All posts by Tom Dills

Port Huron, Michigan

October 19, 2024 Tom Dills 7 Comments

I realized a few weeks ago that I had not completed editing and processing my photos from our trip to Michigan in July. I finished them up a few days ago and have posted a gallery on my Adobe Portfolio page.

Fort Gratiot Lighthouse seen during our cruise on the St. Clair River aboard Huron Lady II Cruises in Port Huron, Michigan

Blowing in the Breeze. Fort Gratiot Lighthouse in Port Huron, Michigan

We spent a few days in the Port Huron area, staying a bit south in the town of St. Clair. It was our first time in that area, and gave a chance to catch up with Mark Graf that I posted about earlier. While in St. Clair we managed to spend some time in Port Huron, exploring the town, taking a boat cruise on the St. Clair River and visiting the Thomas Edison Depot Museum.

Readers of an Edison biography might remember that Thomas Edison lived in Port Huron during his early years, and as a 12 year old got his entrepreneurial start selling newspapers and confections on the train from Grand Trunk to Detroit. The railroad depot in Port Huron houses the Thomas Edison Depot Museum.

Thomas Edison Depot Museum in Port Huron, Michigan

An interesting thing about the St. Clair River is that it marks the boundary between the United States and Canada. We realized that when we were looking across the river we were looking at Canada! And our phones would occasionally welcome us to Canada also! 😉

Cruise on the St. Clair River aboard Huron Lady II Cruises in Port Huron, Michigan

The Blue Water Bridge over the St. Clair River connects the US and Canada in Port Huron, Michigan

As it happened, we were in Port Huron during the lead up to the annual Blue Water Festival, so things were starting to get a bit busy. We managed to get in and out of town during the day and before the start of festivities without a lot of traffic issues, although a boat parade on one of the evenings would have been fun to see.

Overall Port Huron is a nice town on the water with plenty of things to see and do.

Freighter headed up river toward Detroit in Port Huron, Michigan

Retired lightship ‘Huron’ seen during our cruise on the St. Clair River aboard Huron Lady II Cruises in Port Huron, Michigan

Close To Home

My First Aurora!

October 10, 2024 Tom Dills 6 Comments

The conditions finally aligned so that I was able to capture a bit of color here in NC. Nothing that will win any prizes, but it works for me!

Technically I didn’t see the aurora, but my camera did…. 😉

Travel

Talking (Wild) Turkey

October 8, 2024 Tom Dills 4 Comments

Ramp leading to the Generations Lounge at Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky

I’ll be posting things in random order just because I am randomly processing photos!

An old column still is the centerpiece of Generations Lounge at Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky

On our way back from Bardstown, KY we stopped by Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg. They recently opened a new visitor center that I wanted to see, and of course their bourbon is pretty tasty. Wild Turkey is the name of the distillery and their flagship product, but the good stuff is called Russell’s Reserve, named for the three generations of the Russell family who have been making fine bourbon since 1954. In fact, the Wild Turkey distillery traces its roots all the way back to 1855.

Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky

We booked late, too late to get a tour of the facility, but not too late to have a tasting. Perhaps the next time we’ll have a little more notice and get to complete the tour. In the mean time we got to enjoy some refreshments and lunch in the Generations Lounge.

Generations Lounge at Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky

Feeling thirsty. Generations Lounge at Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky

Random Thoughts

Calvin

October 6, 2024 Tom Dills 4 Comments

I’m a longtime fan of Calvin & Hobbes, and thought this strip would be fun for readers of this blog.

Postcards

(Another) Postcard From Bourbon Country

October 2, 2024 Tom Dills 4 Comments

We got to Bardstown a day earlier than we anticipated. So what do you do with a bonus day in Bourbon country? You taste wine, of course!

Kentucky does have some pretty decent wine, it seems that Chambourcin and Cabernet Franc grow especially well here. So of course we picked up a few bottles. 🙂

We did stop by the Jim Beam Distillery, although they were not open. It’s still very scenic place and one we have enjoyed visiting in the past.

Random Thoughts

More Fortunate Than Many

October 1, 2024 Tom Dills 8 Comments

The French Broad River was already flooding the Biltmore Estate before the hurricane had even come ashore in the Gulf

Kathy and I were in Asheville, NC last Wednesday, just prior to Hurricane Helene. We knew the storm was approaching, but of course at that time no one knew how severe it was likely to be. Those of us in central and western NC usually take comfort in our distance from the coast, which usually is sufficient to soften any blow.

Our first clue that trouble was brewing was on Thursday morning, when we drove to the Biltmore Estate for a previously scheduled tour with friends. The main entrance to the estate was closed due to flooding along the Approach Road, so they routed us in through a back entrance. Little did we know at that point that the French Broad River, which runs next to Biltmore, had already started to flood.

At 1:00 they announced that the estate would be closing and evacuated. And the storm hadn’t even come ashore in Florida yet! We went back to our motel to decide what to do. We were with friends who were traveling to Florida and had plans to meet my brother and sister in law in Waynesville that weekend, so we decided to stick it out. How bad could it be, right?

Now we know how bad.

Power went out about 4am as the brunt of the storm passed through. By Friday morning the damage was just starting to become apparent. Our friends left to head on to Florida, and Kathy and I headed to Waynesville. We made it, but just barely. What a mess.

In Waynesville, power had just come back on in town but there was no cell phone service, no cable and no internet. Businesses that were open were on a cash only basis, but all the ATMs were down because there was no network.

We stuck it out until Sunday, when it was clear that we could make it out safely. We headed toward Charlotte, figuring that we could at least get back home, although what we really wanted to do was to complete the rest of the trip by visiting Bourbon Country in Kentucky with my brother and sister in law. The map looks a little silly, but we made it and are now safely in Kentucky.

Needless to say we know that we are very fortunate and are counting our blessings. Many were not so fortunate.

One of many downed trees on I-40 in Asheville on Friday morning.

Travel

Finally! Yellowstone Photos

September 22, 2024 Tom Dills 6 Comments

A Humorous Way to Convey A Serious Message. Black Sand Basin Yellowstone National Park.

I’ve finally finished sorting and processing my photos from our Yellowstone & Grand Teton trip in May. They can be found at my Adobe Portfolio site, along with photos from many of our past adventures.

Travel

Yellowstone’s Midway Geyser Basin

September 17, 2024 Tom Dills 2 Comments

Grand Prismatic Spring at Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

One of the most popular spots in Yellowstone National Park is the Midway Geyser Basin. It is so popular that if you arrive after about 10:00 (earlier in the summer!) you could wait for hours just to get a place to park.

With that in mind, Kathy and I decided to make a non-peak visit to the basin, early (-ish) one morning (my first photo was taken just before 8:00. Unfortunately that meant that instead of dealing with bunches of crowds, we ended up dealing with bunches of steam. As it works, the bigger the difference between the air temperature and the springs, the more chance for steam and fog.

We knew this going in and decided that seeing it, even in less than ideal conditions, was better than dealing with huge crowds. It was still quite dramatic, and even though I didn’t get the “classic” Grand Prismatic Spring” shot (in reality very few people do get the classic shot, and to get it you kinda have to be there in perfect conditions, preferably in an airplane!), we were happy to have gotten there on a nice day with plenty of sunshine to show off the rainbow of colors.

Boardwalk at Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Opal Pool at Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

After our morning visit to Midway Geyser Basin we headed on down the road to Fountain Paint Pots, another popular spot. That lot was starting to fill up when we got there, and by the time we got back to Midway the traffic was already starting to line up for the parking lot. But that’s a story for another day. The lesson though is that timing is everything!

Excelsior Geyser Crater. Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Leaning Tree. Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Tourist In My Own Town, Travel

More Plain Plane Stuff

September 3, 2024 Tom Dills 6 Comments

Airport Overlook at Charlotte Douglas International Airport

Charlotte Douglas International Airport has for years had an Airport Overlook, and like the aviation museum it was closed and then relocated to accommodate expansion of the airport. The old overlook was a gravel parking lot, with a few benches and a port-a-potty or two (sometimes). The view of the airport was good and it was located close to the center runway.

The newly opened Airport Overlook is a wonderful spot. The views aren’t quite so good currently, but a new runway (to be called 1/19C since you can’t have two 18/36Cs!) is being built that will be about as close to the new overlook as the old one was to the center runway.

Besides a large paved parking lot, there is a huge children’s playground, picnic tables and park benches, an F-4 Phantom on display and (not yet open) real restrooms!

Aircraft arriving at Charlotte Douglas International Airport

Kathy & I visited this past Saturday with our son and grandson. It was a humid morning, with a bit of fog hanging around, and I had fun photographing the planes taking off and creating condensation clouds around their wings as they passed through the moist air.

Condensation clouds formed by aircraft departing from Charlotte Douglas International Airport on a humid morning.

Tourist In My Own Town, Travel

Tribute To A Miracle

September 2, 2024 Tom Dills 6 Comments

Sullenberger Aviation Museum at Charlotte Douglas International Airport

The former Carolinas Historical Aviation Museum, located on the grounds of Charlotte Douglas International Airport, closed several years ago to make way for a runway expansion. It recently reopened as the rebranded ‘Sullenberger Aviation Museum.’

Chesley Burnett “Sully” Sullenberger III is the pilot credited with saving the lives of all passengers and crew aboard US Airways Flight 1549 on January 15, 2009, when he ditched the plane, landing on the Hudson River after both engines were disabled by a bird strike. This event has been known as “The Miracle on the Hudson.“

“Miracle on the Hudson” exhibit with the salvaged USAirways Flight 1549 Airbus A320 at Sullenberger Aviation Museum at Charlotte Douglas International Airport

Flight 1549 had just departed LaGuardia airport in New York City bound for Charlotte when the accident occurred. Since the plane was bound for Charlotte, a number of passengers were from Charlotte, including a number of high level officers of several area companies. Their influence allowed for the creation of the new organization and a campaign to have the salvaged aircraft brought to Charlotte as the centerpiece of the new museum.

Kathy & I visited the Sullenberger Aviation Museum shortly after it opened in early June along with our son and grandson. It is a very nicely done tribute to Flight 1549 as well as a showcase for the aircraft housed in the previous museum. In addition to the aircraft from Flight 1549, there are a number of military, corporate and civilian aircraft on display, as well as a number of hands-on spaces for kids both small and large. We enjoyed our time there and look forward to returning.

Tom Dills Photography Blog

All posts by Tom Dills

Port Huron, Michigan

My First Aurora!

Talking (Wild) Turkey

Calvin

(Another) Postcard From Bourbon Country

More Fortunate Than Many

Finally! Yellowstone Photos

Yellowstone’s Midway Geyser Basin

More Plain Plane Stuff

Tribute To A Miracle

Photographs and stuff!