Category Archives: Travel

Cliffwalk – A Feat of Engineering

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One more post from our visit to Capilano.  The deep valley that the river runs through and that the bridge crosses has some steep, rocky sides.  These have provided another opportunity for the owners to add some interest.  They have mounted a walkway along the cliff face.  I don’t know what inspired this but if you have seen the walkway at the Grand Canyon or the glass boxes on the Sears Tower (watcha talking about Willis) then you see a similar them.

These paths run on structure built in to the cliff face.  They are shaped so, while you have normal width handrails, the foot section is narrower so you have a more obvious view downwards.  You have no doubt how high up you are.  Meanwhile, you get to see the mounting points that have been driven into the cliff face to support all of this.

One section of the path is a semi-circle that is suspended by cables mounted on the cliff face.  It is a dramatic part of the structure and everyone is fascinated by it when they get there.  Don’t anticipate moving through this section too quickly because it does tend to back up a bit.  A little later I walked above this section and found a spot where you can look directly down on the curve and it takes on a whole new perspective.  I think it is quite beautiful.  Winding your way along the face of the cliffs on these walkways is very cool and is definitely not to be overlooked if you visit.

Snoqualmie Historic Trains

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Snoqualmie has an active historic railroad.  While we were at the falls, a couple of times we saw a tourist train running along the opposite side of the falls taking visitors on a trip.  We never got too close to the train itself while we were there but we did walk past one of the stations.  It was a nicely restored building and contained some exhibits on the old services that used to operate there.

Also, parked out of the back was an old locomotive.  It wasn’t going anywhere anymore but it did provide a great example to the visitors of the sort of steam loco that used to operate.  Now it was possible to get up close and look at the amazingly complex mechanisms it included.  Just outside town was another exhibit.  This was a snow clearing machine for the railroad.  Rather than a plow, it had a cutting head mounted on the front of the vehicle and a blower that could throw the snow in either direction as required.  This example had been rebuilt a number of times prior to retirement but now it sat by the road for visitors to check out.  (Being a black vehicle on a high sunny day meant it was also a pain to photograph!)

Capilano Suspension Bridge

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The arrival of some family members in Vancouver as part of a vacation gave us a reason to make a day trip up to the city.  It is a pretty easy run to get there so we were pleased to head up.  Since the visitors were on vacation, they were keen to explore different things so we decided to head across the Lions Gate Bridge and visit the suspension bridge at Capilano.  This was not something I had been aware of before we planned this.

The bridge has apparently been there for many years.  It is suspended across a deep valley with a river running through the bottom.  It is a very popular attraction and, while we headed there in the morning, we were certainly not alone.  The people that own the bridge have expanded the facilities to include a number of other attractions and these will get their own posts in the coming days.  However, this is just about the bridge.  As it covers quite a distance, the bridge has quite a drop between the ends and the middle.  This makes each end of it quite steep.  Combine that with the number of people crossing, the desire everyone has to look around/get some pictures, and the amount it moves around which unsettles the first-time user and it takes a while to get across.  It is interesting to see that the return journey is a bit quicker!

Being on the bridge gives you one perspective.  Looking down into the valley below is a different point of view.  At various other times, you get a chance to check the bridge out from a distance (when you see how long it is and how many people are on it at any one time) when it also seems rather dwarfed by the surroundings.  You even get to walk underneath it at one point and then it has a very different feel.  If you are spending any time in Vancouver, I do suggest you head to North Vancouver and check the bridge and its associated attractions out.

Erickson Super Puma

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Erickson is a company that you certainly associate with helicopters but normally you would think about the Skycrane.  They also use airframes from other manufacturers.  This Super Puma was sitting on their ramp at Medford.  I’m not sure whether it is used for heavy lift work, firefighting or a bit of both.  It was not what I expected to see though!

The Constellation in the Inner Harbor

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The USS Constellation is the last sail powered warship built for the US Navy.  She is now preserved in the harbor in Baltimore.  I saw her a few times from a distance while I was in Baltimore but I didn’t get a chance to take a shot until I was walking back from a reception.  By that time it was dark and, since I only had my phone with me, that had to suffice.  The phone on the camera has a wide angle lens so, even though we were quite close, the ship is a little small in the original shot.  However, she still looks pretty impressive.  I imagine she would have looked even better when under sail!

Camden Yards

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I last saw Camden Yards over 20 years ago when I was living in Washington D.C.  At the time, the trend for developing baseball stadiums back in downtown areas was only just getting going.  Camden was a trendsetter.  Now, many cities have gone down the same route and baseball stadiums are in the cities whether it is the majors or the minors.  I was heading to get the train back to the airport at the end of my work visit and the route took me right through the middle of the complex.  A game was due later in the day and some visitors were already taking tours while the vendor staff were just getting ready to serve the crowds that would come later.  However, it was still nice and quiet as I passed through.  It was also going to be a warm day so I imagine that the vendors were going to have a busy day keeping everyone refreshed.

Edgar Allan Poe Rests Here

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A recent trip to Baltimore for work did not involve much time to take a look around.  Most of the time was in meetings or work related social events.  However, I did need to go to the post office at one point to mail something out.  As I walked up the street, I passed a little church that seemed to have some signage.  I didn’t immediately pay attention but, when I was walking back, I saw that the graveyard included the last resting place of Edgar Allan Poe.  The churchyard is not large and it is tucked in amongst a lot more modern buildings but Poe is a local favorite and his house is apparently nearby.  This is where he is now, though.

Preserved KC-97

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A strange airfield means time for a trip around the perimeter to see what is around.  Medford didn’t disappoint.  A small museum included a nicely preserved Boeing KC-97 tanker aircraft.  Sadly, everything was closed up so I couldn’t take a closer look.  Meanwhile, the fencing around it was pretty close in so it was a bit of struggle to get a clean shot but there will still some options.  The boom was no longer fitted but, otherwise, it looked just like you would hope.

F-16 on a Pole

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Our overnight stop at Medford in Oregon was close to the airport. I took a stroll towards the terminal which had an F-16 mounted on a pole outside.  This was an F-16A model.  I assume it had been there for quite a while.  There was a time a while back when units would detail bits of their jets with chrome.  A-10 guns would be chromed and F-16s would have the port around their guns chromed up too.  This jet had obviously had the treatment.  The odd thing was that, over the years the paint had become heavily faded.  However, the gun port looked exactly like new.  These pictures won’t really emphasize this since they were taken wide to get the whole jet in but you might just be able to make out the gun port.