Last weekend I traveled to Denver, Colorado for a “business consulting summer camp.” All in all, it was a nice way to spend a weekend. I learned a lot, met very quality people, wined and dined, and slept at the Ritz. I could get used to being a consultant! Click to continue →
In addition to work and science, last week I spent some time ascending ice in Alaska! Rome and I rented a car and drove north from Anchorage to the Matanuska Glacier [map]. There we met our guide, got geared up, and headed into the white. It is amazing to see a 26 mile glacier snaking into the huge snow-capped mountains looming all around.
The beginning of February found me making my way up the West Coast on the coastal Highway 101. My friends Jimi and Rome and I flew out west to present some recent research at a conference. Jimi and I decided to take the long way home and drive up the coast all the way to Seattle. Along the way we met old and new friends, saw some amazing things, and had loads of fun. Check out some of the pictures we took:
Even though we spent a week on Pacific time, I realize that I need to spend a lot more to see even a fraction of what there is to do out there! I might try to spend a month out that way this summer. I left some of my heart in San Francisco, I was inspired and entranced by the beautiful landscape, and Seattle is nothing but great!
This afternoon found me ankle deep in New York City. I stopped by a friend’s office in Harlem to have some lunch, and since then I’ve been hanging out (reading, writing, and programming) at Colombia University in the quad across from the library.
First off, whenever I step out of an airport and start walking around a city I marvel at how quickly life moves. When I ate an apple for breakfast this morning I was nearly 900 miles away from where I sat down to eat lunch. The world is certainly very small.
Something that always strikes me about New York in particular, though, is how it is a wonder just to wander. Some other big cities (Paris comes to mind) have a similar quality. It dawned on me, though why its so fascinating just to look at things. New York is an organic thing. Just as you can look in awe at the bark on a tree (or at least I can), I can see nature’s beauty in the big apple. This is not a city that was planned in the way that a suburban neighborhood is. This city grew up on its own, adapted to its little island, to the throngs of people living here. It says something powerful about the human animal that we can build and thrive in hives like this!
This Saturday a troop of friends made our way out of the concrete and steel that holds Atlanta together and ventured North in search of rocks, trees, birds, and waterfalls. We came to rest in the Tallulah Gorge. This place could still remember when it was an untouched natural wonder. Today, it’s hiking trails have been replaced by paved sidewalks and metal staircases. These staircases and hand-railed trials took us to see some beautiful waterfalls and overlooks, but also led us into the arms of danger…
This Saturday I took my second expidition into the earth. I went with ORGT caving on a trip into Cagel’s Cavern. This cave has an awesome entrance; a 160′ pit that goes straight down. Looking over the edge with nothing but a rope tied to a little tree to keep you from accelerating too quickly towards the bottom can get your heart pumping!
However, after a few rappels, you get the trick of it and you are flying down the ropes! What a rush. Inside, its a very nice view to the top. After enjoying that for a few minutes, we went exploring. I like the old quote from inside a hole in the cave somewhere, “Wow, its tight in here… hey… I don’t think there’s a way through… oh wait…. SWEET! Come on!”
We heard that a few times as we were making our way! This is a really cool way to spend a Saturday. Look out for more caving posts as the year goes on. If only there were cool caves that weren’t 200 miles away.
Earlier this week I returned from Phoenix, Arizona. I go there periodically to visit my father who lives there, but on this particular trip, I did something more. A friend of mine who works with the research group I was involved in during my undergrad (CATEA) published a paper to a conference in Phoenix.
The paper was the continuation (and improvement) of a project I started long, long, ago in 2005. In fact, you can check here for some info about it. This paper was so good that it was worth a free trip for both of us to present it at the RESNA conference.
Of course, I didn’t spend too much time inside, dressed up, talking about papers. I spent most of the trip visiting with my dad and his new wife. We relaxed in the back yard, checked out the pash shopping and dining of Phoenix, and hid from the 115 degree heat!
One day we drove North to a cool town called Sedona which has lots of great hiking and rock formations. Here’s me at the end of ‘Long Canyon.’ It was a nice little 10 mile hike, and where I’m standing in this picture is one of the several “Power Vortices” in Sedona. (I certainly felt more powerful than usual!)
As one travels, one will inevitably learn many things. You learn about yourself, about the world, and about traveling as a hobby. Here is a short list of things that struck me as important.
Pack Light
This is always a must in my opinion. Its no fun to walk around with big bags. Even if you’re going to put them down right when you arrive, who wants to deal with all that stuff!? Some tips if you’re packing *really* light (I think Jimi and I had packs that were about 30 pounds).
Plan Some
Know generally what’s in the area. Try Wikitravel or just the regular internet. I also like Lonely Planet and Lets Go guides. (Although I would suggest taking select pages or photocopies rather than entire books because they’re huge and scream TOURIST!)
If you’ve got friends where you’re going, know people who have been before you, or are friendly with strangers… Ask other people what to do. It is a lot easier than reading those stupid tourist books, and you usually get quality suggestions. I’d suggest spending a lot of time on this. If it hadn’t been for a friend’s suggestion in Paris, we would have never visited Toulon!
I try to have a sketchy plan for the next 24 hours at all times. It’s good to have this to keep a little focused. However, be prepared to be flexible.
Don’t plan too much
Because I see life as a hilarious adventure, its hard for me to see anything that happens as misfortune. If you plan everything out to the second, it removes a lot of the adventure, and potentially eliminates the hilarity of things going very well or very badly.
If you allow chance to play a big role in your travels, you let in a lot of room for luck. Luck is what really makes the best stories. “We followed a tight schedule and saw all of the sites” is kinof boring. “We really had no idea what we were doing and next thing you know, we were eating crepes wearing a giant chicken suit” is a lot more entertaining. Also, if you are letting luck play a role in your travels, planning to far in advance can mean losing money on non-refundable reservations and things. Plus, if you have to sleep on the street one night… Hilarious adventure, right?
I’ll save the long soliloquy on how much you learn about your self, your soul, life in general, and the human condition for another post… But I think I learned about all that stuff too. Of course, its hard to nail down when exactly that happens.
Here are the pictures from an awesome trip across Europe:
Read on for some stories from the trip. Click to continue →
This afternoon, I’m off to the Kentucky Derby. This is one of the most famous Horse Races. It happens every year in Louisville Kentucky. My trip out there has been some years in the making since my friend Ian suggested it back in 2005. Finally, I’m only hours away from jumping in the car!
In addition to the “horse race” part of it, the Derby is also a bit like a gigantic keg party. Lots of people hanging out, wearing big hats, partying, and drinking Mint Juleps all day. However, I did some research and might follow this guy to try and win some money! Wish me luck!
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