Take a Vacation

[PaloAltoCougar]

Beautiful PAC. My compliments to the artist. I will keep that golden hour in mind.

Did your wife lug around her serious camera equipment? I'd love to take my nice camera there, but I'm afraid I'd be spending too much time with lighting and filters that my wife would leave me.

Sorry I didn't respond sooner. She didn't lug around a lot, just a bag with a shoulder sling. She also doesn't fuss much with lighting or filters (which she does't use, except for lens protection). On the Ireland trip, she took only one camera and didn't use more than a couple of lenses. One was a wide-angle which she used for interior shots (cathedrals, a couple of very cool hotels, Trinity Library (world's most beautiful by my reckoning), etc.). If you have a decent camera, the scenery will do most of the work for you, so don't worry too much about equipment. Just enjoy what you're seeing.

[Commando]

Going to Port Angeles/Olympic Nat'l Park in October for Dungeness Crab Fest and then Kaua'i in February.

[Pelado]

Going to Port Angeles/Olympic Nat'l Park in October for Dungeness Crab Fest and then Kaua'i in February.

My sister and her family used to live in Port Angeles. Pretty area.

[Commando]

My sister and her family used to live in Port Angeles. Pretty area.

We did the Olympic loop last fall and were chagrined that we were in too big of a hurry to stop for the crab fest. So now we're going to just kick it and hang out at the crab fest, Lake Crescent, the Sol Duc hot springs- maybe another little trip to Hoh Rain Forest, which is one of my favorite places on Earth.

[Pelado]

We did the Olympic loop last fall and were chagrined that we were in too big of a hurry to stop for the crab fest. So now we're going to just kick it and hang out at the crab fest, Lake Crescent, the Sol Duc hot springs- maybe another little trip to Hoh Rain Forest, which is one of my favorite places on Earth.

The house my sister lived in is on Lake Sutherland, really close to Lake Crescent. Last I heard, though, Port Angeles is becoming (has become?) a bit of a ghost town.

[Commando]

The house my sister lived in is on Lake Sutherland, really close to Lake Crescent. Last I heard, though, Port Angeles is becoming (has become?) a bit of a ghost town.

It's not exactly a thundering metropolis. I have cousins that live there and in Sequim. My mom lived in Forks a couple lifetimes ago in the late 60s/ early 70s where she and her first husband built a house before he was killed in a car accident. Forks is still a one-street town, but to hear my mom tell it, it was really a jungle back in the day. They apparently had to clear cut trees from the back yard to stop mountain lions or panthers or whatever from lurking near the house.

[Pelado]

It's not exactly a thundering metropolis. I have cousins that live there and in Sequim. My mom lived in Forks a couple lifetimes ago in the late 60s/ early 70s where she and her first husband built a house before he was killed in a car accident. Forks is still a one-street town, but to hear my mom tell it, it was really a jungle back in the day. They apparently had to clear cut trees from the back yard to stop mountain lions or panthers or whatever from lurking near the house.

I'm familiar with PA and Sequim, but had to look up Forks.

[Northwestcoug]

Sorry I didn't respond sooner. She didn't lug around a lot, just a bag with a shoulder sling. She also doesn't fuss much with lighting or filters (which she does't use, except for lens protection). On the Ireland trip, she took only one camera and didn't use more than a couple of lenses. One was a wide-angle which she used for interior shots (cathedrals, a couple of very cool hotels, Trinity Library (world's most beautiful by my reckoning), etc.). If you have a decent camera, the scenery will do most of the work for you, so don't worry too much about equipment. Just enjoy what you're seeing.

Thanks PAC. I’ll have to think about what I want to bring.

[Pelado]

Thanks PAC. I’ll have to think about what I want to bring.

My suggestion - a camera.

[The_Tick]

I'm familiar with PA and Sequim, but had to look up Forks.

Your kids have never been into Twilight I assume.

[Northwestcoug]

Your kids have never been into Twilight I assume.

Ha. When my daughter was obsessed with Twilight we went up to where they were filming the movie. She got to see some hospital or other scene then got whisked away. It actually wasn’t filmed in Forks. It was somewhere off I5 though.

[Pelado]

Your kids have never been into Twilight I assume.

My daughter the reader is not interested in Twilight. My son, though, recently got the family to do a Twilight marathon. I abstained until the very end. Pretty much all I saw was a battle scene (or was it?) and the wrap up afterwards.

[LiveCoug]

Question for those who have been to Israel... If I arrive in Tel Aviv on Saturday morning, am I pretty much out of luck getting anywhere on the Sabbath? Is everything shut down? Any way to get to Jerusalem? I know the train from TLV to jerusalem doesn't run, but any other options?

Also, any recommendations for Bogota? Considering a Bogota trip this weekend...

[Commando]

Also, any recommendations for Bogota? Considering a Bogota trip this weekend...

Bring money. Back when I backpacked S. America, I had originally planned on flying out of Guatemala, but by the time I got to Ecuador and languished on the beach for a week, it was clear that the well was about dry and that I was going to have to fly out of Bogota. I thought I had budgeted just right to get me on a bus to Quito and then to Bogota and on an airplane, but while I was down there they had raised the gringo tax, which is an arbitrary fee they charge Americans leaving the country. To get on my flight I had to straight up borrow literally $5 from a member of some junior olympics wrestling team that was also flying home.

Also, my old roommate from college who is a freelance photogropher got the Jet Blu unlimited pass whatever that was some years ago and he went to Bogota to take some photos. Well the taxi driver offered him a special brownie and he was zonked out by the time he got to the central plaza or whatever, where he was mugged by some unruly youths who got away with one of his cameras. So also don't do drugs while you're there.

[Omaha 680]

Question for those who have been to Israel... If I arrive in Tel Aviv on Saturday morning, am I pretty much out of luck getting anywhere on the Sabbath? Is everything shut down? Any way to get to Jerusalem? I know the train from TLV to jerusalem doesn't run, but any other options?

Also, any recommendations for Bogota? Considering a Bogota trip this weekend...

There is plenty going on in Tel Aviv on the sabbath as it is obviously the most secularized place in Israel. Even in Jerusalem we had no problem finding cabs on Saturday to go to church at the BYU Jerusalem Center and get anywhere else we wanted to go. What I gathered from those I talked to was it's really only the ultra orthodox neighborhoods that are locked down. But you are correct that public transit doesn't run (except some busses). I would just take a cab from Ben Gurion Airport to Jerusalem if that is the first place you want to go. I remember it being reasonably priced (this was over 10 years ago) and faster than the train. The Tel Aviv to Jerusalem train is best for taking in the scenery...we took it after dark and I ended up wishing we had just taken a taxi both ways.

Depending on how much time you have, consider renting a car. You can get from Ben Gurion to Haifa or the Sea of Galilee in 90 minutes or Jersusalem in 45 which will save you a ton of time. You can also go places that trains/busses won't take you like the Golan heights; careful not to wander into Syria with the shepherds.