Nine Hours, Fifty Eight Minutes

Made it from the East coast of Iceland to the West cost in 9 hours and 58 minutes. It would have been quicker but I got discombobulated in Reyjkavik, not the first time, either.

Aviate, Navigate, Communicate

Pilots have a saying: "aviate, navigate, communicate," which means first fly your plane, then go in the correct direction, and finally tell people where you are. I'm reminded of that saying now as I retrace my steps back through Iceland without my wife and co-pilot Katrin. I dropped her and the kids off at the ferry this morning. Now I have to make it back to Keflavik without her navigation and language skills. And, oh yeah, I still have to avoid the numerous sheep that occupy this country and wander alongside the highway. I keep telling myself "aviate first."

It's a Small World

Sitting on the East coast of Iceland in the small town of Seydisfjordur I was reminded just how small the world is nowadays. Although we couldn't find a proper hotel to stay in, we did locate a bistro with free wi-fi. Everyone was so excited to instantly communicate with their friends and family back home. Facebook seemed the most popular choice. Perhaps I'll buy some stock after all.

American Werewolf in Iceland

I'm always amazed by the adoption of American culture throughout the world. Here in Iceland we found KFC and a '62 Impala low rider. It is easy to be cynical about it but on the other hand it just goes to show the world is a really small place. What have we adopted from Iceland? Geothermal power for one thing. I'll try to find other examples this week, too.

The Crow Show

At the Starbucks on the corner of Jackson and Occidental in Seattle, see the crow show. I met Dan the local bird man who feeds crows from a device of his own invention, a small plastic container with a magnet for attaching to street signs. Dan and I watched the crow politics while enjoying a few cups of coffee.

Passport por aqui

All my world travels notwithstanding, I made the newbie mistake of losing my passport 48 hours before scheduled to leave for Iceland. Thus I find myself in Starbucks in Seattle patiently waiting for a new passport to be made for me at the passport agency up the street. I am told it will be ready at 2 pm. The weather in Seattle is unusually warm and sunny, so I plan to pass the time in the China Town district. I definitely did not expect to start my vacation to Iceland eating dim sum.

Red Willow People

Taos, New Mexico - Our trip began near the Isleta Indian Pueblo. We traveled north roughly paralleling the course of the Rio Grande River past Santa Ana, San Felipe, San Ildelfonso, Cochiti, Tesuque, Pojoaque, and Nambe Pueblos, finally arriving in Taos, location of the Taos Pueblo. I suppose you could call this corridor along the middle Rio Grande Valley the Pueblo Trail. When I lived here 15 years ago, casinos were just emerging. Now they are everywhere. Every pueblo has a garish new casino (or two) with neon signs calling you to stop and gamble. I guess the Casino Trail fits, too. Despite the "progress", the Red Willow People of the Taos Pueblo do their best to maintain their traditional ways. True, there is a casino on the reservation; however, within the original boundaries of the pueblo, 200 of its residents live without electricity or running water -- even though they can certainly afford both from the proceeds of their gaming and tourist businesses.