Saturday, March 29 - I traveled
by United Airlines from Portland, Oregon to National Airport in Washington DC
via Chicago. I did the Virtual ORD Layover
(GC5165). I was met by my eldest son,
Jeff, and Connie at National Airport. We
stopped at Connie's Townhouse. The
grounds were previously a Military Rail Yard.
Jeff and I drove to his house.
Sunday, March 30 - Jeff, Connie and I went for a drive
near Alexandria. We visited Gunston Hall
(1755-1759) built on Mason Neck. We ate
at Madigan's Waterfront located in historic Occoquan, Virginia. Snow was falling quite heavy. We visited Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian
Pope-Leighey house and nearby Woodlawn, a Georgian/Federal house originally
part of Mount Vernon. Afterwards we
stopped at Connie's townhouse and then Jeff and I drove to his house.
Monday, March 31 - I caught the
8:15am bus to the Pentagon. After I got
a Metro Senior Smart Trip card I traveled to downtown DC. I found an Earthcache. I visited the American Indian Museum briefly.
I walked to the China Gate
(Virtual). l rode the Metro to the
National Gallery of Art where I saw the West Building highlights. I took
the Metro to the Pentagon where Jeff picked me up. We went to Murphy's in Alexandria.
Tuesday, April 1 - I had planned
to spend only an hour or two at the Newseum.
I spent two days at the Newseum! About
3:00pm I took the Metro to Vienna
Fairfax - GMU on the Orange line, then I took the Fairfax Connector #623 bus
from the train station. I walked a
couple blocks to Wegmans. I purchased
lunch which I took upstairs to the balcony eating area. I attended the Go
2013 NoVA Awards (Geocaching) Event.
Very interesting. Jeff picked me
up. We went to Luna in Arlington where I
had apple pie a la mode. Back to Jeff's house.
Wednesday, April 2 - The second
day at the Newseum! Afterwards I walked
to the Old Post Office. The place was
gutted. I took the elevator to the top
where I had a great view of DC, stopping at the bells exhibit on the way down. I did the Earthcache at the Smithsonian's
National Museum of Natural History. I
rode the Metro to King Station in Alexandria.
I rode the colorful King Street Trolley down to Potomac River Waterfront
and back. Jeff picked me up at the
Trolley Stop near Metro. Jeff, Connie and I had dinner at Overwood in
Alexandria.
Thursday, April 3 - I caught the
8:15am bus to the Pentagon and then rode the Metro to Alexandria. I went on a North side Walking Tour including
a visit to Christ Church. I had lunch at
la Madeleine. I stopped by the Pendleton
shop. I found the cache at the Carlyle
house. I found the Virtual at the Old
Town Presbyterian Meeting House cemetery.
I went to the Torpedo Factory to see the Archeology Dept. but it was
closed. I sat on a bench at the
Waterfront. Jeff met me at the foot of
King Street. We had dinner at
O'Connell's in Alexandria.
Friday, April 4 - I went to the
Spy Museum at 10:00am. I played a spy at
Operation Spy for one hour. I spent the
next four hours exploring the museum.
Highlights were the green modified Jaguar XKR on display, the ultimate
spy car, an Aston Martin D85 also on display, the German enigma machine, and
most fascinating were the caches. The special exhibit was "Exquisitely
Evil: 50 Years of Bond Villains".
I rode the Metro to Alexandria. Jeff
picked me up at the end of King Street again.
Jeff, Connie and I took a tour of DC at night.
Saturday, April 5 - Jeff and I
picked up Connie at her townhouse. We
drove toward Baltimore, Maryland. We
visited the National Cryptologic Museum.
I purchased a 2013 NSA Coin. We
visited Fort McHenry where I found a Virtual and a Cache. It was a very chilly afternoon. We had lunch at Ropewalk on South Charles
Street in Baltimore. We walked along the
harbor where I found a Virtual. There
were many dragon boats, a Pirate ship "Fearless" and a tall ship
"Constellation". We got
sorbet/ice cream/coffee at Vaccaro's on Albermarle Street. Dinner at Il Porto. Jeff and I went back to Connie's townhouse for
awhile and then back to Jeff's house.
Sunday, April 6 - Jeff showed me
a Benchmark near his house. He took me
to two Geocaches on the way to the Amtrak Station in Alexandria. The train was
an hour late. I rode the train to
Charlottesville with Kay, another Road Scholar from Bainbridge Island. I
bought an Apple Juice drink for myself and bottled water for Kay. Later I
bought a pastry. She left with friends in Charlottesville. I called the English Inn for a shuttle ride.
I checked into the Inn. I had a
room on the top floor overlooking the community gardens.
I picked up my Road Scholar packet
for Road Scholar program: "Friends, Neighbors and Presidents" and went to the Welcome and Introductions. Dinner was served in the Windsor Room. We had an Evening Class: "Jefferson, Madison, and
Monroe." A speaker gave a detailed
introduction to these three Virginia presidents---their world, their lives, and
their friendship.
Monday, April 7 - After breakfast we had a Morning Class: "A Society to Our Taste". Field Trip: University of Virginia. Box lunch at the Café at Monticello. Afternoon Field Trip: "Monticello, Home of Thomas Jefferson" and the Jefferson family cemetery. Evening Class: "Thomas Jefferson: Visions and Contradictions" .
Tuesday, April 8 - Morning Class: "Madison, Montpelier, and
Constitution-Making". Field Trip:
"Montpelier, Home of James and Dolley Madison". Free time for self-guided exploration of the
grounds and new Visitor Center. I found
a Virtual in the Garden. We ate a delicious box lunch. Afternoon
Class: "A Constitutional Conversation". We visited the Montpelier Train Station.
Wednesday, April 9 - Morning Class:
"Presidential Plantations". Afternoon: I had a free time so I
caught the #7 bus/Trolley to the Downtown Mall.
I purchased a novel at the used book store and a little purple dish at
The Mole Hole, found a Geocache, ate a dish of ice cream at The Nook and later
had two slices of Pepperoni Pizza. I saw
the movie "The Grand Budapest Hotel" at the Regal Theater. I caught the #7 bus back to the English Inn.
Thursday, April 10 - Morning Class: "James Monroe: Principle &
Perseverance". Class: "Thomas
Jefferson, American Architect". Lunch:
Historic Michie Tavern. We had delicious
Southern cooking! We toured the oldest
section of Michie Tavern. Afternoon Field Trip: "Ash-Lawn
Highland, Home of James Monroe" We
strolled the grounds to see the gardens and Monroe's statue while taking in the
spectacular views of the surrounding mountains.
I caught the #7 bus to the Transit Center and then
the #10 bus to the Lazy Parrot Backyard BBQ at the Panteps Center for
"Meet Rose Red" (GC4X2EX) Event at 7:30pm. I put together the Goodie Bags and then had
dinner. I "found" a cache
during the Event. I got a lift back to the English Inn as
it would have been a bit of a hassle to take a taxi/bus.
Friday, April 11 - Morning Class: "Silent Voices: Women, Slaves, and Free People of Color". Performance: "Colonel Monroe". Disappointing Road Scholar program. Way too many lectures and not enough activities. The Field Trips were way too short.
I took my luggage down to the storage room and
checked out. I crossed the street and went to the Fashion Mall. I ate a
light lunch at Starbucks. I explored the
Mall for awhile and then headed back to English Inn. I read in front of
fireplace for awhile. I spent some
time in the Inn's beautiful English courtyard.
Lorraine picked me up about 4:30pm. We went to her house on a hill near Roseland. We looked at her rabbits which she raises for
food! We went to a Photography Show by
Emily Alfred at the Waynesboro County Club.
I looked at all the prints. Lorraine
purchased one. There were plenty of hors d' oeuvres of (snack foods).
The Crab Dip was delicious! I was
able to get the recipe. We stopped at
Blue Ridge Grocery in Nellyford, VA. We went back to her house.
Saturday, April 12 - I spent the
night at Lorraine's house. We had a lovely
breakfast. We went to Charlottesville
where we wandered through the Rotunda and The Lawn. We saw a wedding party in front of the
University Chapel. We had a lovely
afternoon tea at Fossett's at Keswick Hall near Monticello. We drove down the Skyline Drive/Blue Ridge
Parkway, finding a geocache. Back at her
house we had a light dinner in the glass walled Tea Room. Afterwards we watched a movie about 9/11 - "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close".
Sunday, April 13 - I watched the
sunrise over the Blue Ridge Mountains from the deck of Lorraine's house. We had a delicious breakfast. We drove to Charlottesville where I caught
the 11:15am Amtrak train to Alexandria, arriving about 1:30 0pm. My eldest son Jeff met my train. We drove along the Potomac River to see the
cherry trees in bloom. Quite a
sight! Jeff took me to two places where
I found Virtuals: Echoes of the Past and Seven Something. We drove back to Alexandria where we met
Connie. We went to dinner at the Chart
House on the wharf at the end of King Street.
We left Connie at her townhouse and drove back to Jeff's house.
Monday, April 14 - I set my alarm
for 6:00am. I left with Jeff when he
went to work. He dropped me off at the
Alexandria Metro Station. I rode the
Metro to National Airport. I checked my
luggage. I went across the ramp to the
green space between the two parking lots where I found the ruins of a
plantation house and the signboards for a Virtual. I really enjoyed the trip but it was good to
be home.
Trip Journal 2013
Oct 14 - 18 Road Scholar 2013
Crime Scene Forensics Harrahs, Las Vegas, Nevada
Oct 11 - 14
Geocoinfest, Alexis Park All Suite Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
July 26 - Christopher and I stayed overnight in the spacious Albany Suite at the Comfort Suites. We found seven of the eight Harry Potter Series. We found ten of the required AHHCC required caches. And several other geocaches also. After finding the Luckiamute Cache we traveled north to cross the Buena Vista Ferry over the Willamette River to Millersburg Cache. We explored the “Keyhole House” aka “Castle of Chaos”, the former home of magician Jerry Andrus (1918-2007). He was a creator of world-renowned magic tricks and optical illusions, such as the "Linking Pins." He called his home the "Castle of Chaos" in reference to the numerous items he collected over the years with the hope of using them to "make something spectacular." We traveled north on Hwy 99 to Left Coast Cellars in Rickreall, Oregon to photograph and get coordinates for the second largest Ice Age Flood Erratic in Oregon.
June 9 to 21 - SD, MT & WY Car Trip with Richard and Molly
Trip attractions include Rapid City Trolley Tour, The
Journey Museum, downtown statues of the US Presidents, Badlands National Park,
Wall Drug, Custer State Park, The Mammoth Site, Black Hills, Geographic Center
of USA, Little Bighorn National Battlefield (and other Custer 1876 sites),
Pompey’s Pillar (with Wm Clark’s
25 July 1806 signature), Canyon Creek battle site (Nez Perce, 1877),
scenic Dead Indian Pass and Sunlight Valley, Buffalo Bill Historical
Center (a sprawling museum of Plains Indians, Western Art
including some of the best Charlie Russells), Trail Town, Devils Canyon,
Bighorn Medicine Wheel, sites along 1860s Bozeman Trail, Devils Tower, Mt.
Rushmore, Crazy Horse Monument, Lead/Deadwood, part of the Berlin Wall, and The
Journey Museum.
April 25 - 28 - Road Scholar City Highlights Weekend in Seattle.
Feb 21 & 22 - I went with an Oregon based tour group to Seattle. They picked me up at the new Vancouver Public Library downtown. I had lunch at Taste Restaurant Deli and saw the Old Masters exhibit at Seattle Art Museum (SAM) as well as SAM's paintings (also took a brief afternoon nap on comfy chairs in the movie room). I had a light dinner at Nordstrom Cafe, attended the Marvin Hamlisch Tribute at Benaroya Hall (exchanged my group JJ row ticket for row P - great view of the orchestra/singers) and had dinner/wine at The Cheesecake Factory afterwards. I stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel. Early the next morning we saw NW Flower & Garden Show where I did the Coconut Treasure Hunt (great fun!) and purchased Dave Barry's new book "Insane City" at Barnes & Noble. Great trip.
