I took nearly 700 pictures on my trip to Texas. I’ve pared them down to 316, named, tagged, and grouped them, and posted them on Flickr for your viewing enjoyment.
My favorite five of the 316 are:
4) Rumbo
5) Sunset from Congress Bridge
When I get some sleep, I’ll write more about the trip. I will say that it was fun, allowed me to relax some, and towards the end I started to feel like writing creatively more than I have in a while.
Because summer hasn’t been hot enough in the Midwest, I’m taking a train trip from Chicago, Illinois to Austin, TX with my sister. The idea for the trip originated with my sister wanting to “get out of Lansing,” a location that, I believe, she has a love-hate relationship with. I’m going because taking trips is fun and it’s been a long time since I’ve been on a long train ride.
Initially, we planned to travel out west, but we sat on the idea so long that the ticket prices outgrew our pocketbooks. Thus, Austin, TX in August. I’m anxious to see the sights, eat the Tex-Mex and BBQ, and feel the heat. We’ll be traveling for about eight days start to finish before I’m back in the Midwest.
I won’t have my computer, but I’ll be posting here from my iPhone. Also be sure to check my flickr (right, as well) for iPhone photo uploads. I’ll have my DSLR with me, but won’t be able to upload until I get home.
My goals for the trip are to enjoy the heat, finish a book or two, and do some good writing. It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to write without feeling guilty that I should be doing something else (e.g., studying for the bar, searching for jobs, etc.). That stuff will have to wait until I’m back.
Without further ado, I’ll sign off and leave you with the following video of physicist Richard Feynman explaining how a train stays on the tracks. Link
The Smithsonian Lift List is below. I’ve been to the Great Wall, The Louvre, and the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is easily the most impressive natural sight I’ve ever seen. The Great Wall was impressive, but it was extremely foggy on the day I visited it. I visited The Louvre in 7th grade and 9th grade. I would have a better appreciation now.
Here is the list:
Portals into the Past
Walk the timeless streets and byways of ancient cities on three continents
– Mesa Verde
– Pompeii
– Tikal
– Petra
Feats of Engineering
The world’s surviving architectural wonders hewed from stone and mortar beckon as ever
– Pyramids of Giza
– Taj Mahal
– Easter Island
– The Great Wall
A Matter of Timing
Choosing the right year, month or even moment can make all the difference
– Aurora Borealis
– Serengeti
– Iguazu Falls
– Machu Picchu
Triumphs of Vision
Come face to face with history’s finest works of art and design
– The Louvre
– Zen Garden of Kyoto
– Uffizi Gallery
– Fallingwater
Scale New Heights
Don’t just see nature’s most spectacular sites—experience them
– Yangtze River
– Antarctica
– Mount Kilimanjaro
– Grand Canyon
In the Presence of Gods
Encounter temples so magnificent then could only have been built by divine inspiration
– Pagan
– Parthenon
– Angkor Wat
– Ephesus
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow?
Visit these deteriorating or threatened destinations before they disappear
– Venice
– Amazon Rain Forest
– Great Barrier Reef
– Galápagos Islands
Here is a list of the cities in which I spent one or more nights in 2007. I visited the cities marked with asterisks more than once on non-consecutive occasions.
United States
* Chicago, IL*
* Edmond, OK
* Herndon, VA
* Hilton Head Island, SC
* Ishpeming, MI*
* Lansing, MI
* Newark, NJ
* New York, NY
* Niagara Falls, NY
* Park City, UT
* Portland, ME
* Raleigh, SC
* Richmond, VA
* Traverse City, MI*
International
* Beijing, China*
* Shanghai, China
* Toronto, Ontario
* Xi’an, China
The toughest courses on the PGA Tour in 2007:
1. Oakmont Country Club (The U.S. Open)
* Avg strokes over par = 5.705
2. Augusta National Golf Club (The Masters)
* Avg strokes over par = 3.881
3. Southern Hills (The PGA Championship)
* Avg strokes over par = 3.016
4. Firestone South C.C. (WGC – Bridgestone)
* Avg strokes over par = 2.787
5. Carnoustie Golf Links (Open Championship)
* Avg strokes over par = 2.381
Looking at the top five courses with regard to the winning score, it is even more apparent that the U.S. Open and the Masters were the toughest tests of golf. Angel Cabrera’s winning score of +5 at the U.S. Open is just under the average strokes over par. Zach Johnson’s winning score of +1 at the Masters bested the average strokes over par by 2.881 shots.
The bottom three courses were less difficult for their tournament’s winners. Tiger Woods won the the PGA and the WGC with totals of -8 and Padraig Harrington shot -7 at the Open.
It seems clear that the U.S. Open and the Masters did a better job of keeping the entire field together, although there was a playoff at the British Open.
I’ve spent enough time in China, and can’t wait to take a great big deep breath of fresh New Hampshire air in 48 hours.
More to write about, but no time now.
Shanghai, despite being hotter and more humid than Beijing, is far better. The air is relatively clean, I can see blue sky during the day, and the city is far more modern. During the day there is less congestion – both pedestrian and automobile. At night every street is like walking down the Strip in Vegas. Neon lights flicker on-and-off calling my attention in all directions.
It’s busy, yet I don’t feel rushed or scared the way I did in Beijing. It’s simply stimulating.
We made the mistake of starting our first day with a long walk to the metro, which left us momentarily cranky while we cursed the heat and wished to be back in the air conditioned hotel room watching HBO, CNN or ESPN. Yes, you heard me right. There are actual American TV stations here in Shanghai. A few of them at least, and we’ve been taking advantage of them.
We took the metro to the train station to buy our tickets back to Beijing. Flying to Shanghai wasn’t much less hassle than taking the train is. Our flight was delayed, the airport was busier than any I’ve ever traveled in, and the heat was unbearable when standing in line for the taxi in Shanghai. Thankfully, finding the hotel was easy. As was checking in and finding a good noodle place called “78 Noodles,” which we’ve eaten at twice now. (The BBQ pork noodle bowl is tasty.)
From the train station we headed over to Pudong, the modern part of Shanghai east of the Bund. We took a trip up the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, visited the Aquarium, and took a pointless trip up the Jin Bei Building. Both the Pearl Tower and the Jin Bei offer the same view from Pudong back over Shanghai. Beautiful in both instances, but too much overlap.
We saw Nanjing Lu, which was once the busiest street in Shanghai. They’ve since closed the street to cars and pedestrians are free to roam. We went down to the west side of the Bund, which is lined with buildings built in the 1930s and 40s. On top of the Peace Hotel South we had hugely overpriced drinks, but were able to take some nice pictures of Pudong at night.
The only downside to the day was that I lost about 1500 RMB. My backpack was open and someone either reached in and stole it or it fell out for the taking. I think I “Shanghai-ed” myself.