Category Archives: Pacific Northwest

P-8 Departs Over My Head

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I was actually out looking for a work project which (I promise this is legit) was right next to Boeing Field.  While I was waiting for my project – which ended up being scrubbed due to a serviceability issue – a P-8 took off from Boeing Field.  I was basically aligned with the end of the runway so I could see it climbing out and it came right over my location.  It turned out to be a good thing since I wouldn’t normally get this angle on a shot so I am glad to have something different.  This view really emphasizes the different wing planform of the P-8 compared to the base 737.  No winglets and the raked tips really changes the appearance of the jet from below.

Meydenbauer Park

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I was on a bike ride through Medina and Bellevue when I came upon Meydenbauer Park.  Nancy had mentioned that we should check it out some time but I hadn’t realized it was on my route.  I stopped off as I came by and, while enjoying the view, realized this was the spot she had been talking about some time before.  I figured we should both go there and so we headed out one weekend.

The park is spread up the side of the hill and then has a beach with a walkway out over the water.  It was a popular spot the day we went.  Lots of families out with kids playing on the park equipment.  There was still no problem keeping spaced from the other visitors.  You are surrounded by some pretty high-end properties – I wonder how much they like having a busy park nearby.  It is a pretty spot to hang out with lots of little spots to have to yourself despite the number of other visitors.  We shall be back.

DOJ Duo

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The Department of Justice has a fleet of planes for doing whatever they need to do with them.  I think they move detainees around but presumably their staff also can travel on them for business purposes.  Anyway, I might not know what the details are but I do know they are inconspcuous looking planes (unless you count a plane white airframe as looking more out of place than one with some color on it).  Two came in to Boeing Field while I was there a while back.  One was a 757 and the other was an ATR.  I was in place for the 757 as it was on final approach although the sun did annoyingly go behind a cloud as it came by.  It did depart alter but I was actually driving when that happened so no shots.  The ATR caught me out completely.  I had just pulled up after being away for a bit and was still sitting in the car switching the engine off as a white turboprop sailed by.  No chance to even get out of the vehicle let alone grab a shot.  That was actually the one I would have preferred but it was not to be.

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse

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I have seen many photographs of incredible waves breaking against the shore at Cape Disappointment at the far southwest corner of the state of Washington.  While the storms that can lead to such waves are most likely in the winter months, I decided I wanted to do a recce trip to the Cape to get a feel for the area and see whether I wanted to go back when the weather is more rough.  It is a three and a half hour drive to get there from home so an early start was in order.

The area has much to offer so there will be other posts to come about this visit but today I shall focus on the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse itself.  It sits on a headland on the outlet from the Columbia River and it is this headland that is the backdrop for the most dramatic photos.  There is another lighthouse nearby but more of that on another day.  Looking from the beach up to the lighthouse on a calm day, it is hard to image how violent the waves can really get.

The lighthouse was off limits while I was there – presumably as a result of the pandemic.  However, you could go to the visitors center which was a lot closer to it so you could have a different perspective on the light itself.  While it was early in the day when I first got there, I hung around until mid afternoon before leaving for the drive home and the light had come around a bit by then.  Sunset would be very nice but that was not the plan for this visit.  I hope to go back, though.

777X Over the Top

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Having shot the 777X test aircraft a bunch of times, I was looking for something a little different.  I figured I could head out to the north end of Boeing Field and be under the jet as it was on short final.  I shot something similar at LAX a number of years ago and liked the results so decided to have a go.  This was not as simple as I had hoped for.  First, the plane is out of sight for most of the approach with buildings and power lines in the way.

Second, I didn’t have lots of big jets to pay with.  It was my first opportunity so I didn’t have time to get the hang of it.  As it was, I didn’t do as good a job as I would have liked.  I was shooting with a wide lens and tracking the airframe to fill the frame was trickier than expected.  In the early shots, it was too far to one side of the frame and I ended up with the nose closer to the middle than ideal with the result that many shots lack a back end of the airframe.  I will try it again with these issues in mind and I shall skip the long lens shots first.  Making a quick switch meant I was not as well prepared as I could have been.  I did grab a shot through the fence of the jet heading for touchdown with Mt Rainier in the background too.

How To Spook Geese

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I was riding along the Sammammish River Trail back in to Woodinville one weekend when the noise of geese suddenly filled the air.  On the other side of the river from the trail are fields which often are filled with geese feeding.  A large flock was gathered there on this day but their grazing had been interrupted by the arrival of a bald eagle.  It flew across the area and barely changed course as it did so but it certainly startled the geese and they all took to the air.

They flew around in circles for a while waiting for the eagle to get safely out of the area.  Then they gradually calmed down and more and more of them settled back in to the fields to resume eating.  However, this was a slow process as they had clearly been spooked and weren’t going to relax easily.  This was all starting as I cycled up but I did manage to pull my phone out and get a bit of video of this happening so here is the brief burst of excitement before things settled down again.

Anacortes Castle

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Driving through the back roads in Anacortes, I came across Anacortes Castle.  I think it is actually just a house but it is certainly one that has been styled to look like a castle.  You probably couldn’t defend it from marauders very easily and the turret seemed to have a lot of open space inside but it is still an interesting looking building.  It sits on a normal residential street so is quite out of keeping with the rest of the houses.  Still, it is a talking point, I am sure!

Blue Air Max

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I had not heard of Blue Air prior to seeing this Max on test.  It is a nice thing about living near Boeing’s production facilities that you see jets that will be heading somewhere you don’t go.  In this case, I read not long afterwards that this jet was the first delivery of a Max to Blue Air and that they are a low cost carrier in Romania.  I guess I now know about another airline that I previously was unaware of.  Looked quite nice in these colors (when you consider how bland airline colors can be there days).

McNeil Island – Not For Us

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Just as I arrived at Steilacoom, a small passenger ferry boat was heading in to the docks.  I had no idea what it was for at the time.  While I was waiting around, I looked across and saw a large building on the island across from where I was standing.  Wandering down to the docks, there was a sign for the McNeil Island Commitment Center.  I had no idea what this was but figured I could look it up later.

Turns out this island used to be a prison.  For a long time, it was a federal prison.  The feds then turned it over to the state which continued to operate it as a prison for a while longer before its high cost of operations meant they closed it down.  However, the state has maintained a facility for offenders that are considered to remain a risk to the community after their sentence is complete and this is the Commitment Center.  Only people visiting or associated with this place have a need to go to the island so I guess it is not somewhere I shall be visiting – at least I hope not!