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 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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
An overnight stop on our drive from California to Washington was Medford in Oregon. There were a few aviation areas of interest in Medford and they will appear in the blog in due course. (That may have influenced my thoughts on overnighting there but, to be honest, it was the best place for us to stop.). We went into the town to get some dinner and, as we walked back to the car, we passed a small park. This park used to be a bus station for Greyhound services. A small plaque showed some shots of how it once looked. An archway into the building had been preserved and now was free standing courtesy of a reinforcement frame. The color and style of the arch were clearly of their time but it looked rather cool in the evening light.
The move from the Bay Area to the Seattle area involved a two day drive. The first part of the drive north is pretty flat but, as you get further north, you get into the southern end of the Cascades Range. The interstate runs around the south and west of Mount Shasta. You first see it a long time before you are anywhere near close to it. These large mountains are not easy to miss provided it is a clear day and the weather was lovely on this occasion.
We pulled off the road briefly at a viewing location. We were still some distance from the mountain and the view was not unimpeded but I guess this was a better spot than was available further up. The mountain had plenty of snow on it. As you looked closer, you could see wisps of cloud above the surface. I couldn’t tell whether they were actual clouds or snow that was being whipped up by wind as we were too far away. It took a long time to go by the mountain. We came up the west side but for a long time it just was there. Eventually, it was behind us and we continued on to our overnight stop.
Our trip down the coast included some driving down the Pacific Coast Highway. This is undoubtedly a gorgeous place to be. Each turn in the coast brings with it another lovely view of rugged cliffs and crashing waves. Add some sun and it really is wonderful. There is little point in saying much more. Instead, here are a few shots to show just how great it is.
A favorite of ours for a while has been the Rocky Point Restaurant. Located on Pacific Coast Highway, it is not the greatest restaurant but it is so well located, you can forgive it many things. On our trip this time, we just stopped off for a drink rather than a meal. This proved to be a great idea because we we could wander down to the lower terrace to enjoy our drinks and watch the whales swim past. We first came here years ago when I was taken on a corporate event which included dinner here. Once we knew about it, we came back on a few occasions. These shots just show what a great place it is to hang out.
