This is a RSS file. Copy the URL into your aggregator of choice. If you don't know what this means and want to learn more, please see: http://platial.typepad.com/news/2006/04/really_simple_t.html for more info. http://platial.comhttp://platial.com/map/Garrett-Simone-s-Travels/5798 This is a virtual companion to our actual component that shows where we have been and integrates images so that we can always remember. http://platial.com/post/83092
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]]> 2006-05-19 10:37:24.628766+00:00 http://platial.com/post/83101
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]]> 2006-05-19 10:39:40.200007+00:00 http://platial.com/post/83148 Columbia Gorge Riverside Lodge. While the view was nice, there is a train that runs right next to the lodge, so don't expect any sleep. We attempted to hike out to Mirror Lake on Mt Hood, but since it was only early May, all the roads were blocked by snow. The rest of the Columbia River Gorge was awesome though, and the many falls (like Multnomah Falls) were beautiful. Favorite beer from this area? Henry Weinhard's Blackberry Wheat.

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]]> 2006-05-31 13:31:54.252897+00:00 http://platial.com/post/83599 Mucha Museum, Bohemia Bagel , the Jewish cemetary, St. Vitus' Cathedral, and good times with friends were the highlights. This is when I fell in love with Mucha and Prague in general. I returned to Prague in the summer of 2000 with my friend Calvin. Still loved it just as much. The first three pictures are from the 2000 trip.

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]]> 2006-05-31 13:39:29.481305+00:00 http://platial.com/post/83903
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]]> 2006-05-19 10:32:58.508709+00:00 http://platial.com/post/83917 Nambe Puebo. This is a gorgeous hike and is well rewarded with the sight of the falls.

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]]> 2006-05-31 13:11:09.692863+00:00 http://platial.com/post/83919 Loretto Chapel staircase which is considered a miracle, as it was built without nails. I stayed again in Santa Fe in 2001 when Aaron and I visited. This time we got to see the Georgia O'Keeffe museum!

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]]> 2006-05-31 13:13:19.298012+00:00 http://platial.com/post/85000 park for seeing wildlife. Just be aware that this is Texas and wildlife means fire ants - so watch where you step! This is also one of the few areas of Texas where you can see fall colors.

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]]> 2006-05-31 13:26:24.785618+00:00 http://platial.com/post/85525
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]]> 2006-05-23 19:56:24.331962+00:00 http://platial.com/post/85567 Kelley House and while it was nice, I was glad we weren't paying because it was expensive. All in all, I tend to doubt we will return unless we won another trip.

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]]> 2006-05-31 13:19:54.695577+00:00 http://platial.com/post/86907 Lake Placid Pub & Brewery is my pic for a quick meal and a good beer. I reccomend the Moose Island Ale, but all are tasty! If you want complete quiet - check out the Kiwassa Lake Bed & Breakfast - it overlooks the lake and unless you come in the height of summer when all the families are there, its quiet as a mouse!

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]]> 2006-05-31 13:19:14.973702+00:00 http://platial.com/post/86908
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]]> 2006-05-27 13:18:22.385655+00:00 http://platial.com/post/85488
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]]> 2006-05-23 18:26:58.805845+00:00 http://platial.com/post/85490
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]]> 2006-05-23 18:57:08.923123+00:00 http://platial.com/post/84272 Mountain Harbor Resort and took a boat out on Lake Ouachita. Will got us stuck in a shallow section and I had to manuver us out. Needless to say, Momma Simone was in full glory that weekend. Crystal and I spent some time at the hot springs spa. Don't say line! Don't say rail!

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]]> 2006-05-31 13:12:33.779779+00:00 http://platial.com/post/84409
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]]> 2006-05-19 10:49:28.288038+00:00 http://platial.com/post/84410 Pedernales Falls State Park is a great place to go in late spring and early summer. I last visited in 2000. Just be careful you don't go when there is a strong chance of rain or after a recent rain. Pedernales Falls is very prone to flash floods and you don't want to swim in the water after a big rain. Other than that, great hiking and ok swimming!

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]]> 2006-05-31 13:09:43.544413+00:00 http://platial.com/post/84412 Hamilton Pool is a very special place for us. Hamilton Pool Preserve is a historic swimming hole and is also the place where Garrett and I got married. Its a wonderful place to see the beauty inherent to the Texas Hill Country. For us, it will always be our little slice of heaven.

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]]> 2006-05-31 13:08:54.725859+00:00 http://platial.com/post/84464
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]]> 2006-05-19 13:52:30.152742+00:00 http://platial.com/post/85551
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]]> 2006-05-23 20:25:05.874976+00:00 http://platial.com/post/83131
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]]> 2006-05-19 10:39:07.771619+00:00 http://platial.com/post/83098 Camp 18 Restaurant outside of Seaside. Its essentially a logging museaum where the food is as huge as the logs holding the place up! While in the area we also hiked Ecola State Park, which I highly reccomend. Beautiful ocean cliffs.

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]]> 2006-05-31 13:32:58.398348+00:00 http://platial.com/post/83100
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]]> 2006-05-19 10:39:30.877337+00:00 http://platial.com/post/83136
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]]> 2006-05-19 10:38:47.354449+00:00 http://platial.com/post/83153 Tillamook Cheese gift shop. Cow country, forest hikes, and cliff hanging ocean views - this was Garrett's dream country! Cape Kiwanda was a surfer's dream and the Pelican Pub had some tastey brews!

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]]> 2006-05-31 13:30:20.675795+00:00 http://platial.com/post/83592 Neuschwanstein Castle and took a 3 hour hike up to the Tegelberg Gondola. All the other signs in the area had overestimated the time it would take, so we figured that we could make the hike in 1.5 hours. The whole way we saw all these old Germans hiking down and felt that we were grossly out of shape. Come to realize once we got to the top, that they had all taken the gondola and then hiked down. Boy did we feel stupid! We had some great pike for dinner at the hotel we stayed in and then traveled to Munich the following day. Unfortunately, I think I was too drunk to take any pictures of Munich. I do remember that the city soccer team took the championship and there was a huge street party. That was an experience!

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]]> 2006-05-31 13:40:19.36985+00:00 http://platial.com/post/83619 The Pancake Bakery .Our first night there we visited the Blue Velvet coffeeshop and I almost lost Matt after the hash. He stared at a statue of the Mother Mary on top of a cathedral and claimed it was talking to him. More hallucinogenic fun followed back at The Pig and essentially, we just wandered around Amsterdam lost the whole trip. There was a great drawing exhibit at the Rijksmuseum with a bunch of Albrecht Durer. Other than that, few memories and fewer pictures! Brussels was about a four hour stop that we fanegled through our EuroPass rules. Got to see the palace and the Statue of the Pissing Boy (Manneken-Pis). Beer sucked, but then we had been drinking German beer for too long by this point in the summer!

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]]> 2006-05-31 13:37:51.457308+00:00 http://platial.com/post/83622
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]]> 2006-05-19 10:34:54.552765+00:00 http://platial.com/post/83625
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]]> 2006-05-19 10:34:38.705814+00:00 http://platial.com/post/83629 Sanssouci Park in Potsdam. We wandered around Berlin, saw the wall, the museums, and took walks through the industrial East. Lots of partying and goodbyes... awwww.

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]]> 2006-05-31 13:35:02.535934+00:00 http://platial.com/post/83632 Chartres Cathedral. Favorite times - seeing the Blue Nude III in the Modern, walking the Seine, the holy feeling inside Notre Dame, and the majesty of Chartres' stained glass. Wonderful, wonderful, and two weeks wasn't enough!

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]]> 2006-05-31 13:34:21.864744+00:00 http://platial.com/post/83720 Snoopy's Pier whenever you are in Corpus!

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]]> 2006-05-31 13:28:11.703411+00:00 http://platial.com/post/83911 Eske's Pub is a great place to grab lunch and a beer (try the Fatty - huge, but delicious.) For dinner Taos Pizza Out Back is a safe bet and has lots of options.If you want to feel dizzy, visit the Rio Grande Gorgeand walk across the bridge! I returned to Taos in 2001 with Aaron and stayed at a gem of a B&B - The Cottonwood Inn. The innkeepers are very friendly and the rooms are great. Breakfast is to die for.

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]]> 2006-05-31 12:56:01.090578+00:00 http://platial.com/post/84450 Florida Campground at the San Juan National Forest. Although RVs are allowed here, we had a pretty site next to the river. We went horseback riding and overall was a beautiful location.

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]]> 2006-05-31 13:14:38.777862+00:00 http://platial.com/post/84478
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]]> 2006-05-19 14:06:48.976418+00:00 http://platial.com/post/84483
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]]> 2006-05-19 14:12:47.251058+00:00 http://platial.com/post/84490
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]]> 2006-05-19 14:24:52.566564+00:00 http://platial.com/post/84502 E-Rock. Its a great place to visit, although I would recommend going in the springtime when the peaches are ripe in Fredericksburg. Then you can get some Blue Bell ice cream with peaches on top! Pick up some wildflower seeds at the wildflower farm on the way.

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]]> 2006-05-31 13:15:51.782884+00:00 http://platial.com/post/84503
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]]> 2006-05-19 14:59:54.397467+00:00 http://platial.com/post/84993 beach clean-up. Padre Island National Seashore is "the longest remaining undeveloped stretch of barrier island in the world" but if you've never been to the gulf coast before, don't expect a pristine blue ocean. This is a haven for wildlife, but the Gulf is also littered with oil rigs. This means lots of tar on the beach, jellyfish, seaweed, and murky bath-warm water. That being said, if seeing beautiful night skys and being able to drive for miles on the beach and see very few people is something you are interested in, I highly reccomend it. Things to watch out for - Texas size mosquitos, sand fleas, and sharks past the 3rd sand bar.

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]]> 2006-05-31 13:16:58.398772+00:00 http://platial.com/post/84997
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]]> 2006-05-22 04:16:25.901967+00:00 http://platial.com/post/84998 Birdseye Road. The upper place is up Birdseye Rd a bit and is where the Traverse Family Cemetary is and where the Annual Horseshoe Tournament is held. Garrett has hiked all over this area and is very attached to this land. Additionally, Castleton State College is where I got my BA in Art.

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]]> 2006-05-31 13:07:42.695269+00:00 http://platial.com/post/84999 Proctor is a marble town. Everything in the town seems to be made of marble and this makes for a beautiful contrast with the green hillsides in the summer or the fall colors.

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]]> 2006-05-31 13:17:48.06907+00:00 http://platial.com/post/85196 Johnson City is a quaint little town in the hill country of Texas. There are a number of antique shops and LBJ National Historical Park. The best time to visit, in my opinion, is Christmas. PEC (the local electric company) lights up all their trees and the courthouse is also draped in light. It is a beautiful site and perfect for the season.

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]]> 2006-05-31 13:25:46.009691+00:00 http://platial.com/post/85200
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]]> 2006-05-22 18:32:19.239336+00:00 http://platial.com/post/85208
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]]> 2006-05-22 19:14:52.310695+00:00 http://platial.com/post/85225
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]]> 2006-05-22 19:31:31.163776+00:00 http://platial.com/post/85502
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]]> 2006-05-23 19:10:23.019982+00:00 http://platial.com/post/85513 Margaritaville, the Bellagio Fountains, and Margaritaville. Did I say Margaritaville?

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]]> 2006-05-31 13:22:17.465756+00:00 http://platial.com/post/85548
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]]> 2006-05-23 20:19:08.011246+00:00 http://platial.com/post/83914
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]]> 2006-05-23 19:15:41.459933+00:00 http://platial.com/post/84473
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]]> 2006-05-19 14:00:25.294775+00:00