Adding two more states - Alabama and North Carolina

I found three Traditional Caches, six Virtuals, two Earthcaches, five Adventure Labs, attended one Community Celebration Event, found one whereigo, six Benchmarks and DNF two - a Traditional Cache and an Adventure Lab Bonus Cache during my two-week trip.   I added two more states that I had not as yet cached in - Alabama and North Carolina.  I have cached in 36 states.

Trip to Atlanta, Montgomery, Selma, Birmingham, Greensboro, and Alexandria November 6 - 21, 2021

Saturday, Nov. 6 - I rode Vancouver Cab to Portland International Airport at 4:00A.  I caught the Alaska Airlines flight to SeaTac at 6:00A (seat 18F).  I had a three hour layover so I checked into the Alaska Airlines Lounge.  I left SeaTac at 10:05A for Atlanta (Seat 6F bulkhead).  I arrived about 5:45P.  I took a cab ride to the Hyatt Place Atlanta/Buckhead.  After I checked into the hotel I purchased a Caesar Salad for dinner at 8:30P.  I had a great night's sleep.

Sunday, Nov. 7 - Following breakfast, I rode Marta to the High Museum of Art located on Peachtree Street in Midtown, the city's arts district.  I looked at the art, had a Charcuterie Box lunch with Diet Coke, and found "The Shade" (Geocaching Virtual) in the far reaches of the grounds. 

103 members of the Atlanta Art Association never made it back from their month-long tour of famed European art galleries.  They were among the 130 people killed on June 3, 1962 when Air France Flight 007 crashed off the end of an Orly Airport runway after an aborted takeoff attempt. Mechanical failure caused the crash.  The bronze cast of Rodin's The Shade that stands on the grounds of the High Art Museum, encircled with the names of the patrons, was donated to Atlanta by France in memory of the victims of the crash.

I took Marta back to the Buckhead station and proceeded to get lost.  I took a Lyft from 3495 Buckhead Loop NE (with the help of the security guard) to the Hyatt Place arriving at 4:30P.  I checked in with Road Scholar table and got my welcome packet.  We had an Orientation session.  We went to a local restaurant for dinner. 

Monday, Nov. 8 - Following breakfast, we heard a speaker.  We went to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site where we visited the Martin Luther King Memorial and Dr. and Mrs. King's Crypt.  We saw the Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church where both King and his father were pastors.  We had lunch at Paschal's.  Paschal's was a meeting place for key civil rights leaders and strategists.  After lunch, we visited the Apex Museum.  We had dinner at Louisiana Bistreaux. 

Tuesday, Nov. 9 - Following breakfast, we heard about important people of Atlanta that changed the future of the city.  We traveled to the Georgia State Capital which contains a wealth of Civil Rights History.  I found the benchmark at the front of the capital.  I saw a plaque "The Battle of Atlanta" and a new statue of MLK.  We walked across the street to eat at the local capitol cafeteria.  We traveled to South View cemetery (1886), a historic African-American-founded cemetery located 15 minutes from downtown Atlanta. 

Wednesday, Nov. 10 - Following breakfast, we traveled via bus approximately 160 miles to Renaissance  Montgomery Hotel.  Upon our arrival in Montgomery, we stopped at the Rosa Parks Museum depicting the events that started the bus boycott and early Civil Rights movement.  We had lunch at a local restaurant.  After lunch, we drove by Dexter Parsonage, home of Martin Luther King while he was pastor in Montgomery.  We ended up at the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church where Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. first preached.  The church was also a center point of the Montgomery bus boycott.  Next we visited the Freedom Rider Museum.  We checked into our hotel in the late afternoon.  I ate dinner at The House restaurant.  I watched "Survivor" on TV.

Thursday, Nov. 11 - Following breakfast, I set out for the former Montgomery Union Train Station to find a benchmark.  I ended up finding two benchmarks.  I attended the Veterans Day Dedication of the "Return from the Argonne" Statue.  The Alabama National Guard did a Fly Over.  There was a 21 Gun Salute.  There were four speakers including the Mayor Steven L. Reed.  Afterwards there was a reception in the Union Station Train Shed.  A military band played as we had lunch which included a grilled ribeye sandwich, sides and a drink.  I returned to the hotel where I joined the Road Scholar group to travel to the next stop.  I wandered around the lovely Peace and Justice Memorial Garden with its Memory Wall - "These bricks were made by enslaved Black people in Montgomery, Alabama in the 1850s".  Later I found "Big Fish Tails" geocache along the Alabama River.   We had dinner at the hotel at the end of a very long hallway.

Friday, Nov. 12 - Following breakfast, we loaded our suitcases on the bus and we were off to Birmingham.  The drive to Selma was approximately 50 miles, taking about an hour.  And then approximately 90 miles from Selma to Birmingham, taking about two hours.  I found a geocache under a metal bench seat at a nearby small park.  We stopped at the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma where I found a Benchmark.  The group walked across the historic bridge tracing the footsteps of the civil rights markers.  Selma is best known for the 1960s Selma Voting Rights Movement and the Selma to Montgomery marches.  We checked into the Hampton Inn & Suites-Downtown-Tutwiler in the late afternoon.  We had dinner at Ocean. 

Saturday, Nov. 13 - Following breakfast, we visited a variety of sights aboard the motorcoach, learning about the Civil Rights Movement and its events in Birmingham.  We had lunch at a local restaurant.  We visited the Vulcan Park and Museum on Red Mountain to learn about Birmingham's industrial past.  I found a Virtual Cache and a benchmark.  The statue is the largest cast iron statue in the world.  We had farewell dinner at a local restaurant. 

Sunday, Nov. 14 - The Road Scholar group left very early this morning to return to Atlanta.  I had a late checkout from the hotel.  I left my luggage at the front desk and took a Lyft to the Art Museum.  After visiting the museum, I took a Lyft back to the hotel at 2:30P.  Train car 2010 did not leave for Greensboro, NC until 5:34P.   I took a Lyft to the Amtrak Train Station at 3:15P.  I boarded the Amtrak train about 5:35P.  I had Enchiladas, diet coke and a brownie for dinner.  Uncomfortable night's sleep as the bed was not fully extended.

Monday, Nov. 15 - I arrived in Greensboro, NC about 7:22A.  I was given French Toast breakfast to go.  I took a Lyft to the Hyatt Place Greensboro/Downtown.  I ate breakfast at the hotel.  It was bitterly cold in Greensboro.  I took a Lyft to the International Civil Right Museum at F. W. Woolworth retail store at 1:15P.  The brass footprints in front of the museum were a Virtual Cache.  Afterwards I ate a small sub at nearby Jimmy Johns.  I caught a Lyft at 4:30P back to the hotel.  I wanted to do the Earthcache this afternoon but it was just too bitterly cold. 

Tuesday, Nov. 16 - I rose very early in order to catch the 7:29A northbound train to Alexandria, Virginia.  Evidently a freight train derailed as such Amtrak was delayed.   I was bombarded by messages from Amtrak for several hours giving me updates: 11:24A, 11:36A, 12:03P,  12:15P, 12:27P, and 12:45.  So I got a chance to get the Earthcache after all.   I took a Lyft to Kiser Jr High School on Benjamin Parkway about 7:50, hiked down to the bridge and trail, and walked along the woodsy path to the small waterfall.  Afterwards I took a Lyft back to the hotel about 9:20A.  I took a Lyft to the Amtrak Station at 11:30A.  By 1:00P I was on my way north.  I had free Viewliner Roomettes on both segments.  I arrived in Alexandria about 7:00P.  My eldest son, Jeff, met my train.  We went to dinner at Delias in Alexandria, VA.  Jeff dropped me off at the Comfort Inn.  I was given a corner suite however the bedroom was far too noisy from nearby freeway so I took over the living room.  Both rooms had attached bathrooms.

Wednesday, Nov. 17  - I traveled via Lyft at 10:40A to the Van Dorn Metro Station.  I rode the Metro to Pentagon City.  I purchased a cashmere/wool scarf at Nordstrom, had Cranberry Turkey Sandwich for lunch in Nordstrom Cafe, and ate chocolate dip madelines from Starbucks while I charged my IPhone.  I rode the Metro to Van Dorn Station and then took a Lyft at 3:10P to the hotel.  Jeff picked me up in the evening.  We had dinner at El Paso Mexican Restaurant

Thursday, Nov. 18 - I took a Lyft to Van Dorn Metro Station.  I rode the Metro to Alexandria.   It was warm today.  I had to haul my coat and scarf around all day!  I completed the "Historic Houses of Alexandria, Virginia" five locations including having a private 1 1/2 hour tour led by Liz Wallach of the historic Lee-Fendall House. I noticed the GC number on the Adventure Lab cache page however I did not understand how Adventure Labs work so I did not know to go for the Historic Houses of Alexandria, VA Bonus Cache. Argh.  I stopped at Five Guys to get a grilled cheese sandwich with sliced tomatoes.  I got a large free lemonade drink. I rode the Metro to Van Dorn Station where Jeff picked me up.  Jeff, Donna and I attended the GIFF 2021 Community Celebration Event at the Kings Park Library in Burke, VA.  Afterwards we had dinner at Giardino Restaurant.

Friday, Nov. 19 - I decided to rest all day.  I watched the entire season of "Below Deck Mediterranean" on TV.  I witnessed life at sea inside a luxurious yacht.  I ate the grilled cheese sandwich with sliced tomatoes for lunch that I had bought yesterday at Five Guys.  Jeff and I had dinner at Guapo's of Shirlington.

Saturday, Nov. 20 - Jeff, Donna and I went geocaching.  We did seven Adventure Labs, Virtuals and a Cache in Maryland and Delaware.  I found a Municipal Tank NGS benchmark in historic Denton.  We ate at Agave Mexican Restaurant in Lewes, DE.  We drove through DC viewing the lighted Capital, large blue chicken with its reflection, Washington Monument, and Lincoln Memorial. 

Sunday, Nov, 21 - My trip is coming to a close.  I got my Comfort Inn  "breakfast" - bottled water, a protein bar, a small container of Dole fruit, and a breakfast roll.  Jeff picked me up at 10:00A.  Jeff put my luggage in his car.  We found Zombies love to shop,  Historic Fort Washington Adventure Lab Bonus!!,  Clearwater Nature Center Earthcache, and North Beach - A Sharp View.  We ate at Plaza Mexico in North Beach, MD.   Jeff bought an item at the nearby Antique Store.

Jeff dropped me off at Alaska Airlines at National Airport about 4:00P.  I checked my suitcase and traveled to the Alaska Airlines Boarding Gate.  Fairly smooth flight to PDX.  I sat in 1F First Class (window seat).  I  had a fruit plate - green salad, roll with butter, cheeses, crackers, green and purple grapes, sliced green apples and lemon tart with a side of raspberry sauce - for dinner.  After landing about 9:50P, I retrieved my suitcase with the aid of a man who lives in West Linn, Oregon.  I took a PDX Yellow Cab to Vancouver.  It was a truly great trip but I was glad to be home!

Meet Rose Red

I have been Geocaching since October 2004.  My Geocaching name is Rose Red from the Brothers Grimm's story "Snow White and Rose Red".  Snow White was quiet and passive.  I'm not.

I admire strong girls and women both fictional and real: Jo from "Little Women", Jane Eyre, Mary Lennox of "Secret Garden", Caddie Woodlawn, and, of course, the original Nancy Drew.  In later years I admired Katherine Hepburn, Katherine Graham of The Washington Post, Princess Diana, Hillary Clinton (for being one classy lady and for being a thorn in Donald's side), and Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Liz Cheney (R-WY) for standing up for what is right.

Who are the boys and men both fictional and real that I have admired?: Tom Sawyer ("Tom Sawyer"), Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck of "To Kill a Mockingbird"), Frank Towns (James Stewart in "The Flight of the Phoenix"), and Charles Brubaker (James Brolin in "Capricorn One"), President Jimmy Carter, President Barack Obama, John Dean (Watergate), Frank Lloyd Wright (as architect not his private life), Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, Warren Buffett, and Bill and Melinda Gates for their Foundation (not his private life).

Two ships dock in Portland, Oregon at the same time, a first for Vigor Shipyards

 On Friday, Oct. 15, I went to the Willamette Bluffs in Northwest Portland to see the Ruby Princess.  A cacher had found my Earthcache letting me know that a cruise ship was docked below.

Later in the day two cruise ships were dry-docked in Portland at the same time, the first time anyone can remember this happening at Vigor Shipyards. 

Norwegian Cruise Line's "Pride of America" sailed under the St. Johns Bridge and pulled up alongside a larger ship, Princess Cruises' "Ruby Princess" Friday evening.

Ruby Princess left about 3:00am Saturday morning.  At 951 feet long, it was the largest ship ever at the Vigor Shipyard.  It holds more than 3,000 passengers.

Vigor Shipyard boasts the largest dry dock in the U.S.  It is 960 feet long, just nine feet longer than the cruise ship it was working on.

I had planned to watch the cruise ship sail the Columbia River but when I checked at 4:00am the Ruby Princess was already passing Ridgefield.  

From Tulsa to Tahlequah October 2 - 9, 2021

This trip was supposed to be a Road Scholar trip however a week after I had paid for the trip Road Scholar cancelled the program!  So I went on my own anyway.

Oct. 2, 2021 - I took Vancouver Cab at 7:00am to PDX Airport.  I flew First Class from PDX to DEN (Denver) and then Economy Plus from DEN to TUL (Tulsa, OK).  I took the hotel shuttle to Hyatt Regency Tulsa Downtown.  Great location.  I had a room on the 6th floor with a King size bed, easy chair with hassock and large desk.  The view was the courtyard park below. I had dinner at the Daily Grill of BLT with fries.  I had the best night's sleep. 

Sunday, Oct. 3 - Sunrise was about 7:20am.  I had Breakfast Vouchers for the entire week as I am a World of Hyatt Member.  Following a hearty buffet breakfast, I went to the Cathedral of the Holy Family (1914) about 9:00am so I could view the church interior before 10:00am mass.  The Cathedral of the Holy Family is a Roman Catholic Church.  It is Gothic Revival/Neoclassical architecture.  I saw the brass plate "Saint Theresa of Calcutta Participated In Holy Mass From This Pew On May 2, 1976".

I went back to the hotel and then to the Woody Guthrie Center which I visited for an hour and half or so.  I found a Virtual Geocache - "This Machine".  I probably "saw" the short film on Guthrie three times as I took a short nap in the darken theater.  I was disappointed that the PNW Exhibit had been removed.  I walked north a few blocks where I found a Virtual Geocache - "The Center of the Universe".  This is a fun bit of acoustic effect.  There were about a dozen people trying it out.  Nearby was the sculpture "Artificial Cloud".  I had a Mini Chicken Pot Pie for an early dinner at the Daily Grill in the Hyatt. 

Monday, Oct. 4 - Following an early breakfast, I went to the Greenwood Cultural Center and then walked a few blocks to visit the Greenwood Rising Black Wall St. History Center.  I went back to the hotel and then went to the Boston Avenue United Methodist Church (1929).  I visited the church for quite some time mainly during which time I took a short nap in a high back arm chair in the parlor next to the Sanctuary.  Two flowers indigenous to Oklahoma are included in the Sanctuary windows design: the coreopsis and the tritoma, or torch lily. I found the "Art Deco Masterpiece" Geocache in the church parking lot.  I got a ride back to the hotel.   I had a delicious Reuben Sandwich for dinner at the Daily Grill in the Hyatt. 

Tuesday, Oct. 5 - After breakfast I went to Decopolis, a historic building on Route 66, where I visited the mini-Art Deco Museum.  Then I headed downtown to the second Tulsa Art Deco museum in the lobby of the Philcade Building.  The Philcade's Art Deco ceilings are resplendent with real gold, ornate chandeliers, and walls of imported, polished marble.  In the afternoon I went to the Harwelden Mansion for Afternoon Tea.  Afterwards Haley, the Event Coordinator, gave me a tour of the historic house.  I had a light snack for dinner.

Wednesday, Oct. 6 - I had planned to visit the Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art however it proved to be too difficult to get there and back.  Instead I went to the Thomas Gilcrease Museum of American History and Art.  The last painting and the last sculpture was just packed up.  The Museum will be demolished and it will take two to three years to rebuild.  However 23 acres of gardens are open to the public.  I visited the gardens for a couple hours, photographing the sculptures - Sacred Rain Arrow, Large Heron Pair, Twins (doe with two fawns), Black Bear and Frontier Woman with chicken.   I did the Virtual Geocache.  I got a ride back to the upper parking lot where I was picked up to return to the hotel. 

Thursday, Oct. 7 - Following breakfast, I was picked up by Enterprise worker who took me to the office to rent a car for the day.  I traveled Historic U.S. Route 66 east and other back roads in order to avoid the Toll Roads.  I used Geocaches (which I had no intentions of finding) as breadcrumbs.  The Cherokee Heritage Center was closed however there is so much else to see.  I visited the John Ross Museum and then the Greek Revival-style Hunters House, formerly known as the George M. Murrell Home (1845).  I had an hour long expert-led tour.  For the first time in decades, the barriers have been removed so I was able to enter the rooms on the first and second floors.  This historic house is the only pre-Civil War plantation house remaining in Oklahoma.  I logged a visit to my Murrell House Waymark.  I did a three-part Virtual Cache "Cherokee History" in Tahlequah, the once and probably still is capital of the Cherokee Nation.  I stopped at Starbucks to purchase a Cheese and Fruit Box and a Dark Chocolate Grahams at 2:30pm.  I saved it for a light dinner back at the hotel.  I filled the gas tank and returned the car to Enterprise Office at 6:02pm.  He gave me a lift back to the Hyatt.

Friday, Oct. 8 - Following breakfast, I traveled to the Philbrook Museum of Art via city bus.  The bus driver let me out at 27th St. which was not a regular bus stop.  I walked a few blocks to the Philbrook, a three-story mansion.  The original structure of the museum is an Italian Renaissance villa that was the former home of Oklahoma oil pioneer Waite Phillips and his wife Genevieve.  I took my time looking at the art collections.  I took a short nap at the far end of a comfy sofa in the Great Hall's Garden Access.  I had Quiche with a green salad for lunch in Kitchen 27.  It was way too hot to wander the formal gardens.   It took me ages to get a Lyft ride but finally got back to the hotel. 

Saturday, Oct. 9 - After a buffet breakfast of a small OJ, oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar, banana, etc. I decided to visit the Gathering Place.  Instead I rode the 700 bus to W 17th Street.  After finding a Virtual Geocache I heard American Indian drumming and chanting coming from a nearby park.  It turned out to be the dedication ceremony for the Dream Keepers Park at 18th and S. Boulder Park Drive.  I stayed for an hour or so sitting on the bleacher in the shade listening to the drums and watching the dancers.  I walked across the park to the bus shelter/stop.  It seems like it took forever for the 150 bus to arrive.  (The entire Tulsa Transit System left a LOT to be desired).  At the Transit Station the 700 bus driver refused to drive the bus so I was picked up by the hotel shuttle at Bay 4 and taken to the Hyatt.  

I retrieved my luggage and took a Hyatt shuttle to the Tulsa Airport.  I had lemonade drink and a bacon cheeseburger at Delaware North.  I traveled to Denver, CO in Economy Plus.  I did the "DIA Conspiracy Virtual (GC88Z0M)".  I was unable to get a photo as I was being pushed in a wheelchair.  I did the "Denver International Airport Earthcache" between Gate 29 to Gate 31.  The Candy Store near the fossils tiles has been closed for six months or longer.  I traveled First Class to PDX, arriving about 11:00pm.  I got a PDX Yellow Cab to my house.  It was a great trip but it was good to be back.

On the road again!

On Friday, September 17th, I left Vancouver at 8:00am, traveled north to Centralia, west on Hwy 12 to Westport where I found two Virtual Geocaches - Westport Lighthouse and Westport Maritime Museum and then south to connect to Hwy 101.  I had purchased a fruit and cheese protein box and dark chocolate covered grahams at Starbucks which I ate as I drove south toward Long Beach, Washington. 

I arrived at the Chautauqua Lodge in Long Beach about 4:30pm.  I had a nicely decorated room on the third floor (top floor) with a distant view of the ocean.  I had a great night's sleep.  I attend two Geocaching Events in Long Beach on Saturday.  I received a coin and a goody bag.  I enjoyed talking with other cachers.  I ate dinner at Drop Anchor.  I had another great night's sleep.  It was stormy both nights but I slept right through it. 

Early Sunday morning I headed east and then south to Cannon Beach/Tolovana.  I attended a Geocaching Event at a picnic table overlooking the beach/ocean.  A rainbow appeared briefly off shore.  I had a banana from the hotel breakfast and a delicious sticky bun from the Event hosts for breakfast.  I stopped by Bruce's Candy Kitchen in downtown Cannon Beach where I bought my son Christopher (Dancing Penguin) a small bag pre-filled with wrapped taffy.  I got home about 4:00pm.  It was a great trip.

No Way Out

I watched the DVD "No Way Out" this evening.  I absolutely disliked the ending.  I found that Gene Siskel agreed: "While the film's behind the scenes look into the world of Washington's bureaucracy is appealing, the movie is a complete letdown as a thriller, dissolving into implausible silliness."  Roger Ebert wrote "the final twist that some people will think is simply gratuitous...".