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The Red Pandas are Performers

Visiting the zoo is often a game of hide and seek with the animals. They live according to their normal schedules and are not inclined to be active just because you happen to be there. They also will find a favored location in their enclosure which is not putting them on display to the animals on the other side of the glass. You may catch a glimpse of something sleeping in a shadowy space or you may wonder whether the animal is even in there.

When we got to the red panda enclosure, I was half expecting to not see very much. I figured this would be another reclusive creature. I was wrong. I don’t know whether they are naturally energetic creatures, whether they are curious about their visitors or whether some unseen motivation is given to them to get out there but these guys were the exact opposite of what I had anticipated. They had a number of trees within their space and they were very happy to zip around through the branches. This often brought them right up front to where the visitors were standing. They would happily motor about, stare at the people, head back, disappear for a while before reappearing and repeating the process. Their public was suitably appreciative.

A Surprise Appearance of This Two-Seater

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Paine Field is the home of Paul Allen’s collection which includes a MiG29UB. I had seen it being dragged around the airport once but had never seen it fly. I was there to catch the Catfish, as described in this post, when a loud engine noise came from the right. I hadn’t been paying attention but, when the MiG taxied towards us, I certainly did. It came right by where I was and then held at the end of the runway before lining up and departing – sadly in dry power only. It was a bit far away and the heat haze was bad but who wouldn’t take a shot anyway?

Roslyn/Cicely Alaska

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If you are not too young, you may have watched a TV show in the 90s called Northern Exposure. Set in the fictional town of Cicely Alaska, it revolved around a young doctor from New York who had been sponsored through school and, in order to fulfill his sponsorship obligations, had to go and work in this remote town. It was a quirky show and I liked it. It wasn’t filmed in Alaska though. The exterior work was mainly done in a town called Roslyn that sits just on the other side of the Cascades from Seattle. We decided to take a trip.

Roslyn was a mining town for many years. However, when the coal became too uneconomic to mine, things got very quiet. There is a little museum in the center of the town which includes a display outside of some of the mining equipment. There is also a memorial to the miners including a lengthy list of those that lost their lives in the mines.

There are a few buildings that you might recognize from the TV show. The opening sequence of the show includes a moose wandering around the town and passing a café called Roslyn’s Café. The apostrophe and s were added for that sequence but the Roslyn Café is still there and we had a good lunch inside. The doctor’s office is now a gift shop in which you can get plenty of Northern Exposure related goodies. The tavern that was central to the show, The Brick, is also there although clearly the interior shots were done on a stage since it looks very different.

The drive to Roslyn takes you across the Cascades via Snoqualmie Pass and it is a pretty drive on its own but Roslyn was a fun place to visit. It is a small town with a few interesting shops and no shortage of places to eat and drink. We also wandered out of the center a bit, up the hill to see the local church. Then we headed on our way.

787 Development Jets

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Two versions of the Boeing 787 have been in service for a while. However, development activities continue. The 787-10 is still undergoing flight test but work also continues on the older jets. Some of this is also related to the Dash 10. I had a post on my first encounter with the 787-10 which I wrote about here. I have since come across another of the test aircraft. This one is plain white and doesn’t benefit from the nice house colors that Boeing has.

Meanwhile, one of the 787-8 test aircraft has recently been testing the newest version of the Rolls Royce Trent 1000. I saw this engine when it was being tested on Rolls’ testbed in Tucson and that was in this post. Now it has been fitted to its intended platform and is undergoing trials. These have included lengthy flights around the US including one in which they traced out the planform of the aircraft across multiple states. If you are going to go flying for 18 hours, you might as well find a way to have fun with it. The aircraft is carrying the same logo on the engine nacelle that was on the testbed. Hopefully, the delayed upgraded engine will soon be in service, not just on the Dash 10 but also on the other variants.

Macaws of Different Colors

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The Macaw is a bird that really looks like it has been created for our amusement. The bright colors and personality of the birds combined with their intelligence makes them instantly attractive. We can forget for a while that they are the way they are because they are adapted for the environment in which they live (by which I don’t mean a zoo).

We saw a few of them at Cougar Mountain Zoo. Some of them were out on perches in the zoo grounds. A few were brought up to a stage to demonstrate their intelligence and dexterity. They really are a quite amazing bird. While it is easy to be impressed by their capabilities, you don’t ever forget how amazing they look. The vivid colors and the fascinating shape make it easy to just spend time watching them. What a fantastic creature.

Waterfall Park

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I was with a couple of colleagues in downtown Seattle between meetings. We were walking along the street just killing some time when we came upon Waterfall Park. Tucked on the corner of a block in amongst the buildings, it is a little area with a waterfall (what a shock I hear you cry) running down an artificial rock face into a pool. It seems set up to provide a restful spot for workers to enjoy in the middle of the day. Indeed, it closes by mid-afternoon. There was a security guy on duty so maybe someone has tried to mess with it in the past which is rather disappointing. I only had my phone with me but hopefully you can get a feel for the spot.

Stirring Spitfire Performance

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In my younger days, I was all about modern aircraft and didn’t have much interest in warbirds. Over time and having been involved with a number of groups that operate these aircraft, I have grown far more interested. Being in the US, you get a lot of American vintage aircraft to see. In the UK I might not have been so bothered about Spitfires but, now I see them less often, they have become of greater interest.

The later model Spitfires seem less graceful to me but the earlier models have a simpler and more elegant appearance. This one was carrying out some flybys at Paine Field during the Open Day. The rumble of the Merlin is well known and common to the P-51s. The line of the Spitfire is unique, though, and seeing it swooping by was really quite exciting. What a great looking aircraft.

Gorillas Have a Taste for Flowers

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I knew that gorillas were vegetarians, happy to chomp on branches and leaves for hours at a time. What I didn’t know is that they have what I guess might be considered a sweet tooth. They were scattered throughout their enclosure but two of them were together in one section that had a glass viewing wall for the other apes to watch them. The staff had recently put a load of food out for them and this included some bunches of flowers.

When I first saw the flowers, I was slightly perplexed. It seemed like an odd thing to have put out. However, the alpha male homed in on them. Even then I assumed he would eat the leaves. Not so. He was happy to strip the flowers from the branches and chew them up. The rate at which he went through them made it seem pretty clear that this was a preferred treat for him. Having never tried eating flowers, I have no idea what they taste like. They smell nice so does that translate into a nice flavor? I’m not going to try eating some to find out but, judging by his approach, there must be something to them.

Does No-One Want This 747? Tell Me the Story…

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This is a request for information from anyone who might know the story. The 747-8I has not been a huge success for Boeing. It has sold in limited number with the biggest customer being Lufthansa. A long time 747 operator, they ordered 20 of the aircraft. However, they only took delivery of 19 and cancelled the remaining aircraft. Boeing had originally taken it back to use for trials work and they retained it afterwards.

For a long time, it was stored down in Arizona. Recently, it was reactivated and I saw it was coming up to Everett again so managed to catch it arriving. Since it arrived, I don’t know what it has been used for. I also don’t know why Boeing decided it should return. Perhaps there is something more to happen with it. I understand that the two jets that were originally destined for a Russian airline but were never delivered are going to go into the Presidential transport program but I don’t think this jet is part of that. Does anyone know why it is back?

Are You a Dragon or a Monitor?

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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.