We’ve Played this Game Before

We’ve Played this Game Before

Have you ever seen those games of lists on Facebook. You know the ones. They ask you things like how many of the following list of books you’ve read or how many classic films you’ve seen. There’s even a list of foods you hate! Well I was trying to visit all 50 states but I kind of got off track. So let’s play another version of the game called How Many states have you visited?

Rules of the GameWe've Played this game before

For a state to count you must have spent time there. You can’t count changing planes even if you do have a long layover. No you need to spend at least one full day there. Even better is a weekend or a vacation. For example, I had changed planes in Washington DC many times but I couldn’t cross Washington DC off the list until I spent a long weekend exploring the National Mall and looking at frozen cherry blossoms. If I truly want to experience the Cherry Blossoms I’ll need to go back but I can put a check by Washington DC.

The List of States

  1. Alabama – No
  2. Alaska – Yes- Breathtaking and majestic. Loved the glaciers
  3. Arizona – Yes- Sedona and Red Rock Country. I took my first helicopter ride in Arizona.
  4. Arkansas – No
  5. California – Yes but not for vacation (I spent 3 days in San Diego at a business convention)
  6. Colorado- No
  7. Connecticut – Yes (I spent a weekend in Old Saybrook but I don’t remember why)
  8. Delaware – No
  9. Florida – Yes- Love Florida, too bad it’s going to be underwater because of Global Warming. I go often to enjoy it while I can.
  10. Georgia – Yes The Georgia Aquarium is huge and don’t forget to go to the World of Coca Cola
  11. Hawaii –  Yes  Oahu, Big Island and Maui. Still need to go to Kauai. Best time is February when the whales put on quite a show. I also snorkeled with Manta Rays and watched Kilauea prepare to blow her top.
  12. Idaho – No
  13. Illinois- Yes But I need to go again. It was a business trip to Chicago, one of the first times I’d ever been on an airplane (a long time ago) I don’t remember much.
  14. Indiana – No
  15. Iowa – No
  16. Kansas – No
  17. Kentucky – No
  18. Louisiana – Yes, New Orleans. Great food!
  19. Maine – Yes Saw my first wild Moose there
  20. Maryland – Yes Went to the Navel Academy in Annapolis when my brother was a midshipman.
  21. Massachusetts – Yes I guess I can say Yes. I live in Massachusetts
  22. Michigan – No
  23. Minnesota – No
  24. Mississippi – No
  25. Missouri – No
  26. Montana- No
  27. Nebraska – No
  28. Nevada- Yes – Vegas Baby!  Great Shows Great Food Fun Times
  29. New Hampshire – Yes I explored the White Mountains
  30. New Jersey – No
  31. New Mexico – No
  32. New York – Yes My childhood home plus I have visited Niagara Falls several times
  33. North Carolina – No
  34. North Dakota – No
  35. Ohio -No
  36. Oklahoma – No
  37. Oregon – No
  38. Pennsylvania- No
  39. Rhode Island – Yes- Walked the cliff walk and visited the Mansions. Even went to a black tie ball in one
  40. South Carolina- Yes My brother’s wedding
  41. South Dakota – Yes That was an awesome vacation- So much to do there!
  42. Tennessee – Yes – Stayed in Gatlinburg and visited Pigeon Forge. Skipped Dollywood
  43. Texas – Yes – San Antonio. Stayed right on the River Walk
  44. Utah – No
  45. Vermont – Yes Maple Syrup anyone?
  46. Virginia – Yes Colonial Williamsburg and Busch Garden Christmas Town
  47. Washington State- Yes Spent a week on a business trip in Seattle. Took pictures from the top of the space needle and visited Chihuly Gardens
  48. West Virginia – No
  49. Wisconsin – Yes Say Cheese. Actually My brother’s retirement party from the Navy was held in Kenosha
  50. Wyoming – Yes One of my favorite places. Jackson Hole (Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone)
  51. Washington DC – Yes, On a frozen , icy weekend (as mentioned above)

Now Its Your Turn

What does your list look like? How Many states have you visited? Which of my “No” States should I visit next?

 

Better Late Than Never

Late is Better than Not At All

Hi Friends. I know I’ve been negligent in keeping up with my posts. To be completely honest I’ve just been tired. My energy has not bounced back since my hip surgery in December. Oh Don’t get me wrong, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Its wonderful to be pain free, at least on my left side. Now if I could just figure out what to do about the right knee and right hip I’d be ready for the Boston Marathon. Needless to say, with this lack of energy I haven’t been out with my camera or going on any “adventures”. It’s been enough to get me to work and home again every day.  But I managed  to roust myself enough this week to go thru my photos from 2018. And that’s what I plan to share today.

 

 

The Deer Did It

Lava Lake Glow

Kilauea Lava Lake Glow- 2018

Driving home from work on Wednesday I saw 3 deer playing in a field in Easton, and they were playing, not just grazing. Seeing them I felt a  little tug. My hand reached for the camera but it wasn’t there. It made me realize how far away from things I love I’ve gotten. The reason for my surgery wasn’t just to be pain free but to give me mobility to get out and do things. And I was squandering my chance. To get back on track I decided I needed to pick up  some of my old habits. Number one is to review the photos from the previous year and narrow it down to the top 10. 

2017 Was a very Good Year

The first thing I did was to start uploading my 2018 photos. When I did I happened to notice my 2017 choices. Oh my! They were going to be hard to beat. 2017 was a very good year for my photos. For good or bad I didn’t have a lot of photos from 2018 to wade through but that didn’t make the decisions any easier.  Here, in no particular order are my top ten choices from 2018. You can see them full size in a slide show at https://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/

2018 Photographer’s Choice

Rockin’ the Park

Rock The Park

There’s a Saturday morning children’s show called Rock The Park that I just love. I’m just a kid at heart anyway. In this show Jack & Colton travel to different places and share their adventures. Most of the time the adventures are in a National Park. I love shows that either feature someplace I’ve been or someplace I want to go. I caught a double header the other day. The first episode was Yellowstone National Park and the 2nd episode was about The Big Island of Hawaii.

 

Akaka FallsAkaka Falls

The Hawaii Show caught my attention when I heard the stars mention Akaka Falls. I’ve been there on multiple trips. It is one of my favorite waterfalls. To reach the falls you have to either hike a loop trail or take the stairs.  The trail is only about .5 miles and takes you past 300 ft Kahuna Falls before ending at 442 ft Akaka falls. You can also take the stairs directly to Akaka Falls.This is one of the most beautiful Hawaiian waterfalls that I’ve seen and the easiest to see. 

Diving with Manta Rays

After visiting the falls Jack & Colton went on a night  scuba diving adventure  with Manta Rays. I am no longer certified so I haven’t been scuba diving but I did go on a night snorkel with Manta Rays on my last trip. That was pretty brave of me or maybe stupid because my left hip was pretty much useless but aside from the safety factor this was a pretty awesome experience. We took a boat out to about 40 ft of water. There the Captain launched a lighted raft to attract plankton. Once it began to work its  magic we entered the water.

Manta Ray

Just Floating with the Rays

Once in the water we held on to the raft and did a “dead man’s float”. It wasn’t long before graceful manta rays were approaching from the dark. They circled and swooped. One even swam up my body and flipped on its back. It was like being a part of a water ballet. The whole experience lasted about 45 minutes and then it was time to leave. That was when my hip became a liability. I was struggling to climb the ladder to get back on the boat. Our Captain rescued me. He simply reached down and gave me a tug. I popped out of the water and onto the deck in one easy pull. This was an amazing experience. One I highly recommend. My only regret is that I didn’t have a camera or “go-Pro” to capture the moments.

Hello Hawaii

Yes, I did Make it to Hawaii

Hi Surf off Kona CoastI’m sure you are wondering if I made it to Hawaii back in October. After all, the plan was to get back to see the Kilauea eruption and take the boat tour to see the lava flowing into the sea. Even with my bad hip I was determined. Sadly, Kilauea had other ideas. She has never been terribly cooperative with me. When I left in March the BIG Eruption was just sending out feelers. A week later ba-boom one of the largest eruptions in Kilauea’s history was wreaking havoc on the Big Island. Volcano National Park was closed and whole developments were being wiped off the map. There were earthquakes and Lava bombs and I was safely back on the mainland!

Its still ParadiseParasailing off Kona

By the time I was able to return to the Big Island the eruption had ended. It slowed down and died the end of September so I was too late. Once again I stayed on the Kona side of the island. It was paradise as usual. Since my plans had been derailed I spend a couple of days just enjoying the island ambiance. Finally I kicked myself into gear. My first adventure was to tour Volcano National Park and see what had changed.

 

 

 

To the Park

Crater Road collapse

 

At first glance it didn’t seem that much different to a casual observer. There was the crater, the steam vents were still steaming but some roads were closed. With a closer look it was obvious the crater was much larger. Then I saw a bit of road half way down into the crater. I was on that road in March! Kilauea will erupt again someday. Will it be in my lifetime? No one knows. But for now there’s no lava flowing into the ocean, no bubbling lava lakes and no night glow in the park. Pele has gone to sleep. 

Volcano National Park

The park is open again and even without the bubbling caldera the park is still worth a visit. Be sure you include a stop on your next trip to the Big Island. Enjoy a nice lunch at the Volcano House while staring at the crater.

Aloha From the Big Island

Aloha from the Big Island

Hi everyone

Just a quick update to let you know I’ll have some new posts soon.
It’s been a very tough year so far.

My BFF is in town and wanted to do lots of fun things but most of the summer I’ve been laid up. My doctor insisted it was my back but I argued that it was my hip. Cortisone shots in my back did nothing except delete my bank account so finally in an act of desperation I went to a chiropractor. It didn’t take him long to order more xrays of my whole pelvic area. You guessed it. My hip was the culprit all along.

With new set of xrays in hand and my chiropractor’s blessing I contacted a surgeon who confirmed that I need a hip replacement. But not just one! I’ll need both done. My left hip surgery is scheduled for December. Once that’s healed we’ll tackle the right hip. The prognosis is that once they are done I can be back to my adventurous self.

The Big Island coming up

In the meantime I had a trip booked to Hawaii, specifically the Big Island. To cancel would have cost a bundle so here I sit or hobble with cane in hand.

I flew United Airlines and they were great. There was a plane change in San Francisco so they had a wheelchair meet me to take me between gates. Thank goodness. The gates were opposite sides of the terminal. Without that assistances I’d still be limping my way to the 2nd gate!

So here I am on the Big Island and I intend to make the best of my stay. Hiking is not an option and I’m not sure about swimming but I can take a dinner cruise and I think I’m going to try to swim with the Manta Rays. I’m told we just hang onto a float with lights. I’m willing to give it a shot.

I have the camera and my cell phone camera so Pictures will follow once I have a little time to really write.

We’ll talk soon, The maid just arrived to pick up my room so I’m going to get out of her way for now.