A Personal Amateur Photography Blog
A recent trip to Buckeye Lake was planned as a day of sending the drone up for birds eye views, but the weather did not cooperate.
The fog was obscuring the tops of the trees, so that choice was unavailable. But the fog also provided an interesting touch to the ground level photos.
Sunday morning at O’Saughnessy Reservoir.
With a lack of rain the dam wasn’t allowing any water to flow downriver, giving an unusual view of the rocks.
The nature preserve was busy.
The marina was just coming to life for the day.
The sunflowers are in bloom.
They attract the colorful Goldfinch that unfortunately destroys the flowers pecking at the petals.
Welcome to Alberta
Where the prairies meet the mountains.
Calgary is the largest city in the province.
Edmonton is nearly as large as Calgary. They have a strong hockey rivalry.
Oil is the business of Edmonton, and is reflected in the hockey team’s name. (photos of Edmonton from Wikipedia)
Banff was Canada’s first national park, and remains a beautiful area.
Lake Louise is renown for the turquoise water, and tourists.
The Icefields Parkway is a 140 mile long road from Banff to Jasper, passing numerous glaciers and waterfalls. It is one of the best drives in the world.
Jasper is home to Athabasca Falls. Tomorrow is our final stop in Canada – British Columbia.
Welcome to Ontario – Canada’s largest province by population, and the center of the country’s media.
It is also home to more NHL hockey players than any other place in the world.
1931 1946 1948 1952 1955 – Parliment Buildings 1968 1970 1973 1996 – Yonge Street
The Canadian National Capital is in Ottawa. The collection of buildings are on what is known as Parliament Hill. They were built between 1859 and 1927.
The metro area is the 5th largest in the country with 1.3 million people.
Many of the buildings are open for tours. The main assembly hall has started a 10 year reconstruction effort, so a new hall was built in what was previously an open space between buildings.
The city is located at the confluence of the Rideau Canal and the Rideau River.
During the summer the buildings are lit up in the evenings with an impressive light show.
1957 1958 1959 1960 1962 1964 1965 1967 1986 – Ivy Lea Bridge 2010 – Highway 406 St Catharines
Toronto is by far the largest city in Canada, and one of the major cities in North America. It is also one of my favorite cities in the world.
The CN Tower was completed in 1973 as the worldest tallest freestanding structure, a record it held until 2007.
The railroads and the lakes built the city. Today the city still has long distance train travel, as well as an extensive subway and streetcar network.
The lakeshore was once an industrial area, but is now filled with luxury condos and apartments.
The entire downtown area is filled with great architecture.
Toronto is the center of the hockey universe, including the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Hamilton is located 50 miles from Toronto, but it is one continuous city. Once a steel town, it still has some industry, but has transition to a more diverse economy today.
It is also home to Tim Horton’s #1!!
Windsor is across the river from downtown Detroit.
1966 1974 1978 1980 1990 – Highway 17 – Wawa 1992 – Algonquin Provincial Park 2001 – Algonquin Provincial Park 2003 – Pancake Bay 2005 – Pancake Bay Provincial Park 2006 – Highway 118 Muskoka 2008 – Highway 141 – Muskoka 2014 – Highway 69 French River
Niagara Falls is shared with New York, but the Ontario side is much nicer.
Scarborough is now part of the city of Toronto but was for many years a separate suburb. It is home to Guild Park – home of relics from down demolished buildings in downtown Toronto.
It is also home to the RC Harris Water Treatment Facility AKA – Palace of Purification.
Bienvenue Vermont (if you are from Quebec).
The State House in Montpelier. With 7865, it is the smallest state capital city.
It is built from granite from nearby quarries.
State Symbols
State Flavor – Maple. Vermont is the largest producer of maple syrup in the country.
1948 1965 2002 2005 2007 2008 2009 2013 – West Arlington 2015 – Gifford Bridge
All of Vermont is scenic mountains and hills.
A highlight of the state is to visit the Ben & Jerry’s factory.
As mentioned above granite is found in abundance throughout the state. A visit to a quarry and processing factory is very impressive.
1956 1970 – Peacham 1975 – Reading 1982 1985 2014 – Barnet 2016 – Shoreham
Most of Vermont is rural, with a few small towns. Norman Rockwell come to life. (photos from the internet)
1976 – Island Pond 1978 1987 2004 – VDTM 2011
Lake Champlain is the largest lake in the state, but it is shared with New York and Quebec. (all photos in this section from the internet)
There are numerous other lakes in the mountain valleys.
Welcome to the Granite State – New Hampshire.
Daniel Webster stands guard over the state capitol in Concord.
The city of Concord is one of the smaller state capitols, with only 43,000 residents. (photo from Wikipedia)
New Hampshire has their fair share of unique State Symbols. (photos from Statesymbols.org)
State Amphibian – Red Spotted Newt
State Beverage – Apple Cider
1962 1973 1977 2001 2010
Most of the small state of New Hampshire is mountainous, as a northern portion of the Appalachians. Being just a few hours drive from Boston, the state has been a tourist attraction for 150 years.
The maps have often celebrated this physical feature of the state.
The highest, and most famous is Mount Washington. At 6288′ (1918m) it is one of the tallest mountains in the east. It is legendary as having the strongest recorded wind in the country, 231 MPH (372 KPH) before the anemometer blew away. (all photos from Wikipedia)
The Mount Washington Cog Railway has been a tourist attraction since 1868. This was the world’s first cog railway, and remains to this day as the 2nd steepest railway in the world, having some grades as steep as 37%.
A much smaller mountain in the far southern part of the state is home to the Andres Art Institute. Since 1996 Paul Andres has invited artists from all over the world to come to this former ski area to create their stone and metal sculptures.
It is a workout to see them all, but well worth the effort.
The most popular tourist season is fall, with the changing of the leaves. The Kancamagus Highway is one of the most scenic routes in the state, having been designated as a National Scenic Byway. (photo from Tripsavvy.com)
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Among the attractions along this route are the Albany Covered Bridge.
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The Flume Gorge
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Sabbaday Falls (photo from NewEnglandWateralls.com)
Finally – we visit Rocky Gorge. (photo from Alltrails.com)
1970 1972 1974 1976 2006
There are numerous lakes and rivers throughout the state. The largest, and most popular is Lake Winnipesaukee. This lake is 69 square miles, and has over 250 islands scattered throughout it. (photo from Wikipedia)
There are a number of large rivers throughout the state including the Connecticut River – separating New Hampshire from Vermont. This river travels 406 miles from it’s start at the Quebec border to the Long Island Sound.
There are an amazing 15 dams in the 406 miles, most in the upper areas of the river. The largest of these is the Moore Reservoir Dam, providing electrical power, flood control and recreation. (photo from EcoPhotography.com). Interestingly the dam, and many others, are owned by a Canadian company.
New Hampshire has a small, but well developed, Atlantic Coastline. The shore is only 13 miles long, wedged between Massachusetts and Maine.
The largest town along the coast is Portmouth. (photos from Boston Magazine.com)
Non Natural Attractions
The largest city in the state is Manchester. In the early 1800s a canal was opened around a natural waterfalls that spurred the development of water powered cotton mills, prompting one of the early developers to proclaim it is ‘The Manchester of America’ . The former mills line the waterway to this day. (photos from Wikipedia)
The small town of Warner is home to the New England Telephone Museum. This small, but comprehensive museum has a large collection of telephones, and telephone company equipment from the earliest days through the 1990s.
Unusual State Symbol of the Day.
Official State Locomotive of Nevada – Engine #40 of the Nevada Northern Railway. (photo from Flickr/State Symbols).
1946 1958 1961 1970 1979
Nearly the entire state of Nevada is in desert, offering numerous interesting landscapes.
All photos from Internet sources
This satellite view of Las Vegas illustrates the vastness of the desert.
1952 1960 1975 2009 2013
One of the more beautiful places in the United States is Lake Tahoe, on the California/Nevada border.
Situated high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains the area is a ski destination (photo from Freestock photos)
1953 1972 2017
Without a doubt Nevada has their fair share of unique places.
Hoover Dam – Completed in 1935, this dam cost over 100 workers their lives, but has provided the water and power that has allowed the massive expansion of population in Nevada, Arizona and California.
Over 3 million cubic yards of concrete was used in the dam, with another million yards used in the power plant. This is enough concrete to build a 2 lane road from San Francisco to New York.
Since we visit 15 years ago they have completed the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge, routing all the non tourist traffic directly across the canyon. (photo from Wikipedia).
Las Vegas – Love it or hate it there is no other place like it.
Area 51 – Long rumored to be a site where the U.S. Government has made contacts with Alients, Area 51 is a secret Air Force base. It has a strong following of ‘believers’
Burning Man is a massive event that occurs annual in the northwest Nevada desert.
Nevada State Capitol – Carson City
This quaint building is the Nevada State Capitol. It was built from sandstone obtained from the Nevada State Prison.
1965 1968 1985 1987
A number of ranches in Nevada cater to the tourist trade.
1995 2000 2002 2005 2007 2011
There are a number of beautiful state parks in Nevada (photos from Wikipedia).
Valley of Fire State Park
Ward Charcoal Oven State Historic Park
Welcome to Michigan.
Michigan is known as the Great Lakes States, and the plethora of road map covers featuring them is evidence of the importance to the state.
Maps – 1947 – Lakeshore 1968 – Soo Locks 2000 – Lighthouses 2001 – Great Lakes Great Times 2010 – Fishtown in Leland 2012 – Unidentified Small Harbor
Bordering 4 of the 5 Great Lakes gives Michigan 3,288 miles of shoreline – more than any state other than Alaska. With that much shoreline, they have a large collection of lighthouses.
Below are two from the Lake Michigan area near Ludington.
Below photos are from various internet sources
Maps – 1951 – Unidentified Country Road 1974 – Modes of Transportation 1975 – Interstate 75 1993 – Boats and Cars 2005 – 100 Years of Michigan Transportation
For more than 100 years Michigan has been the automobile manufacturing capital of the world.
Detroit area map from 1951 – before freeways. Detroit, and other midwest cities, were the first cities in the world built with the car in mind.
Most of the main roads are multi-lane, with very wide median strips to enable ‘Michigan Lefts’.
In virtually the entire world there are left turn lanes, and protected by traffic light left turns. In Michigan where there is a boulevard, there are no left turns – rather you turn right, immediately jump over to the left laen, do a U turn, and go on your way.
This photo from the Woodward Dream Cruise shows the northbound traffic, with a U turn to return to Marshall Street Westbound . Also note the No Left Turn sign at the intersection itself.
Michigan has a long history of railroads throughout the state. While much of the passenger traffic is gone there are still some nicely restored stations throughout the state.
In the small town of Hickory Corners is the Gilmore Car Museum. Built across a campus like a small town, they have a fantastic collection of American cars, plus numerous buildings that have either been moved there or built there to recreate the original.
Below are some examples, a diner moved from Connecticut, and the Cadillac dealership.
The Sinclair station is in a nearby town.
Grosse Pointe is a wealthy suburb of Detroit. Each year they the Great Lakes Boating Festival at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club.
Maps – 1965 – Douglass Houghton Waterfall 1980 – Au Sable River 1989, 2011, 2014 – Sleeping Bear Dunes 2009 – Roadside Parks 2013 – Pictured Rocks National Seashore Cruise 2016 – Isle Royal National Park
There are a number of National Park Service locations in the state.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. It spans 35 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, and has dunes over 200′ high.
Tahquamenon Falls State Park is in the Upper Peninsula. There are two waterfalls in the park, with the upper falls dropping 48′, with a width of 200′ making this one of the highest volume waterfalls east of the Mississippi River. It’s nickname is Rootbeer Falls, due to it’s color.
Grand Marais is at the eastern end of Pictured Rocks National Seashore.
Pictured Rocks is one of the most dramatic locales in the east.
1970 – Winter in Michigan 1976 – Bicentennial 2003, 2006, 2018 – Collages of Seasons and Regions
Frankenmuth is a faux German town. It is a huge tourist spot.
Grand Rapids is the second largest city in the state, far behind Detroit.
Meyer May House is a classic Frank Lloyd Wright design located in Grand Rapids.
Also in Grand Rapids is the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.
Battle Creek had a forest of trees killed by the emerald ash borer disease. Rather than just clear cut them, they had a number of carvers come turn it into something special.
Marquette is the largest city in the Upper Peninsula. It is also home to Northern Michigan University. With the long, cold, snowy winters they have opted for a domed football stadium. This one is special as it is primarily wood.
The Upper Peninsula people (affectionately known as Yoopies) are a unique bunch, with a creative side.
1971 – History of Bridges 1984, 1997, 2007, 2017 – Mackinac Bridge
The Mackinac Bridge is the most famous bridge in the state. It connects the Lower Peninsula to the Upper Peninsula.
Among the others in the state is the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, Canada
In Battle Creek they have a park where they take all the old obsolete county road bridges and used them in the hiking/biking trail.
Tiger Stadium – Home of the Detroit Tigers from 1912 until 1999. It sat empty for 10 years before the city tour it down – but not without much fight from the community.
