Discover Roseburg Geocoin Challenge 2011

I left early Friday morning, January 28, 2011, driving south from Vancouver, Washington on I-205/I-5 to attend the Discover Roseburg Geocoin Challenge (5 caches and 15 virtuals) to be held the next day. I found several caches along the way. In Roseburg I purchased a tank of gas at a Shell Station (10 cents off with Fred Meyer card), bought two dinners at Albertsons deli and stayed two nights at the Sleep In which came with a Continental Breakfast.

I really like the Garmin Nuvi 1450 which I purchased a couple months ago. I would never have been able to complete the Geocoin challenge without it. I also purchased a 10" Toshiba NB 305 a couple weeks ago for under $300 which has been great for logging caches/benchmarks/event.

It was interesting exploring Roseburg. The streets are clearly marked which was a great help! I finished the Discover Roseburg Geocoin Challenge at 2:50PM -- 10 minutes before the Raffle. I won a blue Ammo can. It was a great Event with a stunning Geocoin!

I found a few more caches in Roseburg and a couple on the way home on Sunday. I waymarked an erratic that I found at University of Oregon campus. It was dark and raining by the time that I got back home.

Celebrating the Chinese New Year at Lan Su Chinese Garden

I attended the Feng Shui lecture this afternoon at the Lan Su Chinese Garden in downtown Portland. The Chinese New Year - Year of the Rabbit begins February 3, 2011. Afterwards I had Golden Monkey tea and Almond Cookies in the Tearoom. There was a lack of tables so I invited Donna to sit at my table. We talked about Lisa See, a Chinese American writer and novelist, whose novels Flower Net (1997), The Interior (1999), and Dragon Bones (2003) make up the Red Princess mystery series; Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture and the book The Women (2009); and Wineries and the impact of the Missoula Flood. In the Gift Shop I saw a chart that showed that I was born in the Year of the Boar/Pig!

Who is Rose Red?

Rose Red is my Geocaching name. Rose Red was not taken from "The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer - My Life at Rose Red" ghost written by Ridley Pearson nor from Stephen King's televison drama, "Rose Red." Rose Red was taken from the Brother Grimm story of "Snow-white and Rose-red."

Sunday, January 2, 2011 (Last day of vacation)

We rose at 6:00AM to finish packing and eat breakfast. I made Mickey Mouse waffles for us. We caught the Mears Shuttle at 8:15. At the Orlando Airport we checked our luggage and got our boarding passes. Catherine got Mocha at Zaza Cuban Coffee Café at the Orlando Airport.

We had lunch at the Berghoff Café in the Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. We saw the film “Social Network” during the flight from Chicago to Portland. I plan to watch it again as it was difficult to follow the dialog.

We arrived back at Portland International Airport a little before 6:00. We retrieved our luggage. Paul, my husband, picked us up at the airport. I drove across the I-205 bridge to Vancouver. I dropped Catherine off at her house and then we headed home.

Saturday, January 1, 2011 (Sea World)

We caught the shuttle bus to Sea World at 7:30. I had made arrangements for us to have a VIP tour. We purchased our park admission and then picked up our VIP Tour tag. The tour did not start until 11:00 so we saw Pets Ahoy!: Cats, dogs, birds and even a pig performed high-action feats at the Seaport Theater at 9:30. Afterwards we saw Penguin Encounter and the Pacific Point Preserve with the two large Sea Lions from Bonneville Dam. Somehow we missed seeing Shark Encounter and Wild Arctic. Catherine purchased gifts for two of her friends.

We joined our VIP tour group at 11:00AM. Catherine and some members of the tour group rode Journey to Atlantis and Kraken. We had lunch at the Spice Mill Café. We should have eaten lunch at Mango Joe's Cafe instead but I didn't want to walk that far. We saw the Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate Island show at the Sea Lion & Otter Stadium at 12:15PM. We fed little fishes to the Sea Lions. We saw the Blue Horizon Show at the Whale & Dolphin Theater. We fed the little fishes to the dolphins and then to the stingrays. Catherine and some members of the tour group rode Manta Roller Coaster. We saw the Believe Show at Shamu Stadium at 5:30. We saw the three-month-old killer whale. We had to leave before the end of the show to catch the shuttle bus. We had Subway sandwiches, chips and drinks for dinner in our hotel suite.

Friday, December 31, 2010 (Magic Kingdom)

We caught the shuttle bus to Epcot at 7:25 and rode the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. The crowds were horrendous. We used Fast Passes a lot. We had lunch again at Columbia Harbor House in Liberty Square. Catherine had the Shrimp Platter and Apple Crisp while I had a bowl of Clam Chowder and Apple Crisp. I watched The Christmas Parade while Catherine rode Big Thunder Mountain. We rode the ferry across the lake to the parking lot where we caught the shuttle bus at 5:15PM. We had Subway sandwiches, chips and drinks for dinner in our hotel suite.

Thursday, December 30, 2010 (Universal's Islands of Adventure/The Wizarding World of Harry Potter)

After breakfast we caught the shuttle bus to Universal’s Islands of Adventure at 7:30AM. We purchased Express Unlimited Pass for Catherine.

Catherine waited in line for an hour to get passes to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter for later in the day. There were masses of people! I waited at The Mystic Fountain. It is my favorite place in the park. The fountain talks to the kids and occasionally squirts or showers them with water.

Catherine went on several rides including The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Ripsaw Falls, Bilge-Rat Barges, and the Jurassic Park River Adventure. I saw The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad Stunt Show and watched The Mystic Fountain.

Catherine went on the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride while I looked in the windows of Hogsmeade Village. I could hardly squeeze through the crowds. We missed seeing Hagrid's hut! We had lunch in Harry Potter Land at Hogs Head Pub of Fish ‘n Chips. The Fish ‘n Chips were so much better than the Fish ‘n Chips at Columbia Harbor House in the Magic Kingdom.

We caught the shuttle bus back to the hotel at 6:00PM. About a dozen or so people were left at the bus stop as there was no room on the shuttle bus.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010 (Universal Studios Florida)

After breakfast we caught the shuttle bus to Universal Studios at 7:30AM. We purchased the Admission Tickets at the hotel and then purchased Express Unlimited Passes both Wednesday and again Thursday at the parks for Catherine.

Catherine went on the Men in Black Alien Attack ride, Disaster!, Revenge of the Mummy, and Jaws. I saw Shrek 4-D, Twister…Ride It Out, Fear Factor Live, Jaws, and Terminator 2: 3-D. We went on the E.T. Adventure, and saw The Blues Brothers Holiday Show and Beetlejuice's Graveyard Revue.

We had a delicious lunch at Finnegan’s Bar about 4:00PM. I requested the song ‘Garden Party.’ It has my favorite line – “You see, you can't please everyone, so you got to please yourself.” Catherine requested a Johnny Cash song -- "Folsom Prison Blues".

We caught the shuttle bus back to the hotel at 6:00PM. Because we ate lunch so late we passed on dinner. I checked my e-mail in the hotel lobby.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010 (Disney's Hollywood Studios)

After breakfast we caught the shuttle bus to Epcot at 7:25 and took the bus to Disney’s Hollywood Studios (formerly Disney MGM Studios). Catherine did not ride the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror however she had ridden it several times during previous trips. Star Tours was not operating. I find that Hollywood Studios, Universal and certainly Universal Islands of Adventure are rather boring so I brought along two books along to read during the vacation – Rhys Bowen’s “A Royal Pain” and “Royal Flush.”

We went on The Great Movie Ride, and saw the Sounds Dangerous show, the Muppet-Vision 3D show, the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show, Journey into Narnia: Prince Caspian show and part of the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. We had lunch at Backlot Express. We had Subway sandwiches, chips and drinks for dinner in our hotel suite.

Monday, December 27, 2010 (Epcot again)

After breakfast we caught the shuttle bus to Epcot at 7:25. We ate lunch in again at the Electric Umbrella. I wanted to eat at the Rose and Crown. I was deeply disappointed that I could not get reservations either day.

We rode the Spaceship Earth. We saw the both levels of the Seas Main Tank and Exhibits including a trainer working with a dolphin to identify shapes. We explored World Showcase clockwise again except we ran out of time and didn’t get to see “O Canada.” We did see “The American Adventure” and “Impressions de France.” .

We caught the 5:30 shuttle bus back to the hotel. We had Subway sandwiches, chips and drinks for dinner in our hotel suite. Many of the evenings we watched the Hallmark Channel on television.

Sunday, December 26, 2010/Friday, December 31, 2010 (Magic Kingdom)

We caught the shuttle bus to Epcot at 7:25 and rode the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. Catherine bought a WDW shot glass as a gift for a fellow worker (he got her a small, fancy bottle of tequila in Cabo). We had lunch at Columbia Harbor House in Liberty Square at 12:15PM. Catherine’s fish and chips was not good. The fish was greasy and tasted bitter. However my Shrimp Platter was delicious as was the Clam Chowder and Apple Crisp.

During the two days that we visited the Magic Kingdom Catherine rode on Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad several times. We saw Monsters Inc. and rode Buzz Lightyear in Tomorrowland. I rode Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress. We rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. We rode Winnie the Pooh, Snow White, Peter Pan’s Flight (my all time favorite) and It’s a Small World in Fantasyland. In Liberty Square, we saw the Haunted Mansion. I like the New Orleans style house in Disneyland better. In Adventureland, we rode the Pirates of the Caribbean. We had a great driver for the Jungle Cruise. We saw The Enchanted Tiki Room. It was changed a few years ago and not for the better. In Frontierland, we saw Country Bear Jamboree. I really miss the shows that they used to have in the Diamond Horseshoe. We rode the Liberty Belle Riverboat and saw The Hall of Presidents. I watched The Christmas Parade while Catherine rode Big Thunder Mountain. The ride broke down midway. Somehow we missed seeing Mickey’s PhilharMagic.

We caught the shuttle bus at 5:15PM back to the Comfort Suites. A lot of tourists stayed at the nearby Best Western. They had a Pizza Hut where we had a nearby Subway. I do not think that they had a complimentary breakfast.

Saturday, December 25, 2010 (Animal Kingdom)

Catherine and I caught the Platinum Shuttle Bus to Epcot at 7:25AM and rode the bus to Animal Kingdom. While she went on a ride I purchased a poncho for the water rides. Catherine went on the Dinosaur, Expedition Everest and Kali River Rapids rides. We had barbeque pork sandwiches at Flame Tree Barbecue at 12:30PM. We rode in the front seat of the open-air safari vehicle on the Kilimanjaro Safari. I thoroughly enjoyed the trek even though it was a rough ride at times. We saw the Flights of Wonder. I had Key Lime Mousse and Catherine had a Sprite drink at 4:30. We caught the 5:20 shuttle bus back to the hotel. We had Subway sandwiches, chips, and drink for dinner in our hotel suite while we watched the Hallmark Channel on television.

Friday, December 24, 2010 (Epcot)

After breakfast I purchased our six day WDW tickets at the hotel. We caught the Platinum Shuttle Bus to Epcot. We had front row seats on Soarin’. Catherine went on the rides in the morning. We ate Greek Salads for lunch on the patio at the Electric Umbrella. It was a great place for people watching.

We explored World Showcase clockwise in the afternoon. We took the Gran Fiesta Tour boat ride at the Mexico Pavilion and rode the Maelstrom at Norway. We saw “Reflections of China.” We caught the 5:30 shuttle back to the hotel. We had Subway sandwiches, chips and drinks for dinner in our hotel suite. Many of the evenings we watched the Hallmark Channel on television.

I would never recommend a Christmas-New Years week for first-time visitors. However for anyone who has visited enough to navigate the parks without a map, like us, it is a great opportunity to experience the beauty and joy of the holiday season which outweighs the huge crowds most of the time. Cell phones were necessary to keep in touch.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

My youngest daughter, Catherine, and I went on an eleven day trip from Vancouver, Washington to Orlando, Florida from December 23, 2010 to January 2, 2011. I had read (and photocopied several pages) "the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2011" by Bob Sehlinger & Len Testa in preparation for the trip. We flew to Orlando via Chicago O’Hare Int’l Airport where we ate lunch at Chili’s. Two to three inches of snow covered the ground in Chicago but the runways were clear. We took Mears Transportation from Orlando International to the hotel.

We stayed in a third floor suite at the Comfort Suites Maingate in Kissimmee, Florida. The price was almost doubled for the holidays. We had a complimentary breakfast. Some mornings we had Mickey Mouse waffles. We had free transportation to all of the parks even Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM Studios) and Sea World.