Okay, after all the crap I got from you people, I don't have a single comment on any of my posts! I'm not posting anything until I hear from someone that they are reading this blog.
So there.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
A Sunburn in February
I know that I need to finish my San Francisco trip posts, but I have to sneak in this one about Saturday. I went on a power boxing trip with some of my favorite letterboxing friends: Maiden, Der Mad Stamper, RaqsEnigma, and Hunter. Maiden was kind enough to plan our route and drive us around and keep us on schedule. They picked me up at 5:30 and we headed up to Long Beach.
I forgot my set of clues, my camera, my sunglasses, and my pedometer but that in no way spoiled the day. RaqsEnigma and Maiden were kind enough to document the day for us and gave me permission to share their photos here.
Maiden actually let us have a bathroom stop on the way to Long Beach and she caught this lovely moment of Raqs and DMS.
We were at the first box at the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge and on the trail by 8:30.
I love this sign. On the left side by the three hiking figures it says "Caution, from October to May you may encounter water as high as your waist!" We took our chances and the trails were nice and dry...no water in the way or mosquitoes!
Here's me and Hunter stamping in.
The tide was out and there were all these really cool ripples along the water line.
Here's part of the group looking for the rest of the series. Unfortunately they weren't there, but we enjoyed the walk anyway. We even saw a blue heron here!
We toured historic Oysterville, which was really cool, and the old cemetery and picked up a couple more boxes.
We stopped at Loomis Lake State Park and picked up a couple more then headed for Discovery Trail to pick up a bunch of boxes in various places along the trail. No, we didn't walk the whole thing! We drove in between. We enjoyed the boardwalk and the lovely views along the way.
Dolphin sculpture
Looking down at the box finders
Clark's Tree
Pretty beach
Searching for an elusive box.
Riding on the sturgeon.
Psycho Pstampers (our team name for the day) minus Raqs who was taking the picture.
Whale skeleton.
We tried for one in Long Beach at a kite store, but the store clerk couldn't find it and we had to go away empty handed. It was okay though, because Maiden gave us 10 minutes at Marsh's Free Museum. This was an historic moment because when you are power boxing with Maiden, there are no side trips. You are there to box and everything else is ignored. But the kite store was closed for another half hour because the clerk went to lunch and she let us explore a little.
We even got to see Jake the Alligator Man in his Christmas attire.
Then we headed out to Black Lake for four boxes. What a beautiful spot! And we got some lovely images here.
Psycho Pstampers minus Maiden at Black Lake.
Pretty lake view.
Look how gorgeous this is!
After Black Lake we headed to Cape Disappointment State Park and found some more amazing boxes and beautiful countrysides.
This is a hidden grotto area by Beard's Hollow.
Hunter was kind enough to climb up to the box and then pose for a photo.
We had to navigate around this huge puddle in the middle of the path to get to the grotto area and the box.
Raqs and DMS are so photogenic!
Here's the group again.
Here are some shots at the North Head Lighthouse. I love this spot...it's so beautiful!
We did a few more boxes then headed in to Astoria. By then it was starting to get dark. Got some great shots of the sunset.
I was too tired to climb back down this sand dune after getting a box, so I took a shortcut.
Even though it was dark, we kept on boxing. We drove up to the Astoria Column and found a really great box.
Boxing in the dark!
Here are the Psycho Pstampers at the Rogue Brewery in Astoria. We ended up with 39 finds, 6 attempts, 3 geocaches and a whole lot of fun. I think we walked about 10 miles yesterday and the hill at the last Washington box was a killer.
Along the way we saw elk, bald eagles, deer, a blue hering, many dogs of various breeds (no whippets or greyhounds, though), some cows and horses, and a dead crab.
Boy, did we have fun!
I forgot my set of clues, my camera, my sunglasses, and my pedometer but that in no way spoiled the day. RaqsEnigma and Maiden were kind enough to document the day for us and gave me permission to share their photos here.
Maiden actually let us have a bathroom stop on the way to Long Beach and she caught this lovely moment of Raqs and DMS.
We were at the first box at the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge and on the trail by 8:30.
I love this sign. On the left side by the three hiking figures it says "Caution, from October to May you may encounter water as high as your waist!" We took our chances and the trails were nice and dry...no water in the way or mosquitoes!
Here's me and Hunter stamping in.
The tide was out and there were all these really cool ripples along the water line.
Here's part of the group looking for the rest of the series. Unfortunately they weren't there, but we enjoyed the walk anyway. We even saw a blue heron here!
We toured historic Oysterville, which was really cool, and the old cemetery and picked up a couple more boxes.
We stopped at Loomis Lake State Park and picked up a couple more then headed for Discovery Trail to pick up a bunch of boxes in various places along the trail. No, we didn't walk the whole thing! We drove in between. We enjoyed the boardwalk and the lovely views along the way.
Dolphin sculpture
Looking down at the box finders
Clark's Tree
Pretty beach
Searching for an elusive box.
Riding on the sturgeon.
Psycho Pstampers (our team name for the day) minus Raqs who was taking the picture.
Whale skeleton.
We tried for one in Long Beach at a kite store, but the store clerk couldn't find it and we had to go away empty handed. It was okay though, because Maiden gave us 10 minutes at Marsh's Free Museum. This was an historic moment because when you are power boxing with Maiden, there are no side trips. You are there to box and everything else is ignored. But the kite store was closed for another half hour because the clerk went to lunch and she let us explore a little.
We even got to see Jake the Alligator Man in his Christmas attire.
Then we headed out to Black Lake for four boxes. What a beautiful spot! And we got some lovely images here.
Psycho Pstampers minus Maiden at Black Lake.
Pretty lake view.
Look how gorgeous this is!
After Black Lake we headed to Cape Disappointment State Park and found some more amazing boxes and beautiful countrysides.
This is a hidden grotto area by Beard's Hollow.
Hunter was kind enough to climb up to the box and then pose for a photo.
We had to navigate around this huge puddle in the middle of the path to get to the grotto area and the box.
Raqs and DMS are so photogenic!
Here's the group again.
Here are some shots at the North Head Lighthouse. I love this spot...it's so beautiful!
We did a few more boxes then headed in to Astoria. By then it was starting to get dark. Got some great shots of the sunset.
I was too tired to climb back down this sand dune after getting a box, so I took a shortcut.
Even though it was dark, we kept on boxing. We drove up to the Astoria Column and found a really great box.
Boxing in the dark!
Here are the Psycho Pstampers at the Rogue Brewery in Astoria. We ended up with 39 finds, 6 attempts, 3 geocaches and a whole lot of fun. I think we walked about 10 miles yesterday and the hill at the last Washington box was a killer.
Along the way we saw elk, bald eagles, deer, a blue hering, many dogs of various breeds (no whippets or greyhounds, though), some cows and horses, and a dead crab.
Boy, did we have fun!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Took Long Enough
I read an article today that finally found a likely cause for King Tut's death. According to a two-year study of his mummy using DNA testing and CT scans, King Tut likely died from complications of a broken leg caused by malaria. They also think he had a cleft pallet and a club foot.
The study also concluded that Tut was not murdered, that he was likely Akenaten's son, and that his family did not suffer from some weird disease that elongated the limbs and gave the men breasts.
Interesting. And timely. When we were at the exhibit it just baffled my why scientists couldn't figure out how he died and who his father was. Apparently they could, it just took them a while.
The study also concluded that Tut was not murdered, that he was likely Akenaten's son, and that his family did not suffer from some weird disease that elongated the limbs and gave the men breasts.
Interesting. And timely. When we were at the exhibit it just baffled my why scientists couldn't figure out how he died and who his father was. Apparently they could, it just took them a while.
Monday, February 15, 2010
San Francisco Part 3
Okay, so picking up where I left off at the last post on SFO...
By the time we did the cable cars and walked around a little more, we were both feeling pretty tired and Ann's knee was starting to hurt. We headed back to the hotel for a rest and then walked across the street to IHOP for dinner.
We both turned in really early. Man, those beds were so comfortable! Big soft duvets and lovely firm yet soft mattresses. Wish I could have brought those home!
So Tuesday we got up and got a taxi out to the deYoung Museum where the Tut exhibit is. We had VIP passes from our hotel package, which allowed us to go in at any time we wanted. We had breakfast at the cafe there then looked around the shops. We both went a little crazy with our souvenir buying...even before we went into the exhibit.
The exhibit was terrific. We purchased an audio guide that described in more detail information about each piece. The first part of the exhibit was devoted to Tut's royal ancestors. There were many beautiful pieces. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take any photos in the museum, so I don't have any pictures of it to share here. I did buy a book of postcards that had lovely, professional pictures of the majority of the artifacts in the exhibit, so I have that to look at.
There were about 130 pieces on display with about 50 of them being from Tut's tomb. The artistry was amazing on the pieces we saw. It was unbelievable to think that some of the artifacts were over 3,000 years old.
We took our time going through the exhibit and really enjoyed it. There were lots of school groups there, but the museum guards were right on them if they got too rowdy. If it got crowded in the area we were in, we just took a break and used one of the many benches set aside for just that purpose. It was good for Ann's knee to take it slow and rest a lot, too.
After going through the exhibit, we spent a lot of time in the exhibit gift shop and spent more money there than we should have. They had some really great stuff though, and I couldn't help myself.
Outside the DeYoung Museum.
What Cleopatra REALLY looked like.
After we left the exhibit we took a taxi to Gherridelli square and found the cutest little tea shop called "Crown and Crumpet." I treated Ann to a lovely tea luncheon and we really had a good time.
You might notice that I have not yet said anything about letterboxing on this trip. Well, that is because we didn't do any. I know! It's crazy but true. I did try, but all the clues for boxes I found either involved a hike or a car or would take longer than we had. So I didn't get any letterboxes. BUT...
At C&C they had the cutest little gift shop with all kinds of clever tea things and all their price tags seemed to be homemade and stamped with a cool crown. So I asked the saleslady if I could get an image of the stamp. Of course she looked at me like I was nuts, and wanted to know why. After I explained what letterboxing was, she was more than happy to stamp our logbooks. She said the owner of the store was a rubber stamp nut and she couldn't wait to tell her about letterboxing. I have a feeling that there may be a stamp available at Crown and Crumpet soon!
Anyway, I'm counting that as my letterboxing for the trip.
After tea we wandered around the Wharf area some more. We stoped at the Rainforest Cafe and had our picture taken with this guy:
We saw Alcatraz from a distance and took about 7,000 pictures of it.
We strolled around Pier 39 and saw the famous California Sea Lions. Well, there were only a few there as their food source has moved on so there aren't hundreds hanging around any more. Frankly, I think the ones at Newport are better and you can get closer.
There were all these funky trees along the walks. I don't know what kind they are but they look like those Dr. Seuess truffula trees. I bet they look really cool when they get leaves and stuff.
We saw this cool lighthouse thingy.
And finally got all the stupid kids away from climbing all over this statue so I could take a picture of it.
Got to see the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset.
After a walking around some more, we caught the bus back to the Amtrak station and hung out there for a while and got on the train to come back home. It was an uneventful return except for I developed a corneal eye ulcer and spent half the trip back with my eyes closed because they were itching and watering so much.
Other than that one little glitch it was a great trip. I'm ready to go back!
By the time we did the cable cars and walked around a little more, we were both feeling pretty tired and Ann's knee was starting to hurt. We headed back to the hotel for a rest and then walked across the street to IHOP for dinner.
We both turned in really early. Man, those beds were so comfortable! Big soft duvets and lovely firm yet soft mattresses. Wish I could have brought those home!
So Tuesday we got up and got a taxi out to the deYoung Museum where the Tut exhibit is. We had VIP passes from our hotel package, which allowed us to go in at any time we wanted. We had breakfast at the cafe there then looked around the shops. We both went a little crazy with our souvenir buying...even before we went into the exhibit.
The exhibit was terrific. We purchased an audio guide that described in more detail information about each piece. The first part of the exhibit was devoted to Tut's royal ancestors. There were many beautiful pieces. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take any photos in the museum, so I don't have any pictures of it to share here. I did buy a book of postcards that had lovely, professional pictures of the majority of the artifacts in the exhibit, so I have that to look at.
There were about 130 pieces on display with about 50 of them being from Tut's tomb. The artistry was amazing on the pieces we saw. It was unbelievable to think that some of the artifacts were over 3,000 years old.
We took our time going through the exhibit and really enjoyed it. There were lots of school groups there, but the museum guards were right on them if they got too rowdy. If it got crowded in the area we were in, we just took a break and used one of the many benches set aside for just that purpose. It was good for Ann's knee to take it slow and rest a lot, too.
After going through the exhibit, we spent a lot of time in the exhibit gift shop and spent more money there than we should have. They had some really great stuff though, and I couldn't help myself.
Outside the DeYoung Museum.
What Cleopatra REALLY looked like.
After we left the exhibit we took a taxi to Gherridelli square and found the cutest little tea shop called "Crown and Crumpet." I treated Ann to a lovely tea luncheon and we really had a good time.
You might notice that I have not yet said anything about letterboxing on this trip. Well, that is because we didn't do any. I know! It's crazy but true. I did try, but all the clues for boxes I found either involved a hike or a car or would take longer than we had. So I didn't get any letterboxes. BUT...
At C&C they had the cutest little gift shop with all kinds of clever tea things and all their price tags seemed to be homemade and stamped with a cool crown. So I asked the saleslady if I could get an image of the stamp. Of course she looked at me like I was nuts, and wanted to know why. After I explained what letterboxing was, she was more than happy to stamp our logbooks. She said the owner of the store was a rubber stamp nut and she couldn't wait to tell her about letterboxing. I have a feeling that there may be a stamp available at Crown and Crumpet soon!
Anyway, I'm counting that as my letterboxing for the trip.
After tea we wandered around the Wharf area some more. We stoped at the Rainforest Cafe and had our picture taken with this guy:
We saw Alcatraz from a distance and took about 7,000 pictures of it.
We strolled around Pier 39 and saw the famous California Sea Lions. Well, there were only a few there as their food source has moved on so there aren't hundreds hanging around any more. Frankly, I think the ones at Newport are better and you can get closer.
There were all these funky trees along the walks. I don't know what kind they are but they look like those Dr. Seuess truffula trees. I bet they look really cool when they get leaves and stuff.
We saw this cool lighthouse thingy.
And finally got all the stupid kids away from climbing all over this statue so I could take a picture of it.
Got to see the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset.
After a walking around some more, we caught the bus back to the Amtrak station and hung out there for a while and got on the train to come back home. It was an uneventful return except for I developed a corneal eye ulcer and spent half the trip back with my eyes closed because they were itching and watering so much.
Other than that one little glitch it was a great trip. I'm ready to go back!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
San Francisco Part 2
So continuing on...We headed out to explore. I spent my roll of quarters in squished penny machines in less than a half hour. There were penny machines EVERYWHERE! It was so awesome. I think in the end I ended up with about 40 pennies for the trip. Not bad for two days, is it?
We walked down to the shops in the Fisherman's Wharf area and spent a few hours wandering around.
There was a camera shop on practically every corner. Not sure what was up with that. There were also lots of junky souvenir shops, but I like those. I always wonder what possesses people to buy kitchen towels and ash trays with the Golden Gate Bridge on them. Here's a picture of THE worst souvenir I saw the whole time we were down there. Unfortunately it was so bad my camera couldn't get a good picture of it. Envision a black faux velvet cloth with multicolored pictures of San Francisco images embossed on it. Attach a gold cord with a tassel and you have the below:
Honestly, where would someone put this in their house when they got back? And why? Well, I'm the one that gets excited over squished pennies as my major souvenir, so maybe I shouldn't talk.
Anyway, we wandered around the shops, had a yummy lunch here:
I guess Boudin Sourdough is THE sourdough place in San Francisco. They say they invented it or something. Anyway, we had clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. Mmm-mm! So good.
We decided to walk up to Ghiradelli Square and got this far:
Then got distracted by the cable cars. We decided we couldn't go to San Francisco and NOT ride the cable cars, so we bought a round-trip ticket and rode all over town.
I never did figure out how the cable cars work and we didn't have time to go to the cable car museum. It was interesting to ride on them. It seems like all the stops are in the middle of an intersection, which is disturbing at first when you are facing the traffic coming up the hill at you. But it does allow for some pretty views.
Disturbing view
Looking towards the TransAmerica Building
I didn't get any good pictures of the houses in San Francisco except for this one that was covered with ivy. The houses are very, very cool. I understand it is very expensive to live there, though.
And with that, I will again pause to prolong the suspense!
We walked down to the shops in the Fisherman's Wharf area and spent a few hours wandering around.
There was a camera shop on practically every corner. Not sure what was up with that. There were also lots of junky souvenir shops, but I like those. I always wonder what possesses people to buy kitchen towels and ash trays with the Golden Gate Bridge on them. Here's a picture of THE worst souvenir I saw the whole time we were down there. Unfortunately it was so bad my camera couldn't get a good picture of it. Envision a black faux velvet cloth with multicolored pictures of San Francisco images embossed on it. Attach a gold cord with a tassel and you have the below:
Honestly, where would someone put this in their house when they got back? And why? Well, I'm the one that gets excited over squished pennies as my major souvenir, so maybe I shouldn't talk.
Anyway, we wandered around the shops, had a yummy lunch here:
I guess Boudin Sourdough is THE sourdough place in San Francisco. They say they invented it or something. Anyway, we had clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. Mmm-mm! So good.
We decided to walk up to Ghiradelli Square and got this far:
Then got distracted by the cable cars. We decided we couldn't go to San Francisco and NOT ride the cable cars, so we bought a round-trip ticket and rode all over town.
I never did figure out how the cable cars work and we didn't have time to go to the cable car museum. It was interesting to ride on them. It seems like all the stops are in the middle of an intersection, which is disturbing at first when you are facing the traffic coming up the hill at you. But it does allow for some pretty views.
Disturbing view
Looking towards the TransAmerica Building
I didn't get any good pictures of the houses in San Francisco except for this one that was covered with ivy. The houses are very, very cool. I understand it is very expensive to live there, though.
And with that, I will again pause to prolong the suspense!
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