The sun rose over the beach with an orange glow, highlighting this bicyclist on his morning ride.
For a few minutes the sky was very dramatic and well worth getting up for.
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Category Archives: Transportation
Wrong Way Ride
Any direction was too hot to ride yesterday when the heat index was over 100 Degrees in Charleston, SC. There wasn’t a breath of air in this narrow street.
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USS Yorktown (CV-10) – Engine Room Dials
Decommissioned in 1970, the USS Yorktown started service in World War II and is now the centerpiece of the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum in Mount Pleasant, SC.
Way down in the ship an amazing array of dials that monitored and controlled a complex and massive engine system.
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The Yorktown from the Mount Pleasant Pier. Learn more about the Yorktown.
Standing On A Corner
It was Jerome, not Winslow, Arizona, and it wasn’t a girl, but it sure was a sight!
Volkswagen Buses, lots of them. I was totally unprepared and missed the beginning of the caravan, but I shot what passed by.
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Adventure
We had driven all around Sedona, Arizona, seeing the red rocks from all the tourist spots at various heights from the top of the airport mesa down to the water at Red Rock State Park. Anywhere you looked there is some size “rock” jutting up into the sky.
The ultimate adventure was to see it from above, where the pace was slow and the air quiet, at the whim of a hot air balloon. I was a little nervous but the skill the crew from Red Rock Balloons demonstrated as they unpacked, rolled out, and inflated our balloon eased my fears. The pilot was clear in his instructions to us, including how to climb into the basket -I’m not that nimble- and what was going to happen when we came down.
The heat from the dancing flames took the chill off the early September morning.
There were three balloons in our group . We were the first to lift off and saw the other two complete their final preparation.
You really couldn’t feel movement as we drifted out into the valley. The sun rose and the light changed rapidly.
In just minutes the entire valley was lit.
We startled a few small groups of mule deer.
In about an hour we were back on the ground. The pilot discharged the end of the fuel to cool the tubing, the balloon came down, and the crew packed everything back in the trailer.
Yes, I would do it again!
Classic Chrome
The sparkle and shine on a car can prove to be a photography problem, especially on a sunny day. Reflections of the clouds, other passers by, and the photographer appear in every shiny detail.
The 2015 Middletown Cruise on Main was a great opportunity to learn how to navigate some of the challenges. Some photos with too much glare just can’t be corrected.
Leaning inside a car (NO TOUCHING ALLOWED) was one option, which is how I got this image that shouted out “The Jetsons” to me. Their theme song is now stuck in my head along with a vision of George zooming home from Spacely Space Sprockets above the ground in his aerocar.
Leaning in the open window also got me this fabulous console and the bonus fuzzy dice.
Sometimes the reflection makes an opportunity.
According to the Middletown Press thousands of spectators turned out to see the cars this gorgeous May evening. Going early turned out to be a great idea; the crowd thickened as darkness approached. I waited quite awhile to get this hood ornament.
This was a fun event that we’ll put on the calendar for next year.
The Road Unintended
We seldom leave the house without a destination in mind. Mindful of the holiday traffic, today we headed south with a plan to cross the Connecticut River on the East Haddam Bridge then poke around headed towards Lyme.
As we were approaching the bridge cars were stopped ahead of us with the gate signaling that the swing bridge was about to open or close. The line of cars was short so we were able to turn into Eagle Landing State Park hoping to get some shots.
The bridge was just opening as we parked. After two boats passed through and the bridge closed we strolled down the park. We spotted the Osprey who reside on top of the moving portion of the bridge on the community funded platform.
Other small birds were hanging around.
The Becky Thatcher headed north which could only mean that the Essex Steam Train would be coming into Deep River Landing to swap passengers.
We jumped in the car and made it to Deep River Landing well ahead of the train.
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A little further south we saw the train again as it passed Pratt Cove.
Lyme will have to wait for another day.