Loudoun County Wine Tasting

Friends from out of town were visiting this weekend so we decided to go wine tasting to 3 wineries we had not been to before. All were in Loudoun County, VA near Leesburg and within a 5 minute drive of each other.

First up was Tarara Winery. Despite being rated the best in Loudoun County for the past few years, we all agreed that the wines were not that great. Additionally, it is the McDonalds of small wineries, with live music, fruit picking, 3-4 tasting counters, etc. It was just way too overblown. The line to checkout looked like it would take at least 30 minutes. We had a quick tasting and did not buy anything. On the upside, the staff seemed to be very knowledgeable and were very nice. The only wines we liked were the Rose and the Cab Franc, everything else was horrid. The cave where they age the wine was also a neat touch.

Our next stop was Lost Creek, about a 5 minute drive from Tarara. The staff seemed to know what they were talking about, but were a little rushed. However, the wine itself was very good; we bought a bottle of their Springtime, which is a blend of viognier, chardonnay, and others. Good blend of atmosphere and wine.

Our last stop was about a quarter mile from Lost Creek, Hidden Brook Winery. Basically a small log cabin with a porch, the atmosphere was the worst (though still not bad). However, the wine was pretty good. We ended up with a bottle of cab sauv, always a good choice.

National Park Lodges

Here is a nice slideshow of some of the best national park lodges. I have only stayed at one on the list, Big Meadows, at my favorite Nat'l Park, SNP.



Definitely a fun summer activity to travel to our country's most scenic places.

Deadly Metro Crash on Red Line

At least 6 people are dead in the worst accident in the history of the Metro. Early reports indicate that both trains were stopped and then one started moving towards the other. I would think that the train in which the operator was killed was likely the one that moved, since that would carry them forward, unless the positions of the train were somehow reversed.

Liberty to re-open

The Statue of Liberty will almost fully re-open on July 4th.  The only part that won't is the torch, which has been closed for 83 years.  As I said last year, President Obama was one of the main supporters of getting this symbol of freedom opened to all.

Four Corners no where it should be?

There is a lot of talk today that the Four Corners Monument (and the boundaries of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico) measurement is off by about 2 miles.  The truth is, no state is going to get land back because of this.  There is some argument that the prime meridian was not used, but another which would change the measurement.  

More realistically though, these boundaries have been set for over 100 years, so there's no way they are changing.

Peanuts on airlines

Good for Northwest, in bringing the peanuts back... even if it is because they are now owned by Delta, which is based in Georgia.

Definitely not my favorite nut (that would be a cashew) but its a step in bringing back a bit of dignity to air travel.  Now if only they could put some attractive stewardesses in there...

HIV Travel Ban Struck Down

The ban on HIV positive people entering the United States as tourists or immigrants has been ended.  The US had been one of only a small handful of countries (mostly non-democracies) that prohibited people from visiting based solely on their HIV status.  When the laws were first passed, people were very afraid of HIV and thought that it was highly contagious, and at that time people only had a few years to live.  There was a fear that they would languish in hospitals, taking up valuable beds.  Those days are now behind us, and allowing someone with HIV into the country is likely less of a burden than allowing in someone with cancer.

TSA punishes protests

To all you privacy advocates:

It is still OK to travel without ID, even on an airplane.  You just have to tell the TSA officer that you lost it.  As part of TSA's new policy, people who willfully refuse to show ID will not be allowed to board.  Others will.  

Could be a fun policy to test, but who'd want to get stuck in the airport.

Back from the abyss

Over Memorial Day weekend (but not on Memorial Day itself) I drove 1,200 miles round trip to SE MI.  I can't believe that I am from that place.  I feel like I need to take a shower just after driving through the litter torn freeways, with heaps of tires and garbage all over the median.  

One interesting thing I noted that really makes the entire state of MI look pretty bad are billboards.  Here in Fairfax Co. VA we don't have them.  They are quite the eyesore.

Controversial Tourism

MSNBC has a list of controversial tourist destinations.  Here are the ones I'd like to go to from that list:

 

• China - Between the Great Wall, the interesting cities, and all the history I don't see why not.
• Syria - Said to be the safest country in the Middle East (the good side to being a police state), lots of history, likely good food too. 
• North Korea - This would be a very unique experience, despite being watched constantly by your "tour guides."  Probably the safest country in the world.
• Tunisia - I'd probably rather go to Libya than Tunisia, but North Africa in general would be interesting. 
• Cuba - Would be great to get some real, fresh cigars!
• Israel - Lots of history.