Category Archives: Travel

Eighty Year Old Hiker Explores Mile High Caverns

11 Saturday Jul 2015

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Recently my wife and I drove to Butte, Montana, to see my eighty year old mother. It was July 2, and we planned to stay for the 4th of July weekend to see, among other notorious attractions, Butte’s infamous fireworks (http://youtu.be/-biRZv9AmhI, https://youtu.be/xXLUuBZchAs). On July 3, we drove over to an area along the Jefferson River between Whitehall and Three Forks to take a tour through the Lewis and Clark Caverns. It had been twelve years since my wife and I had gone through the caverns and we looked forward to taking our eight year old daughter along with us this time.

We asked my mom to come along too. She said it had possibly been decades since she’d done the caverns. Even though mom is eighty years old she is in good shape. She plays tennis every week and is active doing all sorts of other things, taking care of her house, going to community events, traveling. Mom has always been one to try new adventures, no matter what age.

What I’d forgotten about, though, was that the caverns tour is a two mile, two hour walk. “Level and shady,” I used to joke when trying to convince people to take hikes in the mountains with me. But level and shady is rarely the case, especially at these caverns! And it had been record breaking hot in Montana that week.

80 year old hikerWe left the parking lot and entered the trail head with about twenty other people and our tour guide. The walk to the entrance of the caverns, about one half to three quarters of a mile, is a steady incline of several hundred feet as well.  The caverns are about a mile above sea level, too, so most “low landers” would find they have to huff and puff a bit more at this elevation. And even though we started out on the trail about 10 a.m., it was already getting hot and the sun was beating down intensely. Of course, no one else on the tour was anywhere near eighty years old.

Mom kept a steady pace but was soon at the rear of the pack. She was a trooper and kept plugging along though. She was breathing fairly hard, yet only stopped briefly a few times. I’d ask how she was doing and she’d say fine. But I began to think that maybe I shouldn’t have brought her to the caverns, fearing it was too strenuous for her. She kept going and made it to the entrance without much trouble. As we entered the cave it felt good to be out of the sun. But the challenges were not over yet.

I’d also forgotten how the tour inside the caves takes about an hour and a half, and the route takes you down, down, deep inside the mountain through a series of very steep concrete and carved stone steps and paths through dimly lit natural corridors and rooms. As we made our way down the first very steep, long, dark stairway, again I thought that maybe it was a mistake to bring an eighty year old to all this. But to turn back at any point would mean trudging all the way up the steep incline to the entrance. The easier route, it seemed, was to continue on down through the caves and out the bottom exit.

Even though there were railings in the most dangerous places, there were plenty of spots where you could trip, slip, and fall far enough to get seriously hurt. Many passages were narrow and required you to duck, crawl, or slide. But mom was careful and steady footed throughout the entire cave. I was impressed. I tried to stay in front of her in case she should trip or stumble. But she never did. For over an hour we grand cavern roomslowly trekked along, stopping occasionally while our tour guide explained the sights and history of the caves. It was so worth enduring all the hazards for this very reason: The place is full of fascinating natural monuments and sculptures. It is a rare glimpse into a hidden world.

When we finally reached the bottom of the caverns to one of the biggest and most spectacularly decorated rooms, we were impressed with the scale of the formations. Off to the side there was a long, man-made, mine shaft looking passage way, with heavy closed doors at both ends, leading straight out to the side of the mountain. From the outside, the path was a flat, though sunny and hot, half mile walk back to the parking lot. The views were spectacular, overlooking the grand mountains across the valley to the south, and the Jefferson River between them and us. What a beautiful place. Did I mention fossils in the rocks? At a mile high elevation? Cool stuff, man. I took lots of pictures inside those halls and rooms of the incredible formations and natural art, and made this video of our trek (https://youtu.be/2w86_TdNdEM).

So in all, two and a half hours on our feet, sun, hot, cool, damp, sun, hot, spectacular, no sitting the whole time, finally made it back to the car. Mom did great, but said that this was probably the last time, ever, that she would see the caverns. Great journey, Mom. I’m proud of you for doing that! I hope I’m in good enough shape to do this when I’m eighty years old.

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08 Wednesday Jan 2014

Posted by in Fun, Help is out there, Travel

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Tatiana

Article by Cory Richardson.

Imagine my pleasant surprise to meet savvy, smart, and eye-catching Tatiana Vila from El Salvador through a recent business venture in which I never even left my town of Walla Walla, Washington.  Thank you Internet and global economy!

It all started with my browsing a Smashwords newsletter.  Smashwords is a gem in the world of publishers for independent book authors.  In the resources list of the newsletter, an entry caught my eye:  “Mark’s List – Low cost cover designers and ebook formatters.”

Since I had recently read an excellent Smashwords article about ways to improve visibility of your books, I was already thinking that, without a doubt, my book covers needed a serious update, especially since I had done them myself.  Though I like to think of myself as an artist (writer and musician), I needed to shove down a little pride and admit that I can’t do everything like an expert…ah, for example, my own book covers.

Reviewing the book cover artists’ portfolios on Mark’s List, one stood out in particular: Vila Design.  Visually, their covers really seemed to “pop.”  That’s exactly what Scorpion2I was looking for.  Oh, how my own book covers looked even more sad!  This was definitely the needed slap in the face.  Their website looked fresh and simple too.  After an inquiry, I was immediately contacted by a Tatiana Vila.

Tatiana seemed enthusiastic about working with me on a cover, her prices were right, and I especially liked the statement on her website that there could be “Unlimited rounds of revisions until you’re 100% satisfied!”  We perfectionists appreciate that!  Besides, she had me at “Tatiana.”

Now, it is always a bright idea to do some research on anyone you are doing business with, whether online or anywhere else.  Tatiana’s presence online was easy to find, such as her blog, and her profile on Goodreads and Smashwords, where I discovered that she is an author too.  Okay, so she probably knows a thing or two about books!  And book covers, obviously.  She came across as a pro who knows what she’s doing so I thought, ‘let’s go for it!’  Besides, remember that Mark Coker from Smashwords recommended her?  I already had a basic trust in “Mark’s List” because I think that Smashwords is genius.  And how can you not be thoroughly impressed with Mark’s free guide for publishing ebooks, “Smashwords Style Guide,” which by the way is THE best instruction on using Microsoft Word that I’ve ever seen (okay, I haven’t seen any, but I’ve used Word plenty so there’s no doubt he knows what he’s talking about)?  But I’m diverging.

Silicon FacadesFast forward a month or two.  Currently we’re at book cover number five with Tatiana, and her talents continue to impress me and my wife.  She has a great eye for design and I must say, she’s pretty much nailed every cover on the very first try.  And I tend to be a detail freak.  A few times I’ve asked her to make some changes (which she did without hesitation) only to end up going back to her original version anyway.  Yep, she’s got a real talent for this.

But it’s more than just book covers.  In our conversations back and forth in the course of doing business, I learned a few things about Tatiana, like she:

Lives in San Salvador, El Salvador.

Studied in the south of France for four years.

Has a Bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management from the Institut Vatel in France.

Adores spicy Mexican food, wine a close second.

Has traveled, besides France and other European destinations, to the United States (Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee and Kentucky).

And she loves spending time with family and friends, and going to the coast and the mountains.

Tatiana was gracious enough to send me some pictures of her favorite spots in her Zonte Beachbeautiful country, as well as some candid shots of her and her family.  She’s “good people,” I can tell.

So, see why I must do an interview?  She is so intriguing that I thought it would be golden to find out some more about her.

Tatiana Vila Interview:

Cory:  Your book cover design website, Vila Design, is so professional looking, a fitting showcase for your impressive portfolio of book covers.  Did you design your website?

Tatiana: Yes, I did! Good thing that you mention it because it took me a long time to design it. One more thing I can put in my skills, I suppose. 🙂

Lost at SeaCory:  Your portfolio of book covers caught my eye more than any other cover designer in the Smashwords listing.  When did you start designing book covers and what led you to do it?  How did you end up on “Mark’s List” from Smashwords?

Tatiana:  Like you said, I am a writer and started just like any other Indie writer looking for a good cover designer. To my surprise, though, the ones that offered professional work were too expensive and way out of my budget. That’s when I realized I had to give it a try and do it for myself. Fortunately, it ended up well!  I received a lot of compliments on my cover for THE YLEM, my first book, which drove several authors to seek my help. When I least realized it, I had a small portfolio of 10 book covers. I knew Smashwords was accepting submissions for their “ebook cover designers list” and since there seemed to be a lack of good, affordable cover designers, I decided to send my work to Mark. As you can see, I ended up being accepted, and work and satisfied customers have increased over the years. Life is good. 🙂

Cory:  Do your customers usually discover that you are from El Salvador?  Do they ask you many questions besides business?

Tatiana: Normally they don’t. Crazy, right? Some authors do ask me but most assume I’m from the US or Russia (because of my name).

Cory:  When designing book covers, are people generally super nit-picky (a pain in the The Yelmass) about what they want so that you spend a lot of time making changes?  Or are people mostly easy to please?  Or do you just hit a home run every time because of your talents?

Tatiana: I would love to say I hit a home run every time but perfection is hard to achieve, especially when tastes are so different. But I can’t complain. Most people are easy to please, really. I haven’t had a hard time doing rounds of changes. There are some customers who are nit-picky and take advantage of the rounds of changes, but hey, it’s completely understandable. Writing a book is hard work and the cover is your card of presentation. Getting the best cover possible is a golden rule. 🙂

Cory:  Where is most of your book cover business from?  Where are some of your other customers from?

Tatiana:  Most of my business comes directly from Smashwords, but a major part comes from word of mouth as well. The latter is my favorite, of course!

Cory:  When did you start writing books?  How many books have your authored?  What genre?  Are you working on a book now?

Tatiana: I started writing books just after I graduated from college in France. The written word has always been a passion of mine, so having the possibility to get Break Awaysomething published, even if self-published, was a dream come true. Until now, I’ve written two books and I’m finishing the third, Alluvion, which is part of The Ylem trilogy. Break Away, my second book, is part of another series. All of them are YA.

Cory:  I noticed quite a few books on Amazon that you have co-authored?  What was your role in co-authoring?

Tatiana: Honestly, I didn’t do much. I just gave my output regarding titling and plot. So nothing fancy.

Cory:  Have you designed the covers for your own books and your co-authored books?

Tatiana: Yes, all of them. 🙂

Cory:  Have you used other publishers besides Amazon and Smashwords?

Tatiana: I haven’t. I’m really satisfied with their service so changing publishers isn’t in my mind, really. I totally recommend them!

Cory:  What general advice would you have for book authors wanting to make it big?

Tatiana: Write a lot. It’s harder for indie authors to make a name so releasing 2-3 books a year is good marketing (something I haven’t been able to do, unfortunately).

Cory:  What is your dream job?

Tatiana: Actually, I’m already doing it. No kidding. But if I had to choose something else, then I would love to have one of those shows where they scare people! It’s just too funny and, of course, I LOVE to scare the hell out of people. Just ask my family. Lol

Cory:  Were you born in El Salvador?  You also mentioned Spain.  What is your connection to Spain?Coatepeque Lake

Tatiana: I was born in El Salvador but I have a Spanish passport. See, my dad is from Valladolid, Spain, so that entitles me to have the Spanish nationality, which is really cool because I get to vote for both countries. 🙂

Cory:  Have you lived anywhere else besides El Salvador and France?

Tatiana: I lived in Mexico for 6 months. Thank God I decided to come back to El Salvador because if I stayed one more day over there, you wouldn’t have noticed the difference between Shamu and myself! Mexican food is just SO good and yummy!

Cory:  What did you do on your visits to the U.S., Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee and Kentucky?

Tatiana: My sister Heidi lives in Indiana, so most of the time I go to visit her and we occasionally do road tips. For the rest, it’s just for the sake of good, old fun tourism. 🙂

Cory:  In all our emails back and forth, your English has been perfect.  I noticed that from your very first email.  It didn’t take me long to realize that you are one smart cookie.  So I figured you might speak other languages.  You told me Spanish, English, French, and Portuguese.   Wow, you don’t say!  When did you learn these other languages?

Tatiana: In High School! That is one of the perks of studying in a French school. You get to learn a lot of languages. Traveling helps a lot, too.

Theta Series Book 1Cory:  I read on your blog website that you love to sing and compose songs.  Pop rock.  Tell me about that.  Do you play guitar?  Have you recorded any songs?

Tatiana: Oh, I wish I could play the guitar. I tried once but, really, my fingers couldn’t keep up with me! Lol. I’ve just recorded myself singing a cappella, without music so it’s pretty much boring.

Cory:  You told me that you are getting married next year.  Congratulations, I wish you the best.  Your beautiful picture, “I said Yes,” is every guy’s dream.  Your husband-to-be is, no doubt, one lucky guy.  And your life will be enhanced too.  It’s all a big change.  Do you plan to continuing writing and designing book covers after you are married?

Tatiana: OF COURSE! I don’t see myself in life without this! I’m a creative person and I really feel the need to let my creative juices run wild. 

Cory:  Do you have any grand travel plans in the next year?

Tatiana: My honeymoon? Lol. Though I still don’t know where I’m going. I’m planning to go to Indiana again sometime next year, too. 🙂

Cory:  What do you see yourself doing in five years?

Tatiana: I’ll be boring here. Sorry! But I see myself doing more and more book covers and, ok, perhaps signing a film contract for my books! Lol. I just couldn’t help to say that.

Okay, people, what do you think?  Tatiana, you are gold.

Stuck in Beijing China (go with the flow)

31 Tuesday Jan 2012

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We arrived at the Harbin China airport promptly at 10:30 am, two hours before the flight to Beijing. It was a cold, clear January morning and although it had been sunny all week it seemed clearer and brighter today. Maybe that was because we were going home. Beijing is where we would catch the international flight back to the United States.

Our trip had gone well. A coworker and I had visited a food plant in Harbin to assess existing equipment in preparation for an expansion. We had met an international project team with members from Canada, the United Kingdom and China. We all had worked, commuted and ate together for three days, walked in the city in the bitter cold evenings, and even caught the unique Harbin Ice and Snow World on the last night. It was a productive and unforgettable time. A lot of activities had been crammed into several days in almost a blur and now it was time to leave.

At the airline ticket counter, I presented my passport and hoped there would be no problem getting my boarding passes all the way to San Francisco. I was caught off guard and a little concerned to only be given a boarding pass to Beijing, with instructions that I would have to get the boarding pass for the other leg of the trip once I got to Beijing. More disconcerting was the fact that my coworker got his boarding passes all the way through to San Francisco, though our tickets were supposedly the same. But they assured me that there was something different with my ticket so there was nothing more they could do. I had an uneasy feeling because we were only to be in Beijing barely an hour and a half.

The fact that we were late leaving Harbin by about a half an hour didn’t help my apprehension. And by the time we landed at Beijing and taxied forever, got off the plane at what seemed like the furthest gate out and hustled the long way to the nearest ticket counter, another fifteen minutes had burned up. But I was thinking “we have a least a half hour to board the plane so, no problem.” Wrong! I was told that boarding passes could not be issued within one hour of the flight. I was out of luck. Remember my coworker who had his boarding pass? I wished him luck as he ran on to his gate. Yep, he made it, just barely.

If I was lucky, maybe the next flight for me would be later in the day. So I made my way upstairs to the main international ticket counter. But they only confirmed my sneaking suspicion that the next flight would be the next day at the same time. They would arrange for a bus to take me to a hotel, and warned that I would be sharing a room unless I wanted to pay extra. Great! More than a few choice words were muttered as I stepped away from the counter. And as the sinking feeling began to hit me that, yes, I was really stuck here another twenty-four hours without knowing a soul or speaking the language, I heard it: Music, but not music to uplift my soul. No, as if to enhance the sinking feeling of defeat, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata was steadily streaming through the airport on the loud speakers! Oh, what perfect music to set the mood! Though I was aware of the irony, I felt even more irritated at the turn of events in just the last fifteen minutes.

So, as I stood there fuming and waiting for the bus, I imagined what a hassle this was going to be. After all, just the night before when we had gone to the Ice and Snow World in Harbin, there had been a language barrier between us and the cab driver, who spoke no English. Nor did the woman who got in the taxi with us at our hotel, supposedly to buy us tickets to the ice show. We trustingly each gave her 300 RMB (about 48 bucks) for tickets and watched her ditch us not once, but twice before she actually got us inside the grounds of the ice show and then we never saw her again. We were relieved to find our taxi still waiting for us an hour and a half later when we’d had enough of the frigid cold.

But being stuck in Beijing was a little more nerve-racking than just being ditched at the ice show. I imagined all sorts of potential issues like not getting back to the airport in time the next day due to some miscommunication and missing my flight again. As much as I would have enjoyed some sight seeing around Beijing, I didn’t want to take the chance. Infact, I was skeptical about leaving the airport at all. Maybe it would be better to just stay in the airport all night. I’d done that before. As I pondered the options, out of the corner of my eye I noticed a colorfully dressed young woman walking towards me, cheerfully pushing a cart loaded with big flowery suitcases. She looked Chinese and I was a little surprised when she said to me in perfect English “the bus is coming now.”

Turns out that Ying, a Chinese college student now finishing school in Canada, had missed her flight to New York. However, unlike me who had my flight lined up for the next day, she was put on a waiting list so wasn’t even sure to get out the next day. But she didn’t seem upset at all and explained that she always figures to get delayed coming or going on every trip. Hmmm, guess I needed to take a chill pill.

The bus was new, the commute short, and the hotel seemed nice enough too. They supplied a free dinner so I went to the restaurant and sat down. It was not your typical sit down and order from the menu type of place. You sit down at these large round tables and they bring you what they bring you. There were only a few other people sitting around, not looking happy. One older Norwegian gentleman at my table complained that the service in China had been declining for thirty years. Ying came in and joined our table. When the food came, I thought it looked like it must be a traditional Chinese meal; Beijing cabbage, beef and vegetables, bean sprouts and egg, rice, and egg flower soup. Ying was surprised that I could use chopsticks. I told her that my wife and I loved Chinese food and asked her how she would rate this meal on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 is best). She said 3. The older gentleman looked unapprovingly at the food and said he didn’t want beef. So Ying spoke to the servers in Chinese, asking if the Norwegian could have chicken instead. They served him a spicy chicken version and he later said the meal was very good and looked like his mood had greatly improved.

A few Beijing beers later and a lot of questions to Ying, I had learned quite a bit more about China, how they all learn English in school from a young age, the long hours they generally work, the high cost of housing, and several Chinese words. Ying also told me about her parents, her boyfriend, college and her favorite foods. I told her about my wife and kids, and adventures on this trip to China. Meeting Ying was really enjoyable and my attitude about being stuck in Beijing had sure changed. And before I knew it, it was time to call it a night. One of the last things Ying said to me was “Okay, I don’t know you but I think you talk too much today.” 🙂 I laughed and told her it was probably the beer talking or, using one of my new Chinese words, juping (pronounced “joping”).

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The Harbin China Ice and Snow World

22 Sunday Jan 2012

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When you travel, look for something unique to that area to see or do. And fork out the money to do it. Otherwise, what is really the point? Traveling somewhere just to relax is great, but you can accomplish much of that in a stay at home vacation. Yes, get some R & R but don’t just stick around the resort. Venture out and about and find something outside the common tourist activities.

It may be a little risky or out of your comfort zone. It may involve a taxi ride with someone who doesn’t speak your language. It may mean braving the elements – hot, windy, wet, or frigid. But you’ll treasure the experience and the memory. And take lots of pictures. Write down notes of your experience. Otherwise, the recollection will fade.

Case in point: The Ice and Snow World in Harbin, China. I just happened to be there recently on a short business trip with some coworkers. In fact, we were so busy each day with commuting and working that there was hardly any time left to eat dinner each night. But we had heard about the Ice and Snow World, opening just the week prior. So a group of us went one night. But it wasn’t as easy as merely buying tickets and walking in the gate.

It was -18 C outside and windy that night. It was too far to walk from the hotel. There had been a language barrier between us and the cab driver, who spoke no English. Nor did the woman who got in the taxi with us at our hotel, supposedly to buy us tickets to the ice show. We trustingly each gave her 300 RMB (about 48 bucks) for tickets and watched her ditch us not once, but twice before she actually got us inside the grounds of the ice show and then we never saw her again. We were relieved to find our taxi still waiting for us an hour and a half later when we’d had enough of the frigid cold.

While we walked about the enormous grounds, we were awestruck by the sheer size, number, and variety of the ice sculptures, snow sculptures and full-scale buildings, modeled using the architecture from numerous regions, made entirely of ice blocks that were fused together like brick and mortar. Making it even more magnificent was the colored lighting within the ice of every part of every building. And this night there was a near full moon in the black sky to frame the scene. This was a world class event – something you might see once in a lifetime.

Glad I was lucky enough to be there when it was going on. And yes, I took lots of pictures although my fingers got so cold I could hardly feel the camera.

Our local newspaper the Union Bulletin enjoyed these picture so much that they ran an article about this cool event.

Picture Slide Show With Fun Music

Video Clips with Live Sounds

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Booby Trapped Treasure Pit on Oak Island

30 Friday Dec 2011

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Intriguing as it sounded, I have to admit I was a little skeptical the first time I heard of buried treasure on this little island. But the more I’ve read about it, the more fascinating it is.

The story is that back in the late 1700’s, a young man boated over to Oak Island (Nova Scotia) on a fishing trip. On the island he discovered a 15 foot wide hole in the ground, mostly filled in. A nearby tree had marks on its roots, as if they were used for a pulley or hoist to work in the hole. Very curious, he returned with two friends. With only hand tools the three of them dug and dug and discovered flagstones and layers of timbers at various levels – obviously put there as barriers. They couldn’t get very deep digging by hand so they ended up abandoning it.

Years later they returned with more equipment and some financial backing. They were able to dig much deeper, again finding various barriers, a cap stone at about 90 feet (that said, although they didn’t know it at the time, “forty feet below two million pounds are buried”). With daylight ending and the next day being Sunday, they left the hole until Monday. When they returned the hole was filled with water to about 33 feet deep (sea level). Booby trapped!

Since then, every attempt to pump out the water and see what’s down in the treasure pit has been futile. It seems that the treasure pit was designed with underground channels leading out to the sea to allow water to fill the hole should anyone try to dig down too deep. The volume of water has proven impossible to pump out. So far, all modern technology has failed to determine what’s buried there.

Bore samples have been taken over the years, and revealed metal, oak, coconut matting (nearest palm tree is 1500 miles away), clay barriers, metal pieces and soft metal (coins?), supposedly some gold fragments, voids (such as a cavern) and even a concrete vault at 170 feet that contained a sheepskin with letters written on it. A more recent camera inspection of a bore hole over 200 feet deep revealed several treasure chests and even a human hand floating in a cavern below.

Want to know more? Read much more about this fascinating subject at these websites:

The Oak Island Enigma

Oak Island Treasure

Oak Island Treasure, History, The discovery of the Oak Island Money Pit

Oak Island Treasure, A fortune may still be buried off Nova Scotia

The Mysterious and Unexplained, The Story of Oak Island

Mysteries of Canada, The Treasure Pit of OAK ISLAND

The Story…

 

A cool 3D graphic for you detail nerds…

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Do you love to read?  Then try these provocative (but very appropriate) ebooks authored by some rising stars, http://bottlependantlight.com/free-ebooks/

Traveling With Parents, Win-Win

26 Saturday Nov 2011

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You know what? There is definitely something cool to be said for traveling with your parents or parents-in-law, especially if you have kids.

You can save a lot of money by staying together. You can probably find a two or three bedroom place to rent by the week for less than it would cost each of you to stay separately in hotels. And chances are you’ll actually have a lot more space for visiting and relaxing. Plus, with a kitchen you can save money on meals too. Who knows, maybe your mother-in-law cooks amazing chicken and dumplings or your father is an expert with the barbeque! These more functional accommodations (as opposed to cramped motel rooms) will improve the quality of your vacation.

If it’s possible to all travel in the same vehicle, then you’ll not only have more time to visit during the trip, but spend half as much on gas too. Let one person drive so everyone else can relax without the hassle. There’s another benefit of driving all together if you have kids.

We recently went on a road trip with my wife’s parents and took their minivan. We sat in the front seats, her parents in the middle seats, and our four year old in the back seat. Guess who buffered all the “are we there yet” questions and questions – not us! It was a nice break for a change. And here’s a side perk. If an elderly parent is handicapped, you have all the best parking spots everywhere you go!

Once you’re at your favorite spot (ours is the coast), you have plenty of grandparent and grandchild bonding time. So there’s more couple time with your spouse and that is always good. And of course, it’s just plain fun to spend time together with your parents and make memories.

Oregon coast, can’t wait to see you again!