Tomorrow morning I’m heading to Costa Rica and will be there for a week. I’m meeting my friend Rian (from GWU) down there. Yes, this will be a normal vacation with a beach, surfing, etc. There will be no landmines, tours of nuclear disaster sites, or heavily armed police escorts. Admittedly, this feels kinda strange.

Things are slowly coming together for a potential trip to North Korea in September to attend the Mass Games. I’ve submitted the necessary documents for my North Korean visa, put down a deposit for the trip, and booked a flight to Beijing (using frequent flyer miles, thank god). So, uh, I guess I’m going, unless my visa is denied. And yes, my parents want to kill me.

Source

Assateague Island National Seashore is perhaps my favorite place on the East Coast. Assateague is a barrier island located off the eastern coast of Maryland and Virginia and is a scenic three hour drive from Washington. I love it out there because it’s undeveloped (no gaudy boardwalk scene) and there is plenty of room for people to spread out. Of course, when it’s April and 59 degrees you don’t really have to worry about crowds. Here are a few photos of today’s trip to Assateague:

Tucker loves the beach

American pose…in America. Don’t usually do that.

Tucker thinks he is a lapdog, BTW.

Beautiful weather this weekend, so hiking around Great Falls Park in Northern Virginia sounded like a good idea. I had never even heard of this place until a few years ago when a dude from Texas mentioned it.

I would like to be a park ranger and walk around with a snake in an adorable carrying case

The remains of the Patowmack Canal, the first canal in the United States that used locks to raise and lower boats.

Ditto


Rock climbers

I want to go kayaking here

The Potomac River appears to be much cleaner up here

Jack