Category Archives: Pacific Northwest

Martin Mars Storage

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The days of the Martin Mars flying boats are probably done.  Coulson had been flying them on firefighting duties but they have been superseded by more modern and cost efficient types.  One of the airframes had been painted up in US Navy colors as what was supposed to be a move to a museum but that plan fell through.  The two airframes are now sitting on the ramp at Sproat Lake and are showing no sign of moving.

The drive to Tofino takes you right past the Coulson facility so I stopped off on the way over.  They don’t take visitors anymore so I just took a look through the fence.  On the way over, I was really looking in to the sun so getting a shot was tricky.  On our way back a few days later, we had made progress compared to schedule and the light was on the better side so I stopped off briefly to get a couple of more shots.  I wonder what the future holds for these planes?

Butchart Cove

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Just before Christmas we made a trip to Vancouver Island to see Butchart Gardens at night with their illuminations.  We got there before the sun went down and took a stroll through the Japanese Garden, a section that is closed for the night event.  At the bottom of the garden, you come to Butchart Cove.  There was a hole in the trees that provided a very predictable but worthwhile frame for the view into the cove.  I decided to go for HDR for the shot given the extreme range of light between the shady trees and the exposed cove.

Condor New (ish) Fin Markings

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The collapse of Thomas Cook meant that the German subsidiary, Condor, has gone it alone.  The fleet had a tail marking that reflected the parent company but, with their demise, they are now adopting a tail design that is back to their own branding.  I saw one of the new tails on this 767 arriving at SeaTac shortly before a BA 777 that I was waiting for because I was picking up the skipper.  Below is what it used to look like (albeit in nicer light).

Otters in the Sammamish

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With mum visiting from the UK, we took a walk along the Sammamish River Trail.  The river was very high as a result of the heavy rains we had experienced in the preceding days.  The river has otters living in it and I was hoping we might see one.  As it turned out, we saw four.  A group of four otters was moving up river diving for food as they went.  I wished I had brought a longer lens with me but you go with what you have.  Of course, they chose to stay on the other side of the river for much of the time but it was fun to watch them anyway.  They got a lot of attention from the other people on the trail too.

737 Max 10

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The first 737 Max 10 sits on the flight line at Renton. First flight will be soon I imagine.

The 737 Max problems rumble on but this isn’t stopping development activities.  The first of the 737 Max 10 jets was rolled out of the factory with little fanfare with only staff being invited.  I was showing my relative, Pete, around the area and we stopped at Renton to have a look at what was on the line.  It was a nice surprise to see the first Max 10 sitting on the line.  I imagine it won’t be too long before first flight.

My Boat In Vancouver

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There is a very nice boat that seems to be parked up in the marina along the waterfront on Vancouver.  I have seen it there on all of my recent visits.  I think it is one that I need to be careful not to show off too much in case friends start asking to borrow it.  Let’s say it isn’t really my boat – honestly!

Tree Stumps on the Beach (With Frost)

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Walking along Long Beach in Tofino early in the morning, it was still pretty cold.  The lack of wind meant it was perfectly comfortable in the sun but the air temps were low.  The result was lots of frost on the tree stumps that were scattered along the beach.  The texture of the cross section of the wood was already accentuated by weathering but the addition of the frost provided a bit more emphasis to the surface.

 

Surely It’s Too Cold for Swimming?

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November in Tofino is pretty chilly.  There were plenty of surfers out in the water in their wetsuits.  However, it seemed to be a bit too cold for swimming.  A couple obviously had a different view of things.  The girl initially came running down to get in the water in her swimsuit.  She soon headed back but returned before too long with the guy and they both jumped into the surf.  I’m not sure this was terribly smart but they seemed to have fun.

Three Vistara Jets At Once

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When airlines take delivery of new jets, they tend to try and space them out a bit.  The ability to add a bunch of jets at once is limited so you don’t often see a lot of jets from the same airline on the flight line at the factory.  However, there has been a cluster of Vistara 787s at Paine Field recently.  I think they were originally assigned to another carrier that couldn’t take delivery of them – perhaps Hainan.  Consequently, they have been reallocated at short notice and Vistara is the customer.  Here they were sitting together in Everett going through the final phases of testing.  I’m not sure whether some will be stored and delivered later or whether they will all go in a group.

Drainage Patterns in the Sand

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Walking along the beach at Tofino, you see some interesting patterns in the sand.  He movement of water across the sand causes various ridges in the surface.  There is also water draining down the beach from the land behind the beach.  This water gathers behind the ridges but ultimately needs to drain further.  When it finds a weak spot, it cuts through the ridge.  Once it does so, the water all flows through this breach and it starts to take some sand with it.  It expands the cut and then deposits the sand further down as it slows down again.  This can result in some cool formations in the sand.