Grand Canyon and Return by Train

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Caroline Wise at the Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Okay, so I wasn’t very good at framing photos here in early 2000. We arrived yesterday afternoon but are stingy about taking photos as there are only so many images you can store on a floppy disk. This curse of not having unlimited storage would haunt me well into the end of this year and, to some degree, the following, too. After Caroline and I got married back on January 12, 1994, we came here to the Grand Canyon National Park and stayed in the President’s Suite at the El Tovar Hotel. Six years later, it’s still magic.

John Wise at the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona

Seems that Caroline, too, can work on her composition skills. Who knows, maybe we were on drugs? We were probably on drugs.

Caroline Wise at the Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Caroline, before she tragically fell into the Grand Canyon, and I collected a ton of insurance money. No, seriously…she had a twin sister named Caroline who I live with until this day.

John Wise at the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona

This was a pretty short visit to the Canyon, maybe one that will have been the shortest ever. We probably traveled with that suitcase for close to 20 years before it was retired.

Train back to Williams from the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona

Short of cash, we rode on top of the train all the way back to Williams, Arizona. It was cold up here. Just kidding, this is the view from the Observation Dome.

Train to the Grand Canyon

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Caroline Wise on the train to the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona

This was our first trip on the Grand Canyon Railroad to the Grand Canyon in Arizona. We had already been to the South Rim half a dozen times and figured taking the train up would add a different angle to the journey; it was well worth the investment. We had reservations for the Observation Dome Car and stayed overnight at the El Tovar Hotel on the rim; this is where we stayed on our honeymoon back in January of 1994. This is a luxury.

What wasn’t a luxury was the camera. It was a Sony Mavica MVC-FD83 0.8MP Digital with 3x Optical Zoom. We opted for this model because it was only $799 compared to the 1.3MP FD88 which cost $999. Besides, the price was a staggering quality difference; while the FD83 only had 1024×768 resolution, the FD88 was shooting 1280×960 with both cameras saving their images to a floppy disk. And yes, Caroline has blue hair in this photo.

Dion Terry Digital Art

JWise Moments

Peace Pipe by Dion Terry for Alienzoo in Phoenix, Arizona

In late 1999, I asked Dion Terry, whom I’d met when we were about to open the Congo Internet Cafe back in 1995, to explore some digital art. We were busy with Alienzoo and Dion, like so many artists, was in need of paying gigs. I wanted digital stuff as I felt that the results with software distinguished things so they’d resonate with the exploding phenomenon called the Internet. This work, titled Peace Pipe, still stands out as one of my all-time favorite images created by Dion.

Alien Abduction from Dion Terry for Alienzoo in Phoenix, Arizona

I was in love with Dion’s use of color as he was learning how to paint with Photoshop; sadly, he didn’t love the medium as much.

Sketch for Alienzoo by Dion Terry

This was a sketch that never progressed further than this, as far as I know.

Disney World – Day 5

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Caroline Wise on the Gulf Coast of Florida

You couldn’t have thought we’d come all the way to Florida and not spend at least some time visiting the ocean, did you?

Atlantic Coast in Florida

Our last day in Florida started with a drive down the Atlantic coast and some shell collecting along the way.

Caroline Wise and John Wise at the Atlantic Coast in Florida

Not exactly beach attire but we didn’t come to Florida to hang out at the ocean. This part of our trip is just a fringe benefit of having some extra time because we decided we didn’t need another day at Disney World or visit Universal Studios.

Near Okeechobee, Florida

Cutting inland to see Lake Okeechobee, it was this sign for the Pahokee Church of God of Prophecy that caught our attention. I wonder when David Lynch will make a movie here.

Ochopee, Florida and the smallest Post Office in the United States

Further south, we turned west to pass over Alligator Alley through the Big Cypress National Preserve. On the way, we passed the smallest Post Office in America, roadside in Ochopee.

Caroline Wise on the Gulf Coast of Florida

The road took us through Naples on the Gulf Coast and our first encounter with the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. We’re just 72 hours into Caroline’s 32nd year, and she’s already stepped into two major bodies of water. What surprises and great adventures await us in the new year? That is, of course, if we survive Y2K.

Disney World – Day 4

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Kennedy Space Center in Florida

“Houston, this is ground control at Kennedy Space Center. We have a couple of alien weirdos that have landed, and we are looking for guidance on getting them sent back to the southwestern United States, where you guys are more accustomed to dealing with their type. Can you lend us a hand, please?” Yep, that’s right, the weirdos are us, and seeing we are in Orlando and just down the road from Kennedy, why not pay a visit?

Kennedy Space Center in Florida

Holy wow, our luck is in superabundance. We are getting the opportunity to see the nearly finished Destiny Module, which is the science lab that will soon be joining the International Space Station that just launched last year. This integral part of that mission is scheduled to go to space via one of the Space Shuttles when it’s ready. Now if we could just get back here to Florida to witness one of those launches.

Caroline Wise at Kennedy Space Center in Florida

I don’t know if you can see her under this giant Saturn V rocket, but that’s Caroline being dwarfed by this stupendously large engine.

An everglade outside of Orlando, Florida

Seeing we still had quite a bit of free time today, I decided to feed Caroline to the gators.

Caroline Wise on an everglade outside of Orlando, Florida

Not really, but we did go out on a nearby Everglade on a fan boat to gain a different perspective of the Florida landscape. Turns out that fan boats are LOUD !!! They are also exhilarating.

An everglade outside of Orlando, Florida

This is the first bald eagle we have ever seen in the Wild. Seconds after I snapped this photo, that eagle dropped out of the tree and snatched that gator I shot in that other photo, and it flew away with it wriggling in its talons. It was an amazing sight I don’t believe we’ll ever see again or that we really saw this time either.

John Wise on an everglade outside of Orlando, Florida

Because my wife likes photos of me as much as I like photos of her, I feel obliged to post some of me from time to time. It is her birthday trip, after all.

Caroline Wise on an everglade outside of Orlando, Florida

We were able to spend a good long time out here going far and wide over these wetlands that had all sorts of wildlife and hermits hidden away in corners and places people don’t often go. Our guide was a great storyteller who shared a ton of info about Nascar, swamps, hunting, and how tasty turtle stew can be.

An everglade outside of Orlando, Florida

Nothing like seeing a bald cypress with your own eyes to get that feeling you’ve been to a swamp. The dark, mysterious waters, what they hide, and who travels them is an amazing place for our imaginations to travel to.

Caroline Wise stepping into the Atlantic Ocean in Florida

Before we drove back to Orlando, we needed to have a romantic walk along the ocean in the early evening, plus Caroline had to doff her shoes for her first walk in the waters of the Atlantic.

Disney World – Day 3

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

John Wise at Disney World in Orlando, Florida

The Animal Kingdom is where we started the day, and Hollywood Studios is where we headed afterward.

Disney World in Orlando, Florida

The owl. These special birds hold a place in my heart and identity. Back when I was a small boy of about six years old, I’d seen an advertisement for Tootsie Roll Pops featuring Mr. Oliver Owl, who was portrayed as a scholarly Wise Old Owl. Well, Wise is my last name and I learned then that my last name means smart and full of wisdom, and so I would aspire to be that. This was my first encounter with wanting to be a lifelong nerd.

Caroline Wise at Disney World in Orlando, Florida

Again, here we are with the t-shirts, and this time, it is Caroline wearing a shirt of the Kodama from the movie Princess Mononoke that just came out about a month ago. It, like Disney, our relationship, and so many other things are part of the romance in our lives that are great reminders of how beautiful life can be.

Disney World in Orlando, Florida

More parades and great characters, but the truly special, super special part of the day was to be had after dark when we witnessed the most spectacular fireworks and laser show we’ve ever seen. This Year 2000 celebration show brought both of us to tears; it was so amazing and profoundly romantic.