Random Experiences

Kentucky Derby Festival, Great Balloon Glow 2007:

Kentucky Derby Festival, Great Balloon Race 2007:

ETSU Fossil Museum:

Cumberland Gap National Historic Park:

Works of Robert S. Andrew

"Centre College president John Roush announced earlier today at a rally on campus that the College will make a bid to host a General Election debate in 2008...”

[More Photos]

I just got done posting some fall photos from Kentucky and Tennessee, along with some other general photos. 

VIEW MORE KENTUCKY FALL PHOTOS or VIEW MORE TENNESSEE FALL PHOTOS

I joined Facebook a short six months ago and while I’m not completely obsessed with it, I have grown to enjoy the ability to keep in touch with so many friends.  Facebook has seen many changes (some good and some bad) lately, but it looks like one big change might be in the works.  The Wall Street Journal reported that Facebook is currently in talks with several major companies to sell itself.  It could possibly even go for up to $1 billion.  If any of the big names (Yahoo, Microsoft, etc) purchase Facebook it will likely be an end to the atmosphere that many of its users have become accustomed to as of late.  I know I would hate to see it.

I finally got around to posting some photos from my Pacific Northwest trip.  A journal entry was also posted, but the gallery links are below.
Portland
The Grotto
Columbia River Gorge & the Coast

A weeklong journey through the northwest and the Columbia River Gorge led me to Seattle and Portland, Oregon.  The majority of my time was spent in Portland for a conference, but I was able to make a few quick stops throughout the Gorge and parts of Washington.

PORTLAND

An early flight from Knoxville to Portland International (PDX) got me out on the west coast around mid-afternoon.  The time change and a layover in Chicago made it a longer day than what it should have been.  I was attending a conference for three days at Portland’s Hilton downtown hotel.  It was an excellent stay with great service.  On the way out I could see Mount Hood from the plane.  It turns out that was essentially the last time I would see it during the trip due to weather.  The weather that week wasn’t that good.  Every now and then the skies opened up, but it was overcast most of the time.  Dinner for the first night was at the Bistro 921 and I wasn’t really impressed.

VIEW MORE PORTLAND PHOTOS or THE GROTTO PHOTOS

The schedule for the first few days was filled with conference events, but I managed to go out to a few other restaurants and explore downtown.  The waterfront was clean and beautiful.  There were plenty of places to walk, ride, or just sit and enjoy the scenery.  Downtown Portland was clean as well with several brick-paved sidewalks, trees lining the streets, and a friendly atmosphere.  While downtown, the Made in Oregon store is a great place to visit.  For one of my meals, I visited the Porto Terra Tuscan Bar and Grill, which had an excellent environment and an even better Alaskan halibut.  Dinner at the Heathman Restaurant (which came highly recommended) was unpleasant.  The service was poor at best.  Shilo Restaurant, near the Portland airport was a good place to eat and the service was very good.  They had some of the best Chicken Portofino I’ve ever eaten. 

COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE

It never rained that much during the trip, but it was dreary most of the time.  The weather made getting any good photos pretty tough.  A trip out of downtown Portland took me to the Grotto, a very peaceful exploration with plenty of botanical gardens.  Once the conference was complete, it was time to explore more of Oregon, the Columbia River Gorge, and Washington.  Going east from Portland you can find Mount Hood Highway, which connects with Interstate 84.  I-84 rides along the Columbia River and offers some wonderful scenery.  Going around or to Mt. Hood takes some time, but is certainly worth it.  Along I-84 you will also find the Bridge of the Gods and the Historic Columbia River Highway.  Taking the highway instead of the interstate allows you to get views of some excellent waterfalls, including Multnomah Falls.  East of Multnomah Falls are several other waterfalls that you will miss if you only take the interstate.  The view during the fall was pretty awesome.

VIEW MORE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE PHOTOS

THE COAST & OTHER AREAS OF OREGON

Time did not allow for much travelling along the coast, but I was able to make it over to Astoria, Seaside, and other small towns off Highway 101.  Dooger’s Bar and Grill had some excellent seafood and the town of Seaside offered many shopping opportunities.  Also along the coast was North Head Lighthouse, which is open to the public. 

VIEW MORE PACIFIC NORTHWEST PHOTOS

Some other good places to visit in Oregon: Gallon House Covered Bridge (built in 1917) near Silverton, Silver Falls State Park (Silver Falls is classified as a second growth temperate rainforest), and the Stayon-Jordan Covered Bridge.

SEATTLE

Leaving Oregon I was able to visit Mt. St. Helens National Monument as I headed toward Seattle.  I really wanted to visit Olympic National Park, Mt. Rainier National Park, and Canada but didn’t have the time.  In fact, my stay in Seattle was only one night.  Most of my time was spent atop the Space Needle.  The views during the day are excellent, but the views at night are awesome.  It had rained earlier and while at the Space Needle I could see double rainbows stretching behind downtown Seattle, which was a fairly good ending for the trip.

VIEW MORE SEATTLE PHOTOS

*I’m a bit late in posting a journal entry about this trip.  The trip to Portland, Seattle, and the Columbia River Gorge was a couple of years ago.  I had written this not long after returning from the trip, but never got around to posting it...so here we go. 

A journal of the California trip is available in the previous entry (Aug. 11), or you can skip to the photo galleries here:
San Francisco
Pacific Coast Highway / Cabrillo Highway
Los Angeles / Hollywood
San Diego & San Diego Zoo

These are the condensed photo galleries.  I managed to take around 1,000 photos over the seven days.

The following is a journal of a trip to California.  I only stayed a short time at many of the destinations; therefore, it is a quickie in California.  These events are not necessarily in order.  The trip started in San Francisco and proceeded along the Pacific Coast Highway to destinations like Los Angeles and San Diego.  Do not take this as an all inclusive guide to any of these destinations.  You should spend much more time when exploring these areas.  Also, keep in mind that I look for the best places to take photos, which may not be what you are looking for on your trip.

To skip to the Photo Gallery for this whole trip, click here.

SAN FRANCISCO

VIEW MORE SAN FRANCISCO PHOTOS

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) was decent as far as airports are concerned.  Apparently, SFO has a tradition of bringing planes in two at a time, which was pretty cool.  The only downside to SFO was getting to the rental car lots.  After claiming baggage, you had to use three elevators, a set of escalators, and a train to get to the rental cars.  All in all it took me about 30-45 minutes.  Flying into SF does not give you much a view.  The airport is far enough away from downtown that you do not see much upon landing.

I was spending three nights in SF.  You could easily spend a week or more.  Since I only spent three days in the area, I did not get to see all the city has to offer.  The weather was awesome as it never got above 70 degrees, but it was fairly windy almost my entire time in SF.  I stayed at the Hotel del Sol, which was near Lombard Street and about five minutes from downtown.  The facilities were very good and the people were all friendly.  The hotel had more of a neighborhood feel than anything else.  They provided breakfast at poolside every morning, cookies in the evening, and a barbeque on Fridays.

One of my most visited destinations was the Golden Gate Bridge.  I am a bit fanatical about architecture and engineering and certainly about photography.  You cannot go to SF without spending a good bit of time at the Golden Gate.  The Golden Gate National Recreation Area provides scenic views from both sides of the bay, both of which I explored in detail.  I recommend visiting both sides and exploring many of the roads and stopovers that are available. 

Whatever you do, make sure that you drive and walk across the bridge.  Do not just take photos or take one drive.  Make sure that you walk across it.  It will take you about thirty minutes to walk one way if you take time to enjoy the scenery and take some photos.  Be sure to take a jacket, as it can get very windy.  There are many different views from which to take photos, but I think the best are from the south side off a street called Langoon Court or from the north side on a hill above the visitor parking lot.  There are multiple other locations to get great photos.  If you plan to take photos at night, go to the north side where you can get the city in the background. 

I spent nearly a day walking and traveling in downtown SF.  I’ve heard about the hilly SF streets, but you don’t know until you have truly experienced them.  They will certainly give your feet and legs a test.  Get a good map of SF when you get in town as it will provide you with some good tourist destinations and several local streets that will not be available on other maps.  Be sure to visit Chinatown, Nob Hill, Telegraph Hill, Fisherman’s Wharf, Hayes Valley, and Pacific Heights. 

VIEW MORE SAN FRANCISCO PHOTOS

A walk to Telegraph Hill is demanding, but worth it in the end.  Public transportation is available of course, but I only rode the historic cable cars.  San Francisco is certainly a walking type of city.  Telegraph Hill has excellent views of downtown, especially from Coit Tower.  Along the way you can stop at the curviest street in the country (possibly the world?): Lombard Street.  There is a small section of the street that snakes down the hill.  You can’t miss it, as you will see tourists driving down it all day. 

The visit of downtown SF also led me to the Powell Street Cable Car Station.  Get there early or you will be waiting in line to catch a ride on one of the cable cars.  I did not visit many of the government buildings and museums that SF had to offer, but would if I had the chance to do it again. 

From Fisherman’s Wharf you can catch a boat tour of the SF Bay Area.  There are several options, from one hour to three hours.  The Red & White Fleet takes you under the Golden Gate, around Alcatraz, and along the waterfront.  Fisherman’s Wharf also offers the standard tourist shopping, but very few unique gift shops.

You will notice “49 mile scenic drive” signs throughout SF.  I managed to drive bits and pieces of it during my short stay, but the signs were a bit difficult to follow at times.  However, staying on the 49 mile scenic drive won’t let you see everything.  Alamo Square in Hayes Valley isn’t on the drive, but offers a view of many Victorian style homes, including the Painted Ladies (the famous homes you see on many photos of SF). 

Just north of SF you can visit the Muir Woods National Monument and a few beaches off Highway 1.  I did not spend much time there, but managed to get a few photos along the way.  Going farther north to the redwood forests would have been wonderful as well. 

PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY/CABRILLO HIGHWAY

Leaving San Francisco, I followed the Pacific Coast Highway down to Los Angeles.  It was a long drive for one day, but well worth it.  Take more time if you can.  The official naming of the highway(s) varies.  I’ve seen people call Highway 1 and Highway 101 Pacific Coast Highway.  I can tell you that staying on Highway 1 will typically give you the best views of the coast, although Highway 1 is called Cabrillo Highway on some sections. 

VIEW MORE PACIFIC COAST PHOTOS

You will see many great towns and cities, including Monterey, Carmel, and Big Sur.  The views are spectacular.  Pigeon Point Lighthouse is along the way, as well as several overlooks.  The weather varied on the day I was there, but the drive is worth it no matter what the weather was like. 

My rental car decided to have some problems while in Big Sur, but it did not take long to get some assistance.  The locals at Big Sur were all helpful.  The problems with the car started in Big Sur and ended in San Diego where I eventually had to turn it in and get another vehicle. 

LOS ANGELES

I only stayed one night in Los Angeles.  L.A. isn’t really my scene and I felt that the area overall was too uptight for me.  Walking Hollywood Boulevard was decent, but very “tourist” like, as was to be expected.  Along the Boulevard you will find the Chinese Grauman Theatre and the Kodak Theatre.  The trip to the Hollywood sign was a waste, as many roads were closed and you run into several private roads.  The photos are proof (too many obstructions).  It is likely that you will run into many rude locals (they do see thousands of tourists, but still uncalled for in my opinion).  L.A. may have been better if I spent more time there and if I was looking for the typical Hollywood style trip, but that was not my cup of tea. 

VIEW MORE LOS ANGELES PHOTOS

My one night stay was at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel.  It was overpriced, but the accommodations were very nice and you were right in Hollywood.  The hotel is certainly worth it if you want to pay that type of price.  The hotel is attached to a shopping mall, but it was an average mall that did not offer anything unique. 

CONTINUING ALONG PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY/CABRILLO HIGHWAY

I visited some of the main sights of Los Angeles, but continued along Highway 1 and Highway 101 shortly thereafter.  In my opinion, the other sections of the highway were more enjoyable.  As you get into southern California it turns into more of the crowded tourist beach scene than anything else.  The majority of the beautiful coast views are farther north.  I spent some time at Newport Beach and the Newport Pier.  If you are looking for that type of scene it would be worth it.  There are many nice beaches, shopping opportunities, and dining establishments but the crowds are horrible. 

VIEW MORE PACIFIC COAST PHOTOS

SAN DIEGO

San Diego is where a great majority of my time was spent.  The primary reason for being there was the ESRI International User Conference.  The folks at ESRI do a great job on this conference and it is worth the trip.  There are plenty of workshops and sessions for all users.  There are beginner sessions and more advanced sessions, as well as plenty of opportunities to see the work and experience of others.

As for time outside of the conference, San Diego offered several destinations.  Going to San Diego without going to the San Diego Zoo would be ridiculous.  From what I read, the best time to go was in the morning so there would be fewer crowds and the animals would be out before the sun got too strong.  There were fewer crowds when I went, but many of the animals were resting/sleeping.  It was still a great zoo though.  The zoo is located in Balboa Park and while I did not have much time to explore the 1200-acre park, it was full of gardens and museums. 

VIEW MORE SAN DIEGO PHOTOS OR SAN DIEGO ZOO PHOTOS

I stayed at the Westgate Hotel, which is a one of the best hotels in SD.  It was also one of the few that still had rooms available during the conference.  The price was good compared to other hotels in the area at that time, but at any other time it would be much higher than surrounding properties.  The stay was topnotch.

Exploring downtown is fairly easy and can be done by walking, public transportation, or by car.  It seemed like less of a walking city than San Francisco did.  Some of the best city views are most easily visited by car.  Across the bay bridge you will find Coronado, home to a very nice resort and excellent views of the city.  They also offer good shopping and dining opportunities. 

Seaport Village is another opportunity for dining and shopping.  Seaport Village offers a place to find some unique gifts and it is worth the visit.  It is located just off Harbor Drive near downtown.  The convention center is not far, nor is the Historic Gaslamp Quarter.  Horton Plaza offers some shopping downtown, but most of it was your typical mall stores.  My stay at Horton Plaza was extended when my rental car died for the final time.  The local Budget rental location was not helpful at all and is definitely not recommended.  I had to handle the entire thing on the phone with Budget customer service (where I received much more help). 

Driving or walking along Harbor Drive will also give you several photographic opportunities of downtown SD.  There are several small parks located along the drive.  Following Harbor Drive to Highway 209 and Point Loma is a good spot to get photos as well.  Here you will find Point Loma Lighthouse and the Cabrillo National Monument.  You will get very good views of San Diego and the U.S. Naval Air Station. 

VIEW MORE SAN DIEGO PHOTOS

Cabrillo National Monument is where you will find a statue of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo.  Much is unknown about Cabrillo, but he was the first European to set foot on the west coast of what is now the United States (about 50 years after Columbus landed in America).  At the monument you will find an excellent opportunity for photos of San Diego, weather permitting.  I went up to monument twice and it was either overcast or the city had too much smog.  It all depends on the time of day you decide to visit. 

There are many other destinations in the SD area if you have time to visit them, including Petco Park, SeaWorld, and a trip south of the border to Tijuana.  None of them made my list though.

The San Diego International Airport (SAN) can be easily navigated, although due to timing the security checkpoints were difficult to get through.  Recent terror plots to blow up jets headed from Britain to the U.S. caused most of the airports to delay flights.  SAN was no exception.  The security checkpoint line started in the airport, stretched over the crosswalk, down a sidewalk, and into the parking lot.  I arrived about three hours early for my flight and that was just enough time.  The TSA officials were helpful considering the circumstances and I believe the airport handled the situation very well.

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything, but I’m still here.  I would go into the details about how busy I’ve been, but everyone seems to give that excuse.  While it is true that I’ve been busy (mostly with work), that is certainly no excuse.  So instead I will throw out a few quick and random happenings…

Middlesboro High School Class of 2000: We are looking for you!  A reunion is still many years off, but we are trying to keep up with you and a way to contact you.  If you haven’t been contacted yet and for some reason find yourself reading this, please let us know (my contact info is on this site). 

Viren has recently found himself in Danville, where he will be teaching middle school.  He had several offers, but I assured him that Danville was a pretty good place to live and work.  Maybe the Centre crowd will rub off on him. 

I will be off to a GIS conference and a short vacation starting on August 2nd.  There is no doubt that I am looking forward to a break.  The last couple of months have been been a whirlwind of sorts.  I will attempt to post any interesting news or photos upon my return. 

Last week I forgot to mention my quick trip through Danville.  I was headed to Louisville for the weekend, but construction on I-75 forced me to find an alternate route.  I chose to make my way up U.S. 150 and head through Danville.  The last time I’d been through Danville was at least a year ago, possibly longer.  That trip was a just a quick pass through to meet some friends.  Beyond that I hadn’t been back since I graduated Centre in 2004. 

There were some fairly drastic changes on campus.  The bookstore moved downtown into a much better space.  The bookstore definitely got an upgrade.  I heard a new dorm is being built near the area of where the old bookstore used to be.  The bigger change on campus came in the form new facilities for the library and the athletic center (together known as The College Centre).  The facilities were greatly improved since my time at Centre, which was less than two years ago.  I didn’t go inside, but from the street it looked wonderful (here are some photos beginning to end). 

While going through my regular RSS feeds today, I stumbled across a great link from fellow Crossroads cohort, Bill Stevenson.  He had a good number of interesting links (as always), but the one that caught my attention was Hitting the High Notes from Joel on Software.  I have visited Joel’s site in the past and I typically find some valuable insight there, but I’m not a frequent visitor.  Whether you are in the software industry or anywhere in the computer industry (or almost any field for that matter), this is a good read. 

Another good reference from Bill was made to How to Write More Clearly, Think More Clearly, and Learn Complex Material More Easily.  I realize it’s a simple concept, but I have seen too many people that fail to realize how important writing is in the professional world.  We all experience it going through school, but many professionals tend to think they don’t need to write well in order to do their job or to have a good presence with clients and fellow employees. 

Some other links for your viewing pleasure: Transparency and Possibility, Intuition Alone Won’t Cut It, and Successful Transformation Requires People (although FedEx and that article don’t necessarily prove it).

Some interesting news/articles…
America’s Most Polluted Cities (Guess which state owns the top 5)
Let’s Call it Windows Vista 2007
Check out Microsoft Calculator Plus for Windows XP

As a side note, I’ve never used Google Finance until yesterday.  It didn’t take me ten seconds to realize I have been missing out.  Like all things Google, they really thought about the user when it came to the product/service.  Check out AMD’s stats on Google Finance for an example. The timeline on the top of the chart can be adjusted by simply sliding it and adjusting its size.  Press releases during that time are automatically scrolled to the top.  The chart itself can easily be dragged left and right.  All of that without reloading the page.  The rest of the page also has some great items that you don’t find on other sites.  I’ve used several different sites in the past, but Google appears to have all their ducks in a row yet again.

ExtremeTech put together a nice guide on upgrading/building a PC for 2006.  It’s a good overview of some hardware changes and what to look out for this year.  If you plan on upgrading your PC or building a new one, check it out.

I came across some renderings of the possible bridge designs for the east end of Louisville.  I guess they are interesting, but I don’t think they fit the area and region.  A bit later I came across photos of Museum Plaza.  This is the first news I heard of the plaza, but I can see how some people think it’s a Tetris game gone bad.  I’m not ready to call a horrible design, in fact I think it has some great features.  Overall, it’s great to see some improvements happening along the river.  Views of Thunder over Louisville would certainly change from what I’ve seen.

In other news, we released a new site at Vaughn & Melton a couple of weeks ago:
www.vaughnmelton.com.