Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Pic of the Day (Belated)
That's me with Francis Ford Coppola's Academy Awards at his winery in Sonoma. A little bit of a departure from my usual shot of the day, but it was pretty cool to see!
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Pic of the Day
Looking downstream into the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, near Montrose, Co. View one from the rim and view two from the river.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Pic of the Day
Had a great day in the mountains today. Went for a hike at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. This is a view of the Florissant Valley from one of the trails.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Pic of the Day
Okay, so technically, these are two pictures, not one, because I just couldn't decide. They are both from Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Pic of the Day
I didn't take too many snaps on my phone today, so the pickings are slim, but here is a shot of the Wyoming State Capitol.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Pic of the Day
Love the cool rock formations, the blue sky, the white puffy clouds,and the deep green of the evergreens. This formation is called the Needle's Eye.
Pic of the Day
Belated, because my campground last night had no service.
This is the door to the 30-foot underground missile launch center in South Dakota. Really interesting place (and a pretty funny painting, too).
Monday, June 24, 2013
Pic of the Day
From the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Sioux City, Iowa. Really great little museum.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Pic of the Day
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Hyde Park on the Hudson
This past Sunday, I took a trip with my aunt and grandmother up to Hyde Park, NY. Located on the Hudson River, the town is the home of Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt as well as one of the many Vanderbilt mansions.
I love checking out presidential sites, so we went directly to FDR's home.
He was born in this very bed. (Hopefully with different sheets).
This was his bedroom. That handset wired into the wall was his special Commander-in-Chief direct line to Washington, which was especially important during the war.
He is also buried at Hyde Park, with his wife and two of his dogs, including the famous Fala.
The grounds also include a beautiful rose garden...
and a gorgeous, tree-lined drive (which I totally want one day, when I become the super-rich leader of the free world).
The presidential library & museum were closed for renovations, which was disappointing but also a great excuse to go back. They do have a sculpture outside that is made from a chunk of the Berlin wall and has the famous "four freedoms" at its base. It was done by Churchill's granddaughter.
By that point in the day, it was humid & looked ready to rain, so we headed home. But Hyde Park has a surprising number of interesting things going on; in addition to the FDR site, there's Eleanor's cottage ValKill, the Vanderbilt Mansion, the restaurants at the Culinary Institute of America, and pedestrian bridge across the Hudson. Which I'm sure will be gorgeous in the fall, or whenever I finally make it back.
I love checking out presidential sites, so we went directly to FDR's home.
He was born in this very bed. (Hopefully with different sheets).
This was his bedroom. That handset wired into the wall was his special Commander-in-Chief direct line to Washington, which was especially important during the war.
He is also buried at Hyde Park, with his wife and two of his dogs, including the famous Fala.
The grounds also include a beautiful rose garden...
and a gorgeous, tree-lined drive (which I totally want one day, when I become the super-rich leader of the free world).
The presidential library & museum were closed for renovations, which was disappointing but also a great excuse to go back. They do have a sculpture outside that is made from a chunk of the Berlin wall and has the famous "four freedoms" at its base. It was done by Churchill's granddaughter.
By that point in the day, it was humid & looked ready to rain, so we headed home. But Hyde Park has a surprising number of interesting things going on; in addition to the FDR site, there's Eleanor's cottage ValKill, the Vanderbilt Mansion, the restaurants at the Culinary Institute of America, and pedestrian bridge across the Hudson. Which I'm sure will be gorgeous in the fall, or whenever I finally make it back.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
On the Road Again
Well, I have officially left my home and headed out for the summer. My car is packed, and I think I managed to remember everything. 
I'm spending about 10 days visiting family in NY & NJ before heading west.
This evening, I went with my mom, stepdad, brother and sister to the Museum Mile Festival in NYC, which was cool, except the part where the lines to all the museums were super long. But we checked out Central Park, ate yummy street vendor food and saw several buskers.
Here are some snaps from the event:
Sunday, January 27, 2013
California Ramblings (Up the PCH)
On my 2011 trip, I spent a few weeks in California. Some places-Sequoia, Kings Canyon & Yosemite-deserve their own posts. This is the rest of California-a hodgepodge of the random places I visited in between these amazing natural areas.
Southern California-I spent a few days in a tiny Best Western near the Pacific Coast Highway, where I did laundry, watched too much tv, ate an extraordinary number of In-N-Out Burgers, and caught the last Harry Potter movie. I also took a relaxing afternoon drive down the PCH to Dana Point, and then caught the sunset from Huntington Beach State Park.
LA- Was basically my greatest nightmare. People and sprawl and traffic everywhere. I gave up on finding parking in Santa Monica and tried to get a hot dog from Pink's but couldn't deal with the traffic. I couldn't even find the Hollywood sign. So I hightailed it up to the Getty, which is free, has great art (Van Gogh's Irises, among others) and amazing views. And if that's all I ever see of that city again, I will be a-ok with that.
Malibu to Ventura- I spent a night camped at Point Mugu State Park in the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area, which was a nice campground very near to the beach. Too bad it had disgusting bathrooms. The next day, I took a quick trip in land to the Reagan Library (where I got to see a replica of the Oval Office and walk through a decommissioned Air Force One), and then headed further up the coast, stopping at Channel Islands National Park. I only took in the visitor center at the Ventura harbor but hope to make it out to the islands one day.
Ventura to San Simeon- Spent a lovely day visiting the Santa Barbara Mission (and eating again at In-N-Out) before stopping in Morro Bay and Cambria in the late afternoon (where I didn't take any pictures). The Mission has beautiful gardens and interesting architecture. I love old buildings.
Hearst Castle- I hadn't originally planned to visit Hearst Castle, because it is a little pricey, but I was ahead of budget and it was a cloudy day, so I did, and I'm really glad. Hearst was a fascinating guy, and he basically went to Europe and bought everything he could-walls, art, tapestries, furniture-to make his castle. I've never seen anything like it, except maybe the Biltmore House in Asheville, although I think Hearst Castle is bigger.
Big Sur Coast- This is the most iconic part of the PCH, deservedly so. Elephant seals at Piedras Blancas, the redwoods in Pfeiffer-Big Sur State Park, and McWay Falls. It was cloudy but still beautiful.
So that was my time on the California coast. Amazing drive!
Southern California-I spent a few days in a tiny Best Western near the Pacific Coast Highway, where I did laundry, watched too much tv, ate an extraordinary number of In-N-Out Burgers, and caught the last Harry Potter movie. I also took a relaxing afternoon drive down the PCH to Dana Point, and then caught the sunset from Huntington Beach State Park.
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| As close to swimming in the Pacific as I got. It was unexpectedly cold. |
Malibu to Ventura- I spent a night camped at Point Mugu State Park in the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area, which was a nice campground very near to the beach. Too bad it had disgusting bathrooms. The next day, I took a quick trip in land to the Reagan Library (where I got to see a replica of the Oval Office and walk through a decommissioned Air Force One), and then headed further up the coast, stopping at Channel Islands National Park. I only took in the visitor center at the Ventura harbor but hope to make it out to the islands one day.
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| The view from the Reagan Library in Simi Valley |
Ventura to San Simeon- Spent a lovely day visiting the Santa Barbara Mission (and eating again at In-N-Out) before stopping in Morro Bay and Cambria in the late afternoon (where I didn't take any pictures). The Mission has beautiful gardens and interesting architecture. I love old buildings.
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| Reflection of the Mission in a fountain |
Hearst Castle- I hadn't originally planned to visit Hearst Castle, because it is a little pricey, but I was ahead of budget and it was a cloudy day, so I did, and I'm really glad. Hearst was a fascinating guy, and he basically went to Europe and bought everything he could-walls, art, tapestries, furniture-to make his castle. I've never seen anything like it, except maybe the Biltmore House in Asheville, although I think Hearst Castle is bigger.
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| Outdoor Pool |
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| Indoor Pool |
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| One of the guest houses |
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| Another guest house |
Big Sur Coast- This is the most iconic part of the PCH, deservedly so. Elephant seals at Piedras Blancas, the redwoods in Pfeiffer-Big Sur State Park, and McWay Falls. It was cloudy but still beautiful.
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| Hidden coves around every bend |
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| Majestic Redwoods |
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| McWay Falls |
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| On the trail |
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| Bixby Bridge |
So that was my time on the California coast. Amazing drive!
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