The editors over at Kiplinger’s personal finance managzine just released their top ten value cities list for 2011. The City of Colorado Springs, Colorado happened to be ranked #4. Colorado Springs has infinatly more outdoor activities, local travel opportunitys, and scenic mountins for residents to enjoy compared the #1 ranked Omaha, Nebraska.
Recently, I started to take a visual survey of what types of laptop, notebook, and netbook personal computing devices people are actually using. Today for example, after checking in with airport security the long walk down the terminal causeway provided the perfect opportunity for a visual inspection of computer usage. The results were very interesting. People were using a series of Acer, Asus, and Dell computers. Only one computer could not be identified. Somebody working near the coffee bar was using a very small nebook that did not have a manufacturer label. The system was obviously running Windows Vista, but however built the system did not provide any identifiable markings.
During the last few days at the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) 2010 conference in San Jose, California people were using Acer (Ferrari), Dell, and Macintosh. Academics run the gambit of computer usage. Some academics are true computer power users that demand absolute performance. However, some academics take an almost Luddite approach to accepting technology. Technology buyers tend to be a rather bimodal group of spenders. The first category of technology buyer avoids overspending at all costs; even performance considering are secondary to a perfect fit between price and basic functionality. The second category of technology buyers tends to spend based on the intersection of the bleeding edge of technological innovation and mass production.
Technology seems to be a topic that requires constant reevaluation. Without question understanding how people value computers requires empirical evidence based on observing what technology people transport with them across the country. If people value technology enough travel with it, then the way people use that technology needs to be functionally understood.
Checking into the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) conference today in San Jose, California required a fair amount of walking. Initially, I thought the conference was being held at the convention center. After doing some research, I found out that all of the ASPA 2010 conference sessions are being held at The Fairmont San Jose Luxury Hotel. The conference registration information included a schedule that lays out the details for a very promising weekend of public administration theory and scholarship.
After the conclusion of the recent weekend ice storm, a heavy and nearly impassable fog rolled over the city. Without question, fog has always been the enemy of donuts. However, rarely does fog compete with the purchase of tacos. Peppercorn the dog happens to dislike ice storms far greater than fog. Working in a cubicle with the possibility of overtime lurking in the background always raises questions about the situation. Late night driving with fog always seems somewhat unsettling. They say all reasonable employment is good employment. Typically, the fine art of resume building does involve employment. In general, the economic circumstances of the last two years have tempered the resume building adventures of a large number of Americans. During times of economic upheaval, the process of sustaining employment can become the overriding consideration within the resume building process.
Maybe now would be a good time to type up a weblog entry. Early this morning, Peppercorn the dog decided to start barking before the alarm clock had time to spring into action. After feeding the dog a nutritious breakfast of salmon and sweet potatoes, a careful inspection of the backyard revealed the existence of snow on the ground. Last night after a complete night of work, snow covered the Ford Explorer and everything surrounding the parking lot.
Snow before Halloween in Colorado Springs always seems somewhat shocking. Given that the office building is located directly on the front range of the Rocky Mountains, the possibility of early snowfalls exists. Watching snow fall outside the window throughout the day always seems ominous. Living near the mountains creates the possibility of having to endure blizzards. Maybe the idea of being stuck at work overnight seems somewhat terrifying.
Given the startling realization about having to drive home in a snow covered automobile, purchasing a few tacos seemed to be the right decision. A few taco selling establishments in Colorado Springs operate perpetually. These providers of food services never stop selling. Anybody at anytime with a certain amount of money and access to transportation can purchase tacos.
If the current trend of winter weather continues, then the possibility exists of being stuck at work exists. Maybe now would be a good time to develop an emergency preparedness plan for inclement weather that occurs during the workday preventing the possibility of leaving the workplace. In this case, as in many cases planning is a good idea.
The following prose represents a few Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) tour notes from Saturday August 1 through Monday August 3, 2009 trip. This year the third time shifted wedding anniversary vacation weekend involved traveling to RMNP. Without question or argument, every American should time the time to visit RMNP. The National Park Service provides Americans with access to truly beautiful surroundings. The scenic vistas and glorious natural spender of RMNP are truly without question a real national treasure.
The advent of digital photography has transformed the technology people utilize while touring national parks. For example, the current panoramic photography project endeavor involves attempting to visit every national park. In response to the demands of the project, several national park tours have involved amassing hundreds if not thousands of digital photos during the past few years.
Each national park tour has unique merits. Based on personal preference and informed observation one national park stands above the rest. Tours of this particular national park have been more frequent than any other park under the current panoramic photography national park tour project. RMNP located just outside Estes Park, Colorado is within driving distance of Boulder, Colorado. With good traffic conditions, a responsible driver can travel from Boulder, Colorado to RMNP in about one hour. The proximity to Boulder, Colorado probably helps drive traffic to this national treasure.
Before the vacation, it seemed like a good idea to visit at least one Colorado winery. During the recent trip, two wineries in Colorado received consideration. First, the Snowy Peaks Winery and tasting room resides within the borders of Estes Park, Colorado. Second, located in Lyons, Colorado the Ciatano Winery resides between Boulder, Colorado and Estes Park, Colorado. Both winery tastings went well. Colorado wines are interesting and the process of growing grapes in Colorado merits further study.
Without question, RMNP provides scenic visits within reasonable hiking distances. Colorado residents have noticed the recent heavy rains throughout the state. Some of the trails throughout RMNP were very muddy and the streams and lakes were very full. Joni thought it would be a good idea to hike to a few lakes including Bear Lake, Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, Lake Haiyaha, and Bierstadt Lake. The switchback hike from the Bierstadt Trailhead to Bierstadt Lake was surprisingly panoramic. Strangely enough, the park service has noted, “Temporary closures may occur at picnic and trailhead parking areas as park staff remove trees killed by an outbreak of native pine beetle.” The native pine beetle could really damage the natural splendor of RNMP. I hope the National Park Service is able to combat and defeat the native pine beetle.
After visiting the Ciatano Winery, it seemed like a good idea to visit the Wings West chicken wing emporium to get an afternoon snack in Estes Park, Colorado. During the middle of the afternoon, very few patrons were frequenting the establishment. The BBQ wing sauce was mild and pleasant. The habenero flavor in the Super Hot wing sauce provided a slow burning aftertaste following the flavorful initial rush of spicy chicken wing sauce. Overall, the Wings West experience probably would be better during happy hour to get the full fledged chicken wing experience.
After visiting the Ciatano Winery and Wings West, it was time to get ready to visit the Twin Owls Steakhouse.
Review of the Twin Owls Steakhouse
Dinner at the Twin Owls Steakhouse in Estes Park, Colorado provided to be entertaining when the sprinkler system caused a marmot to run by the dining room window. For a Sunday night during the peak of the summer vacation season, the Twin Owls Steakhouse was remarkably slow. I had made the reservation about one month in advance. Keep in mind the Twin Owls Steakhouse typically only takes reservations starting at one month before the reservation.
Joni and I decided to forgo appetizers. After reviewing the menu, none of the appetizers seemed well appetizing…
In terms of entrees, I ordered a very decent, but not spectacular New York strip steak from the menu with a ranch house salad. The chef decided to put a few craisins on the salad. The New York strip steak preparation involved a combination of black and green peppercorns blended into a bourbon sauce served with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.
Joni decided to order and was very pleased with the stuffed pork tenderloin. The chef stuffed the pork tenderloin with asadero cheese, black beans, and a very interesting green chili stuffing. Combined with mash potatoes and seasonal vegetables, several slices of the pork tenderloin were plated with a creamy sage sauce. Joni had and enjoyed the chef recommended Carmel Road Pinot Noir with the stuffed pork tenderloin.
Dinner concluded with dessert. In this case, dessert involved a classic raspberry cheesecake.
Overall, the Twin Owls Steakhouse is located within beautiful surroundings in Estes Park, Colorado. The food was very good, but the preparation and style feels somewhat old-fashioned. However, given that the dinner was scheduled as part of a wedding anniversary weekend getaway vacation everything was perfect.
Who would have ever guessed that grapes could grow in the State of Colorado? Parts of Colorado are in fact suitable to growing grapes for wine. People grow grapes in various places throughout the United States. Necessity of investigation might warrant the study of vineyards outside the State of California. Maybe this news will provide the possibility of learning about wine in general. A handful of wineries exist within the State of Colorado. Given the current global economic considerations, residents of Colorado might consider day trips to various wineries. Evidence suggests that economic considerations do limit traveling. People throughout the United States are avidly considering possible day trips. Colorado certainly provides hiking and nature emersion experiences that match anywhere in the world. Some people find process of making wine to be interesting. Traveling throughout the State of Colorado provides the opportunity to witness the true glory and splendor of natural beauty.
Eighteen hours of traveling across eastern Colorado and western Kansas really provides the serenity necessary to derive perspective. After hearing about the latest bestselling Mark Levin book the car ride seemed like a great time to check out the Mark Levin podcast. Listening to a wide variety of perspectives helps provide prospective. First, outside any discussion of politics the podcast needs better audio volume mastering. Second, Mark Levin has managed to achieve a fifty percent compression of the three hour broadcast. Third, during the radio show Mark Levin provides comprehensive political punditry of select topics. Overall, the Mark Levin radio show provides entertainment to an otherwise boring drive. The show certainly deserves consideration. Regardless of your political opinions understanding talk radio requires listening to talk radio shows.
During the trip, ten other podcasts received attention.
1. The Dennis Miller Show Podcast
2. ESPN Radio: The best of Mike and Mike in the morning podcast
3. NPR: Science Friday podcast
4. The Heritage Foundation podcast
5. C-SPAN Podcast of the Week
6. ESPN: Pardon the Interruption Podcast
7. ESPN: The Sports Reporters Podcast
8. Science @ NASA Podcast
9. GateWorld Podcast
10. Select episodes from the /Filmcast
Nels accepted a challenge in 2005 to visit every national park in the United States of America. Living in Boulder, Colorado at the time provided an excellent base camp centrally located between dozens of national parks, which started the national parks tour off on the right path. A degree of localization will benefit the current park tour within the State of Colorado.
The panoramic photography project will involve a summer tour of Colorado parks. Several parks will be involved during the summer tour including Rocky Mountain National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Pueblo State Park, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, and Spinney Mountain State Park. Most of the parks are within a day trip of driving from Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Given the current economic conditions, parks and recreation day trips are an excellent alternative to the expense of traditional vacations. Nels is currently considering several more extended vacations that will include traveling to Grand Canyon National Park, Creator Lake National Park, and Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.
Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun Panoramic
Colorado parks summer tour
1. Rocky Mountain National Park
2. Great Sand Dunes National Park
3. Pueblo State Park
4. Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
5. Spinney Mountain State Park
Completed national park tours
1. Rocky Mountain National Park (20050518)
2. Mesa Verde National Park (20050628)
3. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (20050812)
4. Great Sand Dunes National Park (20070714)
5. Arches National Park (20070802)
6. Canyonlands National Park (20070803)
National park tours under consideration
1. Wind Cave National Park
2. Badlands National Park
3. Capital Reef National Park
4. Bryce Canyon National Park
5. Zion National Park
6. Great Basin National Park
7. Grand Canyon National Park
8. Creator Lake National Park
9. Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park
Nels was able to experience Sea World San Diego during the Borys wedding festival weekend. Traveling provides the opportunity for unique experiences outside the confines of traditional normative processes. Routines dominate daily life. Average citizens thrive within the rigid constructs of predictable environments. Sea World San Diego follows precise schedules and provides carefully documented and managed encounters within the bounds of exhibits.
Tourists with maps wonder the exhibits. Sea World San Diego has a large number of killer whales. Trainers work with the killer whales to master certain behaviors that maximize crowd interaction. For the ticket price, Sea World San Diego should provide access to a larger number of interactive exhibits. As a transaction, the ticket purchase guarantees a guest the opportunity to experience the Shamu killer whale show and the dolphin show.
High ticket prices probably reduce the total number of guests. Overall, Sea world San Diego was very clean and has reasonable amenities. Almost every exhibit concludes with a walk through a gift shop. The total amount of merchandise available for purchase easily outpaces demand by a factor of ten. For most visitors the central motivation for taking the trip involves being able to see the trainers interact with killer whales. Dolphins of course also attract significant audiences.
Can Nels spend an entire weekend without the internet? The simple answer to the question is yes. Nels was able to complete a weekend without internet. During the course of the Borys wedding weekend, Nels was able to sustain a complete moratorium on all internet usage. Completing this task required avoiding all potential devices capable of achieving internet connectivity. Nels did not enjoy the weekend without internet access. The rules only allowed the usage of standard electronics incapable of internet access. For example, devices accessible during the weekend included cellular phones, a GPS receiver, two automobiles, and multiple digital cameras. Live coverage of the event involved using the Short Messaging Service (SMS) associated with cellular phone text messaging. In order to avoid internet access, the micro blogging service Twitter functionally transferred the SMS messages to the internet making them available worldwide during the internet free weekend.
Today the Ford Explorer unexpectedly malfunctioned during the process of safely making a turn across incoming traffic onto a side road. Gradually the momentum glided the Ford Explorer across the road and into a parking lot just off the side road. With any luck, during the scheduled seventy-five thousand mile maintenance the dealership automotive technicians will discover the problem.
Today is probably a good day to get things done. A trip to a retail store will start the process of building two automotive safety kits that include first aid materials. Automotive safety kits are probably a reflection of good planning. Actually having to use a care safety kit would be unfortunate. After returning from the retail store, the next step in the traveling process will involve packing clothing for the trip. Two entire days during the trip will involve driving. The rest of the time during the trip will involve celebrating Thanksgiving and talking to family members. Traveling between Colorado Springs, Colorado and Kansas City, Kansas takes about a day.
Planning family trips back to Kansas City, Kansas takes time. Family trips normally happen during the summer wedding season, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. On average, the entire family only gets together only a few times a year. Education provides the single greatest equalizing factor contributing to realizing the American Dream. At the same time, highly specialized education programs require people to move around the United States of America for employment. The entire family rarely follows one family member. Fragmentation results from the current educate then disperse pattern.
Traveling does provide a momentary change in daily activities. Riding in an automobile provides the opportunity to listen to radio programming. Both news talk radio and sports talk radio are frequently available during a trip. Increasingly finding a quality radio signal is becoming more difficult between Colorado and Kansas City, Kansas. Satellite radio solves the reception problem in exchange for a monthly fee. Automobile manufacturers build the vast majority of vehicles without the capacity for satellite radio. Special portable units provide satellite radio anywhere at anytime.
This particular road trip will probably require at least one audio book. Finding a high quality audio book that will be acceptable for the whole family is challenging. Most of the world of highly technical writing will never end up in audio book format. The amount of fiction available in audio book format is staggering. Being able to select one or two audio books from the vast catalog requires targeted informed searching.
Thanks in part to the recent cabin fever associated with waiting for Peppercorn the dog’s hind leg to heal planning a national park vacation has become a topic of conversation. After watching a few episodes about various national parks in HDTV (High Definition Television) on the Discovery Channel the cabin fever intensified. I recently learned about Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. After seeming images of Wizard Island in Crater Lake National Park I was ready to get into the car and drive.
Peppercorn the dog has never been to any national parks. Joni and I are fairly sure that Peppercorn the dog will be a major fan of the national park system. Before rescuing Peppercorn the dog planning trips throughout the United States of America was as simple as getting in the car and driving. Now part of the trip planning process involves paying attention to the details. Visiting the national parks in the State of Utah might be an easier adventure than traveling thousands of miles to get to Oregon.
After moving all the stuff out of the apartment to the new house, it was time to travel to Kansas for the wedding. Traveling back to Kansas on an aircraft is a better alternative than spending the entire day driving on the highways. Over two hundred people attended the wedding in Wichita, Kansas. Without question, the decision to have the reception immediately after the wedding was the best possible alternative to renting a ballroom. People really seemed to appreciate being able to attend the reception without having to drive to a new location. Almost everyone that attended the wedding ceremony attended the wedding reception in Wichita, Kansas, thanks in part to the convenient location.
Part of the wedding celebration plans called for a second reception to meet the couple in Kansas City, Kansas. After spending, an entire week completing a series of post-wedding planning tasks the reception was a welcome break from running errands. Between the frozen margarita machine and the chocolate fountain, everyone seemed to enjoy the reception. Tequila Harry’s Mexican food restaurant catered the meet the couple reception in Kansas City. Enough people attended the reception to fill a large tent in the backyard.
Over a full week after the wedding, it was time to leave for the honeymoon in Cancun, Mexico. Even a complete change in scenery was not enough to forget about the large pile of thank-you-notes that needed attention or the looming U-Haul drive to Colorado. Something about all inclusive resort vacations is inherently calming. Reducing the most complex decision of the day to considering what to have for dinner is a welcome simplification. Considering all of the alternatives involved both receptions and the wedding went very well.
Last night for dinner about a quarter of the Public Administration Class of 2005 at the University of Kansas had dinner in Dallas, Texas. During the course of normal dinner conversation Kate observed that more students from the Class of 2005 work in the State of Texas than any other state. Only one student from the Class of 2005 is not working at either the local, regional, state, or federal level of government. After graduation, one student made the choice to pursue the acquisition of knowledge through the journey known as higher education at Walden University. Making the choice between working in local government and staying in school to endeavor to understand the world by pursuing knowledge was not without consequences.
Part of the dinner had that getting the band back together feel and the rest of the dinner was about understanding and sharing differences in decision-making. A major topic of conversation during the dinner involved trying to understand the major life event of buying a house for the first time. Issues under discussion ranged from the tidal wave of unexpected expenses to the tendency to overspend on renovation projects.
Kate thought it would be a good idea to visit the Dallas World Aquarium. Before the trip to the Dallas World Aquarium even started, rain fell in Dallas, Texas. Jimmy decided to plan a late breakfast at the Café Brazil before heading downtown to the Dallas World Aquarium. For some reason, the Cafe Brazil was busy enough to have people crowing the entryway to purchase overpriced coffee and breakfast snacks. Oddly enough, similar food was actually available at the Dallas World Aquarium. From the artificial habitats to the underground aquariums, the entire building design revolved around a walking tour. Tickets to see the Dallas World Aquarium were highly overpriced and the number of habitats outnumbered the aquariums. Perhaps the Dallas World Aquarium should consider changing names to reflect the focus on habitats instead of aquariums.
Today the drive from Boulder, Colorado, to Wichita, Kansas, was uneventful. Toward the end of the drive, a full moon graced the sky as the setting sun colored the skyline. In January, snow normally covers the western Kansas terrain, but during the drive today, the only highway related highlights involved the passage of tumbleweeds. Traveling throughout the United States highway system provides an opportunity to experience different landscapes at different times of year. Kansas experiences a wide range of weather including tornados, hundred-degree summer heat, and occasionally large snowdrifts. Anyone driving across Kansas has to be careful to avoid the potential risk of tornados and snowstorms.
Speaking of tornados, several years ago, a tornado touched down within a block of the old apartment in Lawrence, Kansas, just past Clinton Parkway near Clinton Lake. For some reason that is still unexplainable, at the time, it seemed like a good idea to stand in the parking lot and on the balcony of the apartment and take photographs of the tornado. Naturally, news organizations were happy to get digital copies of the tornado photographs without sending reporters into hazardous conditions. After several years of reflective thought devoted to the experience of taking tornado photographs the fact remains that the apartment complex still does not have a basement or tornado shelter, running from the tornado was impossible, and driving away from the tornado would have only been possible with advanced warning.
Additionally, on the subject of tornados, during the drive from Bolder, Colorado, to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, last year a tornado formed and touched down several miles from the highway. Oddly enough, in this case, inclement weather developed during the long drive and the local radio stations did not provide a warning until after the first tornado touched down. At this time, it should be noted that tornados do not actually occur very often making them manageable risk. After previously having the experience of seeing the devastating potential of a tornado, the idea of getting close to a tornado again from inside a car hiding under a highway overpass was terrifying.
Throughout the day different radio reports talked about the rare occurrence of tornados in the month of January like the ones reported on the eastern coast. However, during this time of year wildfires can devastate the Midwest if high winds and drought conditions develop.
Any hike that starts by completing the less than a mile hike to Alberta Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park should be a good way to start the day. Joni wanted to leave the Glacier Gorge Trailhead and make the somewhat lengthy hike to Black Lake. Maybe experienced hikers are in better shape and ready to take on the six-mile journey to Black Lake, but any hike that results in twelve miles round trip is always going to be challenging to a armchair quarterback. Without question the almost two thousand feet of change in elevation is enough to classify the hike as strenuous, but the hike starts to get treacherous just before Ribbon Falls and continues to be a workout all the way to Black Lake. For those hikers willing to kick it up a notch and climb a little bit of rock face Frozen Lake is just over the next mountain ridge and supposedly spectacular. Gus carried a wide variety of snacks for the journey including a few grab bags of cheesy goodness. Two liters of water is probably not enough to keep somebody fully hydrated during an entire day twelve-mile extravaganza, but carrying three or four litters of water can really be limiting during strenuous hiking. Last night a hike-induced hunger drove the group to Outback Steakhouse for a series of filling snacks and of course one blooming onion. After hiking twelve miles, a full dinner is in order with appetizers, salads, and at least one main dish. Gus had some kind of prime rib steak that seemed to be more like a floating soup than a steak, but the garlic-mashed potatoes certainly were filling.
Over the last two days, Gus has been sleeping on the sofa enjoying a set of flannel sheets and a Spiderman enhanced comfort pillow. Yesterday, during the morning hours it seemed like a good idea to drive to Golden, Colorado, and then to the Grand Lake area of Rocky Mountain National Park. Maybe the goal of the journey was to travel from Grand Lake to Estes Park, which involved the need to transverse the Trail Ridge Road. No road in the United States of America can claim to be higher than the 12,000 feet above sea level with eight miles of the road actually being above 11,000 feet. Today will be a little less challenging than the Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, since the Denver Museum of National Sciences does not require traveling to the top of any mountains only to the ends of the imagination.
Thanks to the rich tradition of the Boy Scouts of America an external frame technical backpack, right now is sitting on a rack in a basement closet. Touring the national parks is not meant to be technically challenging therefore it was time to get a new day hike centric backpack. After looking at a fair number of online catalogs and stores throughout the greater Boulder, Colorado area the pack that stood out was the backpacking internal frame North Face Terra 40. Setup with a suspension system that is both comfortable and lightweight, the North Face 40 is capable of supporting enough gear for overnight backpacking, but is better suited for carrying enough gear for two hikers on a full eight-hour national park tour.
Backpack makers over the yeas have become enamored with the daisy chain loops system for quickly attaching tools and gear. The front pocket setup with multiple compartments and accessible map pocket at the top of the pack are better accessories than a daisy chain of loops. One of the nice features of the pack is a set of hip belt pockets that are accessible and useful for storing gear that needs to be quickly accessible like a navigation tool and a nice snack bar. North Face went to the trouble of making the Terra 40 hydration compatible for whatever that is worth between the internal compartment for a bag of water with a funny straw and two external water bottle holders the pack is capable of sporting four litters of water. North Face claims that the moderate difficulty long day hike that requires medium storage capacity inspired the design including the side compression straps and lightweight suspension.
With enough space to hold a significant number of snacks, water, a change of clothes, and an emergency first aid kit the North Face Terra 40 should enhance any endeavor to tour every national park in the Untied States of America. Now some of the national parks are remote and might require an external frame technical backpack that can carry a larger amount of gear and float if necessary down a stream. Most national parks are accessible through roads and support auto touring with several park and hike trials that are not remote enough to require overnight camping. At Rocky Mountain National Park, it is even possible to summit a mountain in a single day and be back in the car at nightfall to catch a steak dinner in celebration.
Andy Phelan says that leaving the couch is highly unlikely and hiking in every national park is an impossible dream, but then again the pictures will be online to prove that the journey happened. A snack master reference aside visiting every national park is not a dream it is an achievable reality. Hiking in every national park will take hard work, dedication, and leaving the comfort of snacks on the couch. In this case, Andy Phelan has it all wrong and with visits to Rocky Mountain National Park and Mesa Verde National Park already this year it is only a matter of time before Andy receives a camera phone picture of the next national park visit and eventually a camera phone picture of the celebratory taco snack.
At some point during the last year, it seemed like a good idea to attempt to visit every national park in the United States of America after reaching the age of twenty-five. Since the start of the challenge visits to Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona have resulted in two successful national park adventures including both Mesa Verde National Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. Even with the Barnes and Noble special member discount, the glossy national park books are expensive, but visiting national parks is a hobby that is worth the expenses including the fifty dollars a year for the National Park Service Membership that grants the card carrier free entry into any park for an entire year. The National Geographic book talking about the different National Parks of the United States of America has a good mix of glossy photography and well-written content. Touring National parks is about researching the history of each national park and reading about the experiences of other national park enthusiasts. Certainly, responsibility for this endeavor rests squarely on the shoulders of Justin Unger the infamous wildlife preservation champion from the State of Kansas who preaches the value of enjoying the various National Parks located in the United States of America. Boulder, Colorado is an excellent base camp centrally located between dozens of national parks, which will help ensure a successful tour of the nation’s national parks.
Completed National Parks
20050518 – Rocky Mountain National Park
20050628 – Mesa Verde National Park
National Parks Under Consideration
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Wind Cave National Park
Badlands National Park
Arches National Park
Capital Reef National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Zion National Park
Great Basin National Park
Grand Canyon National Park
Thanks to the, “Save the H Foundation,” a link to the wonderful world of the fine folks at World66 was discovered and graphical presentations of world travels were created. Currently the map of States Visited looks better than the map of Countries Visited, but that is probably a byproduct of the travels associated with Walden University, High School Debate, and a random sense of adventure.
create your own personalized map of the USA
or check out ourCalifornia travel guide
Given that being a cultured world travel will probably require visiting more countries than the United States, Mexico, Japan, and China, the journey to visit them all is still more of a dream than an achievable reality.
create your own visited country map
or check our Venice travel guide
While traveling to Wichita, Kansas, in a Chevy Blazer to attend a surprise birthday party Margie was traveling to Boulder, Colorado. Some of the travel plans required stopping off in Wichita, Kansas, on the way to Kansas City to pick up Ben the day before the surprise party. Tequila Harry’s catered the surprise birthday party providing a wide variety of Southwest dishes. Mom was surprised to see how many people attended the surprise party, but the real shock came when the tourists from Wichita and Boulder came into focus. Thanks in part to the deception provided by Margie’s travels from Virginia to Colorado the trip was a well-guarded secret. One of the owners of Tequila Harry’s happened to sample Salsa Gordo Perezoso del Hombre and said that it was a pleasant blend that was somewhat sweet with a surprisingly slow burn. Dreams of playing golf like Tiger Woods inspired Ben to consider using the technology associated with the Nike Ignite golf ball driver. Dad seems to enjoy playing golf as evidenced by purchasing two drivers while visiting one of the discount golf stores. One of the golf ball drivers was for Ben who is considering playing in next years United States Open Golf Tournament. Hitting golf balls was a good opportunity to test the television quality video mode of the Sony M-1 Digital Video Camera.
Driving through the State of Iowa is not as much fun as you would think as the draconian highway laws have placed a firm moratorium on traveling above sixty-five miles an hour. Most the towns I passed on the way to Wisconsin were barely worth mentioning except for Davenport where I decided to stay the night. Hotels are offering high speed internet connections and some of them are even wireless internet, which is a rare luxury I am learning to enjoy with my five to nine hour battery life. Right now the hotel I am staying it is actually the base camp for some kind of crazy snowmobile competition. Red Bull excitement drink provider and insomnia defender has decided to sponsor the Red Bull Fuel and Furry competition in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Now since I have grown a beard and tend to dress like a college student the hotel staff actually grouped everyone within my age bracket into a very specific category. Some people think the winter x-games are extreme and they might have correctly named the competition years ago, but the name does not actually define the commercial enterprise that is winter sports. Snowmobile riders are a little bit different than the majority of winter sport competitors, first consider the fact that they ride these crazy little machines at over forty miles an hours and they compete on wood chips… now I actually thought that they were playing an April fools joke on me when I heard that last interesting fact. Snowmobile competitions often take place in areas that do not have large amount of snow and to simulate the snowy conditions this pack of absolutely crazy extreme sports enthusiasts decided to use wet wood chips instead.
If you think the winter x-games are extreme, then prepare to operationally redefine the meaning of extreme snow is at least somewhat forgiving and skis and snowboards are relatively harmless compared to hundreds of pounds of snowmobile. I almost had dinner with several of them who thought I was sponsored by some other snowmobile company, but were not sure how the expense account worked between snowmobile teams. I was actually in the restaurant trying to order room service, because the hotel decided to give me a room that did not have a working phone system.
After the first night at the hotel they decided to move me to a better room with a working phone system, but the only open room was one of the American Disability Act compliant additions. Most hotels are required to have about two of these rooms per floor and all twenty of these rooms were actually open at the same time go figure. Now I do not personally care about how the room is configured, because I mostly watch television and play on the internet, which can be done regardless of amenities other than the television and internet of course. Breakfast was free the next day and I moved to a different hotel room that was nice than the first or the second, in fact the hotel room is much nicer and even has a sofa, chair with a foot rest, and three tables around the room.
Last night I woke up after sleeping for a couple of hours confused and wondering exactly where I was in the world. While I was safe in the assumption that my relative place in the universe had not changed the fact that I was sleeping on a waterbed was enough evidence to motivate me to move around and get a glass of water. Staying at the grandparent’s house during trips is different from what I remember. They moved out to a different side of town closer to the golf course and country club. For some reason I had set the alarm clock to go off at eight in the morning resulting in a series of well coordinated attacks on the snooze button until breakfast.
Those of you who know me well understand the basic tenants of how I function on a daily basis and what encourages and discourages me from taking action. Needing a small amount of computer assistance and advice from me usually is less of a hassle if a good meal is involved. Several months ago I learned about the Alpha Shield personal firewall appliance from my uncle Pete. After purchasing one to protect my workstation computer while I was staying at my parent’s house it was hijacked when I left for Colorado leaving me with no alternative expect making an additional purchase. Today the first thing I managed to accomplish was organizing a trip to Best Buy, which the internet claimed would be willing to sell the Alpha Shield personal firewall appliance to my grandparents.
Ben wanted to go to Best Buy to purchase some kind of XBOX live subscription card that allows the otherwise useless Microsoft powered gaming device to connect to the universe via a high speed internet connection. XBOX live provides added functionality by allowing somewhat antisocial, video game addicted, overly competitive individuals to interact with each other without ever leaving the comfort of their parents basement. Now I have developed enough perspective on the issue to look back on computer game additions and try to learn from what I did or more to the point what I did not do with my time. Have you ever noticed the temperature difference that occurs in basements? Thanks in part to the houses foundation being underground and otherwise shielded from external heat most basements are about five degrees cooler on average than the rest of the house.
Retirement has been good to me over the last few years and I have been able to travel all over the United States and even around the world. During the course of the next few months I will be traveling all over the United States thanks to a series of higher education inspired events scheduled by Walden University. Flying has not been a fun experience lately in part inspiring a series of cross country road trips.
Right now I am in Kansas City enjoying the Great State of Kansas. Perhaps I will be able to finish all of my homework today and go out tonight, I have been trying to finish up my last few papers for finals week so that I could truly enjoy my vacation. Hopefully I will get to see some good friends on Wednesday in Lawrence, Kansas and I will be using Tuesday to go Sailing on some of the finest riverboats in the Untied States of America.
Lemmings or so it goes, the path of the faceless, nameless, soulless hoard that occupies space with no other purpose than testing the limits of gravity’s patience is exactly what the airport always seems to be at least from my observations. Reason and logic do not matter to people who have not accepted the limited significance and influence of their relative place within the universe. In the grand scheme of things, the idea that everybody is a self important unique and interesting snowflake is a myth perpetrated by those who have nothing better to say and have never actually had a novel, unique, or coherent thought that was of any significance other than to affirm the notions of self importance defended in front of the court of inner monologue, because it is otherwise unfit for public consumption.
Some people believe that I am arrogant, but they do not really know me, because is they did they would know that I am my harshest critic. For some reason in spite of years of research and learning, I do not seem to do anything better than anybody else, sometimes faster, but I do overcompensate for my lack of peace with myself by glorifying the mundane or celebrating the obvious. The universe is what it is, and my place with the universe is my pace within the universe. Of course the relative influence I exert on the universe is insignificant other than the time I invented a space propulsion system, but that is a different kind of story for a different kind of day. Today is something of an anomaly, because I broke my weblog again and have been tying to figure out a better system of online content management since I seem to break the weblog about once every six months and that is simply unacceptable.
I like airports, because they demonstrate a definitive community of place that acts like a conforming community of circumstance. Think about what it means to be a part of a place that creates an environment where nobody knows each other and security requires a certain level of decorum and circumstance requires a certain degree of social interaction. Watching people who are not used to being interacted with back peddle into evasive maneuvers and avoidance procedures is certainly entertaining, but at some level I want to understand what variable separates and divides people other than the selfish need to feel important perpetuating a certain degree nihilist contempt people share for others. Perhaps in a moment of infinite wisdom a reflective thinker will ponder the question, “How do we ever relate to others the infinite nature of what separates and divides each individual from the ability to communicate?”
From time to time I am prone to suggest that after communicating with people who seem to be waiting for their turn to talk and not truly listening we begin to question how well anyone really listens to anyone else. At that moment a subconscious message begins to resonate throughout thoughts and actions limiting the amount of effort we are willing to exert within any given communication, therefore reducing the potential success rate of any given communication exponentially over time and throughout history.
I do not really write for others to ready my thoughts. Most of what I manage to put into words is simply an attempt to have a record for myself to look back at what I was thinking at any given point of time in case I forget something truly important. Regardless of why I write, the contribution of the words, thoughts, ideas, and generally inflammatory rhetoric is strictly personal and not intended to be forced upon anyone at anytime for any reason. Maybe I do not attempt to sell my thoughts out of fear that nobody would want to buy them, or maybe, just maybe, I do not attempt to sell my thoughts, because in the long run I do not anticipate that they will be valuable.
Analyzing the top five current projects that I am working on requires identifying them and then determining the potential value and intended value of each project. Develop a mechanism for transporting material from earth into space without fossil fuels or combustion engines. Finish my design of the FPAPAD and build the first space engine capable of traveling at or around the speed of light. Complete a working demonstration project of the Captain Fractal compression system. Publish my Point Field Solution theory in an accredited scholarly journal. Write a paper demonstrating the application of currently available methods to turn our current garbage dumps into a national treasure ending the need to recycle in favor of complete reuse. I know some people think that my current research endeavors are not realistic, but to that I say hogwash, nonsense, gibberish, twaddle, balderdash, baloney, bunkum, and claptrap.
For some reason that defies logic and common sense Delta Airlines requested that I fly from Denver, Colorado, to Salt Lake City, Utah, so that I could fly to Kansas City, Missouri. How airlines developed this convoluted system of connecting flights that has people all over the nation traveling in the wrong direction, and in some cases even past where they want to go is something that I will never truly understand. If a network of hubs actually existed and people went to centralized areas to get on smaller connecting flights I would understand how and why the systems works, but within the current framework I am afraid that even chaos cannot explain the Airline industry. I was upset about the whole situation; therefore I resolved to entertain myself by purchasing a postcard. Now while I am trapped in the Salt Lake City airport, which by the way is near a mountain range that is actually very beautiful, the post cards really only brightened my day for matter of minutes.
Moving from Kansas City to Boulder, Colorado, this week has been difficult, but very rewarding especially in the context of this week
If I had something to say that I thought was meaningful or profound, then this would be the time. However, on the offhand chance that I do manage to come up with something cleaver I will remember to post it on the internet. Right now, I have been working on several major problems, and have most of the solutions. Perhaps soon everything will make sense, after I have traveled back to Boulder, Colorado. I have been experiencing major emotional issues stemming from being overworked, emotional drained, and of course my seemingly chronic case of travel driven anticipatory anxiety is extremely challenging.
I find myself staring at the blank space on my computer screen in a feeble attempt to discern reason from chaos and accept the universal order of things beyond my understanding. Tomorrow at two in the afternoon in the central time zone, Shaq will return to L.A. and the Lakers will play the heat in a NBA regular season game. Did I mention that Kobe
