Category: Travel

I don’t think anyone looks good in these uniforms (that probably isn’t the purpose of them I know) but oh well.  Thanks Randy for these pictures…

Goodbye Charlotte, you’re a great city!  Friendly people, a very nice downtown, and a really fun event.  Here are some miscellaneous pictures I took at a little park on my way to the auditorium today.

For the CMMA President’s Dinner we were at the Nascar Hall of Fame.  The driving simulator they had was lots of fun and it was a really nice facility.  I wish I had more time to see more of it tonight.  My camera battery died and I didn’t have the charger so these pictures are from my cell phone.

Today we went to the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte.  From their website the Whitewater Center is “home to the world’s largest man-made recirculating river, the USNWC provides exciting rafting adventures on Class II, III and IV whitewater rapids. All raft trips include a professional guide, a short trip talk on the fundamentals of rafting and essential safety information and all the technical equipment needed.”

OK so that all sounds fine and dandy and when they said Niagra Falls is literally a class VI rapid and we are going to see class IV several times in the day I was thinking it was going to get pretty gnarly. Before I get to that  I just want to mention I got a few things knocked off the bucket list today which was a good thing.  The first was rock climbing which I had never done.  My long arms and legs definitely helped me scale right up the easy course of the rock wall to break myself in.  I also now know how to put on a climbing harness which definitely wasn’t the case before today.  I decided not to do a medium or hard climb because I didn’t want to burn my arms out before we went whitewater rafting.  The climb was good, I had no idea how much cardio it would involve by the time you got to the top of the wall.  I was breathing really heavy which I didn’t expect.

We next got ready for whitewater rafting and after a 10 minute safety lesson of rafting we got our helmets and life jackets on.  I got into Mark, Cynthia, Robin, and Steve’s group and I would learn it was quite a team to be with.  Our guide was named Jerry who taught us to go forward, backward, jump into the raft, all go to one side, and how to hold the paddles so we wouldn’t knock out out anyone elses’s teeth.  We started out really well and rowed well together as a team.  We hit the first few rapid which were class one and two and did just fine.  We next paddled further down the river and encountered pinball alley (I think that was what he said) and encountered our first class III rapid.  Mark and I were in the front, Robin and Cynthia in the middle, and Steve was in the back with the guide.  We flew down the river once we got caught up in the class III current and were paddling like crazy.  Our guide told us to go forward as hard and fast as we could and it was clear the river was in control but we kept paddling any way.  We went through the first few rapids OK but then we got hung up on a rock, went backwards and somehow our entire raft went lopsided and everyone started tumbling out of the raft.  I think Steve in the back was first in, then Cynthia in the middle, then Mark next to me in the front and I went in shortly after him.

Mass pandemonium ensued with the guide yelling instructions to everyone in the water but with so many of us it was every person for themselves for a while.  Mark and I got tossed out upstream and we both went under the raft for a few seconds.  I was able to come up for a quick breath after getting out from under the raft but before I knew it I was next getting sucked into the next rapid which made me drink some nice river water.  I eventually got to the right hand side of the river but the guide wanted me to swim back across the river to the raft (which only had one person in it).  I made it back across the river and he pulled me back into the raft.  Upon getting back into the raft I learned Robin was the only one who was able to stay in the raft.  Steve and Cynthia were upstream and we were wedged over a rock.  Robin and I got out and I think at that point we got Mark back.  Steve was pulled up with a rope and walked back down the bank to meet us and Cynthia was rescued by another raft.  Our guide then let us know we were the only “swimmers” he had all season meaning we were the only people who had fallen out of the raft.

OK now after telling you all of that, and after getting my life flashed before my eyes (kinda) I just need to remind you that rapid was a class III and we hadn’t yet gotten to the class IV.  We took the magic carpet ride back around the river and we were going to do it all over again.  This time the guide decided to further torture us by intentionally getting us stuck in a rapid and Mark and I got a lovely bath together with water dumping into the raft.  We went down pinball alley again and this time we all stayed inside the raft.  Back to the magic carpet ride and now we were going to go down the other side of the man made river which had the class IV rapid.

The class IV rapid was huge but we all stayed in.  After getting done with that we had a nice water fight with another raft.  The guide of that raft went up and asked if we knew what the weather forecast was going to be.  We said we didn’t and he replied “showers” and his raft started to use their paddles to splash us and elementary school type behavior ensued.  After getting back on the magic carpet ride we were told we were going to take the class IV rapids backwards for our last ride.  Ironically I think that was the easiest thing and after an hour and a half of paddling it was time to get back to the shore.

They don’t let you go in the river without shoes or water shoes so I wore my favorite old Nike tennis shoes which are now soaked.  I think I’m going to try using the hair dryer on them for a little while tonight because I am going to need them on Wednesday when I fly home.  I got sun scorched today as well, my nice white skin didn’t fare so well in the overcast weather today so sunscreen would have definitely been a wise move  and I’m going to have to pay some consequences as a result.  My face, arms, and even legs are nice and red.  My body needs a few days to recover but oh no the conference must go on!  It ironically only officially started tonight so watch out.  Even though the outdoor activities are complete the indoor activities should be equally as exciting.

I did the Richard Petty Driving Experience today at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.  Well truth be told I sat in a car with someone who really knows how to drive.  Even though there wasn’t a speedometer in the car he said we went 165 and when I asked how he knew he said “I just do”.  I was going to take video of the ride but he said I wouldn’t be able to hold my arms up very well and the camera could become a projectile around the turns so I decided to just hold on and enjoy the ride.  I ordered a DVD of the experience instead so we’ll see how that turns out.  We took three laps around and it was crazy fast but I still wanted to go faster.  The driver I had was a really nice young guy from Bend Oregon and I got to talk with him later in the day.  He wanted to be a professional driver but is happy doing the tours for now.  The turns were 21 degree banks so I definitely felt the G forces going around them.  Several times my helmet was pushed against the mesh netting covering the opening of the car.  Not that I would have but they advised not to curse because they were filming everything.  I think the only thing I said audibly at one point was “wow” and a little laugh and I’m sure my face and body language will say the rest.

A good day traveling yesterday from Oakland, CA to Charlotte, NC.  I think I’ve been ready for some time away from the office for a while now.  Sprint was nice enough to lend me a Galaxy Tab a few months ago to try out which I’ve been loving.  I truthfully haven’t fully understood the tablet trend because I take my laptop wherever I go and love having a full keyboard.  That is until I traveled for 7 hours on a cramped cross country flight.  The Galaxy Tab performed like a champ, the battery lasted the entire day with juice to spare.  I loaded it up with a bunch of videos I’ve tried to find time to watch but life doesn’t allow for much time these days.  I don’t mind being busy but just want to feel like I’m in control of life and that life isn’t controlling me which hasn’t been the case.  So anyway the tablet was a champ and I’m now a big believer but don’t know if I am ready to break down and buy one yet.

Not too much drama traveling yesterday either which is very unusual for me.  Christina and I joke that we would be the worst couple (or the most hilarious) on the Amazing Race.  Almost every trip I forget something major but so far nothing too significant.  I’ve started making myself travel checklists which has seemed to help.  The photo above is from my room on the 22nd floor of the Westin in downtown Charlotte.  The best tip I can give anyone traveling who is staying in a hotel is to be extra nice to the person checking you in.  I’ve also learned to ask for what you want, it never hurts to ask.  That is all for now.

Christina and I took Tyler to the Lindsay Wildlife Museum today.  Well actually I think Christina took Tyler and I, not exactly sure who liked it more.

Tyler and I made it to Portland for another Person Family Christmas.  Our flight was delayed a little but Tyler was really excited to fly in an airplane again and was in an especially good mood.  Yesterday we went to Best Buy to get a new phone as a belated birthday gift (really nice huh).  I have been researching new phones for the past few months and as of yesterday I had it narrowed down to the Droid X and the Nexus S.  I first decided on the Nexus S but upon going to the local Best Buy here in Oregon, they had already sold out.  We called around to other Best Buy stores in the area and they either didn’t let you buy the phone without the contract (for $599) or they wouldn’t answer their phone.  The big disadvantage with the Nexus S is it only works well on T-Mobile and I wanted to move to Verizon.

We had some lunch and I decided to go with my second favorite phone, the Droid X.  AT&T, I won’t miss you and I’ve heard fantastic things about Verizon so we’ll see how things go.  I’ll have a full review of the Droid X as I have more time to play with it but so far I’m absolutely loving it.

This morning we went to Breakfast at Gravy a really funky and awesome breakfast spot in Portland.  I had a Greco Omelet and it was really good but my only feedback to them would be there were too many sun-dried tomatoes which overpowered the dish.  It was also a little salty but man did it photograph well.  Speaking of photographs, check out the quality of the pictures the Droid X takes!  I love the phone, love it.

Mike and I went to the city yesterday for my birthday and we had lots of fun. When we got into the city via BART we encountered some unanticipated rain showers so we ducked into the Ferry Building for a bathroom break and some Blue Bottle Coffee. By the time we left the Ferry Building the rain had stopped and we made our way down to the pier where the Alcatraz tours depart. The boat ride over was mostly uneventful, it rained a little and was cold but the bay was calm. It was my third trip to Alcatraz but I really enjoyed seeing it again and it gave me another chance to get some more pictures which is always especially fun for me. We stayed on Alcatraz for a few hours and then headed to Scomas for some lunch.

We needed to be back for a party and to pick up Tyler later in the day so we headed out at 3pm. Mike had a great idea which was to take a petty cab to the BART station and it was a fun $15 ride. When I picked up Tyler from daycare he sung happy birthday to me and it was adorable. Come to think of it, lots of people sang to me and it is a strange tradition isn’t it? I still love it, especially when kids sing (my nephew Evan and sister Jennifer’s version was also quite lovely). Mike and I went to Christina’s parent’s house for dinner.  We played some cards and then before I knew it my birthday was over. Time flies when you are having fun.  Thanks to everyone for making me feel extra special yesterday.