A Personal Amateur Photography Blog
The Davis Monthan Air Force Base had it’s airshow over the weekend.
One of the portions featured 3 different aircraft flying at the same time – an F35A, a P51 Mustang, and an A10 Thunderbolt.
The feature was a demonstration from the Thunderbirds.
The Thunderbirds always pu ton an amazing show of aviation skill.
Arizona is home to many airplane boneyards. The Pinal Air Park in Marana is one for commercial aircraft.
Even before you reach the airport you find the random partially disassembled 747s sitting in the desert.
This McDonnell Douglas MD82 used to fly for China Eastern Airlines. It too sits just offsite of the airport.
Some of the fields surrounding the airport are green from winter rains and irrigation, making a nice contrast with the parked Atlas Air 747 in the background.
For obvious reasons all photos of Pinal Airpark were taken outside the fence, including these 4 vertical stabilizers.
Most seemed to be missing their doors.
Along the front fence is a large collection of American Airline’s CRJs.
The collection is varied, and seemingly randomly parked.
Our final look is this Boeing plan seemingly smiling at us.
The town of Douglas, Arizona was founded in 1905 as a copper smelting center. It sits directly on the border, across from Agua Prieta Sonora Mexico. For decades the two towns functioned as one.
As with most towns and cities in Southern Arizona it has a history of Native American, Mexican and European cultures.
The town very early on had an airport that attracted cross country flights, including Amelia Earhart who stopped by during a 1929 Women’s Air Derby.
It was known as the world’s first international airport since the runway crossed the border – not anymore.
The town has many historic buildings, including the former El Paso and Southwestern Railroad depot at the north end of town. It now serves as the police headquarters.
Completed in 1913 it is said to have an impressive interior, but sadly we were unable to see inside.
The Avenue Hotel consists of two buildings. The left one is made of adobe and dates from 1901. The one on the right is a 1915 brick building.
It is now a B & B.
The 1919 Grand Theater was the center of cultural events for Douglas. While it closed as a theater decades ago, it is in the process of being restored, albeit slowly. This is understandable given the significant cost for such a small town.
The Brophy Building was completed during the boom years in 1907. It was designed by famed El Paso architect Henry Trost.
It too is waiting for someone with the love, and money, to restore to it’s former glory.
This small building has had a varied history. Another Henry Trost building, it was completed in 1913 as the Airdome Theater.
It closed as a theater and became a Chevrolet dealership in the 1920s. The depression took out the dealership and it became a supermarket.
In the 1940s it became a USO canteen serving the thousands of soldiers from a nearby Army Air Corp training center. Later it became a real estate and insurance office. Today is still serves as a financial advisor’s office, and a copy center. They should call it the cat building as it seems to have had 9 lives.
Our final stop in Douglas is the Gadsden Hotel, which is featured in the next posting by itself.
Douglas is a pleasant little city with some interesting history.
With an early morning flight home the decision was made to spend the night at the Hilton Hotel in O’Hare Airport. A 9th floor roon facing the runways was great for checking out the terminals, plane watching, and enjoying the sunset.
The control towers were literally just outside our windows.
The train between the terminals alternated amusingly from empty to packed.
The underground walkways between the terminals, the CTA station and the hotel had a number of murals.
With sunset coming before 5 PM local time, the airport was still busy as the sun set, providing great shots.
The great thing was the commute to the terminal took about 10 minutes to walk over, scoot through security and it was off to Tucson! But not before one last sunset photo.
The Pima Air and Space Museum is one of the largest non government sponsored airplane museums in the country. While much of their collection is military, with a mix of commercial, I (as usual) focused on the abstract views, rather than document the collection.
Part of the collection has been used as blank canvases for ‘The Boneyard Project’, where they used the old planes for their art.
The Tucson Airshow’s feature act was the Air Force Thunderbirds.
As you travel around Ohio you will often see historical markers – there are 1700 of them scattered throughout the state. Using sound caution during these challenging times I spent a couple of hours running around the area finding markers that highlight the history of transportation in Central Ohio. This allowed me to start again the photo efforts, as well as history research, while avoiding people.
Ohio was still wilderness in the late 1700s, inhabited by only Native Americans. When the Europeans arrived and started to push west from the eastern seaboard the state was one of the first destinations. The primary route for many of these settlers was the National Road.
In Ohio the National Road started on the western end of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge over the Ohio River. (this historic marker is from West Virginia)
Initially it was just a trail through the countryside. This non paved alley in a small Ohio town is the exact location of the trail.
The National Road had mile markers indicating how far you were from Cumberland, Maryland, the eastern terminus.
A number of the famed ‘S’ bridges were along the route. This one dates from the early days of the automobile.
This S Bridge dates from the pre-automotive days.
Of course as soon as you have people and transportation someone is going to go off course.
Not long after the National Road was first completed the canals started to be built. This transportation mode was the primary driver that lead Ohio to become the the 3rd most populated state by 1840, a position it would hold until Illinois passed it in 1900.
The canals opened up the interior of the state with connections to the Great Lakes and the Ohio River.
In addition to the main canals, there were ‘feeder canals’ branching off to spur industrial development.
The little village of Lockville has 3 locks in a short distance, as well as a vintage covered bridge that would’ve once crossed it.
The city of Groveport has restored their lock.
The town of Lockbourne is proud of their canal and lock heritage, although their one lock could us a bit of attention.
The canals had their heyday until the trains became prevalent in the 1850s.
While the mainline trains carried commerce and passengers across the state and beyond, Ohio became a center for the ‘Interurban’.
The Interurban served as a local transportation option between cities closely aligned, essentially the same as today’s commuter rail systems.
The map below shows how extensive the interurban network was in the state.
As one of the larger cities in the state, Columbus was a hub for the interurban transportation.
The line going south out of the city was known as the Scioto Valley Interurban.
Amazingly it had a third rail in the countryside (providing the power from a rail in the ground, not overhead wires). You would think that a number of cows became instant steaks by stepping on these…
The rails are still part of a street in the town of Groveport.
Canal Winchester has restored their Interurban station as a community center.
While nearby the town had a mainline train station.
While the Wright Brothers were the first developers of the airplane in nearby Dayton in the first decade of the 1900s, it took until 1923 for Columbus to have it’s first permanent air field.
It was named Norton Field, and as the historical marker indicates, was named after a Columbus native and World War I casualty John Norton. The opening was attended by Eddie Rickenbacker (more below on Eddie).
The field was located east of the city, just south of the current airport.
It was used primarily by the military, and was shut down as suburbia reached the area in the 1950s. Today the only reminder of it’s history (other than the marker) is the park in the neighborhood.
Just north of Norton Field is John Glenn Columbus International Airport, whose airport code is CMH – Columbus Metropolitan Hangar – the original name for the field.
The airport location was selected by Charles Lindbergh as the eastern terminus of the Transcontinental Air Transport. This unique design had passengers travel to Columbus from New York on the Pennsylvania Railroad.
From Columbus the passengers could fly to a town called Waynoka, Oklhoma, where they would again get on a train – this time to Clovis, New Mexico.
In Clovis they would again get on an airplane and fly on to Los Angeles.
The photo below clearly shows how close the train was to the airport. Note the T-A-T airplanes in the foreground – they later merged with Western Air Express to become TWA.
The entire concept was a disaster. In 18 months they lost $2.7m, was involved in the first plane crash on a regular commercial route, and eventually became involved in a scandal known as the Air Mail scandal.
But the airport survived. This photo looking southwest shows the field.
Norton Field is in the upper left grassy area, and on the center right is the construction of Curtiss-Wright Airplane factory. This factory built military aircraft until the 1988.
The original terminal sits unused in a distant corner of the airport.
A sign of the times are a number of currently mothballed aircraft – waiting for travel to return after COVID.
Eddie Rickenbacker grew up in this modest house on the east side of Columbus. From this start Eddie lead a most eventful life. He was a World War I fighter pilot – race car driver – automobile designer – and pioneer in air transportation, leading Pan Am Airlines.
Eddie’s name graces the former air force base turned freight airport – Rickenbacker International Airport.
Central Ohio has had a long history of transportation – perhaps a Hyperloop is next…
Time to visit the beautiful state of Washington.
1957 1958 2004 2006
State Capital – Olympia. The building is another traditional style set in the small town of Olympia. While it might seem strange that this small city is the capital when Seattle is just 60 miles away, in the early days of the European settlement Olympia was the most important towns, becoming the territorial capital.
State Symbol
State Tall Ship – Lady Washington
Boeing has a long history in the state, having been founded in Seattle in 1916. The factory in Everett is the largest building in the world by volume, but when you are inside it doesn’t feel that way because of separations. ( 2 photos below from Wikipedia)
Harold LeMay, a Tacoma refuse company owner, had one of the largest collections of cars when he died in 2000. His collection is displayed in 2 very different museum.
1975 1978 1982
Seattle is a beautiful city that has been booming over the last couple of decades.
It is the cultural center of the Northwest.
The Chihuly Museum has the best art that he has ever created.
Next door is the Museum of Pop, with an eclectic collection.
Mt Rainier 1959 1965 1967 1998 Cascades 1970 2003 2006
Olympic National Park has two major sections, the mountains above Port Angeles, and a rain forest closer to the Pacific Ocean.
The day we chose to go to Hurricane Ridge was a fantastic, sunny day, with views forever.
Mount Rainier is the postcard of the state. (photo from internet)
With the mountains and abundant rain amazing waterfalls are found throughout the Cascades. (photos from internet)
1992- Puget Sound – Lopez Island – Shaw Reef 1994 – Columbia River Gorge 2000 – Sagebrush & Phlox in Columbia River Valley 2002 – Olympic Peninsula 2008 – Skagit Valley Tulips
The Puget Sound is one of the economic and recreation centers of the state.
The Pacific Coast is rugged and fairly unpopulated. (photos from internet, but I wish I was there for the bottom one).
Today’s visit is Virginia, starting in the Washington DC Suburbs.
1962 1972 – State Capitol 1975 – Houdon Statue of Washington in the Virgnia Captiol 1977 – St Johns Church Richmond 1981 – Yorktown Battlefield 1982 – Stratford Hall Plantation Westmoreland County Robert E Lee Birthplace 1984 – Monticello 1988/1989 1990/1991 – Appamattox Court House 1998 – Mount Vernon 2000
The Virginia State Capitol dates from the 1780s, housing the Virginia General Assembly. This group is known as the oldest elected legislative body in North America, having been founded as the House of Burgesses in 1619. (Photo from Wikipedia)
State Symbol
State Spirit – George Washington Rye Whiskey. George was a whiskey producer, and this product is in tribute to that.
Jamestown – The first permanent English settlement in the New World.
Antietam Battlefield – The Battle of Antietam is one of the costliest day in American history, with over 22,000 dead and wounded in the battle.
1954 1958 – Hampton Bridge and Tunnel 1964 1965 1966 1967 1970 1973 – Interstate 64 1992
Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnels. The area around Norfolk has numerous bridges and tunnels, including the 23 mile long Bay Bridge and Tunnels.
Udvar Hazy Air Museum. The National Air and Space Museum at Dulles International Airport in suburban Washington DC.
1980 – Norfolk 1986- Sailing ship The Godspeed 1994 – Assateague Island Lighthouse 2004 – Eastern Shore 2006 – Jamestown Settlement ship Susan Constant 2012 – Virginia Beach 2016 – Chesapeake Bay – Tangier Island
Assateague Island & Lighthouse. This island is shared with Maryland, and contains wilderness area and the feral horses.
1978 – Mabry Mill 1992 – Bicycling 1996 – Grayson Highlands State Park 2008 – Mountains Ravens Roost Overlook blue Ridge Parkway Nelson County 2010 – Blue Ridge Parkway Crabtree Falls 2014 – Virginia Forestry 100th anniversary. Swinging Bridge Willis River Trail – Cumberland National Forest
The Skyline Drive was one of the earliest scenic parkways completed in the United States. It opened in 1935, and runs for 105 miles along the mountains in western Virginia.
Welcome home! While I have lived a number of places, and visited many more, Ohio is home.
1983 1992 2007
Ohio Symbols
State Fruit & State Beverage – Tomato & Tomato Juice
State Rock Song – Hang on Sloopy (if you go to an Ohio State game you will hear this 20 times).
State Prehistoric Earthworks – Newark Earthworks
Columbus – State Capital
Ohio is the 7th most populated state, with nearly 12 million people living here. It is wet on both ends (Lake Erie and the Ohio River).
Columbus is one of the larger state capitals with over 2 million people in the metro area. It was founded in 1816 to be the state capital.
Columbus is home to The Ohio State University, one of the largest campuses in the country with over 60,000 undergraduate students. Ohio State also has the largest athletic budget in the country, so there are over 30 varsity sports.
1946 1947 1948 1949 1959 1961 1962 1964 1969 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1977
The National Road
The National Road was the first federally funded, improved road in the contry, being completed in 1837. It ran from Cumberland Maryland to Wheeling, West Virginia, then on to Vandalia, Illiinois.
In the early 1900s they further refined it for the automobile, thus becoming U.S. Highway 40. It was later re-routed, and eventually replaced by Interstate 70, but many of the early 1900s features still exist.
Bridges
With the Ohio River at one end, and the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, there are lots of cool bridges in the state.
In addition Ohio has the 2nd most covered bridges of any state, with over 140 still in existence.
1953 – Sesquicentennial 1978 – Transportation History 1981/1982 – Inventors 1985 1995 – Canals 1997 – Perry’s Monument 2003 – Bicentennial
Automobile Industry in Ohio
Cleveland has always been a major transportation production center. This is celebrated with a number of major car and motorcycle shows, as well as the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum.
