With yet another day of severe jet lag and suffering from the time difference, I spent the day at Arlington National Cemetary. What an amazing experience! I was to touched, honored and inspired by this hallowed ground. Speechless from the stretches of white tombstones, I think every American should visit this place. I took the easy way out and opted to purchase a ticket for the tram. With very sore feet from the day before, I was grateful for the tram ride. The first stop was JFK's gravesite, on the bottom of the hillside below Arlington House and marked by the Eternal Flame that Jackie and RFK lit at Kennedy's funeral. It was a solemn, peaceful, and reflective place. So much lost. I immediately thought of my dad and all my years of him remembering the ... read more

How can any self-respecting political science major and amateur presidential gawker admit to never having visited our nations capital? A dream of a lifetime that will come true today, I am high in the sky (in an airplane with wifi, yahoo!!) on my way to Washington, DC. Well, Alexandria, Virginia actually - but close enough. I am wisely packed, walking shoes only and ready to experience an adventure to remember. Traveling alone, I plan to savor every moment of the next few days. And when the conference begins, I plan to have visited all the amazing monuments, museums and sights. My first opportunity to visit DC was foiled by 9/11. It was a heartbreaking time for our country, but flying was out of the question. Even this morning, my stomach flipped a few times due to ... read more

We arrived in Boise late afternoon yesterday - what a terrific city!! We have had a lot of fun and celebrated Jim's 36th birthday in style! We arrived a bit too early to check into the hotel, so we wandered down 8th street and discovered a section with restaurants, a fountain and shops. We wandered around and stopped into a Mexican place called The Matador for pre-dinner drinks. Jim had a cadillac margarita and a shot of Clase Azul - his favorite. I had a fresh Tamarind margarita with a cinnamon-sugar rim. It was so good and so unique. I had never had anything like it. A perfect way to start our celebration! Jim selected Prime Rib as his birthday dinner, so after we freshened up and got all our gear unloaded into the hotel room, ... read more

Well, it’s been a few days since I last posted, mainly due to a couple of much needed quiet days in Astoria, Oregon and one overnight in Pendleton, Oregon as we now make our way to Salt Lake City, Utah, via Boise Idaho. To recap: We had a winding drive out of Pacific City, on our way to the border of Oregon and Washington. Astoria, home of the winter encampment of the Lewis and Clark expedition is a small town on the banks of the Columbia River, right at the mouth of the Pacific Ocean. Our hotel room had a view of the river bank and each morning we watched the tides roll out and the seabirds land and feast. We arrived a bit too early and had to wait for our room to be ready ... read more

I find it completely outrageous that we have such a hard time relaxing! Perhaps a sign of go-go-go in our normal lives or that we have become totally addicted to fast everything - internet speed, restaurant service, entertainment, even sightseeing. Relax, already! Damn It! Relax! We have now visited Crescent City, California and are in Winchester Bay, Oregon until tomorrow. Crescent City was beautiful. A beach-front community with easy access to the Redwood Forest. We took a leisurely drive through the beautiful old growth redwoods and stopped a couple of times to take photos. After that, we headed to the state park where the local lighthouse is found. Along the beach, we happened upon a fantastic tidal pool and I plucked a starfish from the sea! Totally cool!! The lighthouse visit was beautiful - a blustery, ... read more