The last half of the U.S.

Even though New York City was pretty close to the mid-point of my trip, my attitude took a sharp turn after that. I was no longer going INTO our dream trip, we were closing it out. Other than a brief clip of a crop duster (they've always fascinated me) my next video was to record my excitement of seeing the mountains on the horizon again. In this case it wasn't a matter of being nearer home, but a matter of being near Glacier National Park.

These water-efficient faucets are incredible. Who needs all that water splashing in your face? No problems with this one!

Once we were inside Glacier we came to McDonald Lake on the west end of the park. The lake was pretty and obviously an attraction for many, but my attention was on the backdrop.

When we arrived at Logan Pass, the high spot on the Going to the Sun Road, we spotted some Big Horn Sheep a short distance away. Unfortunately, I don't have a zoom lens on my phone.
(Editors note : I just went back and looked at this video, it's terrible! You'll have to believe me that there is a couple of Big Horn Sheep in there!)

The Garden Wall rises above the Going to the Sun Road and provides one of the most iconic sights in the park.
Just to the east of Logan Pass was this water fall. It is unique because it falls horizontally!:

After leaving Glacier I found a place that had a course consisting of 8 zip line rides through the tree tops. I managed to get a couple of video clips. Unfortunately, you'll have to turn your computer on it's side to see them:

Then there was Diablo Canyon in the North Cascade Mountains of central Washington. The glacial run off gives the water an incredible green hue.

A little further to the north (actually north of the border) was Shannon Falls, outside Vancouver, British Columbia.

As I neared the end of the road (literally, I was at the western-most point in the lower 48 accessible by road) I discovered Cape Flattery, an impressive shoreline on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington.

This panorama starts with the Kessiso Rocks at the western apex of the Continental U.S., then pans past Tatoosh Island, a U.S. Coast Guard lighthouse site, then pans to Vancouver Island across the Strait of Juan de Fuco.
And that's it. Not much exciting video (I may have to return to get better video, maybe make a documentary) but lots of memories ad a few good stories! I hope someone enjoyed the trip as much as we did.

More video from the south and East Coast

Maybe a panorama inside Cowboy Stadium will make it easier to envision the size and scope of "Jerry World". If only the field wasn't such a goofy color!

This is a twice daily parade in Fort Worth, Texas. It began as the way the Long Horns were brought to market but they now use a lineup of Rock Stars that spend their days in the Green Room, waiting for show time.

This is our recreation of the view along the route of the presidential motorcade on November 22, 1963 (we let most of the extras go home)

and the view from the Grassy Knoll

back to the coast again, I stopped at the Johnson Space Center Visitors Museum

then moved on to the Galveston to Bolivar Peninsula Ferry crossing

So, finally, some action video! I must confess I was more than a little concerned about flipping the boat due to the childhood trauma that occurred at Lake of the Woods Minnesota/Canada...

and this, of course, is why we were out there in the first place

This is a bit better action shot. Near the beginning of the clip you can see the front corner of the boat dip and scoop up water as it stops. Makes me nervous just watching it. I'd prefer something a little safer like a zip line, or at least some whiter water (this was very brackish water).

I guess I did not think to take video of the Scrub Jays we visited in Florida, but a little further north I was thinking in terms of action again

The tour of the Super Speedway at Daytona was incredible for this old race fan.

In this clip please note a couple of things. We were riding on the apron of the track meaning we were flat on the ground and OFF of the racing surface. So the small strip of track you see between our position and the outer guardrail is all the room there is for the often-three-wide racing that takes place on this track surface! The 33 degree banking, which even in this clip doesn't really show how steep it is, can be appreciated by this fact - the pace car that comes out on the track to slow the cars down during caution periods, has to go 70 mph to keep up on the banking.

I didn't get any video while my brother and I were racing Go-Karts in D.C. because I couldn't figure out how to aim the camera behind me...
but did shoot video again while sailing in New York Harbor on a Tall Ship

As I mentioned in the blog, I was allowed to help the crew hoist the jib. Obviously while doing that I could not get video footage, but I did get a picture of the rear main sail being raised, as well as a picture once we were sailing under "full sheets".

My only other video in New York was shot during take-off in my first-ever helicopter ride.

let's see what else we have

A couple of clips from Tombstone, one from behind Clem...

and one from inside the OK Corral (you thought there's too much violence in the streets TODAY?)

and for the younger generation - There's an app for that!

I was hoping I had some amazing panorama of the beauty that was everywhere in the amazing southwestern desert (that's my sarcastic font) but it looks like I have this shot of the Mexican Border alongside International St. in Douglas, Arizona...

and, if that's not enough action for you...

One of the things that always surprised me when hiking in the desert was how it was so flat and dry and... well, more flat and more dry, then, seemingly out of nowhere a cavernous, uh, cavern, appears. You know at one time there was a lot of water here. Was it spring run-off from distant mountains or left over scars from the age of water which came just before they invented Global Warming? Take a look at this picture of Eagles Nest in Southwest Texas:

I believe I blogged about this at the time. This was taken on the University of Texas, Brownsville campus. They have classes (I do not know if it is a program offering a degree) to train border guards, complete with a working classroom border crossing. On the other side of this fence is a walkway from Mexico. I asked if it was open during class hours for actual immigration but no one spoke English.

This is rush hour in Corpus Christi, Texas...

and the coast as it appears in Galvaston

I'm on a roll now

purring like a kitten - a WWII kitten!

Here are a couple of videos from Lego Land...

my Grandkids couldn't wait to get wet!
This was a learning experience. I thought that the picture would turn during record as it does during viewing. Instead Ashley ended up shivering sideways! OOPS!

more videos

Well, I seem to be doing well. Now if my videos were only eye popping instead of tear producing!

Let's check my bag of gag again.

After leaving San Fran I found these Elephant Seals on the beach and surfing just off shore near San Simeon

so let's see what else we have...

I thought Port Orford was one of the prettiest and most unique towns on the Oregon Coast. Because of it's openness it offers no shelter to water craft during storms. So all boats anchored within must be lifted out of the water and set ashore. To the south is Humbug Peak, the highest point on the Pacific Coast of Oregon.

A few short miles south of Humbug Peak the highway comes out to a strip of open beach, allowing a view of sand and waves nearly as far as the eye can see. Driftwood on the sandy landscape gives it a feeling of isolation even though you are a mere 12 miles south of Port Orford.

On day 7 we boarded a ferry to Alcatraz

Day 8 featured a ride on the fabled cabled car, which utilizes a roundhouse to change directions at the end of it's route. The roundhouse is operated manually! I have video of the car negotiating a steep San Fransisco hill, but my I.T. department will have to help get it up and running.

If at first you succeed...

Hey, that worked! (at least on my computer). I'm told by the San Diego office of my I.T. team that the video may not work on all computers (I know it doesn't work on my I-Pad). But if these videos work for you, let me know.

Here is another view of Devils Churn:

Ok, if this works we'll try multiple videos