Washington DC (Sept 29-Oct 2)

I had to make a quick trip to Washington DC for work. On one of the nights, there was a reception and dinner for us at the Smithsonian Castle. Since I had never been to the Castle before, it was a welcome change from a convention dinner at the hotel. During the post-dinner presentation, we also learned quite a bit about the history of the Smithsonian Institution.

Inside the castle....

I stayed at the Hamilton Crowne Plaza. For the most part, I was pleased with this hotel. The first night, I was rather grossed out when I pulled the comforter back and discovered this blanket on the bed.
I wasn't certain if this was a set-in stain or fresh (and had no plans to find out). I called housekeeping and asked them to send somebody up to give me new blankets. I guess I should have been more specific, because they just brought a new blanket. I'm sorry, but with something on the bed that looks that disgusting, I expect the entire bed to be stripped and made fresh. The woman from housekeeping had to make a second trip to get everything to completely make the bed from scratch. At least she was very polite about it.


Also, the in-room internet did not work reliably. You can go to the front desk for a signal booster, but they have limited quantities of those (they had already run out when I requested one). So, they got my $9.95 for internet, and I got a whopping 30 minutes (total - across multiple attempts within 24 hours) of connection. It's already a pet peeve of mine when $200+/night hotels charge for internet, but it's inexcusable when they charge and then can't deliver reliable service.

Mount Rainier National Park

I spent a day visiting Mt. Rainier. It was nice coming from 110+ degree weather in Phoenix to see glaciers in the middle of August. Christine Falls

Eagle Peak Overlook


Chipmunk




I didn't expect to see so many snakes. In one area, they were everywhere!
Narada Falls

Paradise Valley



Looking at the glaciers

Because I had limited time, I only went from the Nisqually entrance to the Paradise Valley loop and back down. I didn't have a chance to visit the east side of the park.

See more picture here.

Seattle Washington (Aug 2007)

I went to Seattle for a few days to relax and visit my friend Crystal. She had to work during the week days, so I kept myself busy by playing tourist. She said no trip to Seattle was complete without visiting Pike Place Market. When people order fish, they throw the order to you. I guess this was supposed to be entertaining. I was more intriqued by all the painted pigs.
Since I wasn't cooking dinner, I bought a few peaches for a snack.

Later, I had lunch at a fish and chips place on the waterfront. Of course the gulls had to come and beg for food. Crazy people were feeding them most of their lunch.
After lunch, I decided to relax at Discovery Park. I went down to the beach to see the light house.

I saw a few interesting plants and animals near the beach.
There were lots of mollusks attached to rocks on the beach.
And lots of gulls

I spent a few hours watching boats go by and reading a book. It was a very relaxing day.

View of Seattle
Crystal had Saturday off so we made a trip to Snoqualmie Falls.

Grand Teton National Park (June 8)

I had to attend meetings in Jackson WY on June 7-8 at the Wort Hotel and decided to extend my trip a few days to visit the national parks in the area. My meeting ended around 3 pm on Friday afternoon, so I picked up my rental car. Just as they were handing me my keys, the rain that had been threatening for the past 2 days actually arrived.

Before leaving Jackson, I stopped by the grocery store and picked up a few bottles of water, some fruit, trail mix, and a couple bottles of Coke. Then I braved the pouring rain and headed to Grand Teton National Park.

I drove up 191 past the fish hatchery and entered the park. This is a view of the Tetons from one of the first pull outs in the park.

At Moose Junction, I decided to take the road that cuts through the interior of the park. It was raining pretty heavy (on and off) but by the time I got to the Lupine Meadows trailhead, the rain had let up. I got out and took a short walk on part of the trail. It was pretty muddy and slippery.
Then the rain started moving in again, so I hightailed it back to my car (I was really glad I splurged for the SUV).
The rain started to let up again, so I took the one-way road along Jenny Lake.
I decided to get out for a short walk at String Lake. It was sprinkling, but I tossed on my raincoat and grabbed my waterproof camera.

You can see the rain splashing in the lake as it falls.
By the time I finished my walk, I was chilled, so I cranked up the heat and let the windows defrost (and the rain let up, since it was pouring by the time I got back to the car).

I debated whether I should drive up Signal Mountain road, since the weather was less than ideal. Since I had the SUV, I decided to go for it. From the top, you can see the valley below.
On the other side, you can see Jackson Lake.


Coming back down the mountain, I decided to stop at this marshy area. I thought I saw a moose out of the corner of my eye.

I got out of the car and slogged through the mud, and found a mother and baby moose.
I was starting to lose daylight, so decided that I better head to Yellowstone before it got too late.
I saw a few elk on their evening forage.
And got one last look at the Tetons as the sun set.

By the time I reached my room at Grant Village Lodge in Yellowstone, it was black outside and all the restaurants were closed. I was happy that I had stopped at the grocery store before leaving Jackson.