Gregory Goes Camping

This past weekend, I took Gregory camping for the first time. We went with his Cub Scout pack to Greenbelt Park. My first job in Maryland was about a mile away and I had no idea that there was a park this size that supported overnight camping. That area is very urban otherwise. As the website says, it's only twelve miles from the White House.

Here's Gregory in his Cub Scout uniform in front of our tent:


Gregory Goes Camping

The big white and black plastic attachment on the right side of his uniform is his Tiger Cub "instant achievement" badge. He gets beads to attach to it as he completes different activities, fifteen of them in three categories, plus a large selection of electives. He's earned two of his fifteen. His left pocket is where his rank badges will go. He's actually earned the first one, his Bobcat badge, but he only received the badge two nights previous, so it didn't get sewed on his uniform until after this trip.

I was in Cub Scouts, then Boy Scouts for most of my childhood and I think it was the best part of growing up. I didn't quite make it to Eagle Scout, mostly because my troop sort of disbanded when the long-time Scoutmaster left, but didn't shut down entirely. I had plenty of time to complete Eagle, but needed a good troop and didn't switch to the other really strong troop in Fairbanks. So I left with the rank of Life and lots of great experiences.

Getting back into Scouting with Gregory has only just begun, but I'm finding myself deeply drawn to the involvement. I met a Scout leader named Joe this past weekend who reminded me very much of the late Mr. J, the Scoutmaster of Troop 92 when I was a boy. He has patience, respect for the boys, and takes the time to talk to them about the why of things, not just giving commands (except for "Step away from the fire!") He's invited me to join the Boy Scout troop on their camping and hiking trips as an adult chaperone. We were talking about hiking and I'd mentioned how I go alone on some hikes when I want to go on one too long or difficult for Olympia or the kids. I think I'll go.

Back to this camping trip with Gregory: He mixed with the other boys as much as he ever does, which is sometimes distressing less than I might hope, but he had a fantastic time. I'd forgotten to bring a flashlight, but I had a headlamp and a couple of those green glowsticks. I used the headlamp and gave Gregory a glowstick. He was fascinated by it and held onto it that night even when he was sleeping. It also had the advantage of being distinctive and visible from some distance, so I could spot where he was out in the dark pretty easily.

There was a capture-the-flag game that was almost pure chaos, egg races that were a little better, a short walk through the woods, hamburgers and hot dogs cooked on a huge grill that Joe brought, and a campfire with s'mores and skits by the various dens in the evening. It brought back very positive memories and helped build some new ones.

The next Cub Scout activity? This Sunday we take the Tiger Cub den to visit the Rockville Fire Station.

Trip to Seattle & Victoria

I mentioned in my last post that I had taken a trip to Seattle and Victoria. I've finally managed to get the pictures off my phone, find the best ones, and get them up here.

The main reason for the trip, my first significant batch of time off since January's well-documented cross-country drive, was to visit friends and family. I pretty much found myself hanging out with other folks every lunch-time and every evening except for the trip to Victoria. That was great, as I've not really had enough time to make many friends in Maryland, and those I have tend to have a different set of interests and backgrounds than those people I know from Microsoft.

I didn't take a lot of pictures of people, but here's one of Trevor (now a Google guy,) thinking hard during a game of Goa we played with Adam and Ally. It's good he did so, since he won.


Trevor Thinking Hard About Goa

The side trip to Victoria resulted in a lot more pictures. I took a seaplane out and back, operated by Kenmore Air. Taking off and landing on water was a new experience for me, although I'd been on small planes before. Both directions, the plane I was on seated about eight passengers, plus a co-pilot seat that was available for a passenger both times. Here's a photo of the plane:


The Seaplane to Victoria

I sat in the co-pilot's seat on the flight back, so I got a great picture of the approach to Lake Union, in Seattle. If you look very closely in the upper middle of the photograph, you can see the Space Needle.


Seaplane Approach to Lake Union

Victoria is a nice little town that is very friendly to the large number of tourists that visit. I'd gone there to go hiking in the area and generally relax, and only had two full days to spend, but I could see spending a week there some time. I pulled a U-turn at one point while driving in town and sort of cut off someone coming out of a side street. He pulled up along side me at the next light and I could see he was trying to get my attention. I thought I was about to get cursed out or something, but once I looked over at him, he said, "Your headlights are off! Have a nice evening!" New York, it ain't!

This guy playing violin on a street corner was very odd, but also not a typical Victoria resident.


Darth Vader Playing Violin in Victoria

I took two hikes while I was there. The first was to Thetis Lake, intended as a kind of warm-up, since I hadn't been hiking in awhile. I bought a book of hikes on Vancouver Island, so I had what I thought would be a pretty good map of the various trails around Thetis Lake, but it proved to be just awful. At one point, I was basically lost, or would have been if I hadn't known which direction was south and after heading that direction for a bit could hear the highway. There was another lake north of Thetis Lake that I'd wanted to find, but I never did.

Here are a couple of pictures of the lake:


Thetis Lake


Thetis Lake

The second hike I took was to the top of Mount Finlayson, generally touted as a fairly difficult one in the area. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I didn't really have any trouble climbing it. So far, no hike I've done has really compared to the one I took up Mt. Dickerson north of Seattle in 2004. It was steep, but not terribly long, so the steepness was very manageable. I snapped a photo of the marker at the top. I also got a pretty good picture of the distant Mt. Baker from the summit of Finlayson.


Mt. Finlayson Marker


Mt. Baker from Mt. Finlayson

Coming down the back of the mountain was much less steep, but the down side was you end up walking some two miles down a winding, narrow blacktop road, which is less than pleasant. I did pass a farm with llamas and a goat, though, so I got a great up-close picture of a friendly llama. He did have two ears, his right one just happened to be folded back.


Hello, Llama

So finally, I'll leave you with this self-portrait I took while on the seaplane. I believe it is fine expression of me having a good time.


A Self Portrait

Billy Goat Trail Hike

It's been awhile since I went hiking, but I managed to pull one off this past Saturday. I went with Olympia, Gregory, Katerina, and Buck to the Billy Goat Trail, Section A in particular. The trail runs along the Great Falls section of the Potomac River and starts at a trailhead that's only a twenty minute drive from my house.

The Maryland bank has huge rock piles along the edge of Mather Gorge.

Mather Gorge

While the complete circuit is only about 3.8 miles, I ended up as exhausted as on the eight mile hikes I did last year. Some of that is probably from being a bit of a slacker when it comes to exercise lately, but the difficulty of clambering over boulders also had a lot to do with it. However, unlike Cunningham Falls, where I went with Gregory earlier in the year, this hike raised my liking for the Maryland outdoors.


Potomac River

Olympia (with some occasional help from me or Buck) spent a fair amount of the hike helping Gregory up or down the most rugged terrain, although the following picture certainly suggests it wasn't so hard she couldn't get a glamorous smile in at the same time.


Olympia, Helpin' and Grinnin'

It was also nice to have a chance to hang out with Buck outside of the office.


Buck on a Rock

About two thirds of the way through the hike, there's an "emergency exit" that takes hikers that are too tired back to the towpath that leads back to the trailhead along the canal. Olympia took the kids that way, while Buck and I pushed on to what ended up being the much rougher last third. I slipped at one point and came down really hard on my shin on a rock outcropping, turning a hunk of it into a nasty hamburger looking wound that required a stop to clean off some blood and use (for the first time since I bought it) the first aid kit I always carry on hikes. I don't have a picture of that, although Buck took one I probably won't share once I get a copy.

Oh, no activity involving photography and Katerina would be complete without her getting her chance to pose, so here's one of her:


Katerina and the Muddy Creek Bed

All in all, this was a good time, about four hours out in the hot, summer sun. It's a strenuous hike and probably was a bit much for Gregory, but I recommend this one to anyone that can go.

Visiting Other Countries

I visited a bunch of other countries today. It was remarkably easy. My office is in a building on Connecticut Avenue in northwest Washington, DC. The area is sometimes called "Embassy Row" because so many embassies are within a short distance of one another.

I went to lunch with Buck about ten blocks away, so we walked by a bunch of them. As we were doing so, I recalled that embassies are considered foreign soil, part of the countries they represent, so as we passed each I made a point of stepping onto the first step or driveway or whatever of a bunch of them, then quickly stepping back into the United States. That's right, sneaking back and forth across the border with no more documentation than my driver's license and not even showing that.

I visited Bulgaria, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, and Estonia. I would have visited more, but I didn't think of it until we were on our way back from lunch. Too bad I didn't even get stupid T-shirts.

Trip Complete!

Unlike the first twelve days or so of my trip, the last five were about visiting with old friends. From Memphis, I went to Birmingham, Alabama and spent time with my friend Bobby, a guy I've known for many years, since he was sculpting for DemonBlade Games, my miniature wargaming company. We played games, both board games and World of Warcraft, pretty much non-stop for two days. That is at least one flavor of what I consider the essence of a good time.

Next, I went to Atlanta, Georgia and spent about a day and a half with another wargaming friend, Dave. Dave lives in this incredibly cool converted warehouse, a type of living quarters I've always wanted to try that has also been a difficult thing to try while raising kids. That visit meant more games!

Charlotte, North Carolina was next where I visited Ray. Ray's not a game-player, but that doesn't mean he isn't a great guy. (Heh, heh - Ray, I hope you're reading this!) I met Ray's girlfriend, Elaine, and her daughter, Kaitlin, too. It was very relaxing to spend some time with them and I actually pulled out my guitar from the back of my Jeep and gave Kaitlin a lesson while I was there. The whole "we all get up at 5:30am" thing was just awful, but that's what I get for visiting on a weekday.

After Charlotte, I made the last drive of the trip, home to Rockville, Maryland and Olympia and the kids. I was pumped up with adrenalin in anticipation of finally getting there, so I picked up a hitchhiker just a short way north of Charlotte, both to help him out and give me some distraction from just sitting there driving. He gave me the name "Texas" and went on pretty much non-stop with some youthfully idealistic political views of the sort a self-proclaimed anarchist tends to spew. He was clearly a bright kid, so I hope he wakes up to reality one of these days. He also took it well when I poked a little fun at his ownership of a cell phone and the conflict with anarchist principles.

I dropped off Texas in northern Virginia, just half-an-hour from home and then proceeded to surprise Olympia at work, hours before she was expecting me to show up. If you ever want to feel cared for, take a little time away. The coming back is great. If it backfires, though, I hope you'll have learned something else equally important.

I didn't really get to surprise the kids the way I wanted. I'd estimated my arrival for Friday and ended up making it there two days earlier. I wasn't going to tell them, but just show up, but I couldn't so easily keep Olympia in the dark. Unfortunately, she told her mother, Elizabeth overheard her telling her mother, and her mother went and told Katerina and Gregory even though she'd been told not to do so. Some people are just so good at spoiling things. Grrrr!

All-in-all, I was on the road about two-and-a-half weeks and drove 5,265 miles. I am so glad I took this opportunity rather than, say, working an extra two weeks at Microsoft and then flying. I had new experiences, refreshed my love for the country I live in, reconnected with old friends not spoken to for too long, and disconnected from the work setting long enough that I was happy to be going back to it. I highly recommend such things to everyone.

Graceland

Friday, I went to Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. I've never been a big Elvis fan. He died when I was only eight years old and my dad was more into classical and folk music. The hype and furor around Elvis to me always seemed pretty crazy, something I couldn't grasp.


Graceland

I still don't grasp the lunatic fringe element, even after a visit to Graceland, so don't expect me to show up with big sideburns and a rhinestone-encrusted jumpsuit. But I do understand better why Elvis was loved by so many. This was a down-to-earth everyman who also happened to have a cutting-edge (for the time) musical talent and awesome stage presence. He was also clearly a dedicated family man and incredibly generous with the fruits of his success.

I went to Graceland curious and expecting kitsch. That was there, but then, it was the '70s after all. I came away with more insight and a new-found respect. Graceland is a must-see on any tour of Americana. You needn't go now, but do go.

St. Louis

It took me two days to get from Roswell, New Mexico to St. Louis, Missouri. It's a long drive with nothing much I wanted to stop and see along the way, at least that I knew about. I pushed through to Joplin, Missouri the first day of driving, which is almost 700 miles. That gave me an easy day to St. Louis as a follow-up.

That evening, with some time to kill, I ended up first talking to, then wandering around downtown drinking with a fellow named Dan. Here he is:


Dan

He'd come to St. Louis to see the Rolling Stones play. Apparently, he and a friend go to see the Stones whenever they tour, although this time his friend was unable to get a ticket to the show, so didn't show up. Looking at him and hearing him talk, my first guess was that Dan was a musician himself (or perhaps a pirate?), but it turns out he's a retired social worker with an MBA. I love it when people don't look like what you'd expect from their careers. We did quite a bit of drinking and generally had a good time talking about music, the differences between St. Louis and other cities, and career stuff. I guess it pays to be naturally gregarious!

I'd gone to St. Louis because I'd always wanted to see the St. Louis Arch. St. Louis is also where the Lewis & Clark expedition set out from. Talk about an adventure! I would someday like to follow their trek on horseback if I could.

The Arch is an incredible structure and did not disappoint despite my high expectations. I took a lot of pictures, and I'll share below some of the ones I think are particularly interesting, leaving out the obligatory full view, as you can find many pictures of that on the Internet that are likely much better. I think the Arch is more interesting to photograph from odd angles and in parts. The first is the view from the one window in my hotel room where I can see any of it, the rest are from walking around near it, plus one shot of the Old Courthouse across the street from it.


Hotel Arch View


North Base


A More Interesting View


The Old Courthouse

Roswell

I didn't feel I could very well pass through New Mexico without going to Roswell. I've been a big fan of the X-Files, and before that I used to watch this old show with a name I can't remember where an Air Force officer went around investigating UFO sightings. The subject is fascinating to me, just like the subject of ghosts. These are things I want to know are true but have never seen a shred of evidence proving them to my satisfaction. Like going on the Ghost Tour of Winchester in Virginia last year, I had to go see the UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell.

If you aren't familiar with the Roswell Incident, a purported crash of an extraterrestrial spacecraft subsequently covered up by our government, there's a comprehensive Wikipedia article on the subject.

Regardless of the truth behind what happened, the residents of Roswell seem to both take the international fame of their town with a cheerful attitude and certainly don't mind the extra tourist income it brings in. Note the streetlight in front of the museum in this picture - it wasn't just because it was in front of the museum; a lot of the streetlights had the alien head look.


UFO Museum and Research Center

There were also a lot of alien references in business names, like "Alien Records" that sells used vinyl albums, CDs, and DVDs. Several businesses with signs out in front, including McDonald's, included the words, "Aliens welcome!"

Inside the museum, the curators have done a good job assembling a lot of material about the Roswell Incident, of course, since the founders of the museum were directly involved. The presentation of the materials, in many cases, though are rather cheesy and amateur, so you can tell this is not a museum with large funding grants behind it. I couldn't help but wonder if they couldn't get Paul Allen to help out if they simply asked. Allen funded the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame in Seattle and it seemed like half the exhibits in the place were out of his own personal collection. They ought to at least ask if they haven't. Here's the display at the entrance when you first come in:


In the UFO Museum

This museum involves a lot of reading, and that's even if you don't go into the library archives that make up the "Research Center" half of the place. There was, however, one thing I found particularly interesting that tied into stuff I'd done a couple days before. This wood panel was on exhibit:


Wood Panel of Early Spaceship?

There was information with this panel that described why there are some that believe it is a carving showing a Native American pilot from hundreds of years ago guiding a spaceship off-planet.

Apparently, this piece was carved shortly before the disappearance of the Mogollon, the people that inhabited the Gila Cliff Dwellings, and other tribes. At least, the original of this carving was from then. There was an unfortunate lack of information about whether this panel was the original or not, but I tried comparing the photograph of it that was in a framed magazine article on the subject and the actual panel on display. There were small but clear differences, which when combined with the lack of any glass protection preventing visitors from touching the panel leads me to suspect this was an unlabeled reproduction.

There are other interpretations of the symbols, but I can't help but wonder if perhaps it's true that these tribal groups went off into space. There are quite a few unexplained things about them and their disappearance that are consistent with the concept. With some extraterrestrial help, it could be.

The museum left me with more questions rather than less, but I'm glad I went. Especially since I also got a couple of cool T-shirts and some guitar picks with alien eyes printed on them, you know, just to help out the museum.