As of today, the maps above represent the states and provinces that which I have visited. On the world map (not shown here), I also add Bahamas and Hong Kong to my list. My ultimate goal is to set foot on all seven continents. As of right now, I don't really have a goal about any specific number of states or countries. I do eventually want to visit particular places that would naturally add states, provinces and countries to my list of visited areas.
My personal glimpse into the first half of the 21st Century for some yet to be known future
Sunday, June 19, 2011
States I have visited (USA, Canada, Mexico)
As of today, the maps above represent the states and provinces that which I have visited. On the world map (not shown here), I also add Bahamas and Hong Kong to my list. My ultimate goal is to set foot on all seven continents. As of right now, I don't really have a goal about any specific number of states or countries. I do eventually want to visit particular places that would naturally add states, provinces and countries to my list of visited areas.
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Cross-country trip - day 1
My first day started off right on schedule at 7:00AM from Silicon Valley in the South San Francisco Bay Area. The time was important because the destination was Salt Lake City before sundown. The drive took me through Reno, NV. I've been there before, so I decided to just eat an early lunch (or Second Breakfast, as the Hobbits might call it) and refuel my car. No stopping for sightseeing.
The landscape drastically changed as I drove. As I travelled through California, the landscape slowly morphed from the tan colored hills and flat agricultural land to the forested mountains of the Tahoe area. In Nevada, that all gave way to the bush covered desert. The color of the earth changed from brown to an ever changing mix of red and light tan. The vegetation changed from greenish to mauvish and a mix of many other colors. I briefly stopped in Elko, NV for another fast-food meal and refueling.
I didn't really stop for sightseeing until I crossed the Utah border. There was a rest area in the middle of nowhere (where most rest areas can be found). By this time, the land was very flat and bare. The rest stop had an observation deck. The ramp up to the deck appeared to be handicap accessible, but any person in a wheelchair would be hard pressed to make it up the ramp. Anyway, I took a picture of myself in front on the vast empty landscape. The mountains in the distance offered an interesting contrast to the flat land of the desert. Later on, the land next to the freeway was under water, in what appears to be semi-permenant shallow lakes. Some of the lakes appeared on my TomTom map, and some did not. One funny item was that many of the lakes had miles of fence posts embedded within the water of the lake. Seriouly, what's the point of that?
Wow, I travelled across three Western states in one day! I arrived in Salt Lake City in time to relax in the hotel. I saved the sightseeing for the next day.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Las Vegas Getaway
December 10, 2010 to December 15, 2010 with Mike Puckett, Alice, Victoria Davis, Chris Davis and Jennifer Szabo, visited Las Vegas, Nevada, Encore at the Wynn Resort, The Strip Las Vegas NV, New York - New York Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, Fremont Street Experience and Bellagio Las Vegas.
Great getaway, and catching up with old friends. (Original post/backup link)
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Alaskan Cruise Day 3
After a lengthy ride on a bus (with a driver that was more than happy to tell her personal story of how she and her husband ended up in Alaska), our tour group arrived at a small dock in Auke Bay. The tour boat had a heated cabin. We took off from dock and headed out of the bay.
View Larger Map
At first, there were no whales in sight. As we headed north, we began to see spouts of water off in the far distance. The crew finally got us near some humpbacks. Over the next couple of hours, the boat went from one area to another trying to give us a glimpse of the whales. As the day progressed, we had better sightings.
Near the end of the tour, we watched excitedly as a whale lunged out of the water to fill its mouth full of fish. That was an impressive sight!
As we headed back to dock, I asked Allie's mom how many whales she spotted. She excitedly held up her hand showing all her fingers and said, "FIVE!" with as big of a smile as I've ever seen gleam. Everyone had a lot of fun on this excursion.
Navigation: See all Alaskan Cruise articles here
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Alaskan Cruise Day 1 and 2
The cabins where about as I expected. A bit smaller than I'm used to. There was enough room for two of us in each cabin without tripping over each other too often. The restroom was the most cramped. I'm not a big person (not even close), and I even had a little trouble getting comfortable on the toilet. The bed was comfortable and spacious. The curtains were very thick. When closed, they would literally make the cabin fill like night, even in the middle of the day.
Although I felt the ship was very large, it didn't seem to have some of the amenities that one comes to expect from an offering of this sort. The shops were in one small section of the ship. There was a couple of gift shops and a jewelry shop and that's about it. The lounge area at the center of the ship seemed spacious at first. However, after seeing how quickly it got cluttered with various events, it also seemed a bit undersized.
Once the ship left Seattle, we spent the rest of that day and all of the following Monday at sea (called a "Sea Day"). The four of us spent most of this Sea Day getting acquainted with the ship. Our cabin had a nice balcony. I found it to be very relaxing to just lounge on the balcony, watching the ocean fly past me. I was able to spot dolphins once or twice. During lunch at the buffet restaurant, we spotted some whales too.
The food was so-so. There was a good selection at the buffet, but the quality did not live up to expectations. Monday evening, we dined at a restaurant at the rear of the ship. Our table was right at the stern. Before the sun set, I was fascinated by the water being churned up in the wake as the ship moved forward. The restaurant was decorated in a Russian-style. The food was good. Unfortunately, this would be best food we would encounter on the ship over the next week.
Navigation: See all Alaskan Cruise articles here
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Alaskan Cruise pre-day
They had two rooms prepared for us back at their house. After relaxing for a while at their place, we all headed out to Seattle for some touristy sight-seeing. My in-laws had never been to Seattle. This extra day was a great chance to show them around.
We had lunch at the Crab Pot, which is fun restaurant that service seafood in the family style by dumping a bucket of it into piles on the table. As usual, the food was very fresh and delicious.
After that, we headed over to the Public Market on Pike St. This is where that one seafood vendor throws fish across their store. I think there was also a tulip festival going on, since small tulip vendors filled the sides of the street with their booths.
Later, we all headed back to my friends' house. We had dinner at a nearby restaurant and then settled in for the night. Our cruise ship boarding time on the next day was around noon, so we were not rushed into going to bed early.
Navigation: See all Alaskan Cruise articles here
Monday, May 17, 2010
Alaska Cruise planning
The first cruise line I looked at was Carnival. However, they don't have any ships that goto Glacier Bay early in the year. Other cruise lines didn't have round trip journeys (which means we'd have to fly back home on some very long flights with layovers). After researching, I found that Norwegian Cruise Line has at least a couple of ships that go up to Alaska during May with round trip itineraries that include Glacier Bay. They start in Seattle and end in Seattle. As a bonus, my best friend lives in Seattle.
The ship that seemed to have the best itinerary for us was the Norwegian Pearl. The ship, its accommodations and amenities appeared to be modern. After a lot of discussion, we pulled the trigger by purchasing 2 balcony suites for ourselves and her parents. Balcony suites are expensive, but since this was likely the only time that Allie and I would ever go on a cruise to Glacier Bay, we had to get them. By September last year, we were set for an Alaskan cruise aboard the Norwegian Pearl for seven days starting on May 9th.
Saturday, May 08, 2010
Alaska Cruise
May 8, 2010 to May 16, 2010 with Alice and family and friends, visited Seattle, Washington, Crab Pot Seattle, Federal Way, Washington, Juneau, Alaska, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Skagway Brewing, Skagway, Alaska, Ketchikan, Alaska, Rainforest Canopy & Zip-Line Expedition, Victoria, British Columbia and Pike Place Market
Great experiences and fun with the family in Alaska! Some points of interest.