Cybersecurity Time Out

A break from cybersecurity to see some beautiful things

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You may have seen my other blog posts about travels, road trips, and my move across the county. I took the cross-country move as an opportunity for a break and another road trip. It was so great to finally get out after being extremely cautious and barely leaving my house for so long.

As with cybersecurity we took appropriate measures to reduce risks. I got additional roadside assistance insurance to get help should the car have any issues along the way. Both I and my co-pilot on this adventure had had one vaccination shot. I tested negative for the virus before and after the trip. He was tested prior as well and gets temperature checks every day at his work. We wore masks everywhere and stayed in hotels that were taking appropriate precautions. We were otherwise mostly in our car or hiking so felt safe.

As we embarked on our journey, I was reminded of John Kerouac’s On The Road — a book given to me by my good friend that drove with me from Boston to Seattle many years ago. That novel is a free-flowing script reportedly written on a single roll of paper based on the travels of Kerouac and his friends across the United States. Although I don’t relate to everything in that book, I liked the freedom to just get out on the road and experience life.

Stay tuned for more cybersecurity, including more book reviews since I had a little time for audiobooks along the way. I’m not sure my co-pilot was as into them as me, but he was kind enough to let me listen once in a while. For now, enjoy the view.

Seattle to Portland

Day one started with a goodbye lunch with friends in Seattle at Cutters Crabhouse. Next, we stopped at Country Cousin in Centralia, Washington where a rooster crows when you open the door for more goodbyes. We ended the day with a trip to Culmination Brewing in Portland, Oregon, and spent the night. This day was mostly about seeing friends and family before heading East.

Multnomah Falls

Even though I hadn’t lived that far from Portland while in Seattle and have spent a lot of time in Oregon, one place I’d never been is Multnomah Falls next to the Columbia River Gorge. Finally made it to this beautiful place. We walked up to the top. This hike took a bit longer than we expected. On most days we ate lunch (or snacks) in the car to save time and because we weren’t usually that hungry. That helped us get from one place to the next faster, but we were still a bit delayed by the time we got back to our car.

Bruneau Sand Dunes

I stumbled across this amazing place called Bruneau Sand Dunes in Idaho while planning for the trip that was well worth the visit. We by chance almost didn’t make it before sunset but as a result, arrived just as it was occurring. I would like to say my planning skills are that good, but they aren’t. After exploring the dunes we had a hard time finding a place that was open for dinner. We walked into the Oregon Trail Cafe and Bar in Glenns Ferry, Idaho a few minutes before closing. They were nice enough to oblige us with a last-minute order, which we ate in our car.

Craters of the Moon

Now we are moving into territory I’ve seen before, though not for a long time. We spent the night near the Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve and drove through it the next day. We didn’t spend much time walking around here because it was cold! Some of the landscape was covered in snow. I did stop for a cybersecurity consulting call shortly after we left the craters which went OK. I was worried about cell reception and made sure I didn’t have any more calls for the rest of the week!

Braving the Snow near Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons

Next up we had to make our way over the mountains near Yellowstone and one of my favorite national parks — the Grand Tetons. We thought about hitting Jackson Hole but didn’t have enough time and didn’t want to risk the snow with an all-wheel drive. Besides that, the road up through the Tetons and Yellowstone past Old Faithful is closed in the winter. We drove alongside the parks, stopping in small towns along the way like Wilson, Wyoming where we visited at Hungry Jack’s General Store. For some interesting history on nuclear power, check out Atomic City. We landed in Bozeman, Montana for the night at a great brewpub called Montana Ale Works. On this particular day, it was less about the view and more about getting through the snowy drive on time to keep our schedule on track.

Mt. Rushmore

The next day’s mission was to see Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. I had seen it before but my traveling partner had not. A particularly bad snow flurry combined with thick fog hit us on the mountain roads just as we were approaching our target destination, making it hard to see and requiring slow driving. I was worried that we weren’t going to make it before dark and it would be impossible to see anything, but my co-pilot optimistically assured me that he was going to see it. And we did. It was dark. Lights were on. The faces were dripping with rain, but we made it to this US national icon. He took a picture of a poster in the book shop as well as a joke.

Wall Drug

As you’re driving through South Dakota and other surrounding areas you’ll see billboards telling you how many miles you are from Wall Drug. In fact, you can see a similar sign in Fremont, near Seattle, Washington (1053 miles). Only a few stores were open including the main store and of course we took a trip to the backyard. It was from this point on in the trip and beyond that, I obtained the nickname “Jackalope,” though I wasn’t the one riding it. I’m not sure if you can call Wall Drug beautiful but it’s certainly unique.

Badlands

Next up we drove out of Wall through the Black Hills and the Badlands National Park in South Dakota. At this point, it’s hard to pick which photos to post. We spent way too much time in awe of the majestic landscape. We also ran across prairie dogs and bighorn sheep that kept us busy taking photos for a while. At this point, we altered our plans due to spending too much time in the park. We landed in Omaha, Nebraska where we stopped for some top-notch steaks in the Old Market district at Upstream Brewing and ended up staying in that city for the night.

Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

We got up in the morning to see the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, a destination picked by my sports fanatic co-pilot. Of particular interest was Hank Aaron, who died earlier this year. Coincidentally, he will be honored at the Baseball All-Star game this year which the national baseball league moved out of our destination state over voting controversies. Whatever your interpretation of the law is, I’m hopeful that everyone gets a fair shot at voting in my new home state. Let’s also keep those elections accurate and secure!

St. Louis and Gateway Arch National Park

Our next stop was St. Louis, Missouri, and Gateway Arch National Park. I’ve seen many national parks, including the time I spent my summers working at Mt. Rainier National Park. Someday I’ll figure out how many I have left to visit. This park was like no other I’ve visited. It’s in the middle of the city and is a man-made construct. I didn’t know until after I left that you can take a ride inside of it but after reading others’ experiences and due to our schedule I’d probably pass anyway. We also learned about Frankie Muse Freeman, an American civil rights attorney, and the first woman to be appointed to the United States Commission on Civil Rights.

Shawnee National Forest and the Garden of the Gods

Next up we drove a little bit out of the way to The Garden of the Gods in Shawnee National Forest near Herod, Illinois. We did a short easy hike to see some incredible scenery.

Nashville

That night we were in Nashville, Tennessee. We got some amazing BBQ at Martin’s and listened to some music played by a live band. From there we headed down to Broadway where all the musicians play. The last time I was there, it was a holiday and the music was playing but the places were nearly empty. We walked from bar to bar and easily got in to see a lot of bands. Apparently, it was Spring Break this time, so the place was packed. We walked around a bit but didn’t go in anywhere and moseyed back to our room for the evening.

Tuckaleechee Caverns

The next day we took a tour of the Tuckaleechee Caverns in Tennessee. Learn the story of the boys who discovered the caves and came back as adults to restore them and set up this popular tour. We wondered if anyone would be there and or if we would be too late for the last tour. As it turns out, we got right into a tour right around 4 p.m. when we arrived, others were going on at the same time, and some new tours started after ours. The water was flowing hard due to all the rain, making for an interesting experience.

Smokey Mountains

We drove through the beautiful purple flowers of the Smokey Mountains, followed by dinner at Bhramari Brewing in Asheville, North Carolina, on our way to see more folks along the way and wisteria as tall as trees in South Carolina. We’ll likely be back to this state in the near future so didn’t spend much time sight-seeing.

Savannah

Finally, we made it to Savannah, Georgia where, unlike when I left, the rhododendrons were beautiful and in full bloom. Home sweet home!

Break’s over! Back to #cybersecurity.

Follow for updates.

Teri Radichel | © 2nd Sight Lab 2021

About Teri Radichel:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
⭐️ Author: Cybersecurity Books
⭐️ Presentations: Presentations by Teri Radichel
⭐️ Recognition: SANS Award, AWS Security Hero, IANS Faculty
⭐️ Certifications: SANS ~ GSE 240
⭐️ Education: BA Business, Master of Software Engineering, Master of Infosec
⭐️ Company: Penetration Tests, Assessments, Phone Consulting ~ 2nd Sight Lab

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