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| The Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC |
This year the Sandia, Oak Ridge, Swiss (
SOS) workshop was held in Asheville, North Carolina. We were there three years ago at the Biltmore, but this time we got to stay at the (also) historic Grove Park Inn. I had some time one evening to wander around the estate and took a few sunset and nighttime shots. You can view all pictures on
Flickr.
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| Sunset at the bottom of the Grove Park Inn |
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| The Grove Park Inn from below |
Getting there from the Northwest corner of the US is not simple. I flew into Atlanta because I could not find good flights in and out of Charlotte. The drive was a little longer but I had a chance to see Danette, John, Nicolas, and Elizabeth.
Before the SOS workshop I got to attend the
ADAC workshop at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Despite working with them for years, I never actually visited there. It was quite interesting. In order to get a badge and approval to move around unescorted, I had to take a short training course. Basically, read and obey the signs, be courteous and don't discriminate, and use common sense. In return, the lab tries to keep the radiation levels within reasonable limits ;-)
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| An abandoned structure on the grounds of the Grove Park Inn |
Both workshops were quite interesting but the best part was visiting with old friends and colleagues. I got to have dinner with Barney and Linda in Knoxville and then spend evenings with Kevin, Kurt, and many other Sandia and Swiss folks.
One afternoon Barney drove us to the top of Mt. Mitchel, the highest point in the US, East of the Mississippi.
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| Impressive that there isn't anything higher for many hundred miles |
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| We were hoping for those famous Smokey Mountain views, but it wasn't quite happening |
On the last day, after the workshop was over, I drove up again in hopes of capturing a nice sunset. That didn't quite work either, but it turned out better than I thought when I was driving back down at night. Another photographer I met up there was also disappointed and didn't think any of his shots were for the keepers portfolio.
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| Sunset on Mt. Mitchel |
On the drive back to Atlanta on Saturday I got stuck in traffic several times due to accidents. I almost missed my plane. The first attendant wouldn't let me check my bag because it took me a couple of minutes to get the app on my phone to produce the boarding pass. She could have looked me up by name, but instead told me that I'm too late and had to speak to customer service. Thankfully, that line was short and the person helping me there was much nicer and competent. Both my bag and I are back home for a while. Next trip will be to Japan in May!
