Category Archives: Travel

Anatomy Of A Special Weapon

Many moons ago, I was walking around the RAF Museum at Cosford when I was taken aback to see a “special weapon” on display. I didn’t realize that they had been declassified so, to see an inert one on display was rather a shock. Now they crop up all over the place. The Boscombe Down Aviation Collection at Old Sarum has one on display. It has been cut open to reveal the various elements of what turns a small amount of metal into a large amount of energy! Amazing to think so much destruction can be done wrought with so little!

Snowdrop Carpets

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Not far from where we were staying while in the UK and en route to the wedding venue was Welford Park. Nancy was interested in this place because it is the location for the filming of Bake Off. However, it isn’t normally open to the public. Spring is the one exception when the snowdrops flower in huge numbers in the woods on the estate and they open up for visitors. Fortunately, the timing of this coincided with our visit so we scheduled a stop on our way to the wedding.

The weather was not looking like it would play ball. Just as we arrived in the parking area – a field – the heavens opened. We figured it was the UK so things could change quickly so waited it out. Sure enough, ten minutes later the sun was out and we headed in. There were a couple of times when the rain threatened again but we stayed basically dry, and we walked around the wood checking out the snowdrops.

They weren’t kidding. We saw quite a few as we walked into the estate but then we got to the woods and the place was carpeted with them. At first, I thought it was just the distance that made it look so dense but, no, when you got closer, it was really that many flowers. We wandered around the grounds taking them all in. It didn’t take too long, of course, before you started to get a little blasé about just how many there were. Sure, more snowdrops! No biggie!

Blackbird Air Park

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Alongside, connected to but not part of Joe Davies Historic Airpark is Blackbird Airpark. On the south side of Palmdale’s airport, this area pays tribute to some of the most iconic products from Plant 42 across the airfield. Lockheed’s Skunk Works turned out some amazing aircraft and this exhibit includes an A-12, an SR-71, a U-2 and an D-21 drone. Having an A-12 next to an SR-71 is pretty special. You have to look closely to see which is which. A selection of black airframes together in the desert sun does not make for easy photography and there are lots of power lines and fences in the background but it would be churlish to complain too much. It is free after all!

Roof Replacement – Old Style

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A previous post included some shots of the village of Longparish in Hampshire and many of those houses were thatched. As we walked through the village, we came upon a house that was in the process of having its roof replaced. The thatcher that was working on the roof was gathering more material together while his apprentice was up on the roof itself.

He chatted to us for a while as he worked. He talked about how long it takes to replace a roof and how everyone wants to do his job when it is a sunny day but not so much when the weather is less appealing. The roof can have a life of about 20 years, so it seems to last as long as roofs do here in the Pacific Northwest! The ridge section has a tougher life, and it needs replacement about every ten years. Apparently, some customers will spread the cost by having one side of the roof done at one point and the other half in ten years time.

The new thatch is quite light colored and, as it weathers, it turns a lot darker to give the finish that is more familiar. There are little stakes that are upset to hold the material in place. He was preparing a few of these as we talked, and he explained just how many thousands of them were needed for a whole roof. It is a substantial job to replace. Given how many houses in the area are thatched, I wonder how many craftsmen can be supported. He had come quite a distance so maybe there aren’t that many thatchers left or else he does such a good job that he is demand far and wide!

Red Kites Hunting for Food

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The reintroduction of red kites in the south of England has been very effective and they are now widespread across the south. While were were visiting recently, I was initially excited to see one but rapidly got used to them being around. We didn’t have to go far before we saw one. The forked tail makes them easy to identify compared to the longer established buzzards. Getting a good shot of one was a different story.

While we were walking through Longparish, we saw one hunting near the river. The conditions were rather overcast so, while I got a few shots, they weren’t as clear as I would have liked. However, the next time we were walking that way, the sun was out, as was the red kite! It was just a case of getting lucky and having it come around to the side where I could get some good light on it and then I was able to catch some shots. There was actually a buzzard circling nearby but it didn’t come very close. I guess it was camera shy.

Century Circle

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I got to the gate for Antelope Valley Air Show 2022 early in the morning. We were lined up outside the security gate for Edwards AFB waiting for the time things opened up. I was on the phone so was happy to sit in the car for a while chatting. When I finished my call, I could see that I was a short distance away from Century Circle – a display of various aircraft associated with Edwards. Nothing was moving so I figured I would walk up and have a look around. I had got most of the way there when it looked like cars were starting to move. I rapidly retraced my steps to the car and we drove on to the base.

At the end of the show, I was coming back out the same gate so decided to see if it was possible to pull in and see the aircraft on display. Indeed, there were no barriers and Iw as able to park up and have a walk around the various exhibits. The name, Century Circle, is a reference to how many of the jets are Century Series fighters. There is going to be a museum for the Air Force flight test center and the base for the building was not far from the aircraft. I will be interesting to see what the museum is like when it is finished and how many of the other interesting aircraft that are currently on base will be included.

Of the jets on display, my favorites are the F-106, the F-105 and the F-104. Nicely sequential now I think about it. There is an F-102 which I have never been so keen on and this one is a two seater which takes a place that didn’t look that great and makes it worse. Still, vintage jets on display is a good thing and I shouldn’t be critical of what is on offer.

The one plane that is a bit of an oddball is the McDonnell Douglas YC-15. This was a program the USAF ran for a new jet transport to replace the C-130. Boeing and McDonnell Douglas both built demonstrators for the program but neither was taken to production. However, there are a lot of features from the YC-15 that will be familiar to observers of the C-17. Having a transport jet alongside the sleek fighters is a little unusual but it is a rare beast and worthy of preservation. Thankfully, the dry desert atmosphere is a place that will allow the airframe to survive for many years.

Birmingham Sunday Stroll

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Our UK trip was focused on the wedding of Chris and Sam. Chris had his stag do (bachelor party for the US readers) the weekend before the wedding and we timed our arrival so I could attend. I won’t cover any of the events that were organized by the best man but it was a bloody good time and being twice the age of the rest of the attendees might have been a touch tough, but I held my own. The whole thing was based up in Birmingham and that is the point of this post. It is a long time since I was last in Birmingham and even that was a brief visit. It is a city I didn’t know at all.

During the festivities, we were out and about in the center of Birmingham, and I was quite impressed by the buildings in the city both old and new. The following morning, after the crew had finished breakfast and before we needed to head home, I decided I was going to take a quick trip back around the surrounding area. Things were a lot quieter on Sunday morning than they had been on Saturday night when the place was absolutely buzzing.

There are lots of new buildings that have been developed while lots of the older buildings have been well maintained. There is also a lot of development along the canal with shops, bars and restaurants providing a ton of options for visitors and residents. There are several squares throughout the center with a variety of monuments and sculptures. One is in the process of being rebuilt and, while it was behind screens, it was possible to get the phone over the fencing to get some shots.

Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised by the center of Birmingham. When I was last there twenty odd years ago, I don’t remember it making any impression on me. Either I didn’t see the right parts or it has been improved a lot. Either way, it is really a pleasant city center and well worth a visit.

Bristol Docks

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When I am chatting with my sister, she often mentions her trips to Bristol for work. While talking with her one weekend, I pulled up the map of Bristol to see where the office is that she goes to. As I looked around the area, I realized that the docks area of Bristol looked really interesting and is somewhere that I haven’t explored before. When it seemed that we would have one free day while in the UK and the Bristol was only about 90 minutes away, we decided to pay it a visit.

The weather was not as cooperative as we might have hoped but it was just about okay and we headed off. We parked up right in the middle of the docks area so were able to start exploring straight away. There was a ton to see and there will be more blog posts that cover some of the specific aspects of the area. This is more of an introduction post. The docks are connected to the River Avon but, as I discovered while we walked around, the river is very tidal and the docks are only functional because the access is via locks. This allows the maintenance of a decent water level in the port.

We wandered around the docks for quite a while. There are commercial vessels, some small remaining boatyards, lots of pleasure craft and all of the ancillary businesses that support them. The docks boomed in the 1800s after the construction of the current configuration at the beginning of that century. The docks are along the original Avon course but, once the locks were created to maintain the water level, a new cut was made for the river south of the docks to connect up with the river course upstream. Consequently the river flows normally without the docks being affected.

The housing up on the hills overlooking the docks might be similarly old but they seem to be painted up in a variety of colors to provide quite a cheerful appearance on what would otherwise be rather dull architecture. One thing about Bristol that you can’t ignore is the terrain. There is low lying ground near the river and docks but the hills rising up are steep and you certainly notice it when you start walking around. This means that rows of houses are visible from the docks as they are layered up the side of the hills.

Many Magisters

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After checking out the graveyard for Gulfstreams at California City, I headed over to the main airport building. The ramp around the parking area had a bunch of Magisters parked up. A variety of colors but all of them in great condition. Some had covers fitted but, as I walked around the corner, I saw more parked out on the main ramp. The Magister is a neat little jet and one that used to be a regular at air shows when I was a kid. It was fun seeing so many of them together. If only one would fly. Well…

SOFIA On The Ground

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The aerial display by the SOFIA was a high point of the Antelope Valley Air Show 2022 at Edwards AFB. When it finished, it landed and taxied in to it parking location. I was at that end of the ramp so was able to watch it come in and position prior to being maneuvered into its final position. Being that close to a 747 is always pretty impressive since even the SPs are large jets. Everyone was crowding to see it come in and it was drawing attention away from some of the flying display!