New benches and old drawers

I bought a bench. It's been my biggest non-travel purchase in a while and makes a world of difference when I'm working with my now-working planes. My evenings are now comfortably filled with shavings and bits of random projects...

History Nerds blitz Philadelphia

From what I write here, you would think that work only sends me to interesting places, and that my adventures when not travelling for work are frequently nearly as interesting. It's a classic case of selection bias; if I don't think it was interesting, I don't write about it. When I am given an opportunity to explore someplace interesting... well, it ends up here. In January, I was sent to the center of old town Philadelphia. It was too much history and cool stuff to explore on my own, so Dad flew out half way through the week, and joined me!

End-of-year hikes, et cetera

Even after the jaunt up to Cascade Falls (near Blacksburg, VA), I was still on the hunt for through the end of 2020. Most of these I found closer to home, a sort of scouting mission to map out what is fun and accessible in the immediate area. One of the surprises I found was a state park near Camas, where water drops from Lacamas lake over a series of falls into the Washougal watershed. The popular trail was moderately busy, although I think that forecasted cloud-bursts kept many people at home. I finally invested in the last piece of waterproof gear I needed (socks!) and was packing heavy, but the sun came out between light showers, and I stayed dry!

End of 2019 travel...

I may have had a bit of a travel hangover after Scotland (not a real hangover, we did more sampling than drinking), but that didn't mean that I didn't travel a bunch. Here's an overview of where I went in the last 3 months of last year...

Sunset at home, looking at Mt Hood

Secret Cities (New Mexico Hikes)

I spent a week recently in New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, working in what was once a hidden city. Los Alamos is a town even smaller than my hometown, but with a few thousand more scientists! In fact, it would likely still be a small farm land if the US government hadn't set up its central nuclear research facility there! The statue of Mr Oppenheimer in the park downtown still overlooks a stream of researchers, machinists, technicians, etc. towards the bridge that takes them to the state-of-the-art facilities on the other side of the canyon. While I didn't actually get to see the research center, I did take advantage of the wonderful hiking that was so close to town! 

Moonrise at Sunset over a distant Santa Fe

Enchanted

I've had this hike on my bucket list for a while. To overnight camp there, you need to win a lottery... or, take it on as an 18+ mile thru-hike. Having a weekend free and a cousin willing to commit to 12 hours of suffering (also, to leave at the other trailhead), it was on! 

the top of Asgard Pass

PDX Layover

I’ve traveled frequently in the last several months, but for some reason they didn’t feel like things I wanted to write about. Portland explorations have been occupying most of my time, mixed in with my work trips. My new home base is in Northeast, an ideal start point for wanderings through Portland’s many neighborhoods. Hollywood, Alberta, Belmont, Ladd’s, and Kerns, to name a few, have lured me on adventures. Work has sent me to Ohio, Texas, up to Washington, out to Quebec… but as I sit here in the Delta lounge at PDX (Portland International Airport), I’m waiting for my first “vacation” in almost a year to take off. A trip entirely unattached to work or a holiday.

It's true, we love it in Oregon!

New Mexico Wanderings

After my weekend in Boston, the next stop on my trip was Albuquerque. I wasn't sure what to expect from New Mexico, except maybe to see some folks from Calvin while I was there, enjoy some sunshine, and and eat some chili. Over meals with friends, I had green an red chili in several forms (each of their suggestions was delicious!) and finally got my time in the sun on my last day, before flying out. 

Sunrise on a red snake

Boston Blitz

After flubbing the schedule of my last post (written in Boston, about San Francisco) and taking a break for travel and holidays, I'm finally sitting down to look at pictures from this last month of adventures. Rather than the usual Quebec City post, I'll skip straight to my weekend in Boston. A friend from college picked me up at the airport, and we headed directly for the Freedom Trail... 

Faneuil Hall, market hub and venue for discussions from the beginning of US history. 

a Preview of San Francisco

My current sunny coffee shop seat is sun warmed and the familiar sounds of steam foaming milk, mugs clinking into their saucers, humming conversation between the silent page turners and highlighters bent over texts. Since this will also be at least a 3-part trip, I had better get caught up... I'm only a month behind! So, today, here's my walk through San Francisco.

Minnesota Nice

I’ve been putting off writing this post, because I hardly know where to start. There’s a meme on the internet that describes Minnesota as “Nice.” What they mean is that there’s a tendency of Minnesotans to be agreeable, to not rock the boat, to step just a little out of their way to be friendly towards their neighbors. Normally, I’m not a fan of being “nice.” I much prefer “kind directness.” If I say I need to go, I need to go; don’t walk me through an hour of goodbyes that slowly move towards the door (also known as a “Minnesota goodbye”). As a kindness to each other, we can say one goodbye and simply leave! But it was a rough week on which I found myself in Minnesota, and a little niceness from old and new friends went a long way towards soothing my soul.

Park Butte hike (Tea at the Top)

I'm standing at my desk, looking out at newly re-greened grass and wet asphalt. I love this change in weather and the cozy, tea-sipping, book-reading mood it creates. But before the clouds blew in, we got out onto the mountain for one last clear, dry, early fall day. The mountains were out, and Dock Butte was in fine form! 

Mt Hood, with Timberline Lodge

I'm a big fan of the old lodges in national parks (if multiple stops in Glacier and other places haven't clued you into that already). A couple of weekends ago Sister and J suggested we go hiking at Mt Hood, which of course I agreed to! Unfortunately, weather and a sea-level acclimated fur nephew conspired to cut our hike short. That didn't keep us from taking a pleasant stroll above the treeline and checking out the beautiful lodge.

Canadian, Oregonian, American, Washintonian, Swiss, German... and Swedish? 

IMTS Chicago

After 3 years of not going to Chicago for work, I've had two trips in the past two months! This time, instead of being out at the very end of the orange "L" line, I was staying in downtown Chicago on the Magnificent Mile. We were just a block of Michigan Avenue, which is lined with department stores, gourmet food, and high-class boutiques. We were also a 15 minute walk from the famous Navy Pier, which juts into Lake Michigan and gives an amazing view back over the city skyline. 

Mountain Berry Buffet

Late summer/fall hiking is my favorite. The trails are dry and no longer covered by snow. The weather is reliably better, requiring sunscreen instead of rain jackets. And even if there are more people on the trails, it doesn't matter - there are enough mountain blueberries for everyone! 

Lancaster and York counties

Last week York sent me out to Pennsylvania for a a week of training. I looked up the area on Google Maps, and a couple of things kept popping up. First, it's the factory tour capitol of America. Harley Davidson and Snyder of Hanover pretzels, to name a few. The other thing that popped up was nearby Lancaster, seat of Lancaster County and a hub of Amish country. So, despite the tours all being over by the time I was off work, I decided to visit both. 

Amish country, sunset, hot air balloon

Wichita

After a couple hang-ups, work sent me out to Wichita to visit customers. The area has a surprising amount of aerospace companies, including Cessna, Spirit, their suppliers, McConnel Air Force Base... I visited one or two of those and explored Wichita for a day or two.

the Keeper of the Plains

"Y" Adventure (?)

I wrote this post a couple weekds ago while sitting on the Blue Line somewhere south of downtown in Salt Lake City. I was in Utah solo, while M was out of town for a few days. The trip was a chance to see a friend who left recently for school down here, see some family (Happy Birthday, M2!), go to a symposium where I nerded out for a couple days, and take a hike on one of the famously rugged trails in the Wasatch range. 

Rock Canyon trail

I took the "L" downtown...

Training last week was in one of the suburbs of Chicago. I was staying next to the end of the Orange Line, so after work one day I jumped on the "L" and headed downtown. The familiar rustle of public transportation made the new city seem comfortable. Passing train yards, warehouses, up-and-coming lofts, and finally the towering downtown blocks... It was a cross-section of the city. 

Mt Baker Sunshine

It doesn't always rain on Baker! We went back for another round, just hiking this time, on the shoulders of the local volcano. We were surprised to encounter several snowfields, but the mountain was out and there was hardly anyone on the Scott Paul section of the trail, so we couldn't complain!

the view from Park Butte