As we head into the last official weekend of summer, I can’t tell you how glad I was to be close to home this month. Seattle is a lovely place to be in August and while I enjoyed my travels, I enjoyed my time here at home even more. As an extra treat this month, I also got to spend time with some former classmates at my 40th high school reunion. Here’s my travel for this past month. SEA/OAK/HNL/SJC/HNL/SEA – 10,596 SEA/KOA/SJC/SEA – 5,763 SEA/ANC/SEA – 2,894 Total miles flown in August: 19,253 Total hotel nights in August: 6 Year to Date Miles flown 2013: 183,201 Hotel nights 2013: 83 There’s a lot more travel on the calendar for September, including heading to Dublin, Ireland, for TBEX. Photo credit: personal collection
Read MoreUNESCO World Heritage Site: Tongariro National Park, New Zealand
Visiting Tongariro National Park is relatively easy, with decent roads providing access, and while some visitors are attracted by the UNESCO designation alone, there is much more to hold the attention of visitors. Here are just a few reasons to visit Tongariro National Park. Tongariro National Park, the oldest national park in New Zealand, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site listed for its mix of cultural and natural importance. The park, located on the North Island, is home to three active volcanos: Mt. Tongariro (for which the park was named, Mt. Ruapehu, and Mt. Ngauruhoe. Skiing and snow sports – Mt. Ruapehu is home to two ski areas, Whakapapa on the northern side and Turoa on the southwestern side. Whakapapa has 15 ski lifts and also offers accommodations. Turoa has 9 lifts with accommodation offered in nearby Ohakune. Skiing and […]
Read MorePostcard: The Zebra
Why did the zebra cross the road?
Read MoreBy the Numbers: July 2013
In the middle of summer it’s a great time to stay home here in the Seattle area. It’s the best time of year here in the Pacific Northwest, and I want to take every opportunity to enjoy it. I did manage a long weekend road trip to southern Oregon this month, along with a trip to Mt. St. Helens (Can you believe that I’ve never been there?), and my routine travel. I guess I did log a few miles during July. Here’s where my travels too me in July: HND/SEA – 4,797 miles SEA/LIH/SJC/SEA – 5,867 miles SEA/SFO/PSP/SFO/SEA – 2,202 miles SEA/SAN/SEA – 2,106 miles SEA/SJC/OGG/SMF/SEA – 6,066 miles SEA/MCO/SEA – 5,106 miles Total miles flown in July: 26,144 miles Total hotel nights in July: 10 nights Year to Date Miles flown 2013: 163,948 Hotel nights 2013: 77 Photo credit: […]
Read MorePostcard from Wildlife Safari
It’s a road trip weekend and a chance to enjoy the baking hot weather of southern Oregon. These three brown bears at Wildlife Safari (in Winston, Oregon), were trying to beat the heat with a bear-sized popsicle – a large block of ice with berries and other fruit frozen inside.
Read MorePaul McCartney Out There in Center Field at Safeco Field
It was big, it was bold, it was Out There last night as Paul McCartney played center field in Seattle’s Safeco Field. For its first major concert held in the stadium, you could hardly go wrong with the legendary Sir Paul, who last played Seattle eight years ago. What can you say about a musician who has held audiences in the palm of his hand for over 50 years. And who, at 71 years of age, can still headline a show for two and a half hours (including two encores). Oh sure, there were a couple of times his voice showed the age (Yesterday), but there were ten times more that he delivered in spades. I jumped on buying tickets early (thank you Amex Gold card advance ticket option), grabbing field seats in the middle section. The seats were 32 […]
Read MorePostcard from Seattle: Summer in the City
I’ve spent most of today in downtown Seattle, glued to a chair in front of my keyboard. But – it’s time to knock off for the weekend and enjoy the evening at the Paul McCartney concert at Safeco Field. How are you kicking off your weekend?
Read MorePostcard from Mt Fuji
In the pre-dawn glow, Mt Fuji peeks through the clouds. It’s waiting for me.
Read MoreBy the Numbers: June 2013
It’s June! And that means summer, even here in Seattle. This is one of the very best times of the year to be in Seattle and every year I promise myself to spend more time exploring this great part of the world I live in. And, it seems, every summer I sent just as much time traveling as before. Oh well, there’s always July! Here’ where my travels took me in June: YYZ/ORD/SEA – 2,154 miles SEA/PDX/OGG/OAK/SEA – 5,710 miles SEA/HNL/OAK/SEA –5,762 miles SEA/ORD/SEA – 3,436 miles SEA/NRT – 4,762 miles Total miles flown in June: 21,844 miles Total hotel nights in May: 11 Year to Date Miles flown 2013: 137,805 Hotel nights 2013: 67 Photo credit: personal collection
Read MoreBy the Numbers: May 2013 Travel
May was a fairly typical travel month for me. Nothing major, just routine travel. Let’s take a look: HNL/SEA – Returning home from Travel Weekly’s Hawaii Leadership Forum at the Royal Hawaiian Resort – 2,680 miles SEA/OAK/LIH/SEA/SAN/SEA – 7,939 miles SEA/SJC/OGG/OAK/SEA/ORD/SEA – 9,513 miles SEA/KOA/SJC/SEA/SFO/SEA – 7,134 miles SEA/ORD/YYZ – 2,154 Total miles flown in May: 26,740 Total hotel nights in May: 13 Year-to-Date Miles flown 2013: 115,961 Hotel nights 2013: 57 Photo credit: personal collection
Read More