Category Archives: Travel

Can Pictures Explain the Space Appropriately?

When I was first explaining to Nancy how amazing Yosemite was before we went there, we looked at pictures, but it was not possible for her to appreciate the scale of the place until she saw it for herself. I think the same is true of our trip to Kenya and Tanzania. The wildlife was a wonderful part of the trip and the reason for being there, but I should not avoid pointing out how wonderful the scenery was too. The vast expanses of open plains, the mountains in the distance, the hills surrounding where we stayed – all of these were quite breathtaking.

Sadly, 1600 pixels across a single image is not really going to give the true impression of these locations. I have shots to share and here they are, but I doubt it will have a significant impression on someone looking at these versus any other shot of open space. Indeed, wide open plains look pretty weak on a small image. There is nothing to focus on to give you a sense of scale. Despite this, I do think it is fair to say that the landscapes we saw were quite amazing. They won’t have the impact the animals have on people looking at the blog but, if you do go, be ready for some stunning locations.

A Little RIAT Reds Editing

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Why, when my last visit to RIAT was in 2019, am I still working my way through some shots from that show? There are many potential reasons but none of them reflect too well on me so we shall move past that topic and on to what I shot at that show. Specifically, let’s look at the Red Arrows. When we used to live in the UK, we would see the Reds on a regular basis and would sometimes get a bit blasé about them. When you live elsewhere, they become a bit more fun to see.

Consequently, I did make the effort to get a few good shots of their displays. It would have been nice to have some slightly better light to shoot them in, but that show was not the best for weather. Take off is always nice since you are close to the formations, and they are potentially tightly grouped in the frame. There are always the crossing shots to go for and then the bigger formation breaks will be a target. All of these were part of my efforts that year. When I was young, the rollbacks were a favorite of mine. They do a variation on this now, but I am not quite so keen. It is a tough one to shoot anyway since you really want to be on the display axis to get the best effect. Even so, I was still pretty happy with what I got overall.

LA Coliseum

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I have been to Los Angeles on many occasions over the years, but I had never previously been anywhere near the Coliseum. I had seen it in the distance from the highway but that was it. My first memories of the Coliseum were from 1984 when the Olympics were held there. In four years, the Olympics will be back in Los Angeles, but I don’t know whether the Coliseum will play a role again. The image of a guy with a jetpack flying into the stadium is one of the strongest ones from that event.

After that, I knew it as the home of the Raiders since they were LA based before returning to Oakland. I think it might have hosted some other NFL games at some point before SoFi was opened but that might not be an accurate recollection. Since the Coliseum is near the California Science Center, I turned out to be right next to it when I made my morning trek down to see the Space Shuttle. The entrance is at the east end, so the morning light was on it. The sculptures of some athletic looking individuals guard the entrance although the large fence was also doing a good job. I couldn’t resist getting a few photos before continuing my shuttle photo hunt.

What is This Going to Be?

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As I walked across Expo Park, there was a large and unusual structure which looked to be in an advanced stage of construction. It had a very futuristic look to it and, while sections of it were clad in the final layers, there were other areas where the underlying structure was still exposed. I had no idea what it could be but figured I would be able to look it up later. It turns out that this is going to be the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Not sure when it is due to open, but it is quite an architectural addition to the area. I would certainly be interested to see it when it is complete. Maybe I’ll be back to see the final shuttle installation and will have the chance to check it out.

Exposition Park Cats

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As I walked into Exposition Park, I saw a cat wandering along the sidewalk near the road. I stopped to watch it for a while, and it became a bit nervous when it realized I was watching it. It soon retreated and I thought little more of it. I assumed it was a wild cat rather than someone’s pet. It was only a few minutes later that I came across another pair of cats. They were playing together and initially seemed interested in my presence and then retreated too. I assume that the park must have a few cats in residence.

A Twin Tub A-12 Sitting by the Parking Lot

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Google Maps can really be your friend. I was hoping to find the time to get to see the space shuttle stack in Expo Park while I was back in LA if possible. I went on Google Maps to see how to get there and the layout of the area and I saw a tag for an A-12. Sure enough, the twin seat Lockheed A-12 is mounted on display right next to the parking lot. It is tucked in between the lot and a pathway over a dip in the grounds. It is rather tight to the parking lot which made getting shots a touch tricky but the early morning light when I was there was the best angle for it. I was pleased to add an unusual airframe to the briefest of visits!

Baobab Tree at Lunchtime

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One thing that I didn’t really get good shots of during our time on safari was the baobab trees. There are many varieties of them and some of the most distinctive are in Madagascar, so they weren’t the ones we saw. However, we did see a bunch of the local varieties and they were pretty cool looking. The only one I got a good shot of was this one that someone pointed out to me behind the area where we had stopped for lunch. It was quite a beast of a tree. I did think about wandering closer to it but, unlike when at home, I was not so sure of the wisdom of wandering away from our guides. There were some rather substantial predators out there somewhere.

Riding the E Line in LA

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My morning trip to the California Science Center could have involved a quick Uber ride but, since I was in LA to discuss light rail projects, it seemed more appropriate that I take the train down there. The station wasn’t too far away, and the E Line dropped me off right next to the park. Whenever I am using some form of transit, I do try to get a photo or two. You never know when they might be useful for a presentation or for adding to a proposal.

Endeavour Assembled in the Construction Site

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I made a big mistake a decade back when the Space Shuttle Endeavour was moved through the streets of LA from the airport to the California Science Center where it has been on display ever since. I was in California and could have made a trip down but, for various reasons, didn’t end up doing so. I have regretted it ever since. The beginning of 2024 was the time when they relocated the shuttle from its horizontal position to a new installation where it is stacked on the external tank and boosters in the launch position.

I had a work trip in January that took me to LA and I was really hoping to see the stacking because the external tank was due to be lifted into position between the boosters. Sadly, there was no spare time from arriving to departing and I didn’t get a chance to see it other than a brief glimpse from my Uber as I drove to and from the airport.

A couple of weeks later, I had to go back again. By this time, the shuttle orbiter had been lifted into position on the stack too. It is wrapped up to protect it from the weather since the whole stack is outside until they finish constructing the rest of the museum around it! On the final day of my trip, I was heading to the airport in the morning. I figured I could just squeeze a quick detour down to have a look at the shuttle before I went to the airport.

It is quite surreal seeing a stacked shuttle in the middle of a park. It is even more strange because there is a lot of construction all around it obscuring your view of the subject. I walked all around the area (at least where it was possible to go given the ongoing construction) looking to see what I could see. Some of the angles had a better view but these were also backlit. I ended up trying hard to find ways to let the tank block the sun! I also was surprised to come across the lifting frames for the orbiter which, having served their purpose, were now sitting on the ground by a fence. Not sure what happens to them now!

Construction of the museum will continue through this year. I read somewhere that the structure will be completed by about July but I am not sure how accurate that is and whether that includes all of the fit out. When it will be possible to visit the finished exhibit, we shall see. It should be something to see when it is done. I have seen Atlantis and Enterprise so, after this, I just need to get to NASM to see Discovery.

How I Misjudged Hyenas Before Seeing Them

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There were many animals I was looking forward to seeing when we visited Kenya and Tanzania. One that I hadn’t thought much about and, if I had, it wouldn’t have been positive, was the hyena. They have a pretty bad image since they clean up all of the debris that is left and will also do their own hunting in the pack. While this is no different to many other animals, they seem to have been given a more negative image.

When we arrived, we immediately saw loads of hyena. They were out walking alone and moving in groups. They are not the sleekest looking animal, but I found myself surprisingly interested in them. When one would come into view carrying a trophy from a carcass, I would see this as a positive when others were focusing on the negative. We saw one hyena limping across the road with an obvious wound on its leg. This reminded me of just how perilous life is for everything in the wild.

Later in the trip we came across a den for the pack. One hyena was walking back in with a wildebeest leg in its mouth. This was going to feed some hungry mouths. There were some cubs in the den, and we could hear them before we could see them. They were fighting with each other between sessions suckling from their mother. It was really fun to watch this whole pack of animals in their social setting.

I’m not expecting anyone reading this to suddenly love hyenas. Some of the pictures will probably reinforce thoughts that yo might already have had about them. However, I will say that I saw them in a very different light over the time I was in Kenya and Tanzania, and I will never think of them the same way again.