Category Archives: Pacific Northwest

How To Blow It When You Want to Do One Thing!

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In the run up to Christmas, I got to photograph the Asia Pacific Airlines Boeing 757 freighter while it was being used to supplement capacity for UPS.  Prior to that, I had noticed it was operating a circular route from Seattle to LAX to Honolulu and back to Seattle.  This seems to have started again.  With a nice forecast for a Saturday morning and it due in early in the morning, I figured I would head out and get some shots in the nice morning light.

The jet was projected to be in to SeaTac at around 7:25 so I left a little before 7 to try and be there.  The forecasts on the sites are often a bit optimistic but I still took my breakfast with me rather than risk missing out.  I got to my intended location just coming up on 7:25 and, as I pulled in to the lot, I saw a Korean Air Cargo 747-8F on final approach to the inner runway.  I grabbed the camera and, while it would be backlit, figured I would get a bonus.  I took the shots and then looked on the iPad to see where my jet was.

An ad ran on the app for about 30 seconds which was annoying but I finally managed to search on the jet.  Apparently, it was right there.  It was almost directly behind me.  I had intended to walk up the hill to get past the tree line.  Instead, I just turned and shot as it passed through the one gap in the trees I had.  Crap!  If I hadn’t looked at the 747, I would have been fine.  I went all that way and only got a side on shot. The light was really nice too!  What a dope.  Maybe there will be another opportunity – we shall see.

Low Rainbow for Winter

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The weather may have been highly variable for my visit to Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, this did have a side benefit.  Lots of rain followed by sudden sun means a good chance of a rainbow.  That is exactly what we got.  The rainbow was very wide and flat which I assume is a function of the sun angle at this time of year.  It looked pretty unusual and very cool so I figured I would share it here!

Three Black Hawks Bring In Some Passengers

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The evening departure of the C-32 was covered in this previous post.  I hinted then about the arrival of some of the passengers.  I’m not sure where they had been visiting but they returned Ina. Three ship of Black Hawks.  Some of those who had been around earlier in the day had seen the departure and apparently it followed the same process.

The three ship of Black Hawks flew downwind on the west side of the field having approached from the south.  They then turned to final in a stream, descending to a lower level and flying the length of the runway prior to setting down near the fire station and close to the awaiting C-32.  Since it was late in the day, the light on them was really nice once they were over the field (conversely, they were seriously backlit while downwind).

After dropping off their passengers, they pulled up and departed back to the south, presumably heading towards JBLM.  I haven’t seen any UH-60s for a while so this was a nice change from the norm.  It was also fun looking at the crew on board with the helmet and face masks as they looked back at us.  Hopefully they didn’t mind being photographed too much!

Ferry Videos in Blustery Conditions

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I have posted a couple of times with ferries at Guemes Island and Lummi Island.  While I mainly was shooting stills at these locations, I did get some video too.  When the boats are being tossed about, I figured that video was a better way of conveying what the conditions were like.  Below are a couple of videos I edited of the two ferries.

Snowy Weekend in Woodinville

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It seems like we get one big snow storm a year where we live.  It might not last long (although it has once) but it can give us a decent dump of snow.  This year was the same thing.  We got about a foot of snow.  The weather warmed up soon afterwards but for a couple of days, we had lots of snow.  I took a walk around to see what it was like.  Quite a slow walk given how deep the snow was in places.  Here are some shots from that weekend.  I also took some video while I was out so the video clip is below too.  The best bit was the guy with the ATV pulling a bunch of people around on sleds!  They looked like they were having a blast.

 

777X Low Approach at Paine

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A nice bonus during my evening photographing at Paine Field was the visit of a 777X test airframe from Boeing Field.  They often file to go to Paine for a low approach and maybe some pattern work before returning to Boeing Field but don’t always follow through – sometimes just heading back to BFI.  This time, they did show up.  A nice evening with smooth conditions and they flew down the approach before powering up and going around as they cross the airfield boundary.  A few shots in nice light are always welcome.

Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge

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Over the years I have driven down to Olympia on many occasions for both work and pleasure.  As you go south of DuPont, you pass the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.  Having gone past it on many occasions, I have often wondered what it is like.  A photographer I met at Juanita Bay and who posts a lot of great wildlife photos on Instagram, posted a few pictures from Nisqually and that made me stop pondering a visit and actually get on with going there.

The website for the refuge mentions that the time of the tides is useful for visiting with high tide being a time that is popular.  The Sunday that was coming had high tide at lunchtime so I figured I should go.  The weather forecast was less promising with lots of rain but wildlife is not bothered by rain and so I thought I should go and just dress accordingly.

It certainly did rain.  At times it was driving in with heavy squalls and I was glad to have put full waterproofs on.  It also meant that I was pretty much alone since no other fool was out in such conditions.  There are some short loop trails near the visitor center but then you can walk out on to the tidal flats.  An elevated boardwalk has been constructed which actually goes out for about a mile and a half.  I didn’t realize how long it was at first but, as it zigzags its way across the flats, you realize that there are many more zigs and zags to come and that you have a long way to go.

Since I had already made the effort to be there, why not continue on my way.  The weather was changing a lot during this time.  The rain got replaced with sun and clear skies before another squall moved in and it started chucking it down again.  Ultimately, as I headed back, it cleared up again and then I found I was rather overdressed for the conditions and got quite warm.

It was a pretty place to be and I will certainly head back again.  Whether I choose to do so in pouring rain, we shall see…

Omni 767 Touchdown

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I’ve posted shots of Omni’s 767s on the ground and on the approach at Boeing Field as well as showing up at Paine Field.  This is a variation on a theme I guess since this one was arriving at Boeing Field after a short flight from SeaTac.  This time I was up on the hill so was able to see it touch down from an elevated position.  It’s nice to get wide body activity when up on the hill since you are a bit far away and a bigger jet is a clearer subject to photograph.

VIP Travel USAF Style

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The USAF operates a small fleet of Boeing 757s for VIP transport.  These C-32s are often thought of for their role transporting the Vice President when they adopt the call sign of Air Force Two.  However, they transport a lot more people than just the Veep with other cabinet officials using them as well as senior Air Force staff.

One of them was at Paine Field for a while.  I had heard that it had flown in but had assumed it had gone again.  When I went up one evening after work (when the light was looking great and another jet I was interested in was due back), the people there told me it was still around.  I figured it would be there for a lot longer and paid no further attention until someone noticed that it had moved out of its parking area on to a taxiway.

As with all of these things, nothing happened fast.  Since the light was just getting better and better, I didn’t mind too much.  Eventually a bunch of the passengers showed up – that will warrant its own post – and then they started up and taxied.  They had to hold for a short while near the threshold so there was lots of time to get some shots.  Then they were off.  I figured, being a 757, they would be airborne quickly. They must have been heavy, though, since they ran a long way down the field before rotating.