Rattlesnake Ridge Trail

Big Frank hiked up to a fantastic view of North Bend, Washington, from where there was a great view of Mt. Si. The hike up was fairly gentle with lots of switchbacks. However, Big Frank made the mistake of doing this with new boots on and that pretty much stripped his heals. Still it was worth the hike. He returned later just to view the lake and when he returned to his car his window had been smashed and Tammy's purse and bag had been stolen - bummer of a way to end the trip. Still even with plastic on the window on the way back to Spokane, there were lots of good memories of the 3 days in Seattle and North Bend. Well worth a smashed window.

Memories of Paris

Big Frank said au revoir to Konrad at Charles De Gaul Airport. Konrad headed back to Warsaw and Big Frank to the States. Sitting in the Salt Lake City Airport, Big Frank has vivid memories of some great times in Paris. Konrad and his dad saw a lot of the typical sites that one sees in Paris: Notre Dame, the Arc de Triumphe, Galleries de Layfayette, museums, and lots of great restaurants. Perhaps those evenings sitting in the small restaurants with street views and over dinner and wine talking the night away - that's what Big Frank liked best.

Diner Merveilleux

Big Frank is enjoying his time in Paris, his son's company, and the great food that is available everywhere in this fine city. This evening, Konrad and his dad ate at Le Petit Sommelier de Paris. The waiter was polite, the food (moules et pomme frites) was excellent, the wine - superb, and the armagnac with espresso a heavenly end to a great meal.

Wheels Up for Paris

[Photo: Big Frank Dickinson]
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It's wheels up for Paris tomorrow! Big Frank will be joined by his son, Konrad in a Parisian adventure: museums, fashion, food, fun . . . and . . . yes, . . . work, but work in Paris - is that work? Big Frank thinks not.

Colorado Highs

Big Frank and his brother, Dan, had some very enjoyable Colorado Highs this past week. They spent a few days at Rainbow Lake kicking back, enjoying the isolation, the altitude, the hiking, the brilliant night skies, and each other's company. The cabin was right off the Colorado trail, so they had easy access to some great hiking, and to the west, a mere 10 miles, was Cottonwood pass - at a little over 12,000 feet - terrific vistas. What a great time!

Colorado!

Colorado here I come right back where . . . well, I didn't come from there, but that's where I'm going, so . . .right back where I didn't come from. Going to see . . . Dan the Man, doing what he can, even though he's not in Spokane . . . anyway . . .that's the plan!

In Minot

Big Frank and Gina are in Minot, ND (the Magic City) for Big Frank's niece's wedding. Jill and Adam marry tomorrow in a beautiful Norwegian church (pictures to follow tomorrow). For now lots of family talking, eating and making wedding preparations!

Ferries are wonderful

Big Frank thinks that ferries are wonderful. There are some things that one runs across in life that cheer you up - always cheer you up. For Big Frank it's ferries. It doesn't make any difference if the ferry is a Long Island, Singaporian, plies the San Juan Islands, crosses over from Staten Island, or crosses the English Channel - Big Frank loves them all. Today he rode a Canadian ferry across Lake Kootenay coming back from a short vaction in Nelson with his daughter, Gina. It took a little bit of a wait to get aboard, but once there it was a little piece of heaven. Big Frank and Gina got coffee, snapped pictures, looked at the beautiful scenery, and savored that coming/going feeling of being on a ferry.

[Photos: Big Frank Dickinson - Lake Kootenay, British Columbia]

PACK RIGHT

Oh, no; I forgot to pack it - now what??

How familiar is that? Big Frank has looked soooo many times when on the road in search of this that or the other, only to find it not there. Here's a small list of the things that he has forgotten on trips: pants (not just a particular pair, but ALL pants, phone recharger, deoderant, shaving cream, athletic socks, gloves, scarf, sleeping pills (essential for long flights, and to combat unexpectantly nasty cases of jet lag), snacks (especially the hot tamales), ties, money clip, camera, . . . (it goes on and on). The eyes always widen when the recognition dawns on him that an essential item was left behind, then they narrow as he realizes that most of these things can be purchased in most cities and most countries. However, this posting is to help all you other travelers avoid that wide-eyed woe-be-gone look of loss (OK, that's little melodramatic, but so what).

Here are the tips: get OR-GAN-IZ-IZED! Yeah, all have to do with being and getting and staying organized (yes, Big Frank DOES know how to spell that word, but he has an affinity to a less organized spelling).

Tip - website number one is called the Universal Packing List. It's all done online, and through a series of questions on the kind of trip, the place, the length, the time of year, what size bag(s), and the electronic stuff you have etc. etc. You give it the info and it gives you the way to pack.

You can also go to Independent Traveler for lots of help. They have a list of more than 100 commonly packed items separated into categories. Online, you then check off the items you need and then add up to 10 additional itmes of your own.

If you find yourself in need of some travel clothing, suitcases, travel gear, special packing organizers etc. then go to Magellans. It has everything you could need and more - even special packing stuff to take wine with you!

Finally, for those who like to travel light - take a look at this recent slideshow from the New York Times on how to pack for 10 days in a Carry-on. The key thing is not to fold your clothes, but to roll them up.
OK - next time Big Frank will NOT have that WTF-I-was-sure-I-packed-that look in his eyes!

Flights Not Taken

[Photo: Big Frank Dickinson]

We are all familiar with the Frost poem about the road not taken; in that poem, which Big Frank wrote about earlier here, Frost writes "I took the one less traveled by/And that has made all the difference." A close reading of the poem reveals both roads were equaled traveled, and the persona in the poem is only fooling himself if he thinks his treck was anymore unique than any other.

Well Big Frank was thinking - as he looked at the departure board: that he took the flight less traveled, and it didn't make any difference; or was it he took the flight more traveled, or equally traveled and it did make a difference. Who knows? However, the thought does arise: what if I had taken that other flight - or that one - or that one? Perhaps Big Frank will need to go back and find out. And that leads us to an apt poem by Dennis O'Driscoll:

Road Not Taken
by Dennis O'Driscoll

How tantalising they are,
those roads you glimpse
from car or train,
bisected by a crest
of grass perhaps,
keeping their destinations quiet.

You remember a brimming
sea of the horizon
or an arch of trees
in reveries of light;
then a bend that cut
your vision off
abruptly.

Some day you must return
to find out how they end.

Torun with Konrad and Aneta

A 15th century Torun grainery.

Big Frank and his son, Konrad making a visit to the renowned astronomer Copernicus' birthplace.

Torun's old city square ("rynek starego miasta")

Konrad and Aneta.

Big Frank on the couch that would NOT turn into a bed!

Big Frank had a terrific time in the old medieval city of Torun, Poland with Konrad and Aneta. Konrad, as usual, was the guide and the driving force behind this trip. He arranged for an apartment for us in the center of the old town. The apartment was terrific, even if the bed that Big Frank slept in collapsed in the middle of the night and could not be repaired. This did not put a damper on anything. The three of us spent a couple of days doing the city up in fine style. We visited the ruins of the castle of the Teutonic Knights that the city of Torun razed in the 15th century. This city was a prosperous grain center, and there are lots of beautiful old 15th century granaries still to be seen. Of course the main attraction in Torun is the home of Copernicus, who was born here. We toured the home in the wake of a group of school kids who were taking copious notes - we took none. We also sampled the other main attraction of Torun - gingerbread ("piernik").

Train to Warsaw

Big Frank saw the snow coming and headed east. Train, train, ("it takes a lot to laugh - it takes a train to cry") - what does that mean? He stayed ahead of the snow, for now. He was on the Berlin - Warszawa Express, a six hour jaunt. He arrived in Warsaw on time and descended onto the platform and then (thinking like he was in an airport) he headed for the main terminal. Meanwhile on the other side of the platform, waiting for him, was his son, Konrad. After much consternation on both sides they eventually met up and headed back to Konrad's for an atypical Polish evening meal: tacos!

The Fulbrighters part ways, but the memories stay!

Big Frank's next stop on his German trip was Frankfurt. This is where the Fulbrighters had their final wind up and then went their separate ways. Big Frank is now back in Berlin, but has very good memories of Frankfurt and all the wonderful people that he spent the last 2 weeks with.

Bayreuth Opera House

Big Frank is in Bayreuth, Germany. This is the home of Richard Wagner and now has an annual opera festival where Wagner's operas are put on every summer. However, there is a tradition of opera here that predates Wagner. In fact, the opera house here is one of the few remaining roccoco opera houses left in Europe - it dates from 1744. Here are a few photos that Big Frank took of it yesterday.

Antipodes in Jena

Big Frank is in Jena with the Fulbrighters. Today was full of touring, power point lectures, schnitzel, coffee, university talk, and lots of picture taking. Big Frank is going to spare you having to review all 60 or so of the photos that he took today. Instead, here are a couple of photos that accent the old juxtaposed against the new - two views in the same frame, as it were. Nothing further needs to be said, or does it?

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