Author Archives: JMP traveler

Visting Oregon

Day Two, part 4 The second day started out great with a delicious omelet. Western, aka Denver omelet, is my go-to. Packed and ready to hit the road, driving west to Newport, hopefully seeing a few waterfalls. Then it happed… The rental car wouldn’t start, and it had a dead battery. Everything got sorted; AAAContinue reading “Visting Oregon”

Visiting Oregon

Part three After the falls and dam, it was back on the road to Hood River, to snap photos of two different bridges and then Mount Hood. If you are in Hood River and looking for some yummy food. Give Three Rivers Grill a try, had a yummy dinner looking out at Columbia River. TheContinue reading “Visiting Oregon”

Visiting Oregon

Part Two. Always have backup sites to visit. The plan was to visit various waterfalls along the scenic highway, but no parking and 5-mile hikes ended that plan. This means the only waterfall photos I have are from the first stop, Latourell Falls. Photo Tip: Don’t focus on what is in front of you; lookContinue reading “Visiting Oregon”

Visiting Oregon

Part One. I fly into Portland, Oregon, Internal Aiport, and I know where else I would fly into Portland. In next day I was driving along the Historic Columbia River Highway, which parallels Interstate 84, viewing Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. This area is jam-packed with waterfalls, mountains, valleys, trails, Art Nouveau buildings, andContinue reading “Visiting Oregon”

Sell Your Piss

Let me explain. Over the history of humankind, urine has been sold for industrial uses, dyeing cloth and saltpeter, and I’m sure there are more examples. The reason pee-pee was used for dyeing cloth is for the ammonia, which can create different hues of color and is a great binding agent (seals in color). WhenContinue reading “Sell Your Piss”

OK. I’m thinking of something orange, and it’s small.

The photo is from the Wilhelma Zoo in Stuttgart, Germany. The living reef with clownfish was lit with beautiful pink and purple lights to create this tranquil view; the clownfish also provided splashes of orange and white. I try to angle my aquarium photos to capture the reflection on the bottom of the water surface.Continue reading “OK. I’m thinking of something orange, and it’s small.”

Like a Bruges Over Troubled Water

When you hear Canals, you think: of Itlay, Vegas, and Panama, but other places have scenic canals, and Bruges, Belgium is one of those places. Bruges also has french fries (Fried Potatoes or Chips) stands, delicious mussels, and every block has at least one chocolate store (might be legally required). I fell in love withContinue reading “Like a Bruges Over Troubled Water”

A Horse of a different color

Are you looking at the horse or at the wind-blown tree? Are you looking at the tree now? The tree is permanently bent due to the strong winds on the southernmost point of Hawaii. There is the Hawaiian archipelago, and the largest island of the archipelago is called Hawaii, but most call it the BigContinue reading “A Horse of a different color”

Purple Haze

Arctic lupine or Lupinus arcticus, growing along the road in Canada. These beautiful flowers grow up north where the air is crisp and clear; they tend to be light lilac to dark purple. The first time I saw Arctic Lupine was in Iceland, where the plants were imported to help with erosion and feed theContinue reading “Purple Haze”

Only in America, American Colloquialism

The non-American guide to some of our Colloquiaslism and the reason behind them. I need your John Hancock. This means I need you to sign your name or signature on a bill or invoice. Why do we use a name for that? There is a myth that John Hancock signed his name on the DeclarationContinue reading “Only in America, American Colloquialism”