Tag Archives: dragon

Marymoor Dragons

A sunny afternoon was a good time for a ride since such nice days are likely to be in short supply before too long.  I didn’t feel like pushing myself up nasty climbs on such a lovely day so went for miles rather than climbing feet and took the trail down the Sammammish River and on down through Marymoor Park and alongside Lake Sammammish.  As I went through Marymoor park on my outbound leg, I noticed what initially appeared to be a couple of plows alongside the trail. I decided to check them out on the return leg.

When I came back, I realized that, far from being farming implements (albeit on a small scale), they were actually sculptures of dragons.  A pair of them, presumably taking flight?  I was glad I waited until the return journey because the sun was that bit lower and the light a bit warmer.  That did make it a bit more tricky to keep my shadow out of the shots but I just about managed.

Douglas Dragon

Moses Lake was the last stop on my road trip.  There were a few things I was hoping to see while I was there but one thing I saw I was not expecting at all.  A Douglas UC-67 Dragon, a conversion of the B-23.  There weren’t many built at all and I have come across a couple in museums.  However, this one looks like it might be airworthy.  There aren’t a ton of photos of it online but it has been shot flying a couple of years ago so I hope it is still flyable.  It was very close to the fence in nice afternoon light so a great surprise to add to the day.

Another Rapide!

I posted some shots of John Sessions’ Dragon Rapide in this post.  I was pleased to see another Rapide show up at Fairford for RIAT.  I managed to get a few shots of it.  It was painted in a nice color scheme and looked very elegant as it pottered by.  Not a speedy plane (despite the name) so plenty of time to enjoy it.

Are You a Dragon or a Monitor?

Most people have probably heard of Komodo Dragons.  However, while checking out this fella at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, I read that they were known as Komodo Monitors for many years until some guy from the US saw one in the 20s and decided to start calling them dragons.  Amazingly, it seems it stuck.  They certainly don’t fit the traditional image of dragons but they are pretty dangerous if they happen to bite you.  At that point, I doubt you will be too bothered about the the distinction and more bothered about your potential impending death.