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re:Invent 2018

The day after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, we travelled half-way around the world to Las Vegas for the annual AWS re:Invent conference and made a quick trip to Seattle to visit with friends, catch a Seattle Seahawks game and pickup our mail. The full trip was a challenging one to pack for with such…

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Day 4

When we purchased our Abu Dhabi Grand Prix tickets months before the event, we debated between being at the end of one of the corners where the passing would be better, or at the start-finish line with a view to the pits and paddock. We chose the latter and were very happy with our choice—it…

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Day 3

One of the most exciting parts of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend of racing is the standing start. After the formation lap, all cars roll up to their respective starting positions and when the last car is in place and the safety car arrives at the back of the grid, the starting lights begin….

River Bar Crossings

River bar crossings require great care and in some conditions they simply can’t be safely crossed. Earlier this week, the crew of the commercial fishing vessel Mary B requested help from the US Coast Guard in a night crossing of the Yaquina Bay bar at Newport, Oregon. Sea conditions were reported to be 14 to…

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Day 2

Friday was the first day of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix where cars were on the track, and the first that the grandstands were open. Our day started in the GP3 and Formula 2 paddocks, watching the teams and drivers prepare for their morning practice sessions. We watched most of the practice and qualifying sessions…

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Day 1

Thursday is usually the most interesting day on a major race weekend, as it is less crowded and we generally have more access to the facility and the drivers, teams and cars. The Abhu Dhabi Grand Prix was no exception. The grandstands weren’t even open on Thursday, so we spent much of the day in…

Abu Dhabi

Our main reason for visiting Abu Dhabi, and the UAE, was to attend the final Formula 1 race of the season. Before the race weekend started, we did do a little sightseeing in Abu Dhabi, including visits to the magnificent Sheikh Zayed Grande Mosque and Ferarri World. Sheikh Zayed Grande Mosque is the third largest…

Historic Dubai

Dubai evolved in the 19th and 20th centuries on either side of Dubai Creek, north of the modern Downtown Dubai development. The buildings and traditional marketplaces there today, while oriented towards tourism, still give a flavour of what the city was like prior to its oil-driven economic boom. We spent a few hours exploring the…

Modern Dubai

We remember reading the news reports when Ski Dubai opened in 2005. An indoor ski resort in the middle of the desert is so over-the-top that we had to check it out. Located in the Mall of the Emirates south of the newer Downtown Dubai development, Ski Dubai is the world’s largest indoor snow park…

Dubai Desert Safari

We were looking forward to visiting the ultra-modern, newly-built city of Dubai, but we also wanted to see the real desert while we were there. And not just a little sand, we wanted to see the endless dunes and Jennifer really wanted to ride a camel. We had an excellent seven-hour adventure with Platinum Heritage…