Edinburgh, Scotland

July 8, 2009

I hands down love this city.

Everything is old and beautiful.

People leave little notes and dog toys at the grave of Greyfriar's Bobby.

I met a red lion and a unicorn in front of Edinburgh Castle.
They were hilarious.

I climbed 287 spiral steps to the top of the The Scott Monument.
I was shaking by the time I reached the top (heights make me nervous...).

But the view from the top was a 360 degree panorama of the city.
So worth it!

Newcastle Upon Tyne, England

July 7, 2009

Most of the city was too modern for my taste.

But the lantern spire of the Church of St. Nicholas was beautiful.

And exploring the interior of the castle keep was interesting.
The view from the top is fantastic.

Mount St. Helens, Washington

June 23-25, 2009

I went to Mount St. Helens once before on a field trip in 6th grade and have wanted to go back ever since. My best friend Kate accompanied me on this long-awaited return trip.

We spent the first day on the south side of the mountain - hiking around Lava Canyon and spelunking the Ape Cave (longest continuous lava tube in the US!).

The cave floor is piled with rockfalls from a collapsing ceiling.

Finally emerging after 2 hours of rough cave terrain.

Wildflowers were in full bloom.Just above the falls at Lava Canyon.

Beautiful columnar basalt!
View of the Mountain from the south side.

We spent the second day on the north side, which is where the lateral blast in 1980 occurred. We drove to Johnston Ridge Observatory and took the Boundary Trail up to Coldwater Peak.

View from Johnston Ridge Observatory

View of Mount St. Helens from Boundary Trail.

What's left of the trees since the 1980 eruption as well as a
view of Mt. Rainier from Coldwater Peak.

Mount St. Helens is Bigfoot country!

Stayed: in a tent next to Silver Lake

Favorite things to do: hike, look at rocks, and roast marshmallows

Other Thoughts: As a total geology nerd, this was my kind of trip.

Las Vegas, Nevada

May 8-11, 2009

Though a strange place, there are some beautiful things about Vegas.

The art:

The ability to travel to Italy for an afternoon:

Or to New York for dinner and a roller coaster ride:

And the views from club balconies under a full moon...

Stayed: MGM Grand hotel

Favorite things to do:
walk around the strip (I don't recommend doing this barefoot
when your stilettos fail you - trust me),
lay by the pool with a refreshing beverage,
and stay out late meeting people from all over the world.

Other thoughts:
Coming back from Vegas felt like coming back from a different world.
I immediately wanted to plan a return trip.

Disneyland, California

May 16-18 2009

Where else can you journey into the mouth of the whale from Pinocchio?

And so many wonderful opportunities for cheesy family photos...

Stayed: Disneyland Hotel

Best rides: Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Star Tours, Pirates of the Caribbean,
and Peter Pan's Flight (currently closed for renovation - I'll just have to go back).

Other thoughts:
Just being at Disneyland makes me ecstatically happy.