Tag Archives: 2024

Random Thoughts

More Fortunate Than Many

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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

Yellowstone’s Midway Geyser Basin

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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.

Grand Prismatic Spring at Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Grand Prismatic Spring at Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Grand Prismatic Spring at Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Grand Prismatic Spring at Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Grand Prismatic Spring at Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Grand Prismatic Spring at Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National 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.

Grand Prismatic Spring at Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Grand Prismatic Spring at Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Grand Prismatic Spring at Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

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.

Grand Prismatic Spring at Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Boardwalk at Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Boardwalk at Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Boardwalk at Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
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
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

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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.

Airport Overlook at Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Airport Overlook at Charlotte Douglas International Airport

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

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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.’

Sullenberger Aviation Museum at Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Sullenberger Aviation Museum at Charlotte Douglas International Airport

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

Sullenberger Aviation Museum at Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Sullenberger Aviation Museum at Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Sullenberger Aviation Museum at Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Sullenberger Aviation Museum at Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Sullenberger Aviation Museum at Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Sullenberger Aviation Museum at Charlotte Douglas International Airport

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.

Sullenberger Aviation Museum at Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Sullenberger Aviation Museum at Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Sullenberger Aviation Museum at Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Sullenberger Aviation Museum at Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Sullenberger Aviation Museum at Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Sullenberger Aviation Museum at Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Photography

Trying Something

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Vortex generator at the Miriam P. Brenner Children’s Museum in Greensboro, North Carolina

I just purchased a new tablet and am hoping to use it for some of our upcoming travel in lieu of a laptop. Of course that means figuring out how to get photos from my camera to the tablet, then getting them from my tablet to my blog. I’ve used Fuji’s mobile app before but it sucks, so my best choice is to use a card reader, which I had never tried on a tablet.

Earlier this week we visited Greensboro, NC with our son and grandson, visiting the Miriam P. Brenner Children’s Museum. I took a few photos there and along the way. 😉

Train arriving at the Greensboro Amtrak station in Greensboro, North Carolina

Since I don’t want to confuse my workflow too much, I want to be able to selectively choose photos from my memory card and only import the ones I want into Lightroom Mobile. That process worked great. One weird thing is that when I plugged the card and card reader in, my tablet set up a folder scheme as though it was going to back up files to my tablet. I’d rather not have it do that but haven’t figured out how to turn it off!

For fun I imported a few files on to my tablet, processed them on my tablet and let them upload to the cloud. I cheated a bit by outputting them from my computer, and my next step will be to refine the tablet outputting in order to do it from there. I’ve done that before and it’s not a big deal.

So far so good. 🙂

Sculpture outside the Miriam P. Brenner Children’s Museum in Greensboro, North Carolina
Travel

Biscuit Basin – Before The Explosion

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Sapphire Pool at Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Imagine our surprise when we read that a “hydrothermal explosion” had occurred at Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone on July 23. We had visited just two months prior, and the news photos of the devastation were incredible. All of our tour guides had joked about how Yellowstone sits on a huge underground volcano, and “you never know….” It’s well known that violent eruptions can happen at any time, and sometimes they actually do. Yikes! Fortunately no one was injured, and damage appears to be mostly limited to the boardwalk. And of course the size and shapes of several of the pools were dramatically altered.

Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Our visit was in an evening and the sky was overcast. As a result a lot of the colors are quite muted. But the various colors of the pools and the surrounding bacterial mats are quite evident.

Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Jewel Geyser at Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Bacterial mats add interesting colors and textures to hot pools and geysers. Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Bacterial mats add interesting colors and textures to hot pools and geysers. Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Bacterial mats add interesting colors and textures to hot pools and geysers. Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park

And gnarly trees! 🙂

Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Travel

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River

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Yellowstone River from Inspiration Point. Yellowstone National Park

Kathy & I visited Grand Canyon twice during our visit to Yellowstone. The first time was on our own, and we got there before 8:00am to avoid the crowds. We use the term “Nooners” to describe the people who start showing up to tourist locations around the time we are leaving. Yes, I know there is another connotation for that word! 😉 In a place like Yellowstone the Nooners start showing up and filling the parking lots by around 10:00am, in some places even earlier.

Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River from Artist Point. Yellowstone National Park
Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River from Upper Falls View. Yellowstone National Park

The canyon and the waterfalls are spectacular in any light, and we managed to get quite a few photographs, especially on the north rim where you could really see the topography. One of the things I particularly liked about the north rim is the gnarly trees growing out of the rock cliffs. They made for interesting subject matter and I’ve included just a sample here.

Yellowstone River from Inspiration Point. Yellowstone National Park

As we were leaving the Artist Point area, someone asked me if I knew what time the rainbow happened. It must have been obvious from the look on my face that I didn’t know anything about a rainbow. Silly me – a failure of research!

Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River from Artist Point. Yellowstone National Park
Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River from Lookout Point. Yellowstone National Park
Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River from Artist Point. Yellowstone National Park

Fortunately, we returned the following day on a morning photography tour aboard one of the yellow buses. Our guide knew exactly when the rainbow would occur (about 9:40am, just in time for the Nooners! 🙂 ) and positioned us in the right spot. Not knowing when the peak color would be I made over 100 frames in order to end up with about 6. The one posted here is the only one I’ve processed so far but is typical of the others. Interestingly, the first day we visited was overcast, so we might not have seen the rainbow that day anyway!

Yellowstone River from Inspiration Point. Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone River from Inspiration Point. Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone River from Inspiration Point. Yellowstone National Park

Because it was a photography tour and not a Tom & Kathy journey, the tour only stayed long enough to capture the rainbow and didn’t travel the north rim at all. It was off to another photographic destination! I’m glad we saw the rainbow, but also glad to have visited the canyon on our own!