Category Archives: Travel Blogs

The Constitution Tour

August 17, 2014 Troy 1 Comment

What is a constitution tour? It’s visiting all of the places that have been the capital of the United States. Since the constitution has been signed, three different cities have been the U.S. capital. Most people know of Washington D.C. but it hasn’t always been. While the buildings in Washington were being constructed, what is now called Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania served as the meeting place for the U.S. government which designated it as the capital. And briefly, Federal Hall in New York was the first U.S. Capital.

From 1789 to 1790, New York served as the United States Capital with the first presidential inauguration taking place at Federal Hall. Visiting this historic building is an experience as it is only open Monday thru Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. That in itself is not the challenging part. The challenging part is that it is located in the Financial District of Manhattan in New York. Across the street is the New York Stock Exchange so you can imagine the congestion of traffic and pedestrians surrounding the area during the open hours of Federal Hall. It is still worth the effort to visit and learn about the first U.S. Capital.

For the next ten years Philadelphia became the temporary capital from 1790 to 1800. Independence Hall housed the U.S. Government during this time becoming the second capital city. I’ve not found information as to why the capital was moved from Federal Hall in New York to Philadelphia. Possibly it was to be more centrally located among the new states or to be closer to the permanent U.S. Capital as it was being constructed. In order to tour Independence Hall you first need to go to the Independence Visitor Center to get tickets. Tickets are no charge but you do need to get there early enough during the day before they run out in the peak summer months. Before entering the hall there is a security check so arrive a few minutes early to go through.

Continuing on to the current United States Capital, Washington D.C. which became the center of the U.S. Government in 1800. When most people see a photograph of the capital building, they instantly recognize it as the U.S. Capital and have for many, many years. This is definitely a grand building housing many offices of congress members along with larger meeting areas. In order to tour the main public spaces you need to enter the visitor center underneath the Capital Plaza. There is a security check here as well. Another way to visit is to contact your congressional representatives for a tour.

No Constitution tour would be complete without a trip to the National Archives in Washington D.C. to see the actual Constitution and Bill of Rights along with the Declaration of Independence. The actual signed documents are difficult to read as they have faded over the years but it is still a nice addition to all of these historical places. During the summer months there may be a line to get in and there is security screening to pass through. If you have the time you can spend several hours looking through this museum. For us, we primarily wanted to see the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the Declaration so that is what we focused on and then left shortly after to see other sights in Washington D.C.

Since our children were young I had a desire to take them on a Constitution Tour but I was uncertain if it would ever happen since there were so many places to see on our Monopoly travels. We were fortunate enough to be able to complete this tour in addition to stopping at four destinations on our National Parks board this summer fulfilling this idea. It was a lot as we visited seven states in ten days and it was a lot of history put into those ten days which we are still digesting and will be for several years I’m sure. While it was a lot put into a very short time, we learned a lot and saw a lot bringing history to life as the kids learn about it at school.

Photography Experiment, Troy's Blog

Photography Experiment–Cities

August 10, 2014 Troy

Cities are not as interesting for me to photograph as nature and landscapes are but from time to time they catch my attention. Getting some practice and tips will be useful at these times so this experiment is worth taking some time to perform. As luck would have it, I have a nice city to photograph relatively close by too. Some of Peter Carey’s advice includes a little bit of research to determine when and where to photograph which ever city you’re visiting. To read more of his advice about shooting cities with your favorite camera click here…

The first tip is to avoid taking pictures of a city during the middle part of the day when the sun is higher in the sky with the most light intensity reflecting off of buildings. I didn’t follow that very well taking pictures of New York this past summer. Using a polarizing filter on this particular picture may have helped even though I don’t think it turned out to bad thanks to a nicely timed cloud blocking some of that sunlight.

Here is a good example of why shooting during the middle part of the day may not work out so well because of all the reflections. In this case I did that on purpose because I liked the idea of the new World Trade Center tower appearing as the beacon of New York. It provided a sense of brightness for a city that was horrifically attacked. That is not an effect I would like to have with most cities when trying to photograph them.

This photo of Seattle was taken just before sunset providing a nice opportunity to capture the city towards the end of a day. Direction was less important because of the clouds covering the sun preventing any reflections from the glass but also prevented the warming effect of the setting sun against the buildings. Those same clouds enhance the picture with their shapes and colors though. Since this was taken from the top of the Space Needle it was difficult to put this identifying landmark in the picture.

Later that evening I had the chance to take this nice panorama of Seattle. That is probably my favorite picture of many cities – the life of a city after dark. This is also the same picture that I don’t often provide time to take.

This is taken from Pier V in downtown Baltimore. I was playing with the aperture settings in order to get the starburst effect on the lights. I think I may have gone a little too far and should have found a more intermediate setting.

My main objective that night was to catch some of the numerous strikes of lightning over Baltimore. There were very few visible bolts of lightning so I had to settle for the sky lighting up. Still, I like the picture even though it does not show the whole downtown area but a small portion of it.

One final piece I think is worthwhile to photograph are special events occurring in a city. In this case it was the Baseball All-star Game in Minneapolis this past summer. Earlier in the day I heard about a fly over of F-16’s over the stadium before the game. It wasn’t until I arrived at this park to photograph it that I was informed the fly over would be performed by the Thunderbirds. Unfortunately I could only capture this moment with video or still photographs. I chose to use video and this was one frame from that video making it a lower quality picture. Even with that being the case, I saw a picture from a different vantage point on top of one of those taller buildings in the newspaper the next morning. This picture is better than the one in the newspaper simply because of the direction of the sun. I was shooting with the sun at my back while the newspaper photographer had the sun in front of them catching the reflection on the planes washing out most of the color from the picture. I thought taking a picture from the top of a building looking down on the stadium as the Thunderbirds flew over would be great. After seeing it, the picture didn’t work out all because of the placement of the sun. A good learning experience for me in this situation. Had I decided to take still photos I may have had one of the best pictures of this event anywhere all because of the location I chose for this picture.

National Parks, Troy's Blog

Re-living American History–Gettysburg

August 5, 2014 Troy

The American Civil War was one of the pieces of history that interested me the most growing up. In particular, the battle of Gettysburg. After deciding to go on these Monopoly Adventures and receiving this National Parks board, I was very happy to see Gettysburg on it as one of our destinations. Leaving Washington D.C. towards this national park I had surprisingly mixed emotions. This is a place I wanted to visit so there was some excitement but at the same time there was a desire to not go to these historic battlefields. I didn’t really want to see the location of this famous three day battle which took so many lives and wounded so many others both physically and mentally.

Sometimes doing things we don’t want to do helps us to get perspective and gain life experience and so we continued on to this place forever written into history. Upon arriving there were three ranger programs that I absolutely wanted to hear covering each day of the battle between the Union soldiers and the Confederate soldiers. The first was about to begin so we made a quick stop at the visitor center and then off to the meeting place of the program covering July 1st when these two armies first engaged each other. It was interesting to learn where each army was located before, during, and after their different engagements and how this Gettysburg battle changed as more and more soldiers arrived to this area. We started to see the different strategies of each side and the successes and failures as fighting continued.

Even after this first ranger program, I still had a difficult wanting to stay at Gettysburg National Park. There wasn’t a lot of interest to continue to experience more as I was having difficulty imagining all that was happening during these battles. We continued to drive to different areas of the park and get a closer look at the landscapes these armies traveled through and engaged one another at trying to become more interested and educated. It was time for lunch and we were all getting hungry so we began to head for town and find a place to eat before the next ranger program. On the way I wanted to quickly go through on other area. It turned out to be a one way drive that went on for several miles with many different stops.

There were a couple of places we got out of the car and read a few posted signs while taking pictures and then moved on. Being in a little bit of a hurry, I was driving faster to see the sights and then get lunch. Getting a little frustrated at how long this drive was and how much time it was going to take to get off this one way street, we came upon a small encampment with people dressed in Confederate uniforms walking around canons. Unsure if we should stop or not we decided to park the car and at least check out what was happening. As it turned out, this was a demonstration showing the loading and firing of Civil War canons and the different types of shots that could be used against an opposing army. We had no idea that this was going to happen and felt fortunate to be able to witness these cannons as they were loaded and fired three times.

This event that we accidentally encountered made a tremendous difference in our time at Gettysburg. Seeing and hearing these cannons fired with the soldiers around them allowed us to finally imagine these battles going on between the north and south. The load booms as they were ignited and then all of the smoke billowing from the end of each canon set a very different and real tone for our day. Without these live cannons, our time here would have been significantly less meaningful and educational. Once the demonstrations had concluded it was off to find a quick bite to eat and then on to the second ranger program.

So much more was gained from this second informational talk because now we had an idea of the surrounding landscape and how these armies engaged one another. Plus we could imagine these battles taking place thanks to the cannon demonstrations. After a short time it began to feel like we were actually there during the war. After this program completed we drove around the park for a while and eventually arrived at the third program covering July 3rd of the Gettysburg battle. I was very interested in hearing how the final day of fighting in Gettysburg went and seeing the ground these soldiers engaged upon. This talk began and about half way through we began to get wet with heavy rainfalls moments away so we left and headed for the car hoping to stay dry. That didn’t happen. We decided to head for the visitor’s center once again to get our Monopoly board signed and then be on our way.

As I continue to reflect on our day experiencing Gettysburg, I wondered what it would have been like to live in Gettysburg and have fighting all around my house for three days. To witness these armies fighting and the pain and death that followed in a place that is suppose to be relatively safe – your home. I also realized how important adding times to these battles were to add to the realism of the war. Stating that the fighting began at 8am at a certain location and by 1 pm the fighting started in this area here and by 3:30 pm this army was retreating or this army was advancing to here really had an impact on me. It made things so much more imaginable and something I could relate to. Gettysburg is a place of great interest and sadness now and an experience I won’t forget.

Family Ramblings, Troy's Blog

Recapturing that Innocence

July 26, 2014 Troy

Remember being about five years old or watching a five year old explore the world? Remember that innocent love of learning about your surroundings? So many new things to explore. No filters or experiences or judgments to get in the way of those feelings of wonder and enjoyment. No other things to worry about. Just living in the moment and taking it all in. So innocent! Where does that go as we get older? Who does not want to experience that feeling again? Can we re-gain that innocence?

Absolutely! If you allow yourself to. This was a topic recently brought up where I work after one of my co-workers spent the day with a five year old exploring a natural park. After this brief conversation I began to reflect on it more and found ways that I come back to this innocence from time to time. Without really knowing it, I’ve had to allow myself to find opportunities to just be in the moment. To take in the situation without thought or judgment. It can take some learning and practice to accomplish but this child like enjoyment of life is at our control.

As I thought about this a little longer the easiest situation for me to enter this mindset of an innocent child is while exploring our national parks whether it be the stunning landscapes of Alaska, the Grand Canyon, or standing in the midst of a historic landmark like Bunker Hill where the Revolutionary War started or were Benjamin Franklin is buried. It doesn’t just happen though. Often our brains are working causing thoughts of things to be done or parts of conversations to enter the moment distracting from just being and taking in that moment in our lives.

Over the years I have learned how to quiet all that is running through my mind to just take in a certain moment from time to time. Allowing me to just take it in and enjoy the opportunity I’ve been given. I continue to improve this skill which brings more enjoyment in this short time we have available. Now, just seeing a firefly blinking in the backyard or sharing a memorable moment with someone or watching a dragonfly eat can bring this young innocence back. It has taken a lot of hours of self learning and reflection to work on this and bring back these skills.

I remember when I was younger being around some people who always seem to be smiling and where amazed at every little thing. I thought they were a little bizarre because not everything is amazing and needs to be treated like it’s the first time it has ever happened. This constant state of happiness approached stupidity in my mind. As years passed I began to admire this ability in people because it was not something I could do. They seemed to enjoy life more than I do. Jealousy started to creep in. Questions as to why I couldn’t have this much enjoyment arouse.

Soon I began to realize that while I thought I enjoyed traveling, I really wasn’t taking in those places I was visiting mentally. My thoughts were usually of what I had to do when I get back home or of recent conversations that occurred before I left for the trip. Sure, I did spend some time mentally in this place I had traveled to see but I wasn’t allowing myself to be fully in that place. Over time I have learned that I need to remind myself to be in the moment.

Pretend to be a little kid again – it’s OK!

People to People, Troy's Blog

A Student Ambassador-Returns

July 19, 2014 Troy

Finally the day arrived to pick our student ambassador up from the airport. We were receiving texts that they had departed Europe and landed in Atlanta in route to home. Only a few more hours and we could pick her up at the airport and listen to a few of the sure to be numerous stories on the way home. Unfortunately another flight delay altered these plans a little but only by a few hours this time. Sometimes technology helps as we could keep track of the flight as it continued closer and closer bringing our traveler home safely.

This has certainly been a different experience as a parent also. To give up the responsibilities as a parent temporarily and trust other people to keep your child safe was difficult. It also means you have to confidence in your child’s ability to make good and smart decisions. Trust can be a difficult thing when put to the test with your children. There was a realization that, sooner than we will be ready for, this child will be departing our home to begin her own story and these feelings we’re having of her being gone won’t be as temporary. Fortunately her return brought relief and a sense of completeness in our family once again. Better enjoy and appreciate it for a few more years!

Since her return was delayed to late during the night, her stories and experiences will mostly have to wait a day. The next few days were filled with stories of adventures and meeting people from different parts of Europe and a lot of sleep as these student ambassadors were pretty exhausted from weeks of constantly moving. Every day there were a few new stories to be entertained with as memories of this adventure continued to be digested. After a few weeks the significance of this opportunity began to take hold and more of an appreciation for this trip surfaced. The more people she began to share this experience with, the more she began to understand how special it was. The full impact likely won’t be known for several years.

Her favorite part of this European Adventure was her homestay in France. The piece of this trip I was most nervous about. She loved the people she stayed with and the opportunity to relax and explore portions of France at a more leisurely pace. A return to France is now a high priority on her list of places to go when she can. As our travels are pretty well planned out through 2018 with the Monopoly National Parks board, she’ll have to wait a few years but I’m confident she’ll make it happen.

The worst part of this trip was having to stick to a fairly strict schedule which didn’t allow for staying a little longer at one location and spending less time at places of lower interest that was made more strict due to the two lost days from canceled flights. This student ambassador is use to traveling in smaller groups which allow for more flexibility when sightseeing as opposed to a group of over forty people which restricts that flexibility due to the slower pace at which the group travels and the diversity of interests of that group.

There have been some great stories from each country they visited which included England, France, Germany, Austria, The Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland. Hopefully she will share some of these here in the future.

People to People, Troy's Blog

A Student Ambassador–The Postcards

July 12, 2014 Troy

For the parents of these student ambassadors all we could do was to try and keep busy so that we didn’t spend all of our time looking at the clock and matching it to their itinerary wondering how their flight was going or if everything went ok at the airport and if they have all joined back up again yet. After many hours of wondering messages began to arrive that they had began their journey in London which brought many emotions for us such as relief, excitement, jealousy, and continuing nervousness about what is yet to come for these young travelers on their European Adventure.

Twenty-five years ago when I went on my European Adventure as a student ambassador there were as many options for communication. I believe the only bit of information my friends and family received was a post card sent early in my trip. I’m not sure what is better – receiving a post card and wondering the rest of the time how things were going or hoping to receive a text each day about what they were doing that day and trying to share in their fortunate experience. Frequent communications helped to calm nerves and fill that desire to share in their adventure but it also was a constant reminder that we should have a certain amount of concern about their well being instead of accepting that no news is good news and continue on about our daily activities.

We are extremely blessed to have our friends at Hobbyjeep.com staying with us. It is great to enjoy their company while helping to draw our attention in different directions. I’m very anxious to hear the stories and see pictures from this European Adventure but the event of most concern is their homestay yet to happen. I remember being nervous about staying with strangers in a foreign country but enjoyed my time in the end. Unfortunately I have a bigger fear of this part of their adventure because my student ambassador is female. It may not be fair but it’s my reality. I think there may be less to be concerned about with a male student ambassador but I could never know this as I don’t have any sons.

In the end I am so proud of what this child has done in preparing for this trip and putting aside her fears and reservations and go with over forty other people that she didn’t know before preparing to be a student ambassador. It will provide a different view of this part of the world and help her to understand the world is not always as scary of a place that it is sometimes made out to be. More importantly, I expect she will learn things about herself that wouldn’t be discovered as quickly another way. These student ambassadors will gain more from this adventure as they continue to go through life than they can know right now.

Talk about gaining life experience!

People to People, Troy's Blog

A Student Ambassador–The Trip Begins

June 28, 2014 Troy

Its been eight months in the planning but the time has finally arrived for the next group of student ambassadors to begin their journey to discover Europe. During this time of preparation there has been funds to raise, travel documents to submit, packing lists to prepare, and picking up those items before now. Let the adventure begin!

And begin it did. Not the way we were hoping though. Finally it was time to leave for the airport. Everybody was nervous as this new experience was beginning. Parents watching as their child meets with their delegation and passes through security. Delegates leaving their families behind for several weeks uncertain of what to expect in Europe. Siblings both sad to see their brother or sister leave for so long and jealous that they were not the ones going. As this group of student ambassadors walked out of sight for the last time, their families, already missing them, slowly dispersed back to their vehicles and returned home anxious to here any small amount of information about their voyage.

Soon the text messages began: “the flight is delayed”, “we should be boarding about an hour and a half late”. Since this flight was already an overnight flight, we decided to head to bed with the mobile phone close by. As the night progressed, more texts came describing a later and later boarding time. Finally the phone rang “Come pick me up. Our flight has been cancelled due to mechanical problems and we can’t get another one for two days!” all said with anger, sadness, and exhaustion. These student ambassadors returned home weeks before they were expecting to uncertain of what to do or think. Only knowing that they would miss part of their trip – London – a very important destination on their itinerary.

After getting some sleep and making phone calls and sending emails, the new flight details came along with an updated itinerary which included most of the landmarks that would be missed due to the change in the departing date. This information brought many sighs of relief and a renewed excitement among the delegation. Now the waiting game begins again, watching the hours slowly tick by, anxiously wanting that trip to the airport to arrive again.

Finally it was time to board the vehicle providing transportation to the airport that was the site of so much angst days ago. Again families joined their child as they re-joined their delegation, passed through security, and reluctantly left the airport. Not again! Here come the texts “the plane is delayed.” THIS CAN’T POSSIBLY HAPPEN AGAIN! Can it? This time it was due to the arrival of President Obama. Once he landed and was safely at his hanger, planes began taking off again and this group of Student Ambassadors was in flight. Although this time is was in three separate groups, one headed for Detroit before going to London and the other two headed for Atlanta first. All eventually met up again in London safely to begin their European adventure.

Travel Photos, Troy's Blog

Travel Photos–The Camera …. part II

June 14, 2014 Troy 1 Comment

Point and Shoot Cameras

A point and shoot camera is a camera with only one lens which can not be changed. These type of cameras take a bit more of an effort to use simply because they have to be with you when a photo opportunity presents itself. Older digital point and shoot cameras have a difficult time compared to newer phone cameras and newer point and shoot cameras. This is where you can start to understand the importance of lens quality on cameras. More affordable cameras typically have lower quality lenses producing lower quality photos. If you invest in a point and shoot camera with a quality lens it will reward you with higher quality photos for a longer time. I have an Olympus camera that is 8 years old that will take better photos than many newer point and shoot cameras simply because the lens is of a higher quality. The unfortunate reality is that it is only a 4MP camera meaning a reduced image quality for enlargements or if I need to crop a photo.

Even if you can’t afford a higher quality point and shoot there is an advantage to using these cameras simply because of battery life. Phone cameras are not intended to take a lot of pictures on a single charge where as a point and shoot camera will take hundreds of pictures on a single charge and will save the battery on your phone for other things. Also, point and shoot cameras can produce a final picture which is a nicer photo because they are able to adjust the exposure better for the subject of that picture. Photo editing software can usually enhance point and shoot photos more to bring out the subject you were focusing on giving a nicer picture. This is not always the case when compared to today’s phone cameras but is generally so.

Photos from a point and shoot camera work great for printing off copies or for photo books and for the many photo gifts that can be purchased today. With wireless capabilities in many newer cameras or possibly in the storage card, these pictures can be uploaded to websites such as Flickr or Photobucket fairly easily making them available when you want to share them. Maybe not quite as easily as a phone camera can share photos but still not real difficult and getting easier as technology continues to improve.

I still use a few point and shoot cameras for certain situations such as when taking time lapse photos or underwater pictures because I have waterproof cases for some of them or if I just want something quick and fairly easy to take with me and not lug around a bunch of camera gear. I could use my phone camera as well but battery life is sometimes a factor along with the ease of transferring pictures to my computer.

To continue on with interchangeable lens cameras click here….

Travel Photos, Troy's Blog

Travel Photos–The Camera

June 8, 2014 Troy

Which camera should you use to take pictures while traveling? My answer is it depends on what you want to do with those photos after you’ve taken them. So many photos just end up sitting in storage whether that be on a computer or the camera card or in the cloud. If that’s the case then there really is no reason to use an expensive camera to take these pictures. Now if you want to get a poster made from some of your travel photos than using a DSLR may be the camera to use. Here are a couple of options based on my experience taking travel photos for the past 20 years or so.

Phone Cameras

I couldn’t find any recent estimate of how many photos are taken with phone cameras but that number keeps rising every year as they continue to get better and better and the most available camera for most people is on their phone. Phone cameras are better than most point and shoot cameras of only 5 years ago in image quality. What a major improvement in a short time. The biggest advantage of taking your travel photos with the phone camera is that this camera is already with you whenever a capturable moment presents itself. And don’t forget, these cameras can often get into situations that other cameras can’t especially in tight places.

One of the downsides is limitations in editing and enlarging these photos. You can’t do as much with editing software on photos taken with a phone camera as you can with other cameras. This will likely change as these devices continue to improve. Enlargements can be more restricted due to the reduced image quality when wanting to have a 20 x 30 print of that amazing photo you captured. Another problem is the battery life of many of the phones and taking pictures with your phone wears the battery down even faster. Controlling what the camera focuses on can be a bit of a challenge which can affect some of your pictures and their sharpness.

Photos taken with a phone camera are great for quickly uploading them to social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Emailing a photo taken with a phone camera can be easy to do and faster compared to any other type of camera. Smaller prints are great from most phone cameras as well as using these pictures in smaller photo books works well.

To continue reading about point and shoot cameras go here….

Airport Tips, Troy's Blog

A Quick Airport Tip

May 24, 2014 Troy

Sierra Designs Maverick Jacket (For Men) in Black/Slate

Going through airport security can already be challenging and stressful depending on how much stuff you have to carry through. One item that can make it a little easier is to wear a lightweight jacket with multiple pockets. You can empty out all of your items that you will need to place in a bin and put it in your jacket pockets and zip them shut before you get to the security screeners. Once you get to the screeners you just need to remove your jacket, place it in a bin and move on to the next step. After security, you grab your jacket and quickly put it on instead of grabbing your mobile phone and putting that back in your pants pocket and then going for your keys and putting them back in a pants pocket and searching for all of your loose change to put back in a pocket. Oh, and don’t forget a wallet with all of your valuable information in it.

I know during the summer it can be quite warm and wearing a jacket might be adding to that warmth. A lightweight vest can also work. Often times it can be nice to have a light jacket on the airplane once they get to their cruising altitude. It can be a lot cooler next to the windows.

Travel Vest

This is not to suggest that you should go out and spend $150 dollars on a jacket for the airport unless you are going through airports several times a year. If you take an airplane once every other year or even a couple of times a year you can find a jacket suitable for this purpose for less than $50 and even for half of that if you wait until they are going on clearance. Many retailers will clearance out items toward the end of a season as they are bringing in the next season’s merchandise. Or you can watch online sites like sierratradingpost.com and sift through their clearance and sale items. Remember you want the jacket to have more than just the hand pockets and these pockets should be able to be secured with either a zipper or velcro if possible. Also, a pocket or two on the inside is a nice addition.

The first time I went through airport security with all of my loose items in my jacket pockets I was amazed how much easier it made things and the decreased level of stress was noticeable.

Gaining Life Experience

Category Archives: Travel Blogs

The Constitution Tour

Photography Experiment–Cities

Re-living American History–Gettysburg

Recapturing that Innocence

A Student Ambassador-Returns

A Student Ambassador–The Postcards

A Student Ambassador–The Trip Begins

Travel Photos–The Camera …. part II

Point and Shoot Cameras

Travel Photos–The Camera

Phone Cameras

To continue reading about point and shoot cameras go here….

A Quick Airport Tip

Your Board of Adventure