My Travels


Denver

To me, there are just a few scenes more beautiful than the cockpit view of the Colorado plains meeting the Rocky Mountains. The bird's-eye view is often astonishing and is always mesmerizing. I do not believe it is possible to capture or explain the magnificence of the sight.

That view is nature's welcome to Denver Colorado. The arrival by air is like passing through a door into an old castle--you can feel the solid beauty of what is to come. Although Denver's airport architecture attempts to mimic the mighty Rockies, it falls comically short of the true power exerted by these mountains (man just can't compete against nature).

Granbury Texas

My sister Cindy lives in a small town thirty miles southwest of Fort Worth Texas. She has lived there since the 1980s and I have visited her there many, many times over the years. With each visit, I come to understand why she loves the town of Granbury.

A few weeks ago, my son and I flew from Atlanta for another visit. Sam and I always look forward to his time with his aunt. He enjoys the fun times with Cindy and I like showing him some of the family values Cindy and I share. As always, Cindy continues to instill in him a large part of herself and the things she loves.

Prague

As our Boeing 767ER descends through five thousand feet and a thin layer of cumulus clouds, the outskirts of Prague come into view. The small towns surrounding the city line the rolling hills in multi-colored patches. The morning sun casts deep shadows into the valleys and brightens the near-side of the slopes. We had arrived at what some call the east-west crossroads--the city of Prague.

Prague is often called the Golden City--from our altitude you can see why. The predominant color of the buildings is a light gold. I am sure there are other reasons for its nickname, but this explanation makes sense to me now. Prague is once again a city of influence and attracts a great number of tourist and businesses.

Santiago Chile July 2008

It is winter in Santiago. The seasons of the year in South America are the opposite of what they are in the United States. So, when we departed from the summertime Atlanta where it is hot and dry, we arrived about ten hours later in the cold, snowy winter of Chile. This morning, as I look out of my 6th floor hotel window, I see bare trees covered in a cold morning fog. People are walking wrapped in coats and scarves because it is 40℉ outside (the high today will be 55℉). It is a nice change from the heat of Georgia.

Asheville, NC, The Enka Triathlon, and Cades Cove, TN

Driving from Atlanta to Asheville NC can take one of two routes-I prefer the slightly slower but more scenic drive up through Gainesville and Route 441. This route leads into mountainous territory much faster and, for me, calms my mind more quickly.

My son, Sam, and I left on an Wednesday morning with a car full of camping equipment and two bicycles carried in the trailer hitch mounted Saris bike rack. We left just before lunch so that we could stop at one of my favorite Bar-B-Que restaurants--Mickey Piggs in Alto, Georgia.

Vienna

This week was the kick-off of Euro 2008, the European football (soccer) championship playoffs. Austria and Switzerland are joint hosts of the games, with Vienna as one of the playoff sites. The playoffs between the 16 European teams will continue until the championship game to be held on June 29 in Vienna. The winner will represent Europe at the FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa in 2009.

Vienna was awash with soccer fans from all European countries when we arrived. The atmosphere is much like a supercharged Kentucky Derby/March madness/Superbowl rolled into one. The fans dress in their team colors, parade around the city, party, and enthusiastically promote their team. The process was noisy at times but was very controlled. The fans mixed in with the tourist and, to my opinion, added to the excitement of this ancient city.

Fairhope Alabama and the Grandman Triathlon

This last weekend (May 30) I traveled to Fairhope Alabama to participate in the Grandman Triathlon. Fairhope is a town just outside of Mobile situated directly on the eastern shore of Mobile bay. I drove down from Atlanta in order to take my bike and not have to fly and ship it by air. The drive takes about 7 hours at a leisurely pace stopping for meals and gas. A little highway congestion is encountered by roadwork on I-85 just south of Newnan Georgia then again on I-65 just south of Montgomery. But overall, the drive is uneventful and smooth. As an aside, one of my favorite charities and places is the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery. It is a world class venue that is well worth the time and effort to attend; at any one time, the venue not only sponsors Shakespearean plays, but originals as well.

Buenos Aires Argentina

"Your destination is not a place, but a new way of seeing things."
Henry Miller

Buenos Aires translates as "fair winds". The name itself conjures up a delightful and relaxing destination. It is one of the most beautiful and expansive cities to which I have traveled. Buenos Aires is a city filled with energy, class, marvelous architecture, and fantastic food and wine. It is a city to enjoy and in which to immerse yourself.

The flight to BA is a little over 9 hours from Atlanta. The route normally is flown over Florida, Cuba, Columbia and the massive Amazon; it is an all night flight arriving in the early morning hours into the international airport (Ministro Pistarini International Airport -- SAEZ).

Introduction

I am an international airline Captain; I fly the Boeing 767 Extended Range aircraft to Europe, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and occasionally Hawaii. I would like to take you on some trips with me - at least allowing you to read about them.


With the help of web-site design guru Scott Blitstein of eSeMBe Technical Services, we designed a site that not only informs you about my law practice, but will also allow me to pass on travel information to some of the more interesting places on our planet. With each of my layovers in different cities, a new adventure arises, new places are discovered, and new places to eat are found. I hope my writing about them might be useful to you in your travels or dreams.