNbW8VpUx8dI4L_0_UYoVAxXTBy5qi0TNDekHPW6dqk6LN_TGhIV5x1gHHoRK0OZaih4gxAsgFi-ug/s1600/IMG_0112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0v0pKtJeEpVxXpkaVi25OvcEn7_oeEHY-94jEwowkWbSjqGTHgG8k8taFNbW8VpUx8dI4L_0_UYoVAxXTBy5qi0TNDekHPW6dqk6LN_TGhIV5x1gHHoRK0OZaih4gxAsgFi-ug/s320/IMG_0112.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Once in Vancouver we met up with a fifth member of our crew and on her advice we hired a limo to take us to the hotel. As we waited a sixth friend showed up. She arrived two hours after us, but it took us 90 minutes to get through customs and it only took her five minutes. So the six of us piled into the stretch limo for the ride to the hotel, and as you can see we were in great spirits and had a fun ride. There's a funny story here about getting dog food through customs, but I'll have that tail (pun intended) for another day.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kPfCZCEQLg2V7ZMa9LycdS6qEACpiXXM7OiDw1G9unFVgj_oLK-MQSfVZ5WrDftGZ8bQe3H7G-txHr8Ng2SUZGv5QPb3a9HsjUdU5zMn9yFlpSbuian3LlH8W7vPNH6gJ6zVpQ/s1600/IMG_0116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kPfCZCEQLg2V7ZMa9LycdS6qEACpiXXM7OiDw1G9unFVgj_oLK-MQSfVZ5WrDftGZ8bQe3H7G-txHr8Ng2SUZGv5QPb3a9HsjUdU5zMn9yFlpSbuian3LlH8W7vPNH6gJ6zVpQ/s320/IMG_0116.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Our hotel for the trip was the historic Sylvia Hotel in Vancouver. Several of the crew had stayed here before, and besides being a nice, centrally located hotel, they were pet friendly, and the newlyweds had their dog Sonny with them. They had actually left several days before from San Diego, right after their wedding, and drove up in their truck, making several stops along the way. They ended up getting to the hotel just as we were walking to get dinner.<br />
<br />
We had already decided that the theme of the trip was serendipity, because so far everything good and fun had happed by luck or accident. The fact we were all on the same flight, I was sitting next to a friend and her son, and the sixth friend showed up in time to join us in the limo.<br />
<br />
So we were all there for our first dinner in Vancouver, minus my sister, who was arriving much later that evening. I had my best meal of the trip at the Boathouse, a place recommend by the staff at the hotel. I had ravioli stuffed with crab and lobster, and topped with shrimp! What decadence. <br />
<br />
<br />
<span id="pronsetspell"><span class="pronsetspell" style="display: inline;"><span class="prondelim"></span></span></span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMcUHga4s2UodB1fPWsPeWN_3VEBEXJn_ax_0v1UGicHh1knZiERWj0vlAAcwdWF5OHn8QwWefkDWFHD_10WZ5QxZwMaP7ufbjuCJoF7LCrbXbZEQ1mcYzPh1Q-7nDd_FT9qSkSw/s1600/IMG_0128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMcUHga4s2UodB1fPWsPeWN_3VEBEXJn_ax_0v1UGicHh1knZiERWj0vlAAcwdWF5OHn8QwWefkDWFHD_10WZ5QxZwMaP7ufbjuCJoF7LCrbXbZEQ1mcYzPh1Q-7nDd_FT9qSkSw/s320/IMG_0128.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
We had no specific plans for the trip, other than to have fun, relax, hang out and drink beer or whatever. The Sylvia Hotel is right along the beach of English Bay. This beach provided lots of trails for walking with great views of the harbor, city and sunsets. We had fun just walking along the beach taking Sonny for a walk. As a bonus, we were there on the first day of Summer, when the sun didn't set until 9:40 P.M. And even better, the forcasted rain never came. It was neither too hot or two cold, and there was enough sun to provide good lighting for photo and even a sunburn.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXXHUGPMupKnt3X8LdHhJEZhZbaTMEUXbD2RCXrvZMXJqCJ4ifEaRvclYYUwjDm7JkPRIZ9xeergJhyIFpiBBSQJi7IzbT9ZAT9N2cYqTFxbb_AGbQWOj_wHFnt1mT5Ipd6gFPA/s1600/IMG_0147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXXHUGPMupKnt3X8LdHhJEZhZbaTMEUXbD2RCXrvZMXJqCJ4ifEaRvclYYUwjDm7JkPRIZ9xeergJhyIFpiBBSQJi7IzbT9ZAT9N2cYqTFxbb_AGbQWOj_wHFnt1mT5Ipd6gFPA/s320/IMG_0147.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
After dinner, drinks and a long walk, we went to bed and planed to meet for breakfast the next morning. As we were waiting my sister came down to take care of some work stuff and ended up joining us for breakfast. More serendipity! We found a place where we could eat outside with the dog. The food was good, I had a salmon omelet, and then we regrouped for the rest of the day.<br />
<br />
Our plan was to go to Granville Island, a very touristy place with a huge marketplace and a brewery. To get there we walked about a mile down the coast, then hopped in a water taxi for a short ride across the "river" to the island. With nine of us, we knew we weren't going to all do the same thing, so we agreed to meet at the Granville Brewery at 2 PM. Three of us wandered the island and I took lots of photos. After about an hour or so we were already done and ready to drink beer. So we headed to the brewery early, but were disappointed that the brewery could only serve each customer 12 oz. of beer! So we opted for three 4 oz. samplers, and were sadly disappointed in their beer.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUB9wt6PZsufHu19e-Kw4b4rU4i-Kvb0kOJHu5m3d6t-orT3-kHqfCaEv9oTnFtOW9LI3bBVqPlGRS8utv6yG1-w3M4zIfB8NTvm_BU1y1S7LpWZOrqYdVadskuKiI-lJS3qO3Q/s1600/IMG_0140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUB9wt6PZsufHu19e-Kw4b4rU4i-Kvb0kOJHu5m3d6t-orT3-kHqfCaEv9oTnFtOW9LI3bBVqPlGRS8utv6yG1-w3M4zIfB8NTvm_BU1y1S7LpWZOrqYdVadskuKiI-lJS3qO3Q/s320/IMG_0140.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Once the others got there, we hung out a little longer and then once again separated to go eat a late lunch. Eventually we got back to the hotel, and after the previous day of travel, the walking around and drinking one beer, I took a nice, long nap.<br />
<br />
We met once again in the hotel lobby and headed out to dinner. We went to a place that I really wanted to try, but this is where we had our worst meal of the trip. It was Mexican night, so instead of selling any of their main dishes, they had Mexican food. I did not travel from San Diego to Canada to eat Mexican food, so I had the pizza. It was not good, and neither were anyone's drinks. They even made a bad tasting rum and cokes. And even worse, the beer I wanted to try, Alexander Keith's Indian Pale Ale, was really bad. Why did I want to try it? It had my name in it, but spelled differently than I've ever seen it. How did it taste? Not good. Worse than Budweiser, but I still drank my pint, as well as my sister's glass as she had one sip and stopped. Hey, beer is beer.<br />
<br />
After dinner we went for another walk along English Bay and then turned in for the night. I opted for the smallest and cheapest room in the hotel. The room was just big enough for the bed and some furniture, but all I needed was a place to sleep. This hotel was old, and all the walls were made of cement, so you could hear anything within the hotel, but every morning around 4:30 AM some very loud bird started chirping outside my window. Luckily I brought ear plugs and that took care of the problem.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv56dmZA1YcOvv3bjNn8zAvgg10Nma97eZmdxyZNNf-GkK5Y6WkSDyIr6z_vi4AZ04KUuq2Pvi3ajtaoox_JTS34_fGUKN0J2Ez6VhqBnraW8xdQ0bzVEaVrs57U79ub00nkfsRQ/s1600/IMG_0186.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv56dmZA1YcOvv3bjNn8zAvgg10Nma97eZmdxyZNNf-GkK5Y6WkSDyIr6z_vi4AZ04KUuq2Pvi3ajtaoox_JTS34_fGUKN0J2Ez6VhqBnraW8xdQ0bzVEaVrs57U79ub00nkfsRQ/s320/IMG_0186.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The next morning we had breakfast in the hotel restaurant and it was good food, but they were not ready for a group of nine people, so the service was slow but good, just like the morning before at the small cafe down the road. After breakfast we made our plans for the day. We ended up breaking up into four groups as everyone wanted to do something different. My sister and I opted to ride the hop-on-hop-off bus which had a stop near the hotel. We took the bus two stops down the line to Stanley Park. Stanley Park is actually within walking distance of our hotel, but it is quite expansive and there is much to do there. My sister had been there before, so I just had two stops to see, mostly for taking pictures. The first was Beaver Lake, pictured below, which is covered mostly in lily pads and other vegetation. Then we walked to the coastline with a view of downtown Vancouver.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdeyPVhY85iZerlxMKzgY8QP-sB38R-pFjNDEGkfhj9gvRVJm7B2cLyqrkFowf0dNf2iHFojRduWDsR7FrIv_VCYMZIF2q-Pz3t5zdkE2Z_LgqSDmU6HB1P4YTobNg9UzSzJIdFQ/s1600/IMG_0164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdeyPVhY85iZerlxMKzgY8QP-sB38R-pFjNDEGkfhj9gvRVJm7B2cLyqrkFowf0dNf2iHFojRduWDsR7FrIv_VCYMZIF2q-Pz3t5zdkE2Z_LgqSDmU6HB1P4YTobNg9UzSzJIdFQ/s320/IMG_0164.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Along the way we ran into two of our friends who had actually just walked there from the hotel. They were there to see some totem poles and then off to Chinatown. I snapped some photos of downtown, and then my sister and I walked back to the bus stop to get on the next bus. Once on the bus we got off on the ritzy part of town, not to shop, but to head to the top of the tallest tower in Vancouver for a good view of the city. However, turns out it was closed for a private party. So we headed to the food court and had our lunch.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrcJfQlNl4-4acS790JWVZ0fMQBFLOcY1BXoeRGbRrE-uxscZUbjJOsfpBsxuj6p1gWMR0X4PmgEUD-xhRDYMBkoLn5xtzAOZ0PuSqtuZynoWp7BSu4Qepkl_GgjAcS3R-D3TuJA/s1600/IMG_0229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrcJfQlNl4-4acS790JWVZ0fMQBFLOcY1BXoeRGbRrE-uxscZUbjJOsfpBsxuj6p1gWMR0X4PmgEUD-xhRDYMBkoLn5xtzAOZ0PuSqtuZynoWp7BSu4Qepkl_GgjAcS3R-D3TuJA/s320/IMG_0229.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Then we got back on the next bus, and went back to the hotel, skipping the rest of the stops. Our plan was to all meet in Gastown at the steam clock at 5:30. So after a two hour break at the hotel, my sister and I got back on the bus, since our tickets were good for 24 hours, and then we just rode the bus to the last stop, which was in Gastown! There was a tour guide on the bus that pointed out the sites to see and interesting facts, such as the Starbucks we passed was the highest grossing one in the world. <br />
<br />
As we got closer to Gastown, the driver found out that it was closed off due to a music festival. So they let everyone off one stop early, but the guide led us to the steam clock as that is where the main office was just by chance. And once again we were all together. For dinner we obviously chose the Steamworks Brewery, a few blocks away. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid6ABxCHUsT1z-X32IxF8J4DZMfBxpGZVdGp24WJyNMDbvqwj7jXaNSjPmf0C_Ww_MJbgeubdjDuJiOttIb7buK4Cen8_hLvIdSBLMe9Ux_h5B7wEyo-R6Y9MfTpo5qnbuEigvKA/s1600/MeSteamworksBrewery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid6ABxCHUsT1z-X32IxF8J4DZMfBxpGZVdGp24WJyNMDbvqwj7jXaNSjPmf0C_Ww_MJbgeubdjDuJiOttIb7buK4Cen8_hLvIdSBLMe9Ux_h5B7wEyo-R6Y9MfTpo5qnbuEigvKA/s320/MeSteamworksBrewery.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Now this place had good beer. I tried three of their beer, the Stout being the best one, of course. Everyone enjoyed their food and beer, and even some of us had some of their unique shots. Mine had Jack Daniels in it, of course. I was slightly disappointed in my dinner choice, but everyone else liked their food. After dinner we walked down the main road, which was closed off for the music festival. They had stages set up every half block, so at any given time you could here music from three bands. A little overwhelming, plus it was very crowded. We had had enough and took taxis back to the hotel.<br />
<br />
This was our last night in Vancouver. We kind of went our own ways. I took a walk with a friend down past the famous Burrard St. Bridge to take photos of the bridge and the sunset.<br />
<br />
Back at the hotel is was bed time once again. We all had different flight times in the morning. My flight left at noon, while other's left later, but we planned to have breakfast once again at the hotel.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSXEdq53xiq228Jqe1AHqxChNyp3sVaSaLj31gRd6u5FvBUVjgwJJH8xXVAJLpeH9S_nrYBXxCEq8g3_6rZCvf_yorT2-biDH9GLQG7DOK3DtUqjDCo3fzDq0BJ_dC_S2HyQZ7w/s1600/IMG_0274.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSXEdq53xiq228Jqe1AHqxChNyp3sVaSaLj31gRd6u5FvBUVjgwJJH8xXVAJLpeH9S_nrYBXxCEq8g3_6rZCvf_yorT2-biDH9GLQG7DOK3DtUqjDCo3fzDq0BJ_dC_S2HyQZ7w/s320/IMG_0274.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
Everyone made it for our last meal together which was nice. We had time to talk about how much fun we had. Then after breakfast, we said our goodbyes. Four of us left about the same time, so we took a cab to the airport and got there in plenty of time. When flying from Vancouver to Seattle, you first go through Canadian customs, and then US customs, which took less than 30 minutes.<br />
<br />
I had my own flight back home, so another set of good byes and the vacation was officially over. The flight to Seattle on Alaska Airlines is a short 30 minute flight on a commuter plane. Once in Seattle, it was raining, of course. I still have not officially been to Seattle, as airports don't count. The flight to San Diego only takes two hours and thirty minutes. We landed before sunset and I was home by eight.<br />
<br />
What was nice was I still had the weekend at home to relax, and relax I did. I guess I really needed that time off because I felt very relaxed and completely forgot about work and the fact I may be unemployed at the end of September.<br />
<br />
I'll get back to Vancouver someday, hopefully with a few days in Seattle and the surrounding national parks.Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6991226.post-83936800447870220562012-06-12T20:13:00.002-07:002012-06-13T19:05:45.634-07:00Hiking Bernardo Mountain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSPNzZ0y0jTtPmSCYWeW8XWQflgRlT5btB7ibMaD43t7UEVVyUFwS_S_u2B9aPrTX7HkspvRknpwnySyOGMAKCCGK-7hO1TVbm_czgrKeLyEf_s9sYux-4J5vieM60EouB5lvPGA/s1600/LakeHodgesAndPeakAfter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSPNzZ0y0jTtPmSCYWeW8XWQflgRlT5btB7ibMaD43t7UEVVyUFwS_S_u2B9aPrTX7HkspvRknpwnySyOGMAKCCGK-7hO1TVbm_czgrKeLyEf_s9sYux-4J5vieM60EouB5lvPGA/s320/LakeHodgesAndPeakAfter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I had been wanting to hike to the summit of Bernardo Mountain in Escondido for some time. I had driven by this peak 1000 times but never knew it was a hiking destination until recently. First, my doctor, who is into hiking himself, recommended not only hiking to the summit, but hiking the trails of <a href="http://www.sdrp.org/home.htm" target="_blank">San Dieguito River Valley</a>, </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
which runs from the mountains near Julian all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Second, a friend of mine hiked to the summit and posted some very nice photos of the surrounding mountains, lakes and communities. My third reason for going on this hike was it gave me a reason to walk across the pedestrian bridge that spans Lake Hodges near interstate 15.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYCH-SdGLh5v6oW73FpfBJBGISA_qXLF67Y0GJ9v0bdPqVR-xT8OS8GKZcW3F4CnqYg02Jq1WTM-mSghAtDZgMTFfkbzo3DkYn2iaibKHKpufhjM6JKZZPJYCoZmJntlnv_9TocQ/s1600/HodgesPedBikeBridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYCH-SdGLh5v6oW73FpfBJBGISA_qXLF67Y0GJ9v0bdPqVR-xT8OS8GKZcW3F4CnqYg02Jq1WTM-mSghAtDZgMTFfkbzo3DkYn2iaibKHKpufhjM6JKZZPJYCoZmJntlnv_9TocQ/s320/HodgesPedBikeBridge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
So I woke up late Saturday morning feeling tired, weak and fat. Those are the best reasons to go for a hike. So after breakfast I gathered my hiking equipment and headed out. When I left my house it was still kind of overcast and cool, but by the time I got to the dirt parking lot it was very warm and sunny. I started hiking around 11 AM, and took my time. Since I had never done this hike before I wanted to get plenty of photos with my new camera.<br />
<br />
The bridge across the lake was really nice. It was wider, sturdier and shorter than I expected. I stopped several times over the lake to take more photos.<br />
<br />
Once on the other side, I followed the hiking/biking trail westward. I'd say there were more mountain bikers than hikers, so I stayed to the right of the trail to keep out of their way. The trail then crosses a small stream where the palm trees and other vegetation keep it cooler. Shortly after this "congested" section, the trail to the summit veers off to the right where the trial gets narrower. However, I still encountered a few more mountain bikers. After another 20 minutes of hiking I saw the last hiker/biker for the next 45 minutes. A woman was hiking down with a small dog.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMiK2dla3k_yGLaFWtDP7DShhSKyCcgPem-l16ucvgGZ0N3SVY5RIUBDGvmiDqq1akdfIJYWZff4rhN4xEEuk2Zm3j0Q57ndG1Q0dq5Ja3gU294D18lS8mugE1BgOU8EQIVhsFyw/s1600/MeSummitCrop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMiK2dla3k_yGLaFWtDP7DShhSKyCcgPem-l16ucvgGZ0N3SVY5RIUBDGvmiDqq1akdfIJYWZff4rhN4xEEuk2Zm3j0Q57ndG1Q0dq5Ja3gU294D18lS8mugE1BgOU8EQIVhsFyw/s320/MeSummitCrop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
So far the trial had been very gentle and not too steep. But as I got higher up the hill the path got steeper and rockier. Once you pass a large, ugly water tank, the trail gets even steeper, which I didn't realize until the hike down where it was difficult to keep from slipping.<br />
<br />
Finally, the summit was in sight. Once at the top I was happy that there was a very cool breeze. I was also semi-surprised that there was no one else up there, but since I hadn't seen any other hikers for a while I really wasn't that surprised. Before I rested I took advantage of the people-free summit and took many photos. I did some experimenting with the settings on my new camera to see how they would turn out. I also took a <a href="http://youtu.be/cTqT97nHT8k" target="_blank">short movie</a>, where I found out that the camera really picks up the sound of the wind. You can barely hear my voice over the wind. The biggest challenge was getting a photo of myself. I put the camera down, set the 10 second timer and hurried to get in place before the shot. <br />
<br />
It was clear at the summit, but there was still some haze in the air, so far off mountains like Mt. Woodson and Black Mountain appeared very hazy.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhExHHOuuQ5rQ1wotdpULGi73Qd5db4b6DapdOaHrSghOF2FwrpvthleJy9ITw8du48m_BafUp8DewnnkY6Q_gLKwaSd8tIzfwdcz5J_6YGgjF_hVT8lx6P1Gz1dv_bF-OV0xrwBQ/s1600/SummitLookingWest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhExHHOuuQ5rQ1wotdpULGi73Qd5db4b6DapdOaHrSghOF2FwrpvthleJy9ITw8du48m_BafUp8DewnnkY6Q_gLKwaSd8tIzfwdcz5J_6YGgjF_hVT8lx6P1Gz1dv_bF-OV0xrwBQ/s320/SummitLookingWest.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
After eating a snack, drinking a sports drink and stretching my leg muscles, I put my pack back on and headed back down. Hiking down went much quicker, of course, and after about 20 minutes of hiking I ran across two mountain bikers. I stopped to talk to them. They asked where this trail led, and I told them to the summit. They thought that it connected to the other side, but I told them it did not. As they debated about turning around or not, I continued on my way. In fact I went so fast I missed a turn off and ended up and a dirt road near some houses. I turned around and was only about five minutes away from my missed turn. As I got closer to the main trail there were more people, but not as many as when I started. I think the heat was keeping them away.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZCKwmwuozCDJ1C9YLJH5kIweYksLy-bkSLijKvFFUmgCtjGxeMAaBV5Ij9w1ufL6PM2OGqJw4GldGzRybP5SvFyTxp-9YCCO768ULDuOEYuHJ7P17JjgghwwlcYqO42BSiaqrCg/s1600/NiceBench.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZCKwmwuozCDJ1C9YLJH5kIweYksLy-bkSLijKvFFUmgCtjGxeMAaBV5Ij9w1ufL6PM2OGqJw4GldGzRybP5SvFyTxp-9YCCO768ULDuOEYuHJ7P17JjgghwwlcYqO42BSiaqrCg/s320/NiceBench.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I crossed the cool stream again, then back to the bridge and finally my car. I had two devices recording my trip. My Garmin 500 that I use for biking, <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/187273120" target="_blank">which gave me this information</a>, and my phone which basically gave me the same statistics. The hike was almost seven miles and took me 2:45, which included lots of stops for picture taking and 20 minutes at the summit. Would I do the hike again? Yes! And I'd recommend it to any hiker, just remember to bring enough water. I drank two liters of fluid. Next time I'd like to get an earlier start, though.Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6991226.post-58405013382092726282012-05-09T21:23:00.000-07:002012-05-09T21:23:11.977-07:00Bike RIde to Waterfall in Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve and BeyondAfter searching my blog posts for "waterfall" I found the post from when I did this ride before. Back on Halloween 2009 I rode from my house to the waterfall in the Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve. This time I drove to the trail head and rode my bike to the waterfall, and then rode further into the canyon. Also, this time I had company. This was official a Take a Hike meetup.com event, but there was only three of us. My friend and the organizer. And yes, it wasn't a hike, but it was good exercise. We took the path to the north of the river, which is pretty smooth and wide in most places. Since I only have a hybrid bike and not a true mountain bike I was glad there was no real deep sand or rocks. I was able to stay on my bike up and down most of the trails, only walking it in a few narrow places.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVLEkGDL6bacix5v8Fmw-g1wi6SQ32d4JwM0p5Hknmv1LeB5VhDXZXsPlpHdjsFMPUn94tqp7JEqTPfJGmCYwL_TNu2ihBpHO-xxwwJvxn172oTiw4nC2e4UeWfWgYxGBkWTdHQ/s1600/PQ_WaterFall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVLEkGDL6bacix5v8Fmw-g1wi6SQ32d4JwM0p5Hknmv1LeB5VhDXZXsPlpHdjsFMPUn94tqp7JEqTPfJGmCYwL_TNu2ihBpHO-xxwwJvxn172oTiw4nC2e4UeWfWgYxGBkWTdHQ/s320/PQ_WaterFall.jpg" width="191" /></a></div>
On the way back we crossed over the river and made a loop for a total of nine miles. After the ride we ate Mexican food at a near by restaurant, including this beer you see and a huge lobster burrito. After coming home and taking a shower I'm ready for bed. I hope to sleep well tonight.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0uld95_3HpjDyf6YvnMkVMdyJd-Fwfv9DzZ1v_U7A623fXWJkxEz0OZYe1kErsgU6EahJ1P8OMiAkQIA_HoJASqVKPY0v16-zPb084IbCKG4pX0s3kw7dieC3sVsRVq2rMpvgg/s1600/MeBeerAfterBikeRide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0uld95_3HpjDyf6YvnMkVMdyJd-Fwfv9DzZ1v_U7A623fXWJkxEz0OZYe1kErsgU6EahJ1P8OMiAkQIA_HoJASqVKPY0v16-zPb084IbCKG4pX0s3kw7dieC3sVsRVq2rMpvgg/s320/MeBeerAfterBikeRide.jpg" width="191" /></a></div>
<br />Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6991226.post-84251471464722702762012-05-05T12:57:00.001-07:002012-05-05T12:57:38.073-07:00Teachers Night at the Padres GameI attended my third Padres game in five weeks. A record for me I think. I went tonight because it was teachers appreciation night and we got tickets for half price.
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nUXtSA6IHDG_EYPQRSXTFFKYNDGHwK2WlxP_fqJDiJRZnIr3XoiRoWGH5t50leEkVUkRw9CTdRaYt4XHPGQ9-SA6E67MmQbgSHmUTLRXk7NatWDMHvoC1n4IGfzaUaK5HGsMQA/s1600/1336181305824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nUXtSA6IHDG_EYPQRSXTFFKYNDGHwK2WlxP_fqJDiJRZnIr3XoiRoWGH5t50leEkVUkRw9CTdRaYt4XHPGQ9-SA6E67MmQbgSHmUTLRXk7NatWDMHvoC1n4IGfzaUaK5HGsMQA/s320/1336181305824.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Got to Petco Park early enough to eat dinner and sit on in the outdoor dinning area with a view of the Convention Center, the new pedestrian walkway and Conrado Bridge. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1jaLsROO6hM-sPS-fymjve_sJA-qEOoo4O7JFZGZdal3ekIhV5eOEt_YeXJB2dDFaKsUWQpkfOOpWYXPYptOUiC6RhF_UCxy8Ohh-xfsjJyxNxdKBrZ2mCOlrE7RNzGykAC0Eeg/s1600/IMAG0477.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1jaLsROO6hM-sPS-fymjve_sJA-qEOoo4O7JFZGZdal3ekIhV5eOEt_YeXJB2dDFaKsUWQpkfOOpWYXPYptOUiC6RhF_UCxy8Ohh-xfsjJyxNxdKBrZ2mCOlrE7RNzGykAC0Eeg/s320/IMAG0477.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
There are teachers that got special recognition before the game. Most of the fans showed up after the first inning, so that's why there are so many empty seats. The attendance was over 29,000, which is good for a Padres game. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij0VxQ7L5LOy5VM6BDnfirfbNQRBr2-_GXW2bn8TaGBCv31gcMVuMhLIS0HsrCfxeFyZeh_QN6em-TwWdHWzjGS9wITyAyq6EMBAu1cNYFUMWgEXwAPcwTQCKFCpYXo25J-2RJYA/s1600/IMAG0478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij0VxQ7L5LOy5VM6BDnfirfbNQRBr2-_GXW2bn8TaGBCv31gcMVuMhLIS0HsrCfxeFyZeh_QN6em-TwWdHWzjGS9wITyAyq6EMBAu1cNYFUMWgEXwAPcwTQCKFCpYXo25J-2RJYA/s320/IMAG0478.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The Padres got themselves into a hole after Miami got a 5-0 lead after the first inning. But then later the Padres scored six runs to take the lead. Ex-Padre blew a save in the 9th after the Marlins got the lead. The game ended close to midnight in the 12th inning with the Marlins getting the win. The 4 1/2 hour game was long but fun since the Padres had many chances to win, but didn't.Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6991226.post-59798647520141757692012-03-30T19:26:00.000-07:002012-03-30T19:26:52.893-07:00Spring Break 2012<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglE2MVFrZkG_4uqx4jjHxRzOtANCv8q1FVekKJ8_X8cVijBka8OCO85TcKloHAbdphUFKpuJ3MBWD084xfesiVfNTwzp4uRG2kgLaU0ur4zZuEvrSpRCEPCyl8XkYdOWgnk0OUbQ/s1600/NCAA_G1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglE2MVFrZkG_4uqx4jjHxRzOtANCv8q1FVekKJ8_X8cVijBka8OCO85TcKloHAbdphUFKpuJ3MBWD084xfesiVfNTwzp4uRG2kgLaU0ur4zZuEvrSpRCEPCyl8XkYdOWgnk0OUbQ/s320/NCAA_G1.jpg" width="320" /></a>Technically this wasn't my Spring break, since I'm not in school, but it was more then my usual trip to Arizona to watch Spring training baseball. This year we left a half day earlier than usual and watch all three games of the NCAA basketball regional games in Phoenix.Our flight left San Diego on Thursday around noon, and an hour later we were in Phoenix. We had time to check-in at the hotel before heading downtown for the two sweet 16 games. Along the way we were joined by some other people we knew and climbed up to our seats. Even though we were up high we still had a good view of the whole court.<br />
<br />
The first game was Louisville at Michigan State. This was a slow, low-scoring game and Louisville won. After a 30 break game two started, Florida at Marquette. This was a much faster, more intensive game. In fact, at half time we decided to move up (or down) to closer seats that we saw had been empty the whole first half. Probably from fans who were there just to watch the first game. So we walked down to the lower level and sat in the nice, padded seats with a much better view of the game.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkZe5zLbgpHplf8Yns84q4OTOxuyAK-o8v6MyxSyCHObzSrKSbnKfrY70XtsG9cvWXlj7ljJOE0xsLSX5263AmIofEfLmK8yFSjhn1hPIqURl_sKKM12F4TwsCX9gnwYM8CSGrw/s1600/NCAA_G2_Crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkZe5zLbgpHplf8Yns84q4OTOxuyAK-o8v6MyxSyCHObzSrKSbnKfrY70XtsG9cvWXlj7ljJOE0xsLSX5263AmIofEfLmK8yFSjhn1hPIqURl_sKKM12F4TwsCX9gnwYM8CSGrw/s320/NCAA_G2_Crop.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
The game was more exciting when you sit closer to the action, and this game was higher scoring and faster paced than the first. Florida won by one point, meaning the game on Saturday would be Florida against Louisville.<br />
<br />
After the game we zipped back to the hotel to meet up with one of the other people that sat with us and followed him to a restaurant in Mesa that we had never been too before. The food was good and the bill with all the food and beer was really cheep.Back at the hotel we went to bed, not staying out nearly as late as we did in you younger days.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJ1r8W00KWTqlpMakmvA6jKddwwqrjOXD7S2_mn25jzD1ElD0QruBP6s_PtFJhFKGiKj79k6M1TM7smIitIkM50w6n15qvM101iYXyPjrjhWClUk079xLCcKOnuvyjHc71toHgg/s1600/CrewHangingOut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJ1r8W00KWTqlpMakmvA6jKddwwqrjOXD7S2_mn25jzD1ElD0QruBP6s_PtFJhFKGiKj79k6M1TM7smIitIkM50w6n15qvM101iYXyPjrjhWClUk079xLCcKOnuvyjHc71toHgg/s320/CrewHangingOut.jpg" width="320" /></a>Friday morning we were up for our free breakfast at the Embassy Suites hotel where Pam, a longtime cook at the hotel, made us fresh omelets. Our plan was to leave early and pick up our friend and his son at the airport, however, they had missed their flight from Denver due to various reasons. Luckily they were able to catch a flight 90 minutes later. So we all piled in the big, white van, went to the airport and then made a stop at the Talking Stick Casino for a little gambling. This casino is across the freeway from the ballpark we were headed to. I played some 25 cent video poker and once I started getting some good hands I bet more money and ended up winning $20.25! Well, I couldn't stop my winning streak there, so I played the Wheel of Fortune game and quickly lost $20. But I was still up 25 cents, so I stopped gambling. <br />
<br />
After a quick drive to the park, we parked our van and just by chance, just like last year, we happened to park next to the guy who we sold three of our tickets to. I think his name was Marcus. We hung out with him and his friends, playing some disc toss game (well, I didn't play). As game time approached we went inside to see the Rockies play the Cubs. Our friend's from Denver were there to see the Rockies, of course. The Rockies won, I think, and we left shortly before the last inning. Then, about 15 minutes of driving in traffic as we headed home, someone realized he forgot his backpack, which contained a camera. So we made a u-turn and drove back to the park where he found the pack as it was being taken to lost and found. All was good.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSaoY_WfEObFCgpdhb1tv6VuBoLbTGGYSBSjtocq5hvvFRS9ouwzcZm4NMSTwbzXxBxQX_j4IBglAnMhZMzoyhxV0TwPcJEcwIyffWXQoMam6uG0a_KVepvNkt57MuzpJ9mmq0cg/s1600/MeArriabsBeerFb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSaoY_WfEObFCgpdhb1tv6VuBoLbTGGYSBSjtocq5hvvFRS9ouwzcZm4NMSTwbzXxBxQX_j4IBglAnMhZMzoyhxV0TwPcJEcwIyffWXQoMam6uG0a_KVepvNkt57MuzpJ9mmq0cg/s320/MeArriabsBeerFb.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>Once at the hotel we rested up (translated: took a short nap) before going out to dinner. We went back to Arribas, a Mexican place we ate at last year. The food was good, but not great. After dinner we somehow decided to go bowling again, just like last year. There is a bowling alley across from our hotel. We got there just before 10 and waited to bowl until 10 because they were having a special where you could bowl unlimited games. There were eight of us so we broke off into two teams to have a contest for the highest score. I hoped my team wasn't relying on me to score too high. But surprisingly, I bowled my best game ever, around 140, on the first game. Yes, that is good for me. But, not being a bowler, my score declined in games two and three. My bowling arm just gave out, that and the beer. So our team lost :-(<br />
<br />
Per tradition, we had planned to hike Camelback Mountain sometime on this trip, and the next morning was the best opportunity. So those of us that wanted to hike decided to wake up by 7AM to get ready to go, which seemed like a bad decision considering it was already 1 AM. Well, there would be time to sleep later.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmCUOhz9r9nDUqAbB09IiBpVSUijZaU2nUty6mTIekEabjnkVLMy-QU4j4EnEwtm0PhnY-piel0qdahrwAAFtAh9FSq_aAGtCfJ5fb9M480fp8o3v9A8dkesVKdDeoIdxvJ4g2Q/s1600/IMAG0419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmCUOhz9r9nDUqAbB09IiBpVSUijZaU2nUty6mTIekEabjnkVLMy-QU4j4EnEwtm0PhnY-piel0qdahrwAAFtAh9FSq_aAGtCfJ5fb9M480fp8o3v9A8dkesVKdDeoIdxvJ4g2Q/s320/IMAG0419.jpg" width="320" /></a>My alarm went off at 6:45 and when I went to check on the others I was surprised that everyone was awake and ready for breakfast. So we ate quickly and then jumped in the van and drove to the Echo Canyon trail head, which is the starting point for the shorter but much steeper hike up the mountain. We were there a little later than planned, but the parking lot was full and they had rangers and police there making sure people didn't block traffic. After circling the lot a few times, Steve let us off the van and he drove around some more with no luck getting a parking spot. So he drove to the place a few miles away where they had a shuttle service back to the trail head.<br />
<br />
Once we started hiking it was obvious that this trail had gotten very popular. There was a constant stream of hikers the whole way up. I'd say that there were six times as many hikers as last time we hiked this trail. The two really steep section that have a metal hand rail to grab onto to pull yourself up the rocks was as crowded as those pictures you see of people climbing half dome in Yosemite. There was someone right in front of you and right behind you. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNN-Kj01jZYdlM7GDcCeN_Hpw36ZGcqSu5mHlBSIuG3m7rXiDmL2g5uXNEVcR7YUwUqhwbxUDo9HOH8ir3JZb6z_POJqvcdqOd3_buaERjHMezLqwnBaVHZ20yiQemlUz7Mkhiew/s1600/GroupAtCamelBackEnh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNN-Kj01jZYdlM7GDcCeN_Hpw36ZGcqSu5mHlBSIuG3m7rXiDmL2g5uXNEVcR7YUwUqhwbxUDo9HOH8ir3JZb6z_POJqvcdqOd3_buaERjHMezLqwnBaVHZ20yiQemlUz7Mkhiew/s320/GroupAtCamelBackEnh.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>We ended up breaking up into groups, with the fast people, medium hikers and slower hikers. I was in the medium group most of the way - by myself, which I guess didn't make it a group. I am normally in good shape, but not after a long day and night of drinking lots of beer and getting little sleep.Once I got to the top the first group was there resting and just like the trial up, it was packed with people. I wished I had taken a photo of all hikers. Once the rest made it up we took this group photo. Don't let the smiles fool you, we were all really tired, except for Mark, the young kid who is in good shape and drank no beer the day before.<br />
<br />
We then made the steep decent down the mountain as fast as we could. We needed to get back to the hotel and get ready for the second day of the NCAA basketball game. The game started at 1:30 and it was already 11:00. But we made it back to our hotel, got ready and back downtown and into our seats in time for the tip off. We had the same seats as before, high up in the arena. Since this was a "elite eight" game, the teams were the winners of the two games we saw on Thursday. They both played good and the game was more exciting than the other two. Louisville came from behind and beat Florida, and after the game we went down to the lower seats to see the post-game ceremony, which include the cutting of the net by each player and coach of the winning team. I'm glad we stayed for that because it was quite fun watching the team celebrate.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Vp2vcWaCLGsPJWGqUEDsINX292JLtFHWIm_eugjB3yw_WGAorXBdKMpAUpeOrKnsGfaTIPzpqogcKCbAfuj_i0kmA2Dl-ZCX3uOSzM9qzZw9-52XxS8ynW3152Dr1k9TD4Tf0g/s1600/NCAA_RegionalChamps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Vp2vcWaCLGsPJWGqUEDsINX292JLtFHWIm_eugjB3yw_WGAorXBdKMpAUpeOrKnsGfaTIPzpqogcKCbAfuj_i0kmA2Dl-ZCX3uOSzM9qzZw9-52XxS8ynW3152Dr1k9TD4Tf0g/s320/NCAA_RegionalChamps.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
We left the arena, got our van and back to the hotel we went. I got in a good hour-long nap. After all, it was Saturday, our night to dress up and go out to an expensive restaurant for some steak and seafood. We had reservation at Eddie V's in north Scottsdale. The drive there from the hotel seemed to take forever, as I let everyone in the van know. We got to the place about 15 minutes late, but got seated quickly, except the table only held eight people and there were nine of us. Eventually they got us another two seats after the couple next to us left. Now I'm not a big steak fan, so I went with the basic, filet mignon, medium. The steak was good, but what I really enjoyed were the sides. Besides each of us ordering our main course, we ordered about four appetizers and five side dishes to share. I think the side dishes were the best, especially the macaroni and cheese. Our waitress was really nice, and the staff was really good about keeping our table clean, almost too good. They were ready to take away our appetizer plates before we were finished.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvSHJ9Co3xzHlgZ9PcFI_bMP8VpDql5VZRwwBQ1FWMZQwec6c1FTE1ATGQR1Rb21_Xu5k9wfEecjSeVWtACbx-voi_3hZIFiBBjVWRVUCcSC5QWxO4ZdAY3VJVT2HTWJlf1cDSg/s1600/PadresHeadly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvSHJ9Co3xzHlgZ9PcFI_bMP8VpDql5VZRwwBQ1FWMZQwec6c1FTE1ATGQR1Rb21_Xu5k9wfEecjSeVWtACbx-voi_3hZIFiBBjVWRVUCcSC5QWxO4ZdAY3VJVT2HTWJlf1cDSg/s320/PadresHeadly.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>After almost two hours we were finished. I think everyone enjoyed there food, and we agreed that we'd go there again, but I prefer to try a new place each time. Back at the hotel we were done for the night. Everyone was tired so we went to bed to get ready for Sunday.<br />
<br />
Our game for Sunday was in Peoria to see the Padres play the Diamondbacks. Peoria is one of the furthest parks from our hotel, but we still got there and got good parking with plenty of time to have some beers in the parking lot before heading in. We had really<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2VR6vhAqfDNISFJbJa83WtjN4SKIX_fNsl1cGd2yltvcG9VpG5F3QU_mGlTbF0H-puY4MqhLxcwWwBK0mARNg17jjYPbprVzqfpyeJSshuG5goD6xH6_h-rmum0kZfZzyHPCcQ/s1600/MeAtFourPoints.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2VR6vhAqfDNISFJbJa83WtjN4SKIX_fNsl1cGd2yltvcG9VpG5F3QU_mGlTbF0H-puY4MqhLxcwWwBK0mARNg17jjYPbprVzqfpyeJSshuG5goD6xH6_h-rmum0kZfZzyHPCcQ/s320/MeAtFourPoints.jpg" width="191" /></a>good seats, once again. Near the end of the game we spotted Kevin Towers sitting in our section. He was wearing a really bright, pink shirt and wasn't hard to miss. When we were hear once many years ago we got a group photo of us with him, so KC took the initiative and walked up to him as asked if he'd take a photo with us, and he did! It came out very well, but I don't have a copy of that photo yet. I believe the Padres lost that game, but it is Spring training, so the games don't count. After the game, before going back to the hotel, we made an out-of-the-way side trip to the stadium in Surprise to buy some gifts at their gift shop since the one in Peoria was running low on merchandise. I didn't buy anything this year. When I do buy a shirt, I end up never wearing it for some reason. I bought an nice black Angels polo shirt last year and forgot I even had it until I packed for this trip. But I didn't bring it since it was black and that is not a good color for sitting in the hot sun.<br />
<br />
For dinner this Sunday night we went back to the <a href="http://www.fourpeaks.com/" target="_blank">Four Peaks Brewery </a>where we went to last year. Once again we had a short wait for a table but once seated we had quick, but not necessarily good service. Our waiter was not really friendly. He seem almost annoyed that he had to serve us. Plus, they did that thing where they bring out the appetizers and two minutes later they bring out your main course. The beer and food were good, but we agreed that he would get no more than 15% for a tip, unlike the cute Romanian waitress from Eddie V's who was tipped generously<br />
<br />
It was Sunday night, our last night in town, so our motto was that we were "going hard", meaning we'd stay up late and have lots of fun. Well, we had fun but didn't last too much longer into the night after hitting another bar or two. That's was just fine. It is nice waking up without a headache.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC5-V2VAVx3O2-s1Fa2wZEVkvYZVTEhF4nOUtCq6oa7mn5qzQtnhpFSUnRz4b3SdFA_IGDjrCOeTy1no7PxHV1MNv1zivwSFa4FMzTryA4Ild1YITZ0zu-iCdZgOL_cgUxv2tZgQ/s1600/RockiesNo5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC5-V2VAVx3O2-s1Fa2wZEVkvYZVTEhF4nOUtCq6oa7mn5qzQtnhpFSUnRz4b3SdFA_IGDjrCOeTy1no7PxHV1MNv1zivwSFa4FMzTryA4Ild1YITZ0zu-iCdZgOL_cgUxv2tZgQ/s320/RockiesNo5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It is always a bummer waking up the last morning and having to pack your bags. Yes, our flight didn't leave until 5:40 PM and we still had another game to watch, but everyone's mood was kind of somber. Our motto for the day was "finishing strong". The last game was the Angels vs. the Rockies at the Angels' stadium in Tempe, very near our hotel. We got there two hours before the game, and we needed that time to finish our beer. We had so much beer we were giving it away to everyone who walked by - who looked to be at least 21, of course. The weather was much better than last year when it was cold and raining. We were told is was raining in San Diego Monday morning, but not in Tempe. Some of the gang went into the park early to get autographs, and the rest of us went in just in time for the first pitch. Those of us that had to fly home at 5:40 left around four. We said our farewells to Mark and his son who were flying home later and Rick and his father who were driving home.<br />
<br />
We got to the airport with plenty of time, except for the two who had to return the rental van. They got to the boarding gate just in time, making us who were already there feel stupid as we sat at the wrong gate and missed our boarding group. But no worries, we should have boarded in group A but got in just before group B boarded. The flight home was quick and non-eventful. I got back to my house by eight and in bed by 10, ready to get up for work the next day (not really). However, come Wednesday I got sick and missed a day of work. As I write this I still don't feel 100% well. That's what happens when you have too much fun and not enough rest. So, now the countdown until next year!Homer Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104818445966837647noreply@blogger.com1