What’s in an Airport That’s Worth Seeing?

We all know the purpose of an airport is to enter and leave a location by means of an airplane. Thus in many ways airports are very utilitarian structures. However, as airports have become more and more significant parts of our life, they have changed. Airports now seek to be places for comfort, shopping, and perhaps even culture. Here are some of the interesting things I have seen in airports around the world. We all know the basics of an…

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Gaudí: the Man Who Changed the Skyline of Barcelona

Architects bring their own ideas and significance to the work they do. Some have gone on to have a major influence in the cities they worked in. Such is true of Antoni Gaudí, a remarkable architect who had a significant influence in Barcelona. To visit Barcelona requires that one experience the works of Gaudí. They are among the city’s most popular attractions. Born in 1852, Gaudí began to study architecture in Barcelona at the age of 18. He was influenced…

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Seattle Gardens to Visit in the Winter and Year Round

Visiting a garden during the winter may seem like an unusual activity. After all, gardens in the winter don’t usually have many flowers to look at and enjoy. However, gardens are more than just flowers. A winter visit to a garden can reveal aspects of a garden that colorful flowers might distract from. Furthermore, a winter visit will likely mean less people, helpful during our pandemic year. The Seattle Chinese Garden, which is on the northern edge of South Seattle…

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Misadventures of Travel While Flying

Travel can be a great experience until it’s not. It’s wonderful when everything falls easily into place, but unfortunately that doesn’t always happen. In real life the unexpected can occur and not always for the good. This can be particularly true of flying. Sometimes, however, what may seem like a problem ends up to be another great adventure. Other times they are just that, problems. Over my years of traveling I have had my share of challenges. Here are a…

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Exploring the South Side of Deception Pass

Deception Pass State Park is one of the most used state parks in Washington. The park is on both sides of the narrow body of water between Fidalgo Island and Whidbey Island. It’s about an hour’s drive north of Seattle. Last week I shared about the north side of the park. Today we will look at Pass Island and the south side of the park. Let’s start with the bridges that cross over Deception Pass. The two bridges are high…

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Exploring the North Side of Deception Pass

Deception Pass is the narrow strait between Fidalgo Island and Whidbey Island about an hour north of Seattle. It was named by George Vancouver after apparently neither he nor his crew noticed it on their first exploration to the area. Later, when they did discover it, they thought it had deceived them, thus the name. Today this strait is traversed by bridges. Between the two large islands is another small island, Pass Island, so there are actually two bridges. They…

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Discovering Nevada’s Unique Comstock Country

The weather managed to sidetrack our trip to Lake Tahoe. Forecasts predicted snow on Friday after we had enjoyed a beautiful Thursday. With the steep mountain pass in mind, we decided to spend Friday east of the mountains and changed our reservation to Carson City, Nevada. It’s one of those things that can happen when one travels. We really didn’t know much about Carson City. In fact, I can’t say I could even tell you it was the state capitol.…

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Touring Around the Beautiful Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is one of those vacation spots that one frequently hears about. From winter skiing to summer boating and hiking, the area seems to offer something for most everyone. We have wanted to visit the lake for some time. We actually had planned to go over Memorial Day weekend this year, but that didn’t work out. However with a low air fare thanks to QB Russell Wilson’s three touchdown passes, we were able to visit around Veterans Day. November…

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Buffalo Bill Center of the West: A Review

When I think of museums in smaller towns, I think of dusty shelves filled with relics of days gone by. However, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West is not like that at all. Although not in a major metropolitan region, it has the feel of a major museum. It provides a lot of information, and the exhibits are interesting and creative. Visiting the museum should be near the top of your activity list when visiting Cody, Wyoming. The Buffalo…

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Walking in the footsteps of Buffalo Bill in Cody, Wyoming

I didn’t expect to spend much time in Cody, Wyoming. When I was studying options for our Yellowstone trip, I had decided that Cody would be a good place to stay while we were visiting Yellowstone National Park. I was wrong in that regard. Nevertheless, upon our arrival I found Cody to be an interesting and worthwhile place to spend some time. It’s not a place just to pass through on the way to Yellowstone but is a worthy destination…

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