Syracusa: Paolo Orsi and the Ruins

After our night on Mt Etna, we took a route south to the town of Syracusa. Syracusa is both a modern and an ancient city. The modern city houses the Paolo Orsi Museum, full of Sicilian artifacts. We spent the morning visiting the museum and its extensive collections of Greek and roman artifacts. Statuary and pottery predominated the nonetheless varied collections. After the museum in the modern city, we were ready to visit the ancient city nearby.

As we approached the entrance, we saw the Altar of Hieron, a long raised platform, which was used in the ritual sacrifice of large numbers of animals.

After entering, we made our way to the Greek amphitheatre. The amphitheatre, rather than being built up from cut stone, was carved into the hill itself. In parts it has quite eroded, but in others is in surprisingly good shape.

Behind and above the amphitheatre runs a portion of ancient road, and niches in the rock, which were sepulchers, and possibly some also food vendors for audiences attending the plays below. One little niche even had water routed through it by the Greeks to form a beautiful grotto, and that water continues to flow today. As the road winds away form the amphitheater into restricted areas, it is rutted with ancient wagon wheels.

In addition to the ruins of structures, there is also an ancient quarry here known as the Quarry of Paradise, because withing this large pit's walls grows an abundance of tropical plants today. A path leads down into the quarry, which once served to trap Greek prisoners who mined the rock.

Towards the back of the quarry lies the curiously carved ear of Ear of Dionysus referring not to the god but to a ruler who was said to have put his ear to the trumpet-like cave to hear the plotting of the prisoners below.

Home of BigFoot

A trip to New Orleans lives up to all expectations. As we headed down south towards the city, we stopped first for a visit to Honey Island Swamp near Slidell, Louisiana. The tour took us up the river in search of alligators, of which we saw several. Some came close to our boat for the treat that the boats were offering: marshmallows. along the edges of the water and flying overhead we saw herons and egrets. We turned down a narrow oxbow of the main river, and eventually arrived within sight of some housing for the natives. Small, shanty like homes whose only access was by boat, accompanied by a house boat that had been overwhelmed by the Katrina flood waters, and lay half submerged, which was nothing compared to the entire home that lay out in a marsh, having been carried there by the storm surge from its foundations further upstream. After that, our boat turned up into a narrow channel, where the water was covered with duckweed, and Spanish moss hung down in streams from the trees. While there had been ample wildlife out on the open river, it was strangely silent among the knob kneed cypress trees. We finally returned to dock, and we were on our was south to the Big Easy.

A little train ride in New Zealand

We walked out of the airport, into the cool morning air, and over to our car, which was very near the entrance. The rental was with Thrifty, but since there was not a Thrifty branch at the airport, and we were arriving outside their hours, they had delivered the car to the parking lot, and left the keys with the airport's information desk. As Jake went to the machine to pay the parking, I settled us in the car. Then I got into the passenger seat, where our driver's seat usually is, and Jake got into the driver's where the passenger's seat usually is. Without further ado, we were on our way to our first destination. Now because we it took us an hour and a half to get out of the airport, we did have to rearrange our overly optimistic schedule. This was anticipated, and I even had alternate directions printed.

We had a reservation for the 10:15 AM train ride on the Driving Creek Railway. Driving Creek started out as a pottery. The owner gradually build a rather extensive narrow gauge rail system for his collection of clay from the hillsides. The rail finally developed to such a point, that it was opened as a tourist attraction, as a fun and unique way to explore the semi-tropical rain forest.

Our first stop when we arrived on the main street in Coromandel was at a little cafe for breakfast. Here we were first impressed with the Euro/American juxtaposition of this corner of the world. The main street was lined with low flat fronted buildings, most with steel awnings over the wide sidewalks, a setting that would fit in many small American towns. but the wide windows at the front of the store were flung open to the cool morning air, which is not so common here at home. Inside were a smattering of cheap tables and cheap chairs, like you'd find in your average ma and pa place, but the meat pies in the serve yourself case were not like anything you find here at home. And while the man at the table looked like the average American farmer, the voices coming over the radio, a call-in want-ad show, had a tenor to them that was decidedly not a southern drawl.

We picked out some meat pies and settled down to eat. While I have to say I loved the meat pies, Jake was not so impressed. After eating, we headed up the road just a little way to the parking lot for Driving Creek. We took out time wandering about a bit, as it was only just time to open, and still an hour before our scheduled departure. We saw out first Tui on some flax flowers, and our first Silver Ferns up close. We found that there is a short trail into the forest, and as we explored we learned the names of trees we would see throughout out trip. Recently planted Kauri trees, with their tiny leaves, the Rimu which resemble weeping fir trees, Nikau palms, and the impressive fern trees, all of which combined with damp air and quit to give the forest a Jurassic air.

After exploring the short trail, and the somewhat dilapidated sculpture garden, we settled in to watch a video on the owner and creator of the track system. Finally, the time came to board the little train, and make our way up the hill. The train winds past more than just the green forest however.

There was sculpture along the way, and retaining walls built from wine and beer bottles. There was a tunnel decorated with terra cotta, and even a double decker bridge.

There were also several switchbacks, there the train literally drove into a dead end, switched the tracks, then continued in reverse to the switch. After a brief stop at an older overlook, we continued the last leg of the journey to the ultimate lookout point, the eye-full tower. As we were to discern from the witty names of many shops and restaurants we would see throughout our trip, New Zealaner's love a good pun. The views from the top were impressive, showing the rolling hills covered in rain forest and the blue sea to the north. After returning to the train, we retraced our steps and returned to the base of the hill and our car, to head for our next destination, also on the beautiful Coromandel Peninsula, the Cathedral Cove at Hahei

Yellowstone: worth staying inn

After our long day of hiking, we were very glad to arrive at the Old Faithful Inn. Originally constructed in 1904, with wings later added in 1915 and 1927, the Old Faithful in is an enormous log cabin, with a touch of early 20Th century charm. Starving, we hurriedly checked in, put our things in our small room, and, having hardly looked around us, we headed straight for some food as we hadn't eaten anything since our meager breakfast outside pictograph cave early that morning.

Foregoing the hotel restaurant in favor of quicker eats, we headed to the cafeteria. Here, we were disappointed by the quality of the food, the cost, and the service, but food is food, and we were starved (how do you mess up chili cheese fries and a burger?) Full, we headed back to the hotel.

The hotel is nothing short of incredible. Old Faithful Inn, made of log, was built in a time when National Parks were still new, and enjoyed immensely by the wealthy elite, and it shows. The 65 ft ceiling of the lobby is beautiful and impressive, nothing but gleaming natural wood. High at the top lies a small booth for the band that once entertained, though it is no longer safe, due to earthquakes in the area, Yellowstone is the caldera of a massive volcano after all. There is a massive fireplace in the center, and everything is lit with glowing yellow lamp light. Our room was small, and, as the cheapest one available, was equipped only with a sink. Well, there was also a bear in our room... He was made of soap, and lives in my bathroom now. There was a bathroom with chrome, and black and white checked tiles down the hall, and showers were located upstairs in a room done in brown tile and wood. Though we needed the shower, we decided to sit for a while on a bench, on a balcony facing over the lobby, and enjoy the piano being played on another level. I can't tell you what was played, but it made me feel like it was a century earlier.

Eventually we had to admit we were exhausted, and had an early day again tomorrow, so we donned the fluffy white robes provided in our rooms, and headed to the showers. Walking back to the room through the now empty halls, I couldn't help but feel I owned the place. I can't wait to go back. When I am semi retired, I'll be working over the summer here, perhaps, and spend long lazy evenings listening to piano by the light of the fire.

Montgomery Bell and Foggy Bottom

In early spring of last year, we headed out with a couple of friends for a weekend at Montgomery Bell State Park, east of Nashville, and canoeing on the Harpeth river. We arrived at Montgomery Bell Saturday morning, secured our campsite, and set up our tents. Then after lunch, we headed out a trail which connects to the back edge of the iron ore pits and ultimately leads to small and picturesque lake. The trail winds though a typical Tennessee hardwood forest of Maple and Oak, and a forest floor covered with a thicket of last falls leaves and this years new growth, including some blooming may apples, and some unidentified purple flowers as well.

After returning to our campsite, we started up a fire and cooked up dinner. We shared a bit in each others food, making a feast of pulled pork sandwiches, campfire grilled corn on the cob, and smoked turkey legs which led to some complications with utensils that were mostly resolved. And what campfire would be complete without s'mores? When the fire had died down, we all turned in to sleep.

In the morning we broke camp after cold breakfasts, and headed for the Foggy Bottom Canoe Rentals. Despite the fact that the sky threatened rain, we opted to rent a couple canoes and do the 13 mile trip. We enjoyed the start of the trip a great deal, and were having a pretty good time periodically stopping at rock bars along the green river's banks to fish and explore. Then the rain came, and at first it didn't seem too bad. We stopped under some trees to eat, but inevitably, it came time to continue on, and it was still raining. Canoeing in the rain is not so bad if you have a poncho or rain coat, but none of us did. But even being soaked to the bone, as I know I eventually was, might even be welcome if it had been summer, but in early spring, I know I at least was a little miserable.

Which is a shame, because it really is a beautiful river, and I was only dimly aware of it, much more focused on paddling in a steady rhythm to get us back as quickly as possible. Still, there is much to be said about the overhanging trees, and many birds, the deep green water, and red clay cut banks which surrounded us. Maybe this year I will give the Harpeth a second chance, a little later in the year.

A really long flight into the future

On Halloween of 2008 we woke and prepared for a day more nerve wracking than any haunted house. We were going to the airport and heading for New Zealand. After moving through the check in lines and security scans, we visited the food court for some breakfast Stromboli, then we were ready to settle in and wait for our flight. As 9:38 am central time rolled around, our plane to Chicago had still not arrived. The flight was delayed. If we had layovers in Chicago that were an hour or shorter, please approach the desk. Well, our layover was an hour and 17 minutes. After others had approached the desk, we ventured to ask about the situation. The woman at the desk gave us vouchers we could use for the next flight to San Francisco from Chicago, if we arrived too late to take the one we were scheduled for. Eventually, we boarded the plane, but landed with only minutes to catch our originally booked flights. Fortunately, there were seats on the next flight to San Francisco, and the lady at the desk in Chicago gave us tickets to that, then we were waiting again. We took the opportunity to have lunch at the Billy Goat Tavern. Then it was on to San Francisco. Fortunately, our actual flight to New Zealand did not leave until 7pm, and while our original layover of 3 hours and 45 minutes had been seriously reduced, we still had enough time to catch our flight, though they were already boarding when we arrived. It's lucky we had the long layovers that we did, because missing that plane would have delayed us an additional day. Due to the delays, we were particularly paranoid about being separated from our luggage, but Yoda at the desk for our New Zealand flight was able to confirm that our luggage had been scanned and put on the plane before we took off, this was Halloween after all.

Finally, we were on the main stretch of flight. The flight over, while a code share with United was actually operated by Air New Zealand, and was very nice. The massive double decker plane was fully equipped with personal screens to watch a selection of movies or television, play games, or listen to music, as well as watch all the info about the plane and its location. We were served snacks, dinner and breakfast, as well as beverages, which included the standards of coke, but also had wine and beer options at no cost. This wasn't first class, just a really long flight. We were fortunate enough also, to have front row seats, so Jake had plenty of leg room. The flight was so long, we had time to watch 3 entire movies, eat, and catch several hours of sleep. We watched Dark Knight, Wall-e, and Wanted. I highly recommend Air New Zealand. Our experience with United was far less impressive. Fortunately, because this was an international flight, the new fees for luggage did not apply.

Finally, we landed, but our ordeal wasn't quite over yet. First we had to collect our baggage, then we had to wait in a line at customs to get our passports stamped. Then, because New Zealand is a smallish island country, dedicated to protecting its unique ecology from the fungus and bacteria of the rest of the world, we had to go through a few more lines. We had to let them inspect our boots, and hand over our tent for inspection, then go through another line to have our luggage x-rayed for prohibited items (wood, dirt, bone, etc) then we had to wait for our tent to be inspected so we could get it back. Meanwhile, Jake acquired the keys to our rental car. Finally our tent was ready, and we were set to go. It was 6 AM. We had spent roughly 27 hours traveling from Nashville to Auckland. But Auckland was 17 hours ahead of Nashville. So, while we left San Francisco at 7 PM of a Friday night, we didn't land until 6 AM Sunday Morning in Auckland, while it was still only 1 PM Saturday back home.

The rest of this story takes place in the future....

Eh Boo Boo?

After leaving Pictograph Cave, we finally arrived at the North Entrance to Yellowstone, located at the edge of a small town called Gardiner.A large stone gate guards the entrance. Once inside the park, we drove to the first major stop, Mammoth Springs. As we turned into the area, we noticed a nice green median between the lanes with two lifelike statues of elk, except they weren't statues at all, they were just very, very still real elk. Immediately to the right was the rest of the small herd. resting on the green grass in the shade of some trees, and in the company of picnic tables. There was a male with a rack larger than I've seen on elk elsewhere, and a calf ambling about.

Beyond the elk stood Mammoth Springs. It is essentially a large mass of calcite deposits from the water which seeps continually over them. It creates complex patterns of travertine ridges holding shallow pools of steaming water. There are no real geysers in this area, just this massive rock created by the spring. We explored the face of the springs by a short trail, then returned to the car for a drive around a loop to explore the upper terraces area. Having become thoroughly familiar with a landscape that is echoed throughout the park, of dead standing trees, yellow and pure white stone, and steaming water, we continued south into the park.

As we continued south we passed several lesser geological features, including the Roaring Mountain, a belching and gurgling hole in a hillside, our fist acquaintance with a fumarole. Swinging right towards Madison, we came to the Artist's Paint Pots. Paint pots are my favorite thing about active areas like Yellowstone. Acidic vats of liquid rock that plop and gurgle, I could watch them for hours, but we didn't have that kind of time. Back in the car we headed to the Fountain Paint pot Trail. It also features a fumarole that opened during a not too long ago earthquake, and several geysers. The land is alive here. All along the roads are small geysers, hot springs, and fumaroles. The smell isn't pleasant, but it's not as bad as you might think.

After the paint pots, we took the Fire hole Lake drive, and stopped to view Fire hole Falls. As we passed Great Fountain Geyser, one of the somewhat predictable, and large geysers, we saw that it might erupt soon, so we decided to stop and wait for it. This geyser erupts only twice a day (on average) and we were lucky to only have to wait 20 minutes for it. Old Faithful is by far NOT the largest geyser in the park, and this one far outstrips it. It sends up huge amounts of water, spreads massive clouds of sulfur smelling steam into the crowd. It died down somewhat after about 20 minutes, and we took that as our cue to move on. It was late afternoon at this point, but we still had a lot on our plate.

Our next stop was the Midway Geyser Basin. This consists primarily of two large features. The first is Excelsior Geyser. Though now it is mostly a hot spring, there was a time when it erupted hugely. It is the size of maybe a fishing pond, and is a rocky Mediterranean coastline in miniature. The edges are steep, dark and craggy, the water a perfect blue. The other feature is the more famous Grand Prismatic Spring, the perfect example of a hot spring, clear blue at the center, surrounded by rings of vivid color, ending with a broad red outer ring. The colors define regions where different bacteria thrive in the range of water temperatures, and lend their color to the rocks.

As we were heading back to the car, from the Grand Prismatic Spring, we approached the wooden bridge that crosses the trout filled stream between the springs and the parking lot. As we neared the bridge we noticed, a bird of prey flying towards the stream. It's distinctive black and white markings gave it away as an Osprey, the first we had ever seen. Suddenly the bird bent his wings, and was momentarily motionless over the water, almost beyond believability. Then, the spell was broken and he dived down to the stream, shearing the top of the water with his talons, but he came up empty handed. He then circled a little farther down stream, and repeated the show, this time disappearing behind the trees as he dropped. When he rose, he gripped a trout, its head in one claw, it's tail in the other, the body of the fish making a bright shining U in the afternoon sun. I was hoping he would land nearby to eat, but he instead flew far away, out of sight over a nearby hill.

At this point, we were loosing light fast, but we still wanted to see one more thing: Mystic Falls, off the Upper Geyser Basin Loop. This loop has several smaller geysers, though we didn't have the time to pause and look at them, as we headed towards the back of the loop, and the spur that led to the falls. The area was beautiful. a stream to our left, and across the stream, an area of high canopy forest, with grassy undergrowth, then a steep wall. to our right was another steep rise, forming a narrow valley. We were at this point power hiking. I was totally out of breath due to the altitude, but we pushed on, anxious to get to the falls, and back out before dark, in this, prime grizzly country. Fortunately, the trail was not too long, perhaps a mile, or less, and we finally reached the falls. a broad rush of water dropping probably 30 or 40 feet, from one level of the valley floor to another. We went only far enough to overlook the falls, then headed quickly back to the car. Finally, done with our activities for the day, we were ready to head for the Old Faithful Inn

Pictograph Cave

After spending the night comfortably in our car, north of Billings, Montana, we woke up with the sun and headed south into town. We stopped to get gas and breakfast at a little gas station. We then headed to the entrance of Pictograph Cave, but found we were a few minutes early, so we sat and waited for the ranger to arrive and open the gate. Meanwhile, coyotes could be heard yipping in the distance. Finally the ranger arrived, and we drove up to the parking lot. After the ranger settle himself in his trailer, he came out to take our entry fee and talk to us. I think he was a little curious why we would be there so early in the morning. When we mentioned we'd be heading to Yellowstone in the afternoon, he seemed skeptical that such a thing was possible.

The park is small, having just a simple loop trail, that leads up and past 3 shallow caves in the face of a cliff. There is a little guide book that describes what you see at various markers, as you make your way around. At this early hour, there was a herd of bunnies in the one flat area adorned with picnic tables. They were everywhere. You have never seen so many bunnies in your life. Despite the surrounding grasslands, this sloping area is still mostly scrub. There were also a lot of birds nearby, including cliff swallows, in their little mud homes, and circling hawks. The primary attraction here is the pictographs left on the wall by the former residents of the cave. After taking a leisurely walk in the early morning light, and just as other visitors were starting to arrive, we headed off for Yellowstone.

Botanical Gardens Plus

On the south western edge of Nashville lies a wonderful and varied botanical garden. With gardens showcasings herbs, dogwoods, and native Tennessee wildflowers, as well as more formal japanese, perenial, and terrace gardens. Easter is a fabulous time to visit with some of the best flowers in bloom, and bees buzzing. The landscape also features some tranquil ponds, and enough room to spread out a picnic blanket, let the little ones roam, or toss a frisbee. There is also a visitors center facility, with room for botanical showcases.

But Cheekwood is not just a botanical garden, it also has a very beautiful mansion, which is actually the Cheekwood Museum of Art, which houses not just some interesting permanent collections, but also has space for traveling exhibitions. Since March of 2007 it has housed a beautiful and petit collection of faberge, including 3 of the famous eggs as well as other delicacies. That exhibit is currenlty ongoing.

In addition to all this is the woodland sculpture trail, a combination of the two different aspects of Cheekwood. This gentle trail wanders through a periwinkle carpeted forest leading to several interesting, unique, and modern sculptures, which were captivating even to my more classical and traditional art oriented mind.

Cheekwood is a real gem, and not to be missed on a beautiful spring day. Admission is perhaps a little steep at $10 per adult, but for the right art exhibit, the price is more than fair. for more information, check out Cheekwood's Website

My Days Down Under

For the first 3 weeks of November in 2008, we were fortunate enough to visit New Zealand and Sydney, Australia.

New Zealander's must be very proud of themselves for keeping this place such a secret. Perhaps it is protected by it's distance from the U.S. but it definitely isn't the first place that would come to most Americans' minds if I were to start talking about fantastic mountains, long hikes, glaciers, very impressive rain forests, and incredible fjords. Jake has always put a priority on going here, and I have always put a priority on seeing glow worms. I never knew that this is where they are. That's why we chose New Zealand, over Australia to accompany our visit to the Sydney area to see friends.

As we read about New Zealand, about the many outdoor activities, the wildlife, and the natural landscape, we both became pretty excited. But nothing really prepared us for just how awesome this place is. And what's really fabulous is that, while the location, flora, and fauna my be far flung and exotic, thanks to colonialism, the culture mostly isn't. Don't get me wrong, the Maori add a distinctive island flare, but the culture is British, with a frontier attitude. In fact, New Zealand is reminiscent of the U.S. in some ways, strongly British, or European in others.

Take for instance the small towns, with most businesses set up along a single main street. Comfortably American, with little of the European architectural flair, or confused backstreets and alley ways. However, on that street sits a Cafe, where you can get precooked items ready to go, especially deserts, and meat pies. Yet there at the counter sits an older farmer, indistinguishable in his worn overalls and muddy boots with a bit of middle aged paunch, from his American Counterpart. If nations like England and Germany are our ancestors, New Zealand feels much like a cousin, or perhaps a long lost sibling.

I also visited Sydney. And, while I visit much of New Zealand in the two short weeks I was there, and do feel I got a fair representation of the entire country, my visit to Australia falls far short. My visit was more or less limited to the Sydney area, and it would be no more fair for me to make judgement on the concept of what the country is like, than is would be for an Australian to do having visited only New York City. We are both large countries, and varied. Still having seen Sydney, and spent a good deal of time at various wildlife centers, whale watching, clubs, a dog race, and a fair amount of time riding trains, I will say this: It compares well with other cities of its size. It is fairly clean, and has a safe feeling. It has a few entertaining street performers in the touristy spots, and quit a few people. It has a new and shiny feel to it, perhaps thanks to the recent Olympic games, and ironically, the next closest city I can think of is Atlanta, GA. Perhaps because I have also spent a fair amount of time in aquariums and on trains in that city as well.

Stick around and I'll update you on what makes both New Zealand and Sydney worth visiting.

The Hermitage, Jackson's Home

The Hermitage, once the home of General and President Andrew Jackson, is now a well maintained historical site, museum, and interpretive center. We chose to visit for nostalgia's sake when the we found out the Hermitage was participating in the Smithsonian Museum Day. We were each given a audio tour device, and made our way to the colonnaded home. We arrived in the afternoon, and didn't have time to visit the museum in the visitor's center. The audio guide informed us about the grounds as we made our way to the house, and once inside, we were led by guides dressed in period clothes.

After the indoor tour, we wandered the grounds, explored the slave cabins, which had once been the family home, and enjoyed the opportunity to pick a little cotton. Cotton is a bizarre and fabulous plant that I can't quite believe is real. Having grown up in the area, I had of course spent a few field trips here, and it was interesting to see how it has grown since my childhood, with a more modern visitors center, and more recent excavation work.

Overall, this was an entertaining activity (especially for the price) and I think that the Hermitage does merit at least a half day's visit for those touring the area. As a former President's home, it's an important part of history. It is also informative about the style of life at the time, and walking the grounds about the home provides a perspective on the scale of an operational farming household at the time.

Rodin: A Magnificent Obsession

On September 29, 2008, we visited the Frist because it was participating in the Smithsonian Museum Day, and, like the Smithsonian, was offering free admission. The most interesting display was an exhibit on Rodin. The museum's information on the exhibit, which unfortunately closed earlier this month is located here. The works were very interesting, as was a video and display helping to explain the process of casting bronze. I think what I like most about the artist is his recapturing some of the greatness of sculptors from the Italian Renaissance, right down to the more commercial aspects. Wikipedia has a very good entry located here, which discusses many of the works, examples of which are included in this very nice collection.

For those who may be interested in seeing the collection, and I do recommend it, it has moved to the LSU Museum of Art.

The Night on Etna

After leaving the ferry in Messina, we headed for our

hotel for the night on the side of Mt. Etna. The autostrasse was a series of tunnels and mountain hugging curves, until we exited and began the drive up the volcano itself. The hotel we were headed for was the Milomax, located in the small town of Milo. The hotel is a small two storey building the sits right on the edge of the road. We were more tired than hungry at this point, and after being led to our rooms headed almost straight to bed, after a brief bit of difficulty with the owner, who wanted to know if we wanted lunch the next day, and who we didn't understand until I finally had the sense to get out my dictionary.



In the morning we woke and loaded out things back into our tiny car, and realized that the roads were not black with wetness as I had assumed the night before, but with a layer or sooty ash which covered most surfaces, this being the remnant of Etna's most recent eruption beforehand. This being the 6Th of July 2007, and the

volcano having erupted as recently as May 7Th, and being a fairly active volcano in general.

After a simple breakfast of hot tea and cookie/biscuits spread with some sort of chocolate butter, we explored a bit around our hotel.
From the small plaza near out hotel, which was also covered with a layer of ash, we could see the smokey peak of the volcano, still some distance away. While it had initially been proposed to take a somewhat longer course and drive a way around the volcano, we ultimately decided that at this distance, there was not enough to be seen to merit taking the extra time. So Instead we turned south and headed towards the ruins and the museum in Syracusa

An Afternoon In Reggio Calabria

After a wonderful morning in Matera, we arrived in Reggio Calabria. Reggio Calabria is an urban center on the very toe of the boot of Italy. What brought us was the museum here. There is information on Italian Wikipedia, which might be useful if only for the few pictures it provides, as we did not take any pictures in this museum.

This museum populated by glass cases filled with artifacts of the Greek era. Upstairs are cases displaying ancient coins, but the real draw is downstairs. Here, Amidst the old wine shipping bottles known as amphora are ancient Greek bronze sculptures. There are two heads, those of a philosopher, and a head from Basel (Italian Basilea). In a separate room lie the real treasures: two nearly complete bronze statues, known as the Riace Bronzes. Discovered by a scuba diver, little is known of the bronzes, either who they represent, or how they came to be in the sea, but they are famous because original bronzes sculptures from Greece, particularly complete or nearly complete are a rare find, especially as compared to their much more common marble reproductions.

Thoroughly satisfied with our visit, we headed back to our car. Along the way we passed a gelateria, and stopped in to the crowded shop to get a couple of cones. I struggled between an Amaretto flavor and a coffee flavor. After settling on the mocha, the man at the counter was kind enough to satisfy my curiosity by giving me a small plastic spoon with a scoop of the amaretto to boot, unasked. Italian hospitality. We sat on the edge of a retainer wall that circled the landscaping in a roundabout nearby and enjoyed our gelatto and the evening sunshine.

After our "meal" we headed to the port to board our ferry just across the way to Messina, on the island of Sicily.

Sassi Di Matera

After our night among the
Trulli of Alberobello, we headed to the city of Matera to see another type of housing, the Sassi. Matera is a picturesque city with an ancient feel to it that is more middle eastern than Italian, a fact apparently noted by Mel Gibson, as this is where he chose to film the Passion of the Christ. In no small part thanks to that filming, this city has seen an increase in tourism lately and has been thus revitalized from a slum of 50 years ago to a vacation city today.

The city is built of many small buildings piled one atop another and wall to wall up a jagged rocky point, and many are actually built into that rock. Towards the top of the point stands a tiny church built mostly into the wall. Another, larger, church stands at the base of the point, separated from the jumble by a narrow cobbled street and wedged against the edge of a river's ravine that winds by the city. The town is all of one color and one stone, a pale tan tufa.

These houses, and their more primitive relatives on the hills across the ravine are the Sassi. From prehistoric times, man has been carving caves into these hills to live in. Over time, some had walls built in front of them, and the interiors developed into complex systems of living in small spaces, with all the conveniences of a bedroom, kitchen, living space, and even a barn all wrapped up into 1 room.

In the 1950's, many people were
thrown out, as the area had become depressed and something of a slum. You would never guess it from today's rustic splendor. We spent our small amount of time wandering the street and paying a cheap fee for entry to one of the Sassi, which, through a prerecorded message discussed many of the features of the sassi as they would have been used about 100 years ago.

While there are options to stay in one of these homes, and also many more individual places to visit here, our schedule dictated that we move on, but I was sad to leave so soon such a beautiful and interesting place.

Dollywood

For my 2008 birthday, I was treated to my first trip to Dollywood, a theme park near Pigeon Forge and the Smokey Mountains National Park, in eastern Tennessee. While I've been to the area several times, I had never been to the amusement park. Dollywood, as you may guess, is operated by Tennessee's own, Dolly Parton. For those who may have had the good fortune to visit Opryland in Nashville while it was still operating, Dollywood is very similarly themed. Throughout the park are sound stages for musical performances, and there is a stage show featuring birds of prey, and an eagle sanctuary. But as with any theme park the main attractions are the rides. We arrived late in the day, as late admission allows you to return the next day.

The first ride we rode was a fire house ride called Blazing Fury, which tries to emulate Splash Mountain of Disneyland, but isn't quit as fun. After that we went to ride the Tennessee Tornado. This roller coaster is short but fun, and is one we rode on repeatedly. Unfortunately, for the duration of our stay, both the Mystery Mine Roller coaster and the Timber Tower were closed. When we arrived on the first day, Daredevil Falls, the log ride that ends with a splash, was also closed, but did open on the second day. Among the other rides are River Battle which is less of a ride than a mobile water sprayer, and the Mountain Slidewinder, a fun take on a water slide ride. Another water ride is the Smoky Mountain River Rampage, which, is fun, but depending on your seat may not get you as wet as you would like. One of the highlights, and another favorite was the Thunderhead, an exhilarating wooden roller coaster.

While those are the main attractions, there are quit a few more rides directed towards children, the only one of which I rode was the Rockin' Roadway, which lets you "drive" a miniature classic car around a track, which I enjoyed for nostalgia's sake. Others are themed on carnival rides, and there is a whimsical tree house and a splash fountain to play in on hot days.

Overall, Dollywood can be a lot of fun, for me in particular if all the rides had been operational. For those who enjoy country music, or have children, the experience would be even better. Overall, I think I prefer six flags with its stronger emphasis on rides, and in my experience a better record for having them all operational. Still, Dollywood is worth visiting at least once.

Cape Canaveral: Lift Off!

On the last weekend in may of 2008, we headed off to Florida with tickets in hand to watch the launch of the shuttle Discovery from the Kennedy Space Center. We used Thursday night and Friday morning to make the drive down, taking our time to stop off at Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach as well. In New Smyrna we stopped for some great burgers at Breakers, right on the beach. After filling up, we headed a little further south to the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. Most of the areas were closed due to the next days launch, but we were able to park in a parking lot just off the main Turtlemound Road.

Walking over the dunes to the beach, we were excited to get into the water. The beach was shaped into quite a steep slope, and the power of the water was immense. Each wave lifted us into the air, and, quite often hurled us a bit up the beach. Jake was having the time of his life. I, however, was quickly tired, and was further discouraged by the seaweed in the water, and before long, inside my suit. Finally I was too exhausted to be sporting any longer, and we returned to our belongings on the beach. As we headed back towards one of the dune crossings, we noticed several men down the beach, who, though a little too far away to tell for sure, appeared to believe it was a nude beach. Apparently this happens sometimes in this area when the beaches are not crowded. After showering and changing, we were ready to continue on.

Having our fill of the beach life, we continued south hoping to spot some manatees at a viewing platform located at the Haulover Canal, carved through the isthmus north of the land mass occupied primarily by the NASA launching and landing facilities. When we arrived, the sun was near to setting and the water was inky and impenetrable. We had all but given up when we did witness a manatee spouting, but it was gone before we could really fix our eyes on it. A little disappointed, we returned to the car and, finding the road to the south blocked due to the next days shuttle launch, took the long way around to Titusville. In Titusville we hunted out a spot for dinner, being across the water from the very brightly lit shuttle, waiting patiently on its launch pad. The place we found was Paul's Smokehouse, where Jake tried a swordfish steak, and I stuck to the regular kind. The food was OK, but not fantastic.

The next morning, we woke early and returned to the viewing platform to continue our hunt for a manatee. We spent long minutes waiting and searching the murky green water, and had just given up when a dolphin swam into the channel. He entertained us in the way dolphins will, and we spotted a large moon jelly swimming/floating in the channel. The dolphin continued to circle in the area, and then, suddenly right beneath the railing of the platform we saw a manatee! She was moving along the bank, stirring up its muddy edge as she grazed on what water plants were growing there, She moved up and down the bank, creating distinctive pairs of smooth spots in the water above her whenever she moved close to the surface. They were like a shadow of flatness above her, created by the gentle down current as she flicked her tail and sank lower again. As she moved away from the bank, we watched her come to the surface briefly a few times to breath. Finally, and she and her dolphin herald moved on.

Finally, it was time to head to the space center, to enjoy the complex and watch the launch. We joined the long line of cars moving into the parking lot, and used our tickets to get through the gates. We arrived just minutes to late to take the last bus leaving on a tour of the facilities, which was a real shame, because it represented out only chance to get fairly close to the shuttle before launch. This made me a little angry, since we had waited to arrive at the time that our parking ticket said we should, and therefore missed out on this opportunity. Still, there were plenty of other things to see and do at the complex. We watched an 3d IMAX movie filmed in space which was my first ever, and was really very moving. We visited an interactive show where a few mad scientists educated the kids. It was perhaps a little too childish, even for us. We went on a simulation of blast off, which was fun, and another "ride" where we walked through hallways from one animatronic scene to the next. We also took some time to go into the shuttle they have set up, and examined some of the rockets placed around the area. Overall, the Kennedy space center is most worth visiting when there is a launch going on. It the day were not ended by that massive roar, I would have been rather disappointed by the experience.

Eventually the time did come, and from out location, which was not the best available due to my forgetfulness with regards to buying the tickets the day they went on sale, we could not see the shuttle where it sat on the platform, but there was a large outdoor monitor set up. As the clock ticked down, we waited in silence, then as the shuttle lifted off on screen, it became visible above it, almost as if the digital version had become reality. As the NASA chatter continued, the rocket climbed silently into the sky. Then came a dull vibration, the preliminary shock waves, which were felt rather than heard. Finally the sound reached out ears as the shuttle shot high into the air. We all continued to wait until the shuttle itself had made the separation, then cheered as a group with childish delight. STS 124 had successfully launched. You can find out more about the mission HERE. There aren't too many things which inspire a sense of patriotic pride in me, but this is definitely one of them. The shuttles only have a little more time left before they are replaced by a new launch system, so see it while you can.

The next day, we returned to the space center, as our tickets provided a 2 day pass. This time we took the bus tour, and witnessed the now empty launch pad and the now crushed stone that had shouldered the weight of the shuttle as it was moved from the
assembly building to the launch pad. Here we also checked out a Saturn V rocket, massive when compared to what is used to launch today. Then we continued on to see the landing strips for the shuttles, before returning to the space center. As a bonus, along the way we saw roseate spoonbills, ibis, and wood storks. After the bus tour, we stopped by the Astronaut Hall of Fame, a separate facility, included in the Kennedy Space Center admission. As we waited to enter, we were asked to join a tour, since they had room. We did, at first thinking it was a free tour provided by the museum, then realizing it was a commercial tour group. I can only wonder how those who had paid for the tour must have felt. The leader did provide some good info, but was mostly looking to entertain. And he kept referring to himself as the bad boy of dolphin tours. That was a little strange. Eventually we had to go, and returning to the car began the long drive home.

Overall, the wildlife and beaches here are beautiful, and the space center is the go to place for a hands on feel for the history that has happened here. But nothing beats timing a visit here to coincide with a launch.

Metropolis: Superman, Super cheap

Early in September we made a visit to the Harrah's Casino in Metropolis. Now, I have never been to a casino before, but when we went to the Wilson County Fair (the best in the State of Tennessee) we won $50 worth of casino credit, and picked up a couple free passes for a bus ride from Nashville to Metropolis, so we decided to give it a try.

When we arrived at the bus station, we discovered that the bus ride entitled us to a free meal at the casino, so lunch would be covered as well. The buses were pleasant and comfortable, and the ride went by quickly. When we arrived, we signed up, got our little passes, then headed down to eat. We had a decent meal: hot dogs, chips, cookies and a coke. Good. Even better because it was free. We then headed to the cashier's counter to find out what the deal with the cards was. Turns out they are directly exchangeable for cash. We explored the casino, and I think it can best be described as annoying. The machines are incredibly loud, and covered in flashing lights. It was difficult to think straight; maybe that is the point. I've since been to some Australian Casinos, and they are much more quiet, but the one in Metropolis was barely tolerable. Pepsi was doing some sort of promotion, and we got a free 2 liter each, which we picked up before we returned to the bus that night. We continued to wander the casino, checking out the card games, spent some time out on the decks of the boat, then wandered inside to try out some machines.

Because we are essentially cheap people, we opted to play the penny slots, and we each spent $10 playing, which did a good job of eating up time, but weren't particularly interesting. Finally, full of the sugar of far too many free cokes, we decided to take the money and run to see the rest of town. Leaving the Casino, we headed up the street of the sleepy little town, down to the square, where there is a giant superman statue in front of the cute little courthouse. Just off the square is a superman museum/store, full of superhero memorabilia. Unfortunately, it was closed. We idled around town a bit and finally returned to the casino, or rather the cooler calmer area that connects the casino to the hotel, where there is a small gift shop we explored, and the rooms where they hold the shows. We picked up our Pepsi's, and eventually boarded the bus home.

I had a pretty fun time, despite being disappointed by the gambling itself. If they have a booth at the fair next year, we will still sign up, but just cash in and hit the town right away.

Virgin Falls

South of Highway 70, halfway between Sparta and Crossville TN is the Virgin Falls Pocket Wilderness, a protected region of forest in logging country. Here is a trail which, at four miles long ( eight round trip) provides a challenging and beautiful day of hiking, or a more leisurely overnight hike. The trail begins by winding smoothly across a region of flat forest floor, picking up and following along a small brook, which is surrounded by ferns in summer. The trail weaves in and among rhododendrons, which replace the ferns as the brook gathers water and becomes a small stream. After crossing this brook, the trail departs it and begins a moderate down slope, your footsteps cushioned by the spongy humus held together by the web-like roots of the rhododendrons. This leads into a drier forest area, with several fallen trees, before reaching another stream and crossing it, possibly assisted by a cable strung there

Turning left, the first of the camp sites is immediately ahead. The trail continues to follow the water downstream. Not much farther along the trail you come to the picturesque Big Branch Falls. After Big Branch Falls, you will pass a split where you can head to the right to visit a lookout. I have personally never followed this route, but this option will reconnect to the trail further on. The stream continues to go down the valley, while the trail remains level along one side of it. This area is characterized by the classic Tennessee limestone cliffs, and depending on the season, different wildflowers and plants can be seen in this area including trillium, sorrel, and even yellow lady slippers.

Continuing on you come to the Big Laurel Falls, which falls over a rock ledge, and disappears into the sandy ground. Behind the falls is a very large rock house. The scale of this falls is often lost in photographs, as the boulders, falls and trees fail to provide a point of reference for the size. The trail descends rather steeply at this point, so that you may explore the area behind the falls, and there is evidence of camping in the area beyond the falls, though whether this is a designated camping location I am not sure.

To continue the trail, you will once again be following along the edge of this valley, then crossing over a ridge and heading towards Virgin Falls. In this area the trail will split, with the right hand split being a longer trek, but in my opinion travels through a more beautiful section of the trail and has the added bonus of passing by Sheep Cave Falls, a unique feature which you can explore, at your own risk. From here you will cross over another ridge, at which point the falls should become audible. The trail will then come to the campground, and from there you can easily reach the falls, only a few dozen feet away.

The falls are fairly high, but the most interesting characteristic is the way the stream comes out of the ground, falls over the waterfall, and immediately goes back underground again. While the falls is beautiful and impressive from the flat camping area immediately in front of it, do not forget to walk around the far side and up to the top. Along the was you will see jack in the pulpit growing among the rocks, and at the top, wild iris may be in bloom. The easy climb is worth it for the clean cold air emanating from the cave the water emerges from. This is also a great place to fill up on water.

For those wanting to camp, it is probably better to skip Sheep Cave Falls in favor of the shorter hike in, and take that route on the return trip, so you have something new to see that day, and since you will likely have more time on the second day to explore. For those doing the hike in a single day, I recommend the opposite, mostly because it's better to build up to Virgin Falls.

East Glacier, Uml Pishkun, & Mint Dinner

After spending the entire previous day along the Going to the Sun Road and exploring some of the relatively crowded trails there, we were excited to spend the first part of this day on the eastern side of Glacier, which is far less touristy.

Early in the morning, we headed up to Many Glacier to hike the trail to Apikuni Falls. Along the way we paused under a tree, which made a squirrel very angry. He came down to a low branch to scream and chatter at us. When we looked around we saw shells of many nuts, and realized we stopped to rest in what was probably his favorite picnic spot. As we moved up the side of the mountain we broke out of the trees onto a rocky slope, where there were Pikas among the rocks. Pikas are like tiny chipmunk/rabbits. They are incredibly cute, but difficult to photograph, especially when you don't have a good zoom. We wound our way around some mounds of broken rock, before coming into view of the falls, which was tall and narrow. There was another Little Dipper in the stream at the base, and we stayed a while to watch him play, before starting the trip down to the car. Once in the car we headed south to Two Medicine, and made the very short walk to Running Eagle Falls. This was a smallish waterfall, with the water rushing out from underground. We spent a long time trying to identify a colorful bird there, but could never agree on what it was. We left when others finally arrived, and made our way to our next destination: Ulm Pishkun, a real live buffalo jump.

We arrived at Ulm Pishkun in the afternoon, a little to late to spend any time at the visitor's center, which looked like it had been recently updated. The visitors center is below the cliff, so we then drove around to the top. The top of the cliff is heavily populated by a prairie dog village. We walked out into it and just sat for a while, taking some pictures and watching the babies play, while the adults barked at us. We then walked to the edge of the cliffs and read the interpretive signs there. According to the signs, the hunt went a little something like this: One lucky young Indian dawned a buffalo skin, and prepared to lead the herd. The rest of the group would harass the buffalo, and drive them towards the cliff. At some point the lucky Indian would get to run briefly in front of the herd, and jump off the cliff, onto a small ledge just below. The buffalo, with a poor ability to gauge distance or see well, would plummet over the edge to their deaths, while people below would finish off wounded survivors. It is just a cliff in the middle of a broad plain. It is surrounded by wheat fields, and there are enormous white windmills in the distance.

From Ulm Pishkun we headed towards Billings, where we would be visiting the pictograph caves the next day. Along the way we arrived in a sleepy little town called Lewiston. It had a nice shaded main street, and a nice courthouse. The only restaurant we saw in town was just off the main drag, emblazoned by a large neon sign: The Mint bar & grill. From the outside, it looked more like a bar than a restaurant, but we were starving, so we parked and went inside. Inside was a fine dining atmosphere that was totally unexpected. We had a wonderful dinner. I had steak with cream sauce and new potatoes, and Jake had duck. We left, full and happy, and as we were driving out of town, I noticed some deer by a hay bail. I was happy to see them and pointed them out. As we continued to drive, and it grew darker, we saw more and more of them along the road. We saw so many we lost count. I turned my head away from the glare of the headlights and looked out into the fields, and saw many, many more. I saw more deer that night than all previous deer seen in my life. At one point we came to a little town, and there were deer in people's front yards. A dear even ambled across the street, at the only intersection with a stop light, and actually stopped to look at us as if we were the intruders.

When we were finally to exhausted to drive any more, seeing deer in every rock, tree, and sign near the road, we pulled over to sleep. When we turned off the headlights we saw something they had been hiding from us. Stretched across the sky was a bright swath of stars such as I had never seen before, except in pictures. It was the Milky Way. We do not have that kind of darkness here in Tennessee. To make a perfect moment even more so, a shooting star chose that moment to blaze across the sky. This was the end of the 4Th day.

Atlanta: Little 5 Points

In Atlanta there is an area known as little 5 points, which is a fun place to spend the day visiting shops, watch street performers, and grab a good bite to eat.

The shops range from places selling hemp and tie die, to world home decor goods, to records and Cd's, to the Junk Man's Daughter, which sells a collection of goods from vintage or vintage styled clothes, posters, magnets, books incense and much more.

Out on the street, depending on the day, you might see a comedic juggler or a street musician, and even if there are no performers, the crowd this street draws is can be something of an attraction in itself.

When you've worked up an appetite, there's no better place to get a burger than the phantasmagorically fronted Vortex, or if it's pizza you're after, try a white slice at Little 5 Points Pizza.

Glacier National Peace Park

We left for Glacier after our visit to Craters of the Moon. Somewhere south of Flathead Lake, the road narrowed to a two lane highway that was under construction. Despite the remote location, there was a long line of traffic, and progress was slow. It was at this point that I realized I had to go to the bathroom, which was made more urgent by the in-progress road, which had many sections of bumpy gravel. After trying to hold out for half an hour I spotted an office building complex in the night, and I was more than willing to go behind it to relieve myself. Unfortunately, there were some active lawn sprinklers to dodge, and in the wet grass I twisted my ankle, but it was worth it. Later on, we saw fire blazing up in the mountains, like rivulet of lava on the mountain's side. We finally arrived at the southern edge of Flathead Lake, where we stopped for the night.

We woke up early on the third day, and drove north along Flathead Lake, entering the park around 8:00 am at West Glacier. Here we turned our tires onto the Going to the Sun Road, the only road that runs through the park, and an engineering feat of its time. Our first stop was at the Avalanche Lake/Trail of Cedars trail. Half of the Trail of Cedars loop was closed, but we were able to access the Avalanche Lake trail at the back of the loop. Because we were up early, this trail wasn't too busy (it is one of the most popular trails in the park) and was pretty peaceful. The forest is cool and dark, and the sunlight coming through the trees made the whole place something out of a fairy tale. There were squirrels and chipmunks everywhere, and spider webs strung between the trees. The trail follows a perfectly clear stream to the lake. We were running a little bit behind due to my injured ankle, and we made a decision to stop short of actually reaching Avalanche Lake to make sure that we could stay on track for all the other trails we had planned to hike that day. After leaving that trail we headed to Logan Pass visitors center to hike the Hidden Lake Trail. When we arrived, the parking lot was very full, and it took us some time to find a parking spot, which required us to use all the people stalking skills we learned from tying to park on campus in college. Once we were parked, we took a little walk through the gift shop, and then headed out the back, taking a boardwalk up the hill.

The hill was steeper than it looked, but it was a beautiful, sound of music kind of place. There were little streams trickling down from the mountain, surround by beautiful, thick beds of flowers. As we reached the top of this rise, some evergreen trees came into view. We saw some ptarmigans nestled against some rocks, taking very good advantage of their summer brown feathers to blend in almost completely. Just a little ways further up we saw our first mountain goats, a mother with her baby. From that point on, along the trail we saw a few here and there resting in the shade. Finally, we reached the crest of the rise, and could see the Hidden Lake below. It was the most beautiful deep blue. The photographs we have do not even come close to doing it justice. While we were enthralled with the lake, squirrels were moving in. We caught them in the act of trying to chew into some one's backpack that they had foolishly left on the ground. While there is a trail leading down to the lake, it looked very long and steep, and we had miles to go… so we turned back for the car, and the next trail, but there was one more surprise for us. From around the bend ahead, and just a little higher up the mountain, came a small herd of big horn sheep. It was 3 females being herded by a male, who chased down one stray and forced her back with the group by giving her a love tap in the rear with his thick skull. They weren't interested in hanging around though, and were quickly out of sight. We passed back by the mother goat and her baby, the mother having left her baby far behind as she headed for the tree line, the baby followed, bleating plaintively. The trip down was a lot easier than the trip up.

We arrived back in the parking lot, which was filling up with the classic red convertible sedans which do driving tours along the famous Going to the Sun road. Greeting new arrivals was a big brown bear. Despite the crowd of people hugging him, and getting their photos taken with him, we were able to get a shot of the only bear we saw here.

After the hike to see hidden lake, we had a lineup of several waterfalls. The first trail took us to St. Mary Falls, actually passing a snake along the way. The falls are beautiful, having carved out its own bowl into the rock. Continuing beyond this is Virginia Falls. Along the way there we encountered a fat toad, right in the middle of the path, who lazily walked his way off into the mossy undergrowth. We reached the falls and found them to be very narrow and high. We then returned back along the trail, and once again the fat toad was in our path. He lazily walked himself out of the way again, and we were free to return to the car, excited as much to have seen 2 reptiles on this trail, which we saw no where else in the park, as we were to have seen the falls. From there it was just a skip to the parking lot for access to Baring falls and Sunrift Gorge. The stream flows through sunrift gorge, a deep and narrow passage way, then curves under the road and over the falls. The trail winds out and back, bringing us finally to the foot of the falls. We spent a significant amount of time resting, and watching an American dipper at the base of this rather small but picturesque fall. The dipper is a small, finch sized bird, which stands on rocks in the rushing stream, and dives into the water, hunting for food. While standing on the rocks, he continually does deep knee bends, bobbing up and down. He was a plain grey/brown color, but provided great entertainment.

After returning to the car, we were finally done hiking for the day, having covered over 9 miles. We then continued east along the going to the sun road, coming into St. Mary, where a forest fire had raged just weeks before. Vast stands of trees were reduced to nothing but blackened posts, but the grass was already spring up green among the wasteland. We stopped briefly to investigate a restaurant, but, though we hadn't eaten much but a few rolls and some nuts all day, we just weren't interested in their menu, or their prices. So we headed on to the tiny town of Babb. Babb consists of a hotel, general store, and cheap diner, all owned by the same people. It also has a dinner club steakhouse, which looked rather frightful: concrete and no windows. We had reservations at the hotel, so we checked in, then quickly decided to head a few miles north over the border to see what food could be had in Carway in Alberta. We had to stop in at the border station, and answer some questions about our intentions, and then we were free to drive on. Once in town, we discovered that there was nothing to eat, as every single restaurant was closed; it was Sunday. We returned dejectedly to Babb, and decided to risk the diner club, which we had been told had good steak, despite its frightening appearance.

Let this be a reminder to never judge a book by its cover. Just inside the entrance was an old fashioned bar, with lots of dark wood, and plush red upholstered swivel bar seats (with back and arm rest). Beyond the bar was a grand spiral staircase, all of wood, winding around the trunk of a tree. Seated at our table above, I couldn't help but admire the huge sculpture that hung out over the room below. It depicted a herd of buffalo being run off a cliff, and appeared to be made of stone. We ordered our somewhat expensive steaks, but were rewarded with some of the largest, and best cuts I've ever had. I had a NY strip that hung off the edges of my plate. The steaks were fantastic and so huge I could only eat half of mine, and I was starving.

Full and happy, we got our left overs to go, hoping for a microwave in the hotel room, which we had not actually been into yet. When we got to the hotel, we didn't find a microwave, but we were too tired to care, and fell into bed.

Craters of the Moon, without all that pesky space travel

The second day of our Rocky Mountain vacation was spent at Craters of the Moon National Park in Idaho. The park is large, and consists of massive lava flows, and just about every mountain that can be seen on the horizon is an ancient volcano. It is aptly named, as the craters of the moon are ancient lava flows as well.

The morning was spent warming up and watching ground squirrels play in the mound of lava rock around the campgrounds. It was cold. Our first act in the park was to climb to the top of the Inferno cone, which appeared completely barren, but which had some low bushes and scrub growing on the exposed top, which was completely hidden until you topped the crest. We ran back down, and snapped a professional quality photo of our strange little rental car, a Dodge Caliber. We the drove just a bit up the road to the spatter cones, where had magma piled up around the openings in the earth.

We then drove to the tree molds area trail head, and hiked a couple miles out to see these strange impressions in the lava, where ancient trees were encapsulated by almost cool lave, in some cases leaving clear imprints of their alligator skin like bark in the rock. Along the trail were some beautiful flowers, lots more ground squirrels, and a mountain chickadee that was just as curious about us as we were about him, who came right down to us, perched not a foot away from us at face level, and looked us over while he sang us a pretty song.

After our walk, we headed to see the caves of the park. These are lava tubes, which lava continued to flow through, even as lava has hardened on the surface, forming a roof, and leaving the large, well insulated cave behind. The spiky pumice like kind of lava rock called ah-ah is an exceptionally good insulator, such that, even in late august, icicles form in the damp back reaches of the caves. We saw something similar in a place called the land of fire and ice in New Mexico: an ice "pond" at the bottom of a cave, that even the Indians had made use of. We wandered through several of these, and then found our way back to the narrow paved trail by following piles of rocks on the otherwise monotonous surface of the lava flows.

Finally, we hiked the loop trail of broken top, which is a cone that has literally split in half. Along this trail we saw some very good examples of pahoe-hoe lava (the ropey liquid looking kind) and we saw a hairy woodpecker. Finally, it was time for us to leave the park, and make a long drive to the next day's destination: Glacier National Park.

Overall, the park has the appearance of being largely featureless and monotonous, but along each trail, we discovered something different. Different formations and types rock, certainly, but also different types of plants and animals. The park is large, but it is easily adapted to a single days visit, and is well deserving of its National Park status.

Nashvilles Frist Museum

In late 2006, we visited The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt at the Frist Museum. As far as I can tell, the last time this exhibit was shown was in early 2007. This was a display of ancient Egyptian artifacts. The exhibit consisted of a large and impressive collection of statues, gold, sarcophagi, furniture and more. There was a large scale model boat, complete with figurines, which was very interesting. The cornerstone of the exhibit was a recreation of a funeral chamber. Our audio guides explained the meaning of the drawings that circled the room, a depiction of the story of death. If the collection is still on tour, I would highly recommend it.

We went on a Frist Friday, which is advertised as having drinks and snacks, and a live band, as well as allowing admission to the exhibits, I thought this would be a fun way to spend an evening. However, the band was terrible, and while there was a plethora of free SALTY snacks, drinks were not free. I have to say it was something of a disappointment, and not worth the additional entrance cost. On exhibit in addition to the Egypt showcase was Bedazzled: an exhibit of jewelry. While this is not inside my normal scope of interest, the pieces, and the history were quite interesting. The museum also has a permanent hands on exhibit on art, where I played with everything, and had a good time. But, like most hands on exhibits geared towards children, 25% of everything was broken.

Earlier this year, we also visited to Frist to see Monet to Dali. This time we visited during regular hours, without the music and snacks, and I found the experience much more enjoyable. Secondarily, there was a display of Tiffany glass lamps which, much like Bedazzled a few years ago, was very interesting, and the pieces on display quite beautiful.

Overall, I think the Frist does a good job of attracting interesting and notable traveling exhibits.