Graham Glass, etc.

Russian River

Check out these pictures of Russian River from a recent trip:

The sunset was even more stunning in reality; almost like it was crafted using special effects.

The sun is just about to set:

Bonus fireworks picture:

   

Beautiful Yosemite

Check out these pictures of Yosemite from a recent trip.

Bridalveil falls:

Mirror lake:

California Coastline

It's beautiful:

Improved Check-in at Airports

I recently traveled to the UK using Virgin Airlines and noticed their innovation for speeding up check-in.

Most airlines only allow you to get a ticket using a self-service kiosk if you have no luggage to check in. Virgin Airlines on the other hand *only* allows you to get a ticket via a self-service kiosk. Then, If you have luggage to check in, you take your ticket and luggage to an attendant who takes your bag.

The nice thing about this approach is that the self-service kiosks absorb all the burden of actually producing a ticket. This frees attendants up for the focused task of accepting luggage for check in.

Losing my (Airline) Virginity

I travel to the UK about once a year to visit my parents. In the past I have tended to fly British Airways, but this year I've decided to pay a little extra to fly Virgin Airlines.

Why?

Because I've heard consistently good things about their level of service. I'm traveling to London in March and will blog about my experience.

Santa in Maui

Check out the Santa from Maui!

Maui Moonrise

Off the coast of Lahaina, Maui.

Maui Sunset

Off the coast of Lahaina, Maui.

Berkeley Day Trip

I enjoy taking little mid-week jaunts and today I spent a lovely afternoon in Berkeley. Here are some photos taken with my iPhone:

Waterfall in the Botanical Gardens

The University Clock Tower

Standing by some Saliva DNA at the Science Hall

Unfortunately I didn't notice that the street I parked on was a tow-zone between 4 and 6 pm and my car was towed before I was able to get back to it. Oops!

Temples of Damanhur

I'm an adventure junkie so this article about the Temples of Damanhur instantly whet my appetite for another international trip - this time to the foothills of the Alps in northern Italy.

The temples are underground and organized into 9 chambers with stunning murals, mosaics, statues, secret doors and stained glass windows. They occupy over 300,000 cubic feet and were built secretly by a team of volunteers over a 16 year period.

Here's the Hall of Mirrors:

Here's the Labyrinth:

Here's the Hall of the Earth:

I'm hoping to visit the site over Christmas if visitors are allowed. If I go, I hope to also create some educational materials based on my trip to share with other users of my education site edu2.0.