Thursday, August 28, 2008
Travel Update – Aug 2008- WA and BC con't
Travel Update – Aug 2008- WA and BC
While staying with Tom and Cornelia in Washington, we visited the Seattle Underground and learned about the early history of the city. We also visited the Seattle Aquarium and the Sculpture Gardens. On our last night we saw a production of “Chorus Line,” which was a disappointment.
We left Renton and headed east toward Spokane. The area around the Grand Coulee Dam proved interesting. At night there was a laser light show on the downstream side of the dam. The show covered the history of the dam. This area was subject to massive flooding when ice dams collapsed during the Ice Age. These flood waters created the largest falls in the world, at what is now called Dry Falls. We climbed Steamboat Rock, an 800 foot high formation that withstood the erosive effects of the massive ice age flooding.
We arrived in Fernie, British Columbia and stayed at our chalet with co-owner Eldon. He was waiting for us to go on an ammonite hunt. Our initial attempt had only limited success. We returned with a guide, and after a tough bushwhack up a stream bed, we found what we were looking for, the Coal Creek Ammonite. This is the second largest (1.4 m wide) ammonite fossil in the world. It is estimated to be 200-145 million years old. We recovered from our hike with a soak in the Lussier Hot Springs. The best part was the scenic mountain drive to get to the hot springs. Pat and I did a bike loop around the town of Fernie. My bike broke down, and while I was waiting for Pat to return with the RV, I saw a black bear in the town park just down the hill from me.
After Eldon headed home, our friends Tom and Julie came to stay with us. During the next two weeks we did lots of walks and hikes in the area. We visited the Frank Slide area, where the side of a mountain collapsed and buried the town of Frank, AB. We put on coveralls and hardhats with lamps and joined an underground tour of a former coal mine. Down the road in Elkford, we took a bus tour of an active surface coal mine operation. We passed a group of bull elk and big horn sheep on the way up to the mine. We took a day trip to Waterton Peace Park, which is just north of Glacier NP. In between hikes, we saw a grizzly bear walking near the road. I guess he didn’t mind the sleet that had just pelted us. At the end of the month, Tom and Julie flew home and we headed back to Waterton.
On August 28, Yanjin and Eldon presented a paper in Ocean City, MD on “A Pilot Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant is Helping to Protect Caribbean Coral Reefs”. This paper was the result of several years of effort by Eldon, Yanjin and I to improve wastewater treatment at a resort in Bonaire and reduce nutrient pollution of their coral reefs. Unfortunately I was stuck in beautiful British Columbia at the time of the presentation.
While staying with Tom and Cornelia in Washington, we visited the Seattle Underground and learned about the early history of the city. We also visited the Seattle Aquarium and the Sculpture Gardens. On our last night we saw a production of “Chorus Line,” which was a disappointment.
We left Renton and headed east toward Spokane. The area around the Grand Coulee Dam proved interesting. At night there was a laser light show on the downstream side of the dam. The show covered the history of the dam. This area was subject to massive flooding when ice dams collapsed during the Ice Age. These flood waters created the largest falls in the world, at what is now called Dry Falls. We climbed Steamboat Rock, an 800 foot high formation that withstood the erosive effects of the massive ice age flooding.
We arrived in Fernie, British Columbia and stayed at our chalet with co-owner Eldon. He was waiting for us to go on an ammonite hunt. Our initial attempt had only limited success. We returned with a guide, and after a tough bushwhack up a stream bed, we found what we were looking for, the Coal Creek Ammonite. This is the second largest (1.4 m wide) ammonite fossil in the world. It is estimated to be 200-145 million years old. We recovered from our hike with a soak in the Lussier Hot Springs. The best part was the scenic mountain drive to get to the hot springs. Pat and I did a bike loop around the town of Fernie. My bike broke down, and while I was waiting for Pat to return with the RV, I saw a black bear in the town park just down the hill from me.
After Eldon headed home, our friends Tom and Julie came to stay with us. During the next two weeks we did lots of walks and hikes in the area. We visited the Frank Slide area, where the side of a mountain collapsed and buried the town of Frank, AB. We put on coveralls and hardhats with lamps and joined an underground tour of a former coal mine. Down the road in Elkford, we took a bus tour of an active surface coal mine operation. We passed a group of bull elk and big horn sheep on the way up to the mine. We took a day trip to Waterton Peace Park, which is just north of Glacier NP. In between hikes, we saw a grizzly bear walking near the road. I guess he didn’t mind the sleet that had just pelted us. At the end of the month, Tom and Julie flew home and we headed back to Waterton.
On August 28, Yanjin and Eldon presented a paper in Ocean City, MD on “A Pilot Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant is Helping to Protect Caribbean Coral Reefs”. This paper was the result of several years of effort by Eldon, Yanjin and I to improve wastewater treatment at a resort in Bonaire and reduce nutrient pollution of their coral reefs. Unfortunately I was stuck in beautiful British Columbia at the time of the presentation.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
July 2008 Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii
July 2008 Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii
On our way through Oregon we stopped at Crater Lake NP. We were amazed that there was still 2 feet of snow on the ground. We spend the Fourth in Bend, OR. We watched the fireworks from our campground and did more hiking across snow covered trails. After a quick visit with our friends Tom and Cornelia, we flew from Seattle to Kauai with them for the week. We hiked in Wiamea Canyon and later took a boat trip along the Napali Coast. We enjoyed a zip-line trip near Princeville.
After Tom and Cornelia returned home, we picked up Pat’s sister and brother-in-law, Linda and Rick. We flew to Hilo on the Big Island with them and stayed in a Bed and Breakfast. Kialeau volcano has been very active since March. We wanted to see the lava flowing into the sea, but the Park Service keeps you a mile away from the discharge point. In order to get a better view, one evening we took a small boat out to within a few hundred feet from where the lava tube discharged explosively into the ocean. Words and pictures don’t do justice to the explosions, fireworks, heat and lighting produced when the hot lava mixed with the ocean. The 45 minute high speed boat ride was a bone-jarring, white-knuckle ride each way.
One day when we were searching for a new place to go snorkeling, we found a rocky beach. Swimming in the surf just off shore were four green sea turtles. For twenty minutes we watched these turtles fight over a Sprite plastic soda bottle, which they thought was a jellyfish. A lot of the turtles’ energy was wasted trying to eat trash.
Linda and Rick celebrated their anniversary in Hawaii. After touring most of the island, the four of us headed to Oahu. We spent a day at the Polynesian Cultural Center and hiked to the top of Diamond Head. Pearl Harbor took a whole day as we visited the Arizona Memorial, the Bowfin submarine, and the Battleship Missouri. Linda and Rick returned to York, PA and we flew back to Seattle and stayed with Tom and Cornelia again.
On our way through Oregon we stopped at Crater Lake NP. We were amazed that there was still 2 feet of snow on the ground. We spend the Fourth in Bend, OR. We watched the fireworks from our campground and did more hiking across snow covered trails. After a quick visit with our friends Tom and Cornelia, we flew from Seattle to Kauai with them for the week. We hiked in Wiamea Canyon and later took a boat trip along the Napali Coast. We enjoyed a zip-line trip near Princeville.
After Tom and Cornelia returned home, we picked up Pat’s sister and brother-in-law, Linda and Rick. We flew to Hilo on the Big Island with them and stayed in a Bed and Breakfast. Kialeau volcano has been very active since March. We wanted to see the lava flowing into the sea, but the Park Service keeps you a mile away from the discharge point. In order to get a better view, one evening we took a small boat out to within a few hundred feet from where the lava tube discharged explosively into the ocean. Words and pictures don’t do justice to the explosions, fireworks, heat and lighting produced when the hot lava mixed with the ocean. The 45 minute high speed boat ride was a bone-jarring, white-knuckle ride each way.
One day when we were searching for a new place to go snorkeling, we found a rocky beach. Swimming in the surf just off shore were four green sea turtles. For twenty minutes we watched these turtles fight over a Sprite plastic soda bottle, which they thought was a jellyfish. A lot of the turtles’ energy was wasted trying to eat trash.
Linda and Rick celebrated their anniversary in Hawaii. After touring most of the island, the four of us headed to Oahu. We spent a day at the Polynesian Cultural Center and hiked to the top of Diamond Head. Pearl Harbor took a whole day as we visited the Arizona Memorial, the Bowfin submarine, and the Battleship Missouri. Linda and Rick returned to York, PA and we flew back to Seattle and stayed with Tom and Cornelia again.
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