Goodnight and fare thee well.  We are heading to dinner for a special meal prepared by the chef.

Wayne and I make a habit of watching CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood every week.  Each Christmas season they devote an entire show to the gifts Americans have given themselves; our National Parks.  They celebrate newly acquired parcels of land that have been named National Parks, Forests, Seashores, and Wildlife Refuges as our Gifts to Us.  Well there is no better gift than Olympic National Park.  And lets just get it straight right now, any person in congress who proposes slashing a single penny of the budget for our parks and wilderness should be hauled away in short order.  I didn’t post last night because the wi-fi here is a little iffy but this afternoon it has picked up steam and seems to be cooperating.

Yesterday Wayne got up early and guess who were at our door?  That’s right, Donald and Daisy waiting for the cafe to open.  I know, I know don’t feed the wildlife but I did some research and found it was healthy to feed them whole grains which we did in the form of a gluten free cracker. 

When they are literally at your doorstep what do you do?  This morning they almost came inside our open door.

The morning was clear skies and sunshine and all the Inn staff agreed that it was the perfect day to explore Hurricane Ridge.  It’s amazing how different mountains are formed by different geological events.  The Olympics were formed from the Pacific Ocean up.  Literally millions of years of sediment formed rock at the bottom of the ocean that was pushed by tectonic plates into the mountains we see today.  There are glaciers and snow almost year round.  And those of us from Chicago who whined at our winter, these mountains can see snow that would add up to a six story building.

We took a picnic lunch and thanks to the clued in staff at Lake Crescent Lodge we knew the secret places to go which most folks pass without knowing.  Here’s our picnic table.

With this view, some cheese, olives and crackers, who wouldn’t be happy?

After hiking into the mountains for a bit, we headed home and yes, Donald and Daisy were right there waiting for us.

Dinner tonight was a plate of seared Sea Scallops with lemon foam and caramelized Brussels sprouts.  Nicholas, our favorite person for food, had the whole thing arranged for us and made sure our meal was. . . flawless.

This morning we decided to take a walk around the Lodge and ended up walking three miles to Marymere Falls.

On the way we got sidetracked and ended up following signs to “NatureBridge”.  Which in our innocent minds meant a bridge that nature made.  Well it turns out to be quite different.  Naturebridge is a non-profit that specializes in providing wilderness experiences for students of all ages from first grade into college.   A class of students may decide that they want to learn about nature and reserve a three to five day trip to this camp where educators will teach them about the environment, ecology, geology and give them a nature experience unrivaled.  The organization works with several National Parks.  Robert, the caretaker at this location took us all over the property which they were just opening up for the summer season.  It was clear he loved his job and loved the fact that he had a part in teaching youth about nature.  He told us that when they host a class from a rough urban environment this is the first time that many students feet touch natural land.  Some of them are even frightened by the wilderness and open space.  I was very impressed with not only their commitment to the land but also their respect for preserving history.  They took over this camp which contains the old “Rosemary” lodge where Roosevelt stood on the porch and declared this peninsula a National Park

Here is the dining room housed in the original lodge.

After that walk we came back and had some olives and cheese to tide us over until dinner.  Nicholas won’t be here tonight but left a note that we are to have a special salmon dish and allow the chef to riff as he pleases.

What a day!  Tomorrow Sol Duc Hot Springs?

We started again with the prescribed rasher of bacon and after a quick work call we began our adventures.  First off was the Smith Tower.  An amazing “skyscraper” that for years was the tallest building outside of New York.  It was built by the man who owned Smith Corona typewriters and made all his money in that business.  The tower went through many owners and during the tech boom was home to many start up companies.  After surviving many threats it is still standing and proves that quality ingredients make a quality building.

The elevators still are operated by hand and the original motors are in place.

We are whisked to the 35th floor Chinese Room which contains a “wishing chair” given to the building owner by the Empress of China.  It is said if you sit in the chair and make a wish it will come true.  The owners daughter sat in the chair and wished for marriage and was betrothed in the Chinese Room in a year.

During the renovations, they removed mechanical systems which left enough room for a private residence above the 35th floor.  Now a single family has a long term lease on the space and one can only imagine what life would be like if you lived there.

After our trip down to ground level, we hightailed over to the ferry to Bainbridge Island.

On schedule and nothing as intense as a Martha’s Vineyard Ferry.

After a two hour drive through incredible scenic vistas we arrived at the Lake Crescent Lodge, our home base for the next four days.  We are staying in a “Roosevelt Cabin”  (clink link for a tour) which have been placed on the national register of historic places for very obvious reasons.  The only problem we see is making the decision whether to stay here or explore Olympic Park. I’m sure we’ll do both.

Who could resist this view from your room?

We had dinner at the lodge with a main course of salmon that had been caught 45 minutes prior to laying on our table.  It was succulent.  Our waiter Nicholas knew where everything on our plate was sourced and had an amazing command of wine combinations.

And the setting could not be more perfect.

Our new friends Daffy and Daisy have become our pals and appear each time we sit in our chairs.  Yes they want food but they also lay down right in from of our feet.

And now, farewell the beauty.

Little did we know that the entrance to our inn was also a pick up location for Microsoft employees.  I came out to the street to be faced with a gaggle of young, jean clad techies who were all waiting for their ride.

Today started with an early wake up due to time changes and then another camp breakfast before we headed out to the Boeing factory in Everett.  It is the worlds largest building by volume and is about to regain its claim as the largest building by square footage once they finish their additions for the 777x.  As many of you know,  I’m an airplane aficionado and can basically tell which plane is flying overhead by the sound of the engines.  Needless to say, I was in heaven.  They are very strict to protect their manufacturing processes so no cameras or cell phone are allowed on the tour.  You can see them online if your are interested.  The volume of the space was overwhelming when driving by.

It’s one of those instances when you cannot grasp the breadth of a space with a picture.

On the tour we watched 747-8, 767, 777, and 787’s being constructed.  My interest in Boeing and their processes is rooted in my experience in healthcare.  There are three million parts from over 500 suppliers that are combined to create a 777.  Boeing has developed a system that each part is electronically tagged, assigned to specific work processes, and verified after installation.  I think about this and look at our healthcare system that still cannot reduce the number of retained surgical items left in patients after procedures.  This happens up to 6,000 times per year.  Let’s just take a knee replacement for example.  In healthcare, a surgeon can decide how he wants to do the procedure, if they want to have someone additional assist them, what instruments they will use based on the technique they learned, and what implant they choose based on many different variables.  Well, this is not standardization.  It wouldn’t stand at Boeing.  And I think we can all agree that if Boeing planes harmed 6,000 people per year it would make the news.  But healthcare does the same and it goes unnoticed.  OK enough of my podium.

After the Boeing tour, we decided to try our luck at finding our way back along the shore and ended up at Edmond for a seaside lunch of clam chowder and Caeser salad.  I was pondering our previous experience.

After driving back to our accommodations, I gave in to the tourist feel of the day and went a few blocks to trolley up to the Space Needle.  It was tacky, filled with screaming children, but at the same time, if anyone asks, I can say, “Yes, I went up in the space needle.  It did afford a few views that were special and it was a sunny day.  So, why not.  Plus another view of Mount Ranier.

The space needle is on the Seattle Center Campus (remnants of the world fair) and is currently featuring a Chihuly exhibit of incredible glass.

Tomorrow we are going to tour the Smith Tower, ferry to Bellingham, and then off to the Olympic National Park.

It was a very easy flight (calm, but every seat full) and we even got a great view of Mount Ranier.  I didn’t know that it was on the list of the most dangerous volcanoes on earth.  It has an incredible amount of glaciers on top and even though nothing has happened since the 1800’s it is still considered an active volcano.

Once we collected our things, we found our way to our room at the Inn at El Gaucho, a 19 room boutique hotel that was built in the 20’s.  It is in the “trendy” Bellwood neighborhood that has a great vibe and much diversity.  There are a series of hotels along 1st Avenue that were built at the turn of the century and into the 20’s as maritime hotels to provide housing for the crews aboard ships that docked in the Seattle port.

We can see the iconic space needle from our window and it really is a blast from the past.

We decided we would play tourist and walk down to Pike Market for dinner.  But, we were stopped by the perfect corner table at the Virginia Inn.  We just happened to show up at the end of the “happy” hour and all small plates were 50% off.  We shared a great dinner of crab cakes, calamari, and fresh smoked salmon with a feta tapanade.  Delish.  With a view of the harbor t couldn’t have been better.

After dinner we strolled the neighborhood and ended up at the market where the only thing left where scraps for the birds.

We sauntered back to the hotel and took in the views and special flourishes that help this neighborhood maintain its distinct character.

Tomorrow we are up early and have to hit the highway slab to get to the Boeing factory for a tour at 10:30.  I can’t wait. . .

We had a smooth trip to O’Hare this morning to  start our trip from rainy Chicago to sunny Seattle. More topsy turvey weather.

You can just see the tail of a Qatar airways 777, a direct flight from Doha. I found it amazing that the folks at the CDC quarantine operation at O’Hare  were unaware of any direct flights from the Middle East. Not only had I just flown direct from  Abu Dhabi but I went to  Flightware.com and found the flight from Doha as well. So much for surveillance. We had just enough time for a camp breakfast at Wolfgang Puck before heading to our flight.

I’ve done a slide show of quite a few pics from New Zealand.  I quickly realized that there were too many so will give you all a break and do the same for Australia and Abu Dhabi in the next few days.  I’m also going to check with the hosting company to learn how I can save all of this in a specific place if you ever want to come back for a refresher.  Thank you all for putting up with my beginning skills in this area and hope you have enjoyed.

Link is here.

Well, the business is over and was successful so this afternoon Wayne and I went for a little sightseeing in Abu Dhabi.  We took a shuttle into the city center from our hotel on Yas Island.  We were dropped off on the Corniche which is a man made water feature that runs through the city. 

It is an incredibly beautiful structure with tile work that goes on forever.  We hopped into a taxi and went to the new cultural center being constructed on Saadiyat Island.  The Abu Dhabi Louvre is scheduled for opening in 2015 and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi designed by Frank Gerhy is scheduled to open in 2017.  This is definitely a land of no small plans.  Here is the model for the Guggenheim.

In fact, there is no stopping of building in the entire area.

No wonder Christchurch New Zealand cannot get any cranes for rebuilding because the skyline of Abu Dhabi is filled with them.

We took a brief break at the Emirates Palace Hotel.  Needless to say, at a construction cost of $6B US it is way over the top.  Cars pull up to the entrance on marble inlaid drives.

If that were not enough excess we went to the Grand Mosque.  The carpet in the main section weighs 35 tons.  The capacity is 40,000 and it is clad in a special marble.  The 96 interior columns in the main section are inlaid with mother of pearl.  Stunning.

We have been away for over 30 days at this point and are actually looking forward to climbing aboard Etihad flight 151 tomorrow morning.  Our pick up is at 6:45 AM but when I checked flightaware I found that it is habitually is late so we could be facing a five or six hour wait at the airport.  I’ll do a summary post when we are home and have everything settled but for now, thank you for taking the journey with us.  Farewell for now.

Sorry this is out of order but I’m carefully watching computer memory to prevent another meltdown.  Our last day in Sydney we took a cruise that allowed us to view this incredible city from the vantage points of the first settlers who realized what a unique harbor had been created by nature.

Seeing the incredible homes with these views from the water made us understand why this is such a special place.  This is actually Russell Crowe’s Penthouse on one of the harbor inlets.

But better than looking at real estate was sharing lunch with such nice women as Marie and Patricia, two Aussie sisters of Irish descent who take three days together every year to have an adventure.  They were full of stories of their lives in Australia and the sports teams that both support.

Our trusty pilot Ben clearly loved being on the boat and served a mean platter of fruit and cheese.

The next morning we had to say farewell but the sun came out and glinted off the opera house to let us see every unique detail of this magnificent building.

Lee, who was one of the workers picking up the granite tiles to restore the waterproofing after over 50 years clearly loved and respected the structure.

Our flight to Abu Dhabi was over 14 hours a third of which was over the continent of Australia.

We arrived and got to our hotel exhausted.  But still had a wonderful breakfast environment right by the pool.  Abu Dhabi is hot, hot, hot!  We are staying on a man-made structure called Yas Island.  It is home to the Formula One racing course.  It is so big that this morning at 10:30 I walked from gate two to sixteen and covered two miles.  I felt the first effects of heat stroke and went to the nearest water sign.  Can you figure out how to work this?

The red roof has a giant Ferrari symbol on top that in scale is massive.  Everything here is massive, just think of Dallas on steroids.

I’m working this afternoon and Wayne took a shuttle bus downtown to get a better flavor for the city.  This will probably be the last post for a couple of days since I will be working until Monday when we return to Chicago.  I’m planning on doing a summary post since there have been so many compliments on the photos.  See you all soon!

Since my computer is basically two Dixie cups and a string at this point I will have to keep my posts to a minimum at least until I’m finished with work in Abu Dhabi.  But here are a few sites from our stay in Sydney.

After seeing these iconic images over and over to experience them face to face is an experience difficult to absorb.  The opera house and the bridge are both beautiful and each have their own story to tell about the barriers to their creation.

At the opening of the harbor to the Pacific is the “Gap” cliff walk.  Unfortunately it has become a place well known for suicide and they have taken numerous measure to prevent as many occurrences as possible.

We are checking out of the hotel this morning and boarding our flight to Abu Dhabi.  We have have fallen in love with yet another city down under.

So here we are in Sydney with a singular photo to prove it.  Unfortunately something has got my computer in meltdown mode and after two trips to the Apple store I’ve managed to get it working again but with only three gigs of hard drive to spare so I will have to be a bit more judicious in what pics I take and post.  I decided to spend the time enjoying Sydney and living with the small hard drive space rather than running from Apple store to Apple store.

Yesterday we climbed the harbor bridge and it can truthfully be said it was the thrill of a lifetime.  Here is a short video.  The sound is not good with much wind but Wayne is talking about the cruise ship that was leaving the harbor and everyone on deck was waving to us while we were on top of the bridge.

We also took the cliff walk at the opening of the harbor to the Pacific.  Stunning.  More to come.  Tomorrow we are off to Abu Dhabi until the 14th and then home after a month of travel.

We knew we would love this place but didn’t realize how much.  I want to live here.  Waking up in a tree house in the rainforest is something I never thought I would do.  But here we were and decided to spend a day with our feet planted on one piece of property.

Again, the flora and fauna is remarkable.  I ran into the gardener who came over from France to become acquainted with  rainforest plants and he confirmed that it is just a matter of letting things do what they do.  These sprigs on our porch have grown about a foot since we first arrived.

The swimming pools look as though they were carved out of the rocks.

And if that were not enough the place is filled with wonderful staff who make sure you feel comfortable and have everything you need.  Here is Sharada who first greeted us on arrival and has been a warm smile during our entire stay.

If that wasn’t enough, the property borders a river and has it’s own “billibong”, which is Aussie for swimming hole.

Here you can see the height of the tree houses.

I was able to meet Serena, who is the local florist responsible for incredible floral arrangements throughout the property.

She had a full 30 gallon garbage can of flowers from her garden that she was arranging.

Our day ended at dinner, and we so loved the food that we told the chef to just cook what he wanted us to eat.  Would it be possible for anything to taste bad in this setting?

We sated ourselves with smoked salmon with mango and pesto, filet of beef with Shiraz glace and potato cake, and finished off with a mango souffle and an Avvocato with coffee and Frangelico.

Tomorrow we are told we have to leave here although Wayne has threatened lies, torture and any number of things to stay in this state of perfection.

Next time we’ll say hi from Sydney.

Evidently Australian turkey guard the doors at the Silky Oak Lodge because this one was insisting that I give him food before letting me pass to breakfast.

This bird was the only thing standing between me and this cappuccino.  Guess who won.

Who knew that we would be seeing two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in our visit to Australia.  Today we went deep into the Daintree Rain Forest.  Not only a heritage site but at over 100 million years in age, the oldest rain forest in the world.  We got picked up in a four wheel drive vehicle that looked a bit over the top to thrill the tourist.  Little did I know how much we would need it to climb mountains and go through streams to reach the heart of the rainforest.

Our first stop was a river cruise on the Daintree River.  We were up close and a little too “personal” to snakes and crocodiles.  Don’t take offense but they are really lazy creatures who eat their young, live solitary lives, and just hang around the shore line until dinner presents itself.

Then we were off to take a hike into the forest itself.  It is very hard to describe with pictures the feeling of being completely surrounded by the flora and fauna of a rainforest and to see the natural cycle of the forest before your eyes.  I’ll let some pictures talk here.

Oh, and lizards

And spiders the size of your hand.

And Peppermint Stick Insects.

We ended the day with a dip in a fresh water creek, with water so clear and pure that your skin was rejuvenated when you came out.  And guess what happened, it rained in the rain forest.  So there we were standing in the water with the warm rain washing over us.  I only have a picture of the swimming hole because you can’t take an iPhone into the water without some protection.

The most memorable part of the day was our lunch at a cafe/animal rescue facility, Lync Haven.  There website does not do justice to their work.  Our guide filled a bucket with apples and other fruit and we hand fed them to the rescued kangaroos.  Max, who likes to hold the bucket in his arms had a hand injured and could not survive in the wild.  Jack who had the equivalent affection of a dog like to be scratched behind his ears and on his chest.  His mother was killed by a car and he had to be hand fed to survive.  Jack loved our guide and actually hugged him around the legs until he gave him the scratches he so desired.  These “roos also recognized a Swedish couple upon their return after twenty years.  Don’t tell me animals are without emotion.  I was so overwhelmed that the pictures I took don’t reflect the moment they way I would like, but here they are.

Tomorrow we are just staying at the Silky Oak Lodge all day, absorbing the beauty and maybe taking a dip in the river swimming hole.  On Sunday we travel to Sydney so I am offline until then.

Again, thanks for all your comments.

We landed in Cairns last night just as dusk approached.  Thank Mother God that we had a driver because we would never have found our way to our hotel 90 minutes from the airport.  We are literally at the end of the road on a mountain rainforest.  We started our trip at the mega-airport at Ayers Rock.  The choice was between gate one or two.  We actually like this kind of traveling. Even the clouds in Australia are those of an open sky.

By the time we landed and our driver drove us the 90 minute trip to our resort it was pitch black.   We saw so many stars along the drive but I don’t have photos that would do them justice.  So we arrive and get into our room and look into a darkened rainforest.  We settled into our rooms and had a cocktail on the balcony of our tree house.

Time for bed!

At the crack of dawn we were met by Andy who took us to our boat for the sail to the Great Barrier Reef.  What can one say about this?  It is an experience of a lifetime.  There was a trusty Jack Russell terrier who monitored everything that happened at the port before our launch.  It was clear this was his territory and he was going to make sure everyone got on the right boat.

Our trusty skipper, Graham, has been with the boat for nineteen years.  And our snorkeling coach, Scott,  actually is doing this as part of the social endeavor of this enterprise to help at-risk adolescents.

Soon it was time to get into the water and experience the reef as a guest to this great ecological treasure.

On our way back to shore we chatted with the crew and guests and took in the glorious sky while getting a good share of sea spray.

Once back at our hotel we marveled at the flora and fauna we missed last night.

We made our way to to our tree house, “Bandiccot“, which is a mole type animal.  I guess that means we will have to sleep until spring.

We then enjoyed dinner in one of the most amazing places of our lives, hearing the river, watching the birds, and eating beets and kangaroo.

 Talk to you again soon.

Just figured out the only way to share this was to upload to YouTube so here is the link.  The clarity is much better if you do not go into full screen mode.  Remember, I was taking these shots without a tripod while tramping through the brush so I apologize that they aren’t the best in the world but should give a taste of what we saw.