Amtrak Trip to Seattle, Thursday December 19, 2019

On Thursday December 19th, I traveled via Amtrak to Seattle for the day.  I got to the train station early so I could get a parking space (which is free).  As the train headed north I saw the Lancaster House just north of Ridgefield, the largest egg in the world at Winlock, south of Tacoma and the 1940 Tacoma Narrows Bridge. 

I surprisingly arrived at the station on time, walked diagonally across the street and caught the first bus to 3rd and Union.  I attended a Geocaching Event: You can always go Downtown - December 2019 Chat from Noon - 1PM  at Starbucks at the Russell Investment Center.  The next event will be in February which will be the same day as SAM is free.

Afterwards I traveled via bus to the Fremont district.  I found the Virtual near Groundspeak Hdqts (my second try).  I caught a bus and then transferred to another bus to reach the Key Arena.  I walked a few blocks to McMenamins on Roy Street to get a Passport Stamp.  I walked to Seattle Center where I purchased a Cheese and Fruit Protein box at Starbucks in the Armory.  Did not have any shortbread cookies.  I rode the front seat of the Monorail to downtown. 

I stopped at Starbucks where I purchased shortbread cookies.  I walked west to 2nd Street where I caught the first bus to the King Street Station.  I rode the 6:08 Amtrak train south in Business Class. I think that I will no longer do that as I am always one of the first to board the train so I have a choice of seats.  All in all it was a great trip.  A bit damp though as Seattle had five inches of rain in two days!

Geocaching Milestone: 300th Virtual

I traveled by Amtrak to Tacoma.  I got a lift from two women to within a couple blocks of the Union Station.  I rode the streetcar to the end of the line and then walked a couple blocks to McMenamins.  I got all of the Passport stamps.  I got a silver thermos as the prize.  I had a delicious lunch at their Spanish Bar, right off the Spanish Steps.

I walked a couple blocks to catch the streetcar back to Union Station.  I walked to the Bridge of Glass to take a couple photos.  My IPhone shut down.  Argh.  I walked back to the Streetcar stop.  I purchased a book at the University Bookstore - "the Summer House" by Santa Montefiore.  I had shortbread cookies and a small Earl Grey tea at Starbucks while I charged my IPhone.  I walked back to the Bridge of Glass where I asked a couple to take my photo with my IPhone.  I found my 300th Virtual - The Art of Tacoma: Bridge of Glass.

I walked down to the Museum of Glass where I looked through the Museum Shop.  I chatted with Ruby, the Frontline Representative, about Glassblowing, Glassblowers and Geocaching. I walked back to the Streetcar stop about 5:00pm where I rode the Streetcar to the end of the line (Theatre District) and then rode it to the other end of the line (Tacoma Dome).  I walked west a block where I got a Taxi to the Amtrak depot.  I caught the southbound train back to Vancouver.  I had planned to do a little more Geocaching but it was chilly and windy. 

Rose Red, Geocaching name

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 grew up admiring strong girls and women: 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) and Susan Collins (R) for standing up for what is right.

While we are on the subject of girls and women that I have admired over the years, 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").   

I also admire 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 Gates (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation). And I admire the men and women who are exposing wrongdoing in our government.

Eyes on the Skies

This afternoon I drove to the North Portland bluff to catch a glimpse of two ships through my binoculars.  The two odd ships were docked amid Swan Island's cranes - the gray hulls of the MX Pacific Collector (I met a crew member on the recent United Airlines flight from Houston to PDX) and the SS Pacific Tracker.  I could see the golf-ball-like structures looming over their decks.  Portland's Swan Island has become the ships' base. 

Essential Arkansas - October 20 - 28, 2019

Sunday, Oct 20 - I traveled via United Airlines from Portland, OR to Little Rock, AK via Denver.  I arrived at Little Rock about 2:00PM,  I called the Doubletree Hotel to get a shuttle ride.  I checked into Room 510.  I showered, took a nap and had a light dinner of quesadillas with sour cream and salsa in my room.

Monday, Oct 21 - It was a Dark and Stormy Night.  After breakfast at the hotel I took the hotel shuttle to the Arkansas State Capital.  I did the "A Walk on the Hill" Virtual cache which involves a tour of four monuments on the grounds of the Capitol.  I got a ham and cheese sandwich with pickle, potato chips and a cookie at the Capital cafe.  I took the shuttle back to the hotel.  After I ate lunch in my room I went to the Road Scholar Orientation.  We had an Overview of Arkansas Presentation.  We had a catered welcome dinner.

Tuesday, Oct 22 - After breakfast we had a Presentation of Bill Clinton's Rise to Power.  We met in the lobby to walk to the trolley stop.  We traveled to the William J. Clinton Presidential Library.  We had lunch at Cafe 42 Clinton Library.  We had free time so I looked at more exhibits at the Clinton Library and then took a short walk along the Arkansas River to find the Geocache.  I traveled via Trolley back to the hotel.  We went next door to the Old State House for a brief presentation.  We had a group dinner at Samantha's Tap Room.

Wednesday, Oct 23 - After breakfast in the first floor buffet area we bought our luggage to the bus.  We stopped by Little Rock Central High Visitor Center.  We had a picnic lunch at Petit Jean State Park.  We departed for the Rockefeller Institute and Petit Jean Overlook.  I found a geocache at Stout's Point/Petit Jean Overlook.  

We departed for Rogers/Bentonville located in northwest Arkansas about 2:15PM.  We checked in the Holiday Inn & Suites Rogers.  My room was totally unacceptable.  It smelled heavily of Windex or some type of cleaner.  Back at the front desk I was told the hotel was completely booked and the rooms assigned.  I told them that the rooms are NOT assigned until people check in so there had to be a room available.  I was given a suite on the 6th floor.  The service elevator was right across the hall so I used it during my stay.  Quite convenient.  We had catered dinner at the hotel. 

Thursday, Oct 24 - I had breakfast in the first floor restaurant.  We had a video about Crystal Bridges in the hotel meeting room.  The bus departed for Crystal Bridges.  We walked the 0.5 mile Art Trail in the rain.  I found the Geocache: A Crystal Cache: Arkansas Quartz at Crystal Bridges.  I was impresses by the Bachman-Wilson FLW Usonian House.  However I was not impressed with the Crystal Bridges architecture.  Crystal Bridges was designed by internationally renowned architect Moshe Safdie, who envisioned a building that would complement the surrounding Ozark landscape.  However the buildings look like giant armadillos crossing the ravine.  I ate lunch at Eleven housed in the Crystal Bridges Museum.  I had toasted cheese sandwich and a cup of soup with a side of house made chips. 

Crystal Bridges was a major and lavishly funded addition to the landscape of American museums when it opened in 2011. To the consternation of museums around the world, the curators and advisers who helped establish Crystal Bridges had bought up a significant collection of American art, including prized pieces from the colonial era and the 19th century. With a seemingly bottomless supply of money from the Walton Family Foundation, they acquired essential works, such as Asher B. Durand’s 1849 “Kindred Spirits” (from the New York Public Library for a reported $35 million) along with paintings by Thomas Moran, Frederic Edwin Church, Thomas Cole and other 19th-century painters.

Items in the collection (including buyer's premium) that I liked were:

·        Green River, Wyoming by Thomas Moran, purchased 5 December 2002 for $2.9245 million

·        George Washington (The Constable-Hamilton Portrait) by Gilbert Stuart purchased 30 November 2005 for $8.136 million

·        Winter Scene in Brooklyn by Francis Guy, purchased 30 November 2005 for $1.024 million

·        The Lantern Bearers by Maxfield Parrish, purchased 25 May 2006 for $4.272 million

·        Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1 by Georgia O'Keeffe, purchased 20 November 2014 for $44.405 million 

I especially liked Asher Brown Durand "Kindred Spirits".  I also liked Francis Guy "Winter Scene in Brooklyn", Alfred Henry Maurer "Jeanne", John Singleton Copley "Sra. Theodore Atkinson Jr." and Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait "A Tight Fix--Bear Hunting, Early Winter".

I caught the first bus pickup to Bentonville Town Square where I did a Virtual Cache - Son of the South.  I walked across the street to briefly visit Sam Walton's original store, Walton's 5-10.  It hosts the Wal-Mart Museum.  I rode the bus back to the Holiday Inn.

Friday, Oct. 25 - After breakfast we brought our luggage to the bus.  We departed the hotel about 8:00AM.  We stopped at Thorncrown Chapel, architect E. Fay Jones.  He was an apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright.  The group rode the Eureka Springs Tram on a rainy, cold, windy day. It was a narrated tram ride through historic Eureka Springs.  I stayed in the warm bus.  We departed Eureka Springs about 11:00. 

We had lunch at DeVito's at Harrison.  We departed about 1:00 for the Ozark Folk Center at Dry Creek.  I got my room key about 4:30pm.  I rode the shuttle to my room in a cabin located in a wooded setting.  I rode the shuttle back to the Skillet Restaurant.  The group went to the live music show but I went back to my room.  Early to bed.

Saturday, Oct. 26 - I took my luggage up the hill and hid it in the soda pop/ice machine room.  I rode the shuttle to the Skillet Restaurant for breakfast.  Story Teller presentation.  At 9:45AM I brought my suitcase from the soda pop/ice machine room to the bus.  The bus departed about 10:15.  We had a Buffet Lunch at the Red Apple Inn at Heber Springs.  At 12:30PM we departed for Little Rock.

We had a Guided Tour of the Arkansas State Capital in Little Rock.  We took a guided tour of the residential historic district.  We checked into the Doubletree Hotel Little Rock about 4:30.  I had Room 1006 on the Hilton Honors floor with a great view of the city.  I found the geocache - The Buck Stops Here.  I had a glass of wine at the hotel Lounge and then purchased Chicken Quesadillas with avocado to take back to my room for dinner.

Sunday, Oct 27 - After breakfast we departed for Hot Springs.  We stopped at Garvan Woodlawn Gardens.  It was too cold and damp to walk around.  About 11:30AM we departed for Bath House Row.  I did an Earthcache - Hot Springs Water.  I had a delicious lunch at the Copper Penny Bar & Grill and bowl with three kinds of Ice Cream at the Sweet Shoppe.  At 3:30 the bus departed for Little Rock.  We had a Farewell Dinner at Bones Chophouse. 

Monday, Oct 28 - I had to reroute my flight through Houston, Texas as Denver had a massive snow storm.  Argh.  I really wanted to do the Earthcache in the Denver Airport.  I arrived home about 2:30.  I rode the MAX Light Rail to Delta Park and transferred to buses to take me within a couple blocks of my house all for $1.50!  Arkansas was an interesting trip but it was good to be home.

Journey to Virginia Sept 12 - 22, 2019

Thursday, Sept 12 - My daughter, Catherine, dropped me off at PDX about 6:30am.  After checking in for the flight and going through TSA check, I went to the Alaska Lounge for a couple hours.  I caught the 9:40am flight, arriving at Washington, DC National Airport about 5:50pm.  I saw "Mary Poppins Returns" during the flight.  I didn't realize that my eldest son, Jeff, was waiting at National Airport to pick me up so I took Metro to Van Dorn Station where the hotel shuttle picked me up.  I had the same room as last year at the Comfort Inn & Suites - top floor with a great view.  I had the fruit and cheese platter for dinner that I purchased during the flight.

Friday, Sept 13 - Following breakfast I took the hotel shuttle to the Van Dorn Station where I caught the Metro to King Street Station.  I avoided riding during the DC Metro peak hours.  I rode the free King Street trolley.  I had lunch at Starbucks.  I found three nano geocaches.  I stopped briefly at Le Pain Quotidien to charge my cell phone.  I had dinner with my son, Jeff, at an Irish Pub - the sandwich was good but the fries were terrible.  He took me back to my hotel where I gave him a package that I brought from home.

Saturday, Sept 14 - Jeff, Donna (Jeff's friend), Joey (Jeff's son) and I went Geocaching in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia.   We found four Virtuals and seven Traditional caches.  One of the Virtuals was the burial site of Stonewall Jackson’s left arm at Ellwood Manor in Locust Grove.   We had lunch at Cancun Margarita Bar & Grill in Fredericksburg.  I purchased food at Starbucks to have later for dinner.

Sunday, Sept 15 - Jeff, Donna, Joey and I went Geocaching in and around Frederick, Maryland.   We had lunch at Bushwaller's - a traditional Irish Pub in downtown Frederick.  We found four Virtuals, six Traditional Caches, two Multi Caches, two Mystery Caches and one cache we DNF.  One of the most fascinating caches was the Virtual Jug Bridge (GCGCRN).  I bought a Chicken Wrap Bistro Box and Shortbread Cookies to have for dinner back at the hotel.

Monday, Sept 16 - After I had breakfast I took the hotel shuttle to the Van Dorn Station where I caught the Metro to King Street Station.  I rode the free King Street trolley.  I went to the Lee-Fendall House to find the cache in the garden but it was closed.  I looked for the cache at the Hollensbury Spite House and took several photos.  I had lunch at Starbucks.  I went to the Alexandria Library in the afternoon where I found an easy chair and took a nap.  I got some food at Starbucks to take back to the hotel.  I rode the trolley, Metro and hotel shuttle back to the hotel.

Tuesday, Sept 17 - I went to DC on Metro.  I visited the National Museum of the American Indian for over four hours mid day.  Always fascinating.   I learned about the Aqua Caliente Indian Reservation (Section 14) in the other Palm Springs, CA established in 1876/1877.  I went to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum where I saw the large Star Trek Starship Enterprise Model.  The Enterprise lights up at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 3:00 pm.  I was lucky that I was there a little after 3:00 pm.  I had Fruit & Cheese, Mixed Fruit Cup and Pound Cake for a late lunch in the cafe.  I traveled back to the hotel.

Wednesday, Sept 18 - After breakfast I went back to Alexandria.  I found the cache that I did not get on Monday at the Lee-Fendall House. I took a nap in a comfy patio chair on the deck of the Alexandria Visitor Center.  I found a cache in the Wilkes Street Tunnel that was originally a railroad tunnel. I went to Safeway and borrowed a long handled broom. Back at the tunnel I knocked the covering rock aside with the broom handle.  I stopped a runner who was not happy with me but reached up and got the cache.  I signed the log.  I used the brush part of the broom to lift the cache back to its slot.  I used the handle to push the rock back in place. When I returned the broom I bought a small container of Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.  I tried to find another cache but DNF.  I got a Pb&J Protein Box and Dark Chocolate Grahams at Starbucks to take back to the hotel for dinner.

Thursday, Sept 19 - I visited the National Gallery of Art for several hours.  I had a deli sandwich and potato chips for lunch in the cafe.  I enjoyed watching the waterfall.  I left the museum around 3:00pm.  I purchased Dark Chocolate Grahams and Berry Trio Yogurt which I ate at Starbucks.  I also purchased a Chicken Wrap Bistro Box at Starbucks for dinner.  I traveled back to the hotel. 

Friday, Sept 20 - I traveled via Metro to L'Enfant Plaza and the International Spy Museum.  I visited the Spy Museum until closing.  My secret codeword was Mercury.  Several movies were mentioned: Argo, Reilly Ace of Spies, Salt, The Americans, The Imitation Game, Black Hawk Down, and Spy Game.  The legendary Bond car - the silver birch Aston Martin DB5 - was on display.  I purchased a Fruit and Cheese Protein Box and Dark Chocolate Grahams at Starbucks for a dinner at hotel.

 

Saturday, Sept 21 - Jeff, Donna, Joey and I went Geocaching in and around Montpelier, Virginia.  I had a Yogurt Parfait at the cafe at Montpelier while they explored the grounds.  Emily (Jeff's daughter) joined us briefly at Montpelier and for lunch.  We had lunch at La Naranja Cocina Mexican in Orange, Virginia.  I didn't think the food was very good.  We found seven Virtuals and five traditional caches.  I purchased an Asian salad, carrot cake slice and diet coke at Safeway in Fairfax for dinner.

Sunday, Sept 22 - Donna and Joey were not able to join us so Jeff and I headed for West Virginia.  I wanted to see the Fairfax Stone.  Unfortunately there was no water in the spring.  We found one Virtual and six traditional caches.  We had a delicious lunch on the patio at the Purple Fiddle Cafe in Thomas, West Virginia.  I saw a Wind Gap as we headed east.  Jeff dropped me off at National Airport.  I bought a yogurt parfait and vanilla shortbread cookies at Starbucks B South.  I watched two movies during the flight: "Isn't It Romantic" and "Hustle".  My daughter, Catherine, picked me up at PDX.  It was good to get back to cool weather.

Oregon Car Trip, August 23 - 31, 2019

I had three goals in mind for this car trip of 1,000 miles more or less.  First, acquire more McMenamins Passport Stamps, second, acquire several more Geocaching Virtuals and possibly a cache or two, and third, attend several plays at the Oregon Shakespearean Festival in Ashland, Oregon. 

The first day (August 23) I bought two six packs of Fiji Water at Fred Meyer at 8:30am.  I found a cache in Aurora where I bought a small bag of Dark Chocolate Coated Hazelnuts, got McMenamins passport stamps in Salem where the Prize was sandwich of my choice, got a McMenamins passport stamp at Central Oregon Coast where the Prize was a Bowl of Clam Chowder, found the Virtual Yaquina, turned east at Newport, and got McMenamins passport stamps at Corvallis where the Prize was an Appetizer of my choice.  I stayed the night for free in a king suite at the Comfort Suites in Corvallis using my points.

The second day (August 24) I had a hearty breakfast at the Comfort Suites and then headed south on I-5.  I got the Passport stamps in Eugene where the Prize was a take-out basket of Cajun tots with small container of dip.  Great snack as I headed south.  I got the Passport stamp in Southern Oregon where the Prize was an Exclusive Roseburg Station Passport T-shirt.  I checked in the Ashland Hills Hotel and Suites.  I had a King Suite with a balcony - Room 265.  I saw "Hairspray" at the Angus Bowmer Theatre.  Afterwards I stopped at Safeway to buy a late dinner of Asian Chicken Salad. 

The third day (August 25) I had breakfast at the hotel.  I drove to Medford where I visited Harry and David Country Village.  I bought a couple small bags of Trail Mix.  I found a cache at a cemetery in Phoenix and a Virtual at a monument in Medford.  Back at the hotel I watched "Bourne Identity" on television and rested.  I went to the Road Scholar table in the lobby to pick up my welcome packet.  We had Orientation at 5:00 followed by a catered buffet dinner.  I skipped the evening lecture to attend the OSF performance of "Alice in Wonderland" at the Mountain Avenue Theatre on my own.  Incredible costumes!

The 4th day (August 26) I had breakfast at the hotel.  We rode the chartered bus to downtown Ashland where a company member led us on an informative "walk and talk" through three theaters - the indoor Angus Bowmer and Thomas theatres, and the outdoor Elizabethan theatre.  We had a delicious boxed lunch.  We met another company member, who took us through OSF production shops and a costume shop.  We had a lecture at 3:00. We had a catered dinner at the hotel.  After dinner, we had a lecture led by a theatre expert. 

The 5th day (August 27) I had breakfast at the hotel.  We had lectures all morning followed by a catered lunch at the hotel.  I attended the OSF production of "Mother Road" at the Angus Bowmer Theatre.  Tickets were sold for $10.00 plus a can of vegetables etc. for the Food Drive.   The evening production was OSF "As You Like It" at the Angus Bowmer Theatre.  I really, really did not like it.  The love story was set in a timeless, abstract world.  Duke Senior was cast as a woman.  I think that I will not attend any more Shakespearean plays at OSF in the future.  I got an Egg Salad Sandwich at the Arco Station for a midnight snack.

The 6th day (August 28) began with breakfast at the hotel.  We had lectures all morning followed by a catered lunch at the hotel.  I took a nap in the afternoon.  We had a catered dinner at the hotel.  This evening we saw the OSF production "All's Well That Ends Well" in the outdoor open-air Elizabethan Theatre.   It was a little better than the previous Shakespearean play but not much. 

The 7th day (August 29) began with breakfast at the hotel.  We had two morning lectures.  We had lunch and dinner catered at the hotel.  Tonight we experienced the final OSF production of "Between Two Knees" at the Thomas Theatre.  The script utilizes humor to humanize the horrific treatment of Native cultures. 

On the 8th day (August 30) I did not stay to have breakfast at the hotel nor attend the morning lecture.  I hit the road to Medford where I ate a Bacon Egg Cheese Biscuit with a cup of Orange Juice at McDonalds at 8:30am.  I headed east to Klamath Falls where I had a delicious salmon bagel at The Daily Bagel for lunch.  I found six Virtuals along the way.  I headed north to Bend.  I got a Prize at McMenamins Old St. Francis School of a Silver Metal Lunchbox after getting five stamps.  I stayed the night for free in a King Suite at the Comfort Suites in Redmond using my points.   I had ham and cheese hot pockets with bottled orange juice free for dinner.

This was the 9th and final day of my trip.  I had breakfast at the hotel.  I traveled northwest on Hwy 26 arriving home in the late afternoon.  Traffic was bumper to bumper.  Traveling Labor Day weekend was not a good idea.  I traveled 933 miles.  I found eight Virtuals and two traditional caches.   I visited five McMenamins to get Passport Stamps.  And I saw six of the 11 OSF productions for 2019.