Washington DC has many interesting museums and sightseeing opportunities, and can conveniently be toured by foot. Additionally, every Spring the cherry blossoms bring hordes of tourists to catch the brief blooming of the multitude of cherry trees. Here are photos from a few day trips that I took to the Capital in October 2015 and 2017 and April 2018.

Vieques is an island of Puerto Rico that has many nice beaches from which to choose.  It has an authentic, non-touristy feel, which is refreshing. The island is accessible by ferry or plane. The planes leave either from the airport in San Juan or from another airport that is located a short ride away. The ferry is less expensive but the plane is much more convenient. If you visit the island, do not miss the kayak tour of the bio bay. The water emits light when agitated, such as by the kayak, kayak paddle, one’s hands, or even fish or stingrays whose swimming path can be seen by the green lights that follow their motion. This was an unforgettable experience and the biological luminescence was an almost magical sight to see. The light emitting plankton are unpredictable and ceased their display for some time, but fortunately began emitting light again before we arrived. In addition to the incredible display in the water, if you go when the moon is not up the Milky Way is a show unto itself. The low levels of light pollution make it a great place to observe the bright stars, and the tranquility of the quiet kayaks make the entire scene truly astonishing. It is elusive to the camera, as the usual method of taking long exposures to compensate for the inadequacy of light gathering ability of the sensor fails to capture the fleeting point-like flashes of light coming from the water. No doubt one day more sensitive sensors will be made that are able to do the spectacle justice, but for now it must be seen in person to be fully appreciated.

We spent a single night in San Francisco on our way to Yosemite National Park. It was raining the day we were there, but that evening my brother in-law and I got into our rental car and drove toward the Golden Gate Bridge, not having any idea how to get there. We found our way there, and I started taking pictures at a look-out area on the other side of the bridge. However, the wind was blowing water drops onto the lens constantly and I only managed to get a couple usable shots. We went to a lower vantage point which wasn’t much better, and then, after driving around for a while, we found a nice spot on the opposite side where there was parking and a paved trail that led down a hill with views of the bridge along the way. There were large blue flowers blooming along the side of the trail. The view of the bridge through the mist, and the sounds of the rain and waves crashing far below on the rocks, made for a peaceful setting. My camera was getting soaked, but the moment was very enjoyable and I wanted to stay for a while, which we did. 

During a visit to Saguaro National Park in Arizona, we took an evening to visit the Kitt Peak Observatory, which contains the largest and most diverse astronomical telescopes in the world. Tours of the telescopes are offered and there are smaller 16 inch telescopes housed in individual observatories through which one can view planets and some deep sky objects.