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today was better than the average lately...i slept for an hour and a half total (no really) but i feel awake and refreshed and i feel my creative wheels sparking...i want to write so badly my palms itch (damn i hope that's the reason they're itchy otherwise i should stop molesting the homeless)...did i mention i feel strangely quirky? more than usual...i think it's the makeup, i did it for a myspace challenge chosen by my girl Jacqueline who won last time for her awesome Fire and Ice entry...she's the bestest...anyway, she inspired me by allowing us to do whatever we wanted as long as it was bright and sparkly, my idea of Heaven...
secret #5
i admit it, i'm still five years old...clowns, masks, anything that hides someones face really scares me...but clows are the worst...i don't how anyone in their right mind can find them charming...maybe the movie IT got to me too much? either way, they're hideous monsters...though i know many people feel this way...
The ex Erie Dundee Spur had sat dormant for almost six years before a flurry of activity reactivated this unusual line. Unfortunately this will be short lived, as the train seen above is helping to discard the rail being ripped up in the next town over.
Morristown & Erie train MO-1 slowly makes its way down Monroe Street. The SW1500 creates an almost surreal look next to the much smaller passenger vehicles parked along the street. In just a few weeks, this line will turn into just a memory.
Average seeing, great experience :)
Skywatcher 10" dobson
Zwo ASI224MC colour camera
TeleVue 2.5x powermate
Baader IR-Pass filter
Blue Mesa Trail
Petrified Forest National Park is a United States national park in Navajo and Apache counties in northeastern Arizona. Named for its large deposits of petrified wood, the fee area of the park covers about 230 square miles (600 square kilometers), encompassing semi-desert shrub steppe as well as highly eroded and colorful badlands. The park's headquarters is about 26 miles (42 km) east of Holbrook along Interstate 40 (I-40), which parallels the BNSF Railway's Southern Transcon, the Puerco River, and historic U.S. Route 66, all crossing the park roughly east–west. The site, the northern part of which extends into the Painted Desert, was declared a national monument in 1906 and a national park in 1962. About 800,000 people visit the park each year and take part in activities including sightseeing, photography, hiking, and backpacking.
Averaging about 5,400 feet (1,600 m) in elevation, the park has a dry windy climate with temperatures that vary from summer highs of about 100 °F (38 °C) to winter lows well below freezing. More than 400 species of plants, dominated by grasses such as bunchgrass, blue grama, and sacaton, are found in the park. Fauna include larger animals such as pronghorns, coyotes, and bobcats, many smaller animals, such as deer mice, snakes, lizards, seven kinds of amphibians, and more than 200 species of birds, some of which are permanent residents and many of which are migratory. About half of the park is designated wilderness.
The Petrified Forest is known for its fossils, especially fallen trees that lived in the Late Triassic Period, about 225 million years ago. The sediments containing the fossil logs are part of the widespread and colorful Chinle Formation, from which the Painted Desert gets its name. Beginning about 60 million years ago, the Colorado Plateau, of which the park is part, was pushed upward by tectonic forces and exposed to increased erosion. All of the park's rock layers above the Chinle, except geologically recent ones found in parts of the park, have been removed by wind and water. In addition to petrified logs, fossils found in the park have included Late Triassic ferns, cycads, ginkgoes, and many other plants as well as fauna including giant reptiles called phytosaurs, large amphibians, and early dinosaurs. Paleontologists have been unearthing and studying the park's fossils since the early 20th century.
The park's earliest human inhabitants arrived at least 8,000 years ago. By about 2,000 years ago, they were growing corn in the area and shortly thereafter building pit houses in what would become the park. Later inhabitants built above-ground dwellings called pueblos. Although a changing climate caused the last of the park's pueblos to be abandoned by about 1400 CE, more than 600 archeological sites, including petroglyphs, have been discovered in the park. In the 16th century, Spanish explorers visited the area, and by the mid-19th century a U.S. team had surveyed an east–west route through the area where the park is now located and noted the petrified wood. Later, roads and a railway followed similar routes and gave rise to tourism and, before the park was protected, to large-scale removal of fossils. Theft of petrified wood remains a problem in the 21st century.
(Wikipedia)
Der Petrified-Forest-Nationalpark ist ein Nationalpark der Vereinigten Staaten im Nordosten Arizonas. Der Park gehört zum südlichen Colorado-Plateau und der Painted Desert, einer Wüste auf rund 1800 m über dem Meer. Er bewahrt geologisch bemerkenswertes Sedimentgestein der Obertrias mit einer Vielzahl an Fossilien. Im Gebiet liegen ausgedehnte Fundstätten von verkieseltem Holz, daher der Name „Versteinerter Wald“.
Am 8. Dezember 1906 wurde ein Teil der Fundstätten als National Monument unter Schutz gestellt, 1932 kam ein Teil der Painted Desert dazu, das Schutzgebiet umfasste seitdem eine Fläche rund 378 km². Der Kongress der Vereinigten Staaten stufte das Gebiet 1962 zum Nationalpark auf. 1970 wurden etwas mehr als die Hälfte der damaligen Fläche unter den erweiterten Schutz eines Wilderness Areas gestellt. Seit 2004 läuft ein Programm zur Erweiterung des Parkgebietes auf 885 km². Benachbarte Flächen anderer Bundesbehörden sollen dem Nationalpark übertragen werden, private Grundstücke werden angekauft, wenn Mittel verfügbar sind. Im September 2011 wurden rund 105 km² einer angekauften Ranch dem Park hinzugefügt.
Im nördlichen Teil des Parks, der oberhalb der Interstate 40 zwischen Holbrook und Navajo liegt, befindet sich die „Painted Desert“. Diese ist ein trockenes Brachland, wo Erosion eine farbenfrohe Landschaft gestaltet hat.
Das meiste versteinerte Holz kann im Südteil des Nationalparks betrachtet werden, hier finden sich auch alte Felsritzzeichnungen, sogenannte Petroglyphen. Die bekanntesten sind am „Newspaper Rock“ angebracht. In dessen Nähe liegen auch die Ruinen eines Pueblos aus dem 11. Jahrhundert, des Puerco Pueblo.
Das trockene Wüstengebiet am Rand des Colorado-Plateaus beeindruckt besonders durch die vielen Farben, die diese Landschaft zeigt. Besonders auffallend zeigen sich diese in der «bemalten Wüste» und an den «Tepees». Wie mit dem Lineal gezogen erscheinen die übereinander liegenden Gesteinsschichten:
ihre Basis besteht aus zum Teil von Eisenoxid rötlich gefärbtem Gestein,
die weiße Schicht darüber besteht aus Sandstein,
es folgt eine kräftig rot gefärbte Schicht von mit Eisen durchsetztem Sedimentgestein (Schluff),
die Kuppe schließlich besteht aus dunklem Ton, der seine Farbe durch Beimengung von organischem Kohlenstoff erhielt.
Innerhalb des Parks lässt sich das Fortschreiten der Erosion gut beobachten. Während an den „Tepees“ die oberste Tonschicht schon fast abgetragen ist, so ist im höher liegenden Gebiet der „Blue Mesa“ bislang nur diese sichtbar.
Vor etwa 215 Millionen Jahren, in der Zeitperiode der späten Trias, befand sich hier ein von vielen Flüssen durchzogenes Schwemmland. Araukarien, Baumfarne und Nadelhölzer bildeten die Vegetation. Krokodilartige Reptilien, Riesen-Amphibien, auch kleinere Dinosaurier lebten in diesem Land. Zeugnis davon geben viele Funde von Fossilien in der Chinle-Formation.
Umgestürzte Bäume wurden von Fluten unter Schlamm und Schlick begraben. Vergraben von weiteren Ablagerungen verlangsamte sich der natürliche Zerfall des Holzes aufgrund fehlenden Sauerstoffs. Unter der dicker werdenden Sedimentabdeckung sickerte kieselsäurehaltiges Grundwasser in die Baumstämme ein. Quarz und Chalcedon lagerten sich in den Hohlräumen der Stämme ein, ersetzten nach und nach das Zellgewebe und erhielten so die Holzstrukturen der Stämme in Stein.
Die Schichten sanken weiter ab und wurden erneut überschwemmt. Immer mehr Schichten von durch Wasser herangetragenem Material lagerten sich darüber ab. Sehr viel später einsetzende tektonische Bewegungen in der Erdkruste (siehe Laramische Gebirgsbildung) hoben die Landoberfläche heraus, die dabei auftretenden Spannungen innerhalb der Gesteinsschichten ließen die Stämme zerbrechen. Die nun verstärkt einsetzende Erosion durch Wind und Wasser trug nach und nach die weicheren Schichten der Sedimente ab und legte so die versteinerten Baumstämme, die aus harter Quarzsubstanz bestehen, frei.
Blue Mesa – eine etwa 5 Kilometer lange Straße windet sich durch die hügelige Landschaft, zusätzlich gibt es einen kleinen Rundweg. Die hier sichtbaren Tonschichten des Blue-Mesa-Member von weißer bis blaugrauer Farbe gaben diesem Teil der Landschaft ihren Namen.
(Wikipedia)
Ring-tailed lemurs are threatened, largely because the sparse, dry forests they love are quickly vanishing.
Average life span in the wild: up to 18 years
Ring-tailed lemurs live in groups known as troops. These groups may include 6 to 30 animals, but average about 17. Both sexes live in troops, but a dominant female presides over all.
Ring-tailed lemurs have powerful scent glands and use their unique odor as a communication tool and even as a kind of weapon. Lemurs mark their territory by scent, serving notice of their presence to all who can smell. During mating season, male lemurs battle for dominance by trying to outstink each other. They cover their long tails with smelly secretions and wave them in the air to determine which animal is more powerful.
Lemurs use their hands and feet to move nimbly through the trees, but cannot grip with their tails as some of their primate cousins do. Ring-tailed lemurs also spend a lot of time on the ground, which is unusual among lemur species. They forage for fruit, which makes up the greater part of their diet, but also eat leaves, flowers, tree bark, and sap.
Our average rainfall for one year is 11 inches. That shows you that any rain is a big deal in Southern California who is coming out of a years long drought.
Last year we got only 8 inches for the whole year and I think this current round of showers will match that. We have a test at our house: if the wall gets all the way wet it really rained, not showered. As you can see, this current rain hasn't quite made the test yet but we have promises of several more days of off and on showers.
You can see Hyacinth, Gemma and Julian, the mango bench (my mistake - TOO bright) and the succulent in the left front that started 2 inches high and burst its pot long ago and keeps growing.
The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion or ethnic background, is that we all believe we are above-average drivers. ~ Dave Barry
(yup, he's right.... except with me, it's true! ;-)
And I know it's super late to enter for Me Again Monday, but I'm throwin' it in there! Theme: Quotes
Bralorne is a compound name, as follows: The Lorne mineral claim was located here by William Young, 4 July 1897, and with other claims was developed into the Lorne mine. In 1931 the mine was acquired by Bralco Development and Investment Co., Austin Cottrell Taylor, Vancouver, president. (The name Bralco in turn having been made from the first two letters of British, Alberta and Columbia). Bralco formed a new company to operate the mine - Bralorne Mines Ltd, the name being made from "Bra" of Bralco and "Lorne". The town took its name from the company.
LORNE MINE - a Post Office and gold mining camp, 60 miles from Mission, 54 miles from Shalath on the P. G. E. Railway, in Lillooet Provincial Electoral District, at end of wagon road. This district produces free milling gold averaging 20 per cent. Part of the Bralorne Complex in the Bridge River.
- / LORNE MINE / JAN 24 / 17 / B.C. / - split ring cancel on piece - this split ring hammer (A1-1) was proofed - 20 September 1910 - (RF E / now is classified as RF E2).
LINK to a list of the Postmasters who served at the LORNE MINE Post Office - recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/home/record...
The first Postmaster at LORNE MINE was Daniel Hurley - he served as Postmaster from - 1 April 1911 to - 11 August 1913.
Daniel McCurdy “Dan” Hurley
(b. 9 April 1867 in Truro, Colchester County, Nova Scotia, Canada - d. 17 October 1942 (aged 75) in Lillooet, Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, British Columbia, Canada) - LINK to his Find a Grave site - www.findagrave.com/memorial/198307473/daniel-mccurdy-hurley
His wife - Mary Marie (nee Miller) Hurley
(b. 31 July 1874 in Lillooet, Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, British Columbia, Canada - d. 7 September 1960 (aged 86) in Ladner, Greater Vancouver Regional District, British Columbia, Canada) - they were married - 2 April 1895 in Lillooet, British Columbia - LINK to their marriage certificate - search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Image/Genealogy/c7... LINK to her death certificate - search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Image/Genealogy/18...
Clipped from - The Province newspaper - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - 20 June 1900 - Mr. Daniel Hurley, a pioneer of seventeen years standing in the Llllooet district is in town. He is part owner of the Lome mine, Cadwallader creek, Bridge river. Mr. Hurley brought down on his present visit 182 ounces of gold running $16.70 per ounce, the result of a clean up of a six weeks' arrastra run. The arrastra an heirloom of primitive Mexican mining days - is capable of crushing about one ton of ore per day. The Lorne mine was discovered and located In 1897, but the commencement cf active operations dates from July of last year. The Lome is the property of three men, Daniel Hurley and Mersrs. Coughlan and Young. A seventy-two day run last summer netted the owners $5,800. The veins on the Lome claim average about three feet in width; the one being worked at present Is somewhat wider, varying from four to six feet.
Clipped from - The Province newspaper - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - 19 October 1942 - DANIEL HURLEY. Noted Lillooet Pioneer Passes LILLOOET, Oct. 19. 1942 - Daniel Hurley, 77, widely known in British Columbia's Cariboo country, died here. Born at Truro, Nova Scotia, he had lived in Lillooet for the past 59 years, arriving here in 1885. Shortly after his arrival he built the Hotel Victoria with his brother and the hostelry still serves the town. He grubstaked many a miner in the district and was one of the promoters of the Lome Mine, which was sold to Bralco in 1932. Mr. Hurley was liquor vendor for Lillooet from 1924 to 1928; and owned the 28-Mile Ranch on the Lytton road until the sale in 1933 to Neal Evans. Besides his wife he leaves eight children. A sister, Mrs. Mabel Abercrombie, lives in North Vancouver. Funeral services will be held Monday afternoon at St. Mary's Anglican Church.
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Charles C. Galloway was the second Postmaster at LORNE MINES - he served from - 1 March 1914 to early 1915 because of non residence of Postmaster.
Charles Campbell Galloway
(b. 20 January 1884 in New Zealand - d. 18 April 1916 at age 32 in Prestea, Gold Coast, Africa)
Clipped from - The Province - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - 13 May 1916 - SUCCUMBS TO FEVER - Charles C. Galloway Dies In Far Off West Africa. Information has just been received by Mrs. Charles Scott Galloway of Vancouver of the death of her son, Charles C. Galloway, in West Africa. Early last year he accepted a position with a company operating at Prestea, on the Gold Coast, where he had made rapid advances in mining engineering. No details have yet been received as to how he contracted tho disease which ended in his death - Blackwater fever. The late Mr. Galloway, who was a native of New Zealand came to British Columbia in 1895, the family settling at Greenwood. He received his education at Vancouver and McGill, Montreal, taking in both places a prominent part in athletics of all kinds. He spent four seasons with the geological survey, three of which were in this Province and one in Eastern Canada. Later he was on the staff of the Dominion Steel Company, Sydney, and then with the Anaconda Copper Company. In 1913 he was appointed superintendent of the Coronation Gold Mines Limited, Lillooet where ha remained until operations were suspended. He was extremely popular with everyone and his wide circle of friends will regret to hear of his demise at the early age of 32 years. Deceased's father is at present In the old country engaged in munitions work.
Clipped from - The Province - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - 16 June 1916 - Further particulars have been received by Mrs. Charles Scott Galloway of the death of her son, Charles Campbell Galloway, at Prestea, Gold Coast, Africa, on April 18. His death was sudden and quite unexpected, occurring after three days illness from blackwater fever. Mr. Galloway was about to resign the position he held with the Prestea-Gold Mining Company to join the Royal Engineers when death overtook him. He was buried with military honors as a member of the Prestea Volunteers.
His father - Charles Scott Galloway (see article at bottom of page)
(b. July 1854 in Scotland - d. 10 September 1932 at age 78 in Grand Forks, British Columbia)
CHARLES SCOTT GALLOWAY BURIED ON TUESDAY - C. Scott Galloway 78 a pioneer of the district died at his home here on Saturday afternoon. He was one of the early residents of Greenwood taking up a ranch there in the early nineties later moving to the coast. In recent years he has divided his time between Grand Forks and the Coast. The funeral took place Tuesday afternoon from the Presbyterian Church with Rev A W Fry officiating. He is survived by his wife residing here and by two sons, John D Galloway and James Galloway both residing at the coast.
His brother - John Davidson Galloway - see his biography at bottom of page...
(b. 14 October 1889 in Napier City, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand - d. 21 February 1942 at age 52 in Vancouver, British Columbia) - occupation - Provincial Mineralogist - LINK to his Find a Grave site - www.findagrave.com/memorial/151160259/john-davidson-galloway LINK to his newspaper obituary - www.newspapers.com/clip/107942697/obituary-for-john-d-gal...
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William "Will" Haylmore was the third Postmaster at LORNE MINE - he served from - 1 April 1915 to 13 December 1916.
William "Will" Haylmore
(b. 12 February 1874 in London, England - d. 21 January 1964 at age 89 in Kamloops, B.C. / Lillooet, B.C.) - occupations - Postmaster / Mining Recorder for the B.C. Government. LINK to his newspaper obituary - www.newspapers.com/clip/107883366/obituary-for-will-haylm... - LINK to his death certificate - search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Image/Genealogy/3c...
Clipped from - The Province newspaper - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - 23 January 1964 - Veteran mine recorder dies at 90 in Kamloops - Will Haylmore, 90, former mines recorder of the Bridge River Valley, has died in a nursing home here after a long illness. Haylmore came to Lillooet in 1896 as a boy from London, England, at the time the Golden Cache mine on Cayoosh Creek was booming. He forever called the Cayoosh Crek area "home" although he ranged as far off as Mexico and California between mining booms. Haylmore gained publicity when the Bridge River mines came into prominence In 1929. Three years ago his office at Haylmore, the junction of the Hurley and Bridge River, closed. He spent the last three years in Lillooet, moving to Kamloops for medical care last October. Family: His wife, Maude, and one daughter, Hilda.
His wife - Maude (nee Manson) Haylmore
(b. 2 June 1884 in The Grange, Pavilion, British Columbia - d. 14 July 1971 at age 87 in Lillooet, British Columbia) - They were married - 13 December 1909 in Lillooet, B.C. - LINK to their marriage certificate - search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Image/Genealogy/cb... - LINK to her newspaper obituary - www.newspapers.com/clip/107883378/obituary-for-maude-hayl... - LINK to her death certificate - search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Image/Genealogy/ca...
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Mrs. Deliina C. Noel was the fourth Postmistress at LORNE MINE and served from - 1 August 1917 - until the Post Office closed - 28 February 1927.
Delina Clara (nee Litalien) Noel
(b. 17 June 1881 in Lillooet, British Columbia - d. 15 October 1960 at age 79 in Vancouver, B.C.) - LINK to her newspaper obituary - www.newspapers.com/clip/107883193/obituary-for-noel-noel-... LINK to her death certificate - search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Image/Genealogy/23...
Her husband - Arthur Frank Noel
(b. 15 February 1869 in Merrill, Wisconsin, USA - d. 18 April 1946 at age 77 in Burnaby, British Columbia) - occupation - Miner until 1930. They were married - 24 December 1899 in Kamloops, British Columbia - LINK to their marriage certificate - search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Image/Genealogy/4a... - LINK to his death certificate - search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Image/Genealogy/c3...
Clipped from - The Province newspaper - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - 22 April 1946 - PIONEER B.C. MINER PASSES - Arthur Frank Noel, 77, well known pioneer B.C. prospector and gold miner, died Thursday of a heart attack at 4141 Yale. Mr. Noel developed and expanded the famous Bralorne and Pioneer gold claims in their early stages, and for over 50 years was prominent in Canadian mining news. Coming to Lillooet in 1894, he prospected and brought into production the famous Golden Cache mine. Buying the Little Joe mineral claim, he then formed the Bend 'Or Co., brought in a mill, and operated the claim until 1911 when he sold to Collier Mines. In 1899 he married Delina C. Litalien of Lillooet. Pioneer mineral claim interested Mr. Noel and in 1911 he bought it. In 1916 he also obtained interests and developed the Lorne property, later to become holding of the Bralorne Co. These two claims are leading Canadian gold producers. SURVIVORS Mr. Noel is survived by his wife, a brother, Charles of Lillooet, a second brother, Octave of Merrill, Wis., and a sister, Mrs. Anna Okaneski of Minnesota. Funeral services will be held Tuesday at 2 p.m., in the Nunn & Thomson chapel, with Rev. H. Wright officiating. Burial will be in Ocean View Burial Park.
Clipped from - The Vancouver Sun newspaper - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - 20 April 1946 - Arthur Noel, Discoverer of Pioneer, Dies - A man who discovered, worked and expanded some of British Columbia's largest gold mines, is dead. He is Arthur F. Noel, 77 year-old veteran gold prospector, who discovered such famous mines as the Golden Cache on Cayoose Creek and the Coronation richest of the Bralorne group. He died at his home, 4141 Yale, Thursday, of a heart attack. Born in Merrill, Wisconsin, he started out in the mining business early in life taking a job in placer mines in Montana. Soon word reached him of money which could be made in British Columbia if rich veins could be found. He decided to try his luck. He reached the Fraser River at Lillooet in 1894, and several years later, in partnership with the late Joe Copeland, another oldtlmer, started the famous Golden Cache mine. He once owned the Copeland Hoey and Santini ranch near Fountain, B.C. Funeral service will be held Tuesday at 2 p.m., in the Nunn and Thomson Chapel. Rev. J. H. Wright, Nanaimo, will omuate, and burial will follow In Ocean View Burial Park. He is survived by his wife, a brother, Charles; a sister in Merrill, and a cousin, Joe Russell of Lillooet.
Its in average condition but overall very nice the paint hasn't lifted on the rear its all complete this one cleaned up really well!
First letter reads: T. Proctor Hall / M.A., PH.D., M.D. / 1801 Davie Street / Vancouver, Canada - Sunday, Dec. 19, 1920 - Dear Vic, I have written the Abbott Alk. Co. to send to your address a few bottles of medicine and two gross empty bottles. The value of the empty bottles and corks is about $3; and of the medicines an average of $1.25 per bottle. Technically they are all called "pills". Take all the wrappers of the medicines, and they will not take much room among your things. Mrs Cook was buried yesterday. Mrs Cartwright was at the funeral and returns to Seattle tomorrow. We are expecting you Friday morning. If you have a lot of books it is better to pack them in a separate box and, if you have accepted a position in U.S., store them with dome delivery Co. until your return, when they can be sent directly to the Station. Au revoir, ma chere fille, (Goodbye my dear daughter) - signed T. P. Hall
added on the bottom of the letter: Dear Vic, If you pack your few medicines discreetly you will not have any bother with them. R.M.H. (Ruth Maude Hall / her stepmother) - Money is over 18%.
His second wife - Ruth Maude (nee McManus) Hall
(b. 1868 in Iowa, United States – d. 8 September 1942 at age 74 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) - they were married - 10 September 1902 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA)
Clipped from - The Province newspaper - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - 8 September 1942 - Dr. Ruth M. Hall Called by Death Pioneer woman physician, Dr. Ruth Maude Hall, died on Tuesday in her 76th year. She lived at Garrow Bay, Whytecliff, B.C. Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, she first took up nursing and then became Interested In medicine, graduating from National Medical College in Chicago in 1902. She married Dr. T. P. Hall in 1902 and came with him to British Columbia in 1905. In 1906 the two opened the Hillside Hospital at Burrard and Barclay in collaboration with Dr Ernest Hall and Dr. Robert Telford. In 1908 her husband entered private practice and until his death in 1931 she aided him in his work. Surviving are one son, Dr. Vernon K. Hall, Garrow Bay; two daughters, Miss A, V. Hall of Seattle and Miss U. F. Hall of Vancouver, and three nieces, Miss E. Mildred McManes and Mrs. R. E. Taylor of Vancouver and Mrs. Roy Stchman of Bremerton, Wash., and three granddaughters, The funeral will be held Thursday at 3:30 p.m. from the T. Edwards Chapel to Capllano View Cemetery.
Second letter reads: T. Proctor Hall / M.A., PH.D., M.D. / 1801 Davie Street / Vancouver, Canada - Tuesday night (21 December 1920) - Dear Vio, I have just seen Mr. Dougan at the Child - welfare meeting. He today got word from Nanaimo that they depend on him for two teachers; one in Drawing, Algebra and French. But he knows there is a teacher there who is well up in French, and there would probably be little trouble in adjusting to work among the six teachers. The salary is $1900. I told him we would all like it better to have you nearer home; and to wire Nanaimo whether your services would be acceptable. If so, he will wire you by Wed. night. (page 2) If this position is offered you to at once (or telephone, if it is late) to the man who got you the Idaho position; tell him the conditions and ask him to wire Idaho (at your expense) requesting a release, because offered a much better salary near home. In such cases it is usually easy to find a substitute, and the request is very seldom refused. Stay another day in Seattle, if necessary, to get things cleared up. Of course if Mr. Dougan's offer is not definite and positive no action need be taken. But if it is, act promptly. T. P. Hall (her father)
Clipped from - Times Colonist newspaper - Victoria, British Columbia, Canada - 25 March 1931 - DR. THOMAS PROCTOR HALL OF VANCOUVER DIED TO-DAY - Brother of Dr. Ernest Hall, Victoria Physician, Succumbs in Terminal City - Dr. Thomas Proctor Hall, seventy-two, physician, scientist and educationist, died at 4 o'clock this morning at the family residence, Crown Crescent, Vancouver, following an illness from heart disease, it was learned here to-day. He was a brother of Dr. Ernest Hall, well-known Victoria physician, and practiced here for a short period many years ago. Dr. Hall, who had resided in Vancouver for the last twenty-six years, had patented literally dozens of inventions and had made many scientific discoveries for which he had not taken out patents. They ranged from a system of reproducing the human voice almost a quarter of a century ago, to taking the flicker out of the early type motion pictures, an automatic stop for gramophones and a model for demonstrating the theory of the fourth dimension. Of unusual ability, he was a specialist In physical science and In mathematics as well as his chosen profession of medicine. Of so retiring and modest a disposition was he, however, than even many of his close friends were unaware of all his talents. With the exception of a new type of therapeutic lamp, his inventions have never been placed on the market. Dr. Hall, among his other scientific investigations, had done a great deal of research work in connection with X-ray. Besides the degrees of B.A.. M.A. and M.D. he was entitled to carry after his name, he had been awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, both by Clark University and the Illinois Wesleyan University. He was an honor graduate of the University of Toronto, McMaster University, Toronto, and the National Medical University in Chicago. FOURTH DIMENSION MODEL - Forty years ago he left at Clark University, a model to demonstrate the theory of the fourth dimension. From 1883 to 1884 Dr. Hall was a fellow of Toronto University. For the following five years he was science master at Woodstock College, Ontario. His teaching record was a varied one, including also professorships in natural science at Tabor College, Iowa; physics, Kansas City University; physics and chemistry, National-Medical University, Chicago, and electro-physics, Chicago College of X-ray and Electro-therapy. LEAVES RELATIVES Dr. Vernon K. Hall, his son, practices medicine in Vancouver. Two daughters. Miss A. Violet Hall and Miss Unina S. Hall, reside in Vancouver. Mrs. R. E. Taylor, Mrs. I. Brodigan and Miss Mildred McManus, nieces of the late Dr. Hall, made their home with him for many years. Besides Dr. Ernest Hall, another brother, John Hall, resides in Denver and a nephew. Kenneth McManus, lives in San Francisco. Dr. Ernest Hall left Victoria this afternoon to attend the funeral.
My client (I really made her stretch that neck!) and I. notice that only I stand "on" the furniture.
More about the room we are standing in here
With an average daily flow of 286 million gallons of water, Big Spring is generally considered to be tied for the title of the biggest spring in America. The three contenders for the title are Big Spring, Idaho's Snake River Spring Complex and Florida's Silver Spring. Underground passages carry water from as far as 45 miles away, which roil to the surface at the base of a limestone bluff on the west side of the Current River valley in the Missouri Ozarks in Carter County. The spring is estimated to dissolve and remove 175 tons of limestone during an average day. This dissolved rock gives the water its aqua-blue color, which rises to the surface with great force creating white caps, and then calms to a crystal clear channel.
Big Spring was a Missouri state park from 1924 until 1969, when the people of Missouri donated it to the National Park Service. It is now a part of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways.
© All rights reserved - - No Usage Allowed in Any Form Without the Written Consent of the photographer.
The best way to view my photostream is on Flickriver: Nikon66's photos on Flickriver
Mengening beach, Bali - Indonesia.
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Nikon D7100
Tokina 11-16mm
Lee 0.9 hard graduated filter
Lee Big Stopper
Image Averaging
318 your average household gods are gleaming alluringly and twisting capriciously in this innocuous little white-roofed house p 40x50
Savage and Average in SL opt out 30/60 - Group Cover
Thank you so much for this honour! I am thrilled you saw my work as cover worthy for your group!
See it here: www.flickr.com/groups/14769191@N23/
RailPictures is a popular target for foamer disdain, usually on account of their screening process (which I actually found to be quite helpful, and made me a much better photographer until I stopped submitting my work in 2010), although I prefer to rag on them on account of their near complete lack of innovation, dated design, and running ads for mail-order brides.
In any event, there were some comments on an Ian Hapsias shot that suggested RP was chugging along and more popular than ever... so, I hopped on the WayBack Machine and plugged their self-reported stats into Excel and found that it's not exactly the case - the average photo views per day peaked in late 2011.
I contend that most of this drop can be attributed to Flickr's increased marketshare in the railfan photo-realm, especially with respect to views coming from other rail photographers; Flickr (and a lack of time on my part) are why we abandoned plans to start a competing rail photo gallery website; I don't think there's much to be offered asides from what the existing platforms have now.
Updated March 13, 2014
Pretty above average day, craft corner is still tidy from last night, cosplay trousers arrived, sun came out so I basked, and I've booked a bnb for when I'm away in feb!
Only downside was that I was enjoying the first sun of the year so much I ended dup having to do all my work super late in the evening, but cest la vest. It's done now!
Oh hey, and this pic fits in a pile of things!
The Conowingo Dam (also Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, Conowingo Hydroelectric Station) is a large hydroelectric dam in the lower Susquehanna River near the town of Conowingo, Maryland. The medium-height, masonry gravity dam is one of the largest non-federal hydroelectric dams in the U.S., and the largest dam in the state of Maryland.
The dam sits about 9.9 miles (16 km) from the river mouth at the Chesapeake Bay, 5 miles (8 km) south of the Pennsylvania border and 45 miles (72 km) northeast of Baltimore, on the border between Cecil and Harford counties.
The dam supports a 9,000-acre reservoir, which today covers the original town of Conowingo. During dam construction, the town was moved to its present location about 1-mile (1.6 km) northeast of the dam's eastern end. The rising water also would have covered Conowingo Bridge, the original U.S. Route 1 crossing, so it was demolished in 1927. U.S. Route 1 now crosses over the top of the dam.
The Conowingo Reservoir, and the nearby Susquehanna State Park, provide many recreational opportunities.
Contents
1 Construction and hydroelectric power generation
2 Flood control
3 Ecology and environmental impacts
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
Construction and hydroelectric power generation
Postcard of dam
The area, which appears on a 1612 map by John Smith, was originally known as Smyth's Falls.
On January 23, 1925, Philadelphia Electric Company awarded the construction contract for the dam to Stone & Webster of Boston, who did the design. Construction, which started in 1926, was carried out by Arundel Corporation of Maryland. (Abandoned railroad tracks for transporting heavy equipment to the dam site can be seen along the western shore of the river below the dam.) When completed in 1928, it was the second-largest hydroelectric project by power output in the United States after Niagara Falls.
Some 5,000 workers flocked to this rural northeastern corner of Maryland, seeking to earn good pay as construction got underway. In addition to those working directly on the dam, large numbers relocated railroad tracks, paved new roads, and constructed steel towers to stretch the mighty transmission lines toward Philadelphia. This was nearly fifty years before Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which guaranteed the right to a safe job. While these men struggled to earn a living, many suffered disabling injuries handling high voltage electric lines, tumbling from high elevations, managing explosives, encountering poisonous snakes, and much more.
When Maryland Public Television aired its documentary, "Conowingo Dam: Power on the Susquehanna" for Chesapeake Bay Week in April 2016, the question came up about how many workers died performing their duties. While investigating the death of Hunter H. Bettis on November 26, 1927, Darlington Coroner Wiliam B. Selse commented in the Baltimore Sun that more than twenty men had lost their lives. In an attempt to create a registry or census of job-related fatalities, death certificates, newspaper accounts, and funeral home books were examined. Fourteen individuals were identified.
The dam was built with 11 turbine sites, although only seven turbines were initially installed, driving generators each rated for 36 megawatts. A turbine house, on the southwestern end of the dam, encloses these seven units. One additional "house" unit provides 25 Hz power for the dam's electric railroad system (identical to that used by the Pennsylvania Railroad, which had an electrified line [now under Norfolk Southern ownership] running on the eastern shore). In 1978, four higher-capacity turbines were added. Each drives a 65-megawatt generator, increasing the dam's electrical output capacity from 252 to 548 megawatts. The four newer turbines are in the open air section at the northeast end of the powerhouse. The generators produce power at 13,800 volts. This is stepped up to 220,000 volts for transmission, primarily to the Philadelphia area. The dam currently contributes an average of 1.6 billion kilowatt-hours annually to the electric grid.[citation needed]
Through subsidiaries and mergers, the dam is now operated by the Susquehanna Electric Company, part of Exelon Power Corporation. The current Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license for the dam was issued in 1980 and expired in 2014.
The Conowingo Hydroelectric Station would be a primary black start power source if the regional PJM power grid ever had a widespread emergency shutdown (blackout).
from Wikipedia
Just an average night at target checking out the amiibos and then, all of a sudden this appears. Last one, too. It should NOT have been there.
This is a nice average rainbow for Alaska, but it is winter now and Alaska fishing ia months away. This is MY personal gear, the bamboo fly rod is a four piece (four piece is less common but useful for float planes) custom rod designed for me by Glenn Brackett (Sweetgrass rods) and the reel is a Dr. Paul Herman hand made fly reel. I had Glenn inscribe the rod "Big Alaskan" as an aspiration that I have often met with this gear. The late Dr. Paul Hermann is the person who got me to fish bamboo fly rods to best use his hand made reels so every success with his reel on a bamboo rod is special, and very much mine to use. Paul loved his bamboo rods and fishing with his reels, and he was my bamboo rod "Sensei".
the special gear.
Glenn Brackett is a legend among fly rod builders. I could write something but Charles Kuralt's beautiful program just says it better and I could not begin to write anything as wonderful as his presentation from CBS. This program is from the Winston days, Glenn moved on to set up his own shop, Sweetgrass Rods in Twin Bridges MT and for many years has made fishermen (of both sexes) very happy.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxTFN-g-EVc
Dr. Paul Hermann was a Maine MD, who designed his own reels, learned to machine metal and made them as side hobby. Every part including the screws was hand made (Paul told me the screws were most challenging part). Paul made about 500 reels during his life much valued by those who possess them, half are salmon reels the rest are three varieties of trout reels.
As a composition this photograph, for me the thing that makes the photo for my vision is to get the water droplets right on the reel, it should be just a tiny bit wet and it is. A tiny detail but I think it anchors the photograph.
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, 25 miles (40 km) north of Miami. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2019 census, the city has an estimated population of 182,437. Fort Lauderdale is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to an estimated 6,198,782 people in 2018.
The city is a popular tourist destination, with an average year-round temperature of 75.5 °F (24.2 °C) and 3,000 hours of sunshine per year. Greater Fort Lauderdale which takes in all of Broward County hosted 12 million visitors in 2012, including 2.8 million international visitors. The city and county in 2012 collected $43.9 million from the 5% hotel tax it charges, after hotels in the area recorded an occupancy rate for the year of 72.7 percent and an average daily rate of $114.48. The district has 561 hotels and motels comprising nearly 35,000 rooms. Forty six cruise ships sailed from Port Everglades in 2012. Greater Fort Lauderdale has over 4,000 restaurants, 63 golf courses, 12 shopping malls, 16 museums, 132 nightclubs, 278 parkland campsites, and 100 marinas housing 45,000 resident yachts.
Fort Lauderdale is named after a series of forts built by the United States during the Second Seminole War. The forts took their name from Major William Lauderdale (1782–1838), younger brother of Lieutenant Colonel James Lauderdale. William Lauderdale was the commander of the detachment of soldiers who built the first fort. However, development of the city did not begin until 50 years after the forts were abandoned at the end of the conflict. Three forts named "Fort Lauderdale" were constructed; the first was at the fork of the New River, the second at Tarpon Bend on the New River between the Colee Hammock and Rio Vista neighborhoods, and the third near the site of the Bahia Mar Marina.
The area in which the city of Fort Lauderdale would later be founded was inhabited for more than two thousand years by the Tequesta Indians. Contact with Spanish explorers in the 16th century proved disastrous for the Tequesta, as the Europeans unwittingly brought with them diseases, such as smallpox, to which the native populations possessed no resistance. For the Tequesta, disease, coupled with continuing conflict with their Calusa neighbors, contributed greatly to their decline over the next two centuries. By 1763, there were only a few Tequesta left in Florida, and most of them were evacuated to Cuba when the Spanish ceded Florida to the British in 1763, under the terms of the Treaty of Paris (1763), which ended the Seven Years' War. Although control of the area changed between Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Confederate States of America, it remained largely undeveloped until the 20th century.
The Fort Lauderdale area was known as the "New River Settlement" before the 20th century. In the 1830s there were approximately 70 settlers living along the New River. William Cooley, the local Justice of the Peace, was a farmer and wrecker, who traded with the Seminole Indians. On January 6, 1836, while Cooley was leading an attempt to salvage a wrecked ship, a band of Seminoles attacked his farm, killing his wife and children, and the children's tutor. The other farms in the settlement were not attacked, but all the white residents in the area abandoned the settlement, fleeing first to the Cape Florida Lighthouse on Key Biscayne, and then to Key West.
The first United States stockade named Fort Lauderdale was built in 1838, and subsequently was a site of fighting during the Second Seminole War. The fort was abandoned in 1842, after the end of the war, and the area remained virtually unpopulated until the 1890s. It was not until Frank Stranahan arrived in the area in 1893 to operate a ferry across the New River, and the Florida East Coast Railroad's completion of a route through the area in 1896, that any organized development began. The city was incorporated in 1911, and in 1915 was designated the county seat of newly formed Broward County.
Fort Lauderdale's first major development began in the 1920s, during the Florida land boom of the 1920s. The 1926 Miami Hurricane and the Great Depression of the 1930s caused a great deal of economic dislocation. In July 1935, an African-American man named Rubin Stacy was accused of robbing a white woman at knife point. He was arrested and being transported to a Miami jail when police were run off the road by a mob. A group of 100 white men proceeded to hang Stacy from a tree near the scene of his alleged robbery. His body was riddled with some twenty bullets. The murder was subsequently used by the press in Nazi Germany to discredit US critiques of its own persecution of Jews, Communists, and Catholics.
When World War II began, Fort Lauderdale became a major US base, with a Naval Air Station to train pilots, radar operators, and fire control, operators. A Coast Guard base at Port Everglades was also established.
On July 4, 1961, African Americans started a series of protests, wade-ins, at beaches that were off-limits to them, to protest "the failure of the county to build a road to the Negro beach". On July 11, 1962, a verdict by Ted Cabot went against the city's policy of racial segregation of public beaches.
Today, Fort Lauderdale is a major yachting center, one of the nation's largest tourist destinations, and the center of a metropolitan division with 1.8 million people.
Credit for the data above is given to the following website:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Lauderdale,_Florida
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
Berghaan
(Terathopius ecaudatus)
The bateleur (Terathopius ecaudatus) is a medium-sized eagle in the family Accipitridae. Its closest relatives are the snake eagles. It is the only member of the genus Terathopius and may be the origin of the "Zimbabwe Bird", national emblem of Zimbabwe.[2] It is endemic to Africa and small parts of Arabia. "Bateleur" is French for "Street Performer".
The average adult is 55 to 70 cm (22 to 28 in) long with a 186 cm (6 ft 1 in) wingspan. The wing chord averages approximately 51 cm (20 in). Adult weight is typically 2 to 2.6 kg (4 lb 7 oz to 5 lb 12 oz).
The bateleur is a colourful species with a very short tail (ecaudatus is Latin for tailless) which, together with its white underwing coverts, makes it unmistakable in flight. The tail is so small the bird's legs protrude slightly beyond the tail during flight. The bateleur is sexually dimorphic; both adults have black plumage, a chestnut mantle and tail, grey shoulders, tawny wing coverts, and red facial skin, bill and legs. The female additionally has tawny secondary wing feathers. Less commonly, the mantle may be white.[5] Immature birds are brown with white dappling and have greenish facial skin. It takes them seven or eight years to reach full maturity.
The bateleur eagle is a common to fairly common resident of the open savanna country and woodland (thornveld) within Sub-Saharan Africa; it also occurs in south-western Arabia. Total distribution size is estimated at 28,000,000 km2. The bird's range has diminished significantly in recent decades, possibly due to poisoning.[6] In April 2012, a juvenile bateleur was seen in Algeciras in southern Spain. This was the first European record for the bateleur.
Wikipedia
"Society Hill is a historic neighborhood in Center City Philadelphia, with a population of 6,215 as of the 2010 United States Census. Settled in the early 1680s, Society Hill is one of the oldest residential neighborhoods in Philadelphia. After urban decay developed between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, an urban renewal program began in the 1950s, restoring the area and its many historic buildings. Society Hill has since become one of the most expensive neighborhoods with the highest average income and second-highest real estate values in Philadelphia. Society Hill's historic colonial architecture, along with planning and restoration efforts, led the American Planning Association to designate it, in 2008, as one of the great American neighborhoods and a good example of sustainable urban living.
The neighborhood hosts one of the largest concentrations of original 18th- and early 19th-century buildings in the United States. Society Hill is noted for its Franklin street lamps, brick sidewalks, cobblestone and Belgian block streets bordered by two- to four-story brick rowhouses in Federal and Georgian architecture, and public buildings in Greek Revival architecture such as the Merchants' Exchange Building and the Old Pine Street Church.
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City, and the 68th-largest city in the world. Since 1854, the city has been coextensive with Philadelphia County, the most populous county in Pennsylvania and the urban core of the Delaware Valley, the nation's seventh-largest and world's 68th-largest metropolitan region, with 6.245 million residents as of 2020. The city's population as of the 2020 census was 1,603,797, and over 56 million people live within 250 mi (400 km) of Philadelphia.
Philadelphia was founded in 1682 by William Penn, an English Quaker. The city served as capital of the Pennsylvania Colony during the British colonial era and went on to play a historic and vital role as the central meeting place for the nation's founding fathers whose plans and actions in Philadelphia ultimately inspired the American Revolution and the nation's independence. Philadelphia hosted the First Continental Congress in 1774 following the Boston Tea Party, preserved the Liberty Bell, and hosted the Second Continental Congress during which the founders signed the Declaration of Independence, which historian Joseph Ellis has described as "the most potent and consequential words in American history". Once the Revolutionary War commenced, both the Battle of Germantown and the Siege of Fort Mifflin were fought within Philadelphia's city limits. The U.S. Constitution was later ratified in Philadelphia at the Philadelphia Convention of 1787. Philadelphia remained the nation's largest city until 1790, when it was surpassed by New York City, and served as the nation's first capital from May 10, 1775, until December 12, 1776, and on four subsequent occasions during and following the American Revolution, including from 1790 to 1800 while the new national capital of Washington, D.C. was under construction.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, Philadelphia emerged as a major national industrial center and railroad hub. The city’s blossoming industrial sector attracted European immigrants, predominantly from Germany and Ireland, the two largest reported ancestry groups in the city as of 2015. In the 20th century, immigrant waves from Italy and elsewhere in Southern Europe arrived. Following the end of the Civil War in 1865, Philadelphia became a leading destination for African Americans in the Great Migration. In the 20th century, Puerto Rican Americans moved to the city in large numbers. Between 1890 and 1950, Philadelphia's population doubled to 2.07 million. Philadelphia has since attracted immigrants from East and South Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America.
With 18 four-year universities and colleges, Philadelphia is one of the nation's leading centers for higher education and academic research. As of 2021, the Philadelphia metropolitan area was the nation's ninth-largest metropolitan economy with a gross metropolitan product (GMP) of US$479 billion. Philadelphia is the largest center of economic activity in Pennsylvania and the broader multi-state Delaware Valley region; the city is home to five Fortune 500 corporate headquarters as of 2022. The Philadelphia skyline, which includes several globally renowned commercial skyscrapers, is expanding, primarily with new residential high-rise condominiums. The city and the Delaware Valley are a biotechnology and venture capital hub; and the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, owned by NASDAQ, is the nation's oldest stock exchange and a global leader in options trading. 30th Street Station, the city's primary rail station, is the third-busiest Amtrak hub in the nation, and the city's multimodal transport and logistics infrastructure, including Philadelphia International Airport, the PhilaPort seaport, freight rail infrastructure, roadway traffic capacity, and warehouse storage space, are all expanding.
Philadelphia is a national cultural hub, hosting more outdoor sculptures and murals than any other American city. Fairmount Park, when combined with adjacent Wissahickon Valley Park in the same watershed, is 2,052 acres (830 ha), representing one of the nation's largest contiguous urban parks and the 45th largest urban park in the world. The city is known for its arts, culture, cuisine, and colonial and Revolution-era history; in 2016, it attracted 42 million domestic tourists who spent $6.8 billion, representing $11 billion in total economic impact to the city and surrounding Pennsylvania counties.
With five professional sports teams and a hugely loyal fan base, the city is often ranked as the nation's best city for professional sports fans. The city has a culturally and philanthropically active LGBTQ+ community. Philadelphia also has played an immensely influential historic and ongoing role in the development and evolution of American music, especially R&B, soul, and rock.
Philadelphia is a city of many firsts, including the nation's first library (1731), hospital (1751), medical school (1765), national capital (1774), university (by some accounts) (1779), stock exchange (1790), zoo (1874), and business school (1881). Philadelphia contains 67 National Historic Landmarks, including Independence Hall. From the city's 17th century founding through the present, Philadelphia has been the birthplace or home to an extensive number of prominent and influential Americans. In 2021, Time magazine named Philadelphia one of the world's greatest 100 places." - info from Wikipedia.
The fall of 2022 I did my 3rd major cycling tour. I began my adventure in Montreal, Canada and finished in Savannah, GA. This tour took me through the oldest parts of Quebec and the 13 original US states. During this adventure I cycled 7,126 km over the course of 2.5 months and took more than 68,000 photos. As with my previous tours, a major focus was to photograph historic architecture.
Now on Instagram.
Sunset above the Three Rondavels
Sonnenuntergang oberhalb der Three Rondavels
The Blyde River Canyon, officially the Motlatse Canyon is a significant natural feature of South Africa, located in Mpumalanga, and forming the northern part of the Drakensberg escarpment. Located in the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, it is 25 kilometres (16 mi) in length and is, on average, around 750 metres (2,461 ft) deep. The Blyderivierpoort Dam, when full, is at an altitude of 665 metres (2,182 ft). The canyon consists mostly of red sandstone. The highest point of the canyon, Mariepskop, is 1,944 metres (6,378 ft) above sea level, whilst its lowest point where the river leaves the canyon is slightly less than 561 metres (1,841 ft) above sea level. This means that by some measure the canyon is 1,383 metres (4,537 ft) deep.
While it is difficult to compare canyons world-wide, Blyde River Canyon is one of the largest canyons on Earth, and it may be the largest 'green canyon' due to its lush subtropical foliage. It has some of the deepest precipitous cliffs of any canyon on the planet. It is the second largest canyon in Africa, after the Fish River Canyon, and is known as one of the great wonders of nature on the continent.
Possibly the best view in the whole of the Blyde River Canyon is of the "Three Rondavels", huge, round rocks, thought to be reminiscent of the houses or huts of the indigenous people, known as rondavels. This canyon is part of the Panorama Route. This route starts at the town Graskop and includes God's Window, the Pinnacle and Bourke's Luck Potholes.
Blyde means "glad" or "happy" in old Dutch, a name derived from a voortrekkers' expedition. The 'happy river' was thus named in 1844, when Hendrik Potgieter and others returned safely from Delagoa Bay to the rest of their party of trekkers who had considered them dead. While still under this misapprehension they had named the nearby river where they had been encamped, Treurrivier, or 'mourning river'.
In 2005, the Blyde River was renamed to the Motlatse River, and the Mpumalanga Provincial Government announced that the canyon would be renamed as well.
The Blyde River Canyon supports large diversity of life, including numerous fish and antelope species as well as hippos and crocodiles, and every primate species that may be seen in South Africa (including both greater and lesser bushbabies, vervet monkeys and Samango monkeys). The diversity of birdlife is similarly high, including the beautiful and much sought Narina trogon as well as species such as the Cape vulture, black eagle, crowned eagle, African fish eagle, gymnogene, jackal buzzard, white-rumped vulture, bald ibis, African finfoot, Knysna lourie, purple-crested lourie, Gurney's sugarbird, malachite sunbird, cinnamon dove, African emerald cuckoo, red-backed mannikin, golden-tailed woodpecker, olive bush shrike, green twinspot, Taita falcons (very rarely sighted, a breeding pair lives in the nearby Abel Erasmus Pass), Cape eagle owl, white-faced owl, wood owl, peregrine falcon, black-breasted snake eagle, Wahlberg's eagle, long-crested eagle, lanner falcon, red-breasted sparrowhawk, rock kestrel and others.
At 200 metres (660 ft), the Kadishi Tufa waterfall is the second tallest tufa waterfall on earth. A tufa waterfall is formed when water running over dolomite rock absorbs calcium, and deposits rock formations more rapidly than they erode the surrounding rock. In the case of the Kadishi Tufa fall, the formation that has been produced strikingly resembles a face which is crying profusely, and is thus sometimes known as 'the weeping face of nature'.
The canyon and the surrounding Drakensberg escarpment is a very popular tourist region with a well-developed tourism industry supported by good public infrastructure.
(Wikipedia)
The Three Rondavels are three round, grass-covered mountain tops with somewhat pointed peaks. They resemble the traditional round or oval rondavels or African homesteads quite closely, which are made with local materials. Sometimes they are also called the Three Sisters, though this may confuse them with a similar threesome visible from the N1 road in the Northern Cape, very far to the south.
The names of the peaks commemorate a 19th century chief, Maripi, and three of his wives. The flat-topped peak adjacent to the rondavels is Mapjaneng, "the chief", who is remembered for opposing invading Swazis in a memorable battle. The three rondavels are named for three of his more troublesome wives – Magabolle, Mogoladikwe and Maseroto. Behind the rondavels the distant high plateau of Mariepskop may be visible. Beside the dam, the isolated Thabaneng hill is known as the "sundial" or “mountain with a shadow that moves". It is said that the position of its shadow indicates the time of day.
On a clear day the lookout point provides extensive views. From here one looks over the canyon to the Three Rondavels on the other side, which is flanked on various sides by promontories of the northern Drakensberg range.
The formation of the attractive sedimentary formations are explained geologically as the slow erosion of underlying soft stone, leaving the exposed the more resistant quartzite and shale rondavels.
(Wikipedia)
Der Blyde River Canyon ist ein 26 Kilometer langer, bis 800 Meter tiefer und hauptsächlich aus rotem Sandstein bestehender Canyon. Er befindet sich an der Panorama Route nordöstlich von Johannesburg und gilt als eines der großen Naturwunder Afrikas.
Durch den Blyde River Canyon, der an den Bourke’s Luck Potholes beginnt, fließt der Fluss Blyde River, der bei 25° 4′ 15,9″ S, 30° 40′ 40,2″ O dem Thaba Chweu entspringt und bei 24° 15′ 18,6″ S, 30° 49′ 50″ O in den Olifantsriver fließt.
Ein von zahlreichen Touristen besuchter Punkt des Canyons sind die drei Rondavels, gewaltige, runde Felsen, die an die runden Hütten der Einheimischen erinnern. Wegen seines Ausblicks vielbesucht ist auch God’s Window.
(Wikipedia)
Program:Aperture-priority AE
Lens:AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED
F:5.6
Speed:1/350
ISO:160
Focal Length:75.0 mm (35 mm equivalent 112.0 mm)
Focus Mode:AF-A
AF Area:Single Area
Shooting Mode:Single-Frame
VR:On
Metering Mode:Center-weighted average
WB:Auto
Focus Distance:4.22 m
Dof:0.70 m (3.89 - 4.60)
HyperFocal:49.92 m
Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Northrop (later Northrop Grumman) B-2 Spirit, also known as the Stealth Bomber, is an American heavy strategic bomber, featuring low observable stealth technology designed for penetrating dense anti-aircraft defenses; it is a flying wing design with a crew of two. The bomber can deploy both conventional and thermonuclear weapons, such as eighty 500 lb (230 kg)-class (Mk 82) JDAM Global Positioning System-guided bombs, or sixteen 2,400 lb (1,100 kg) B83 nuclear bombs. The B-2 is the only known aircraft that can carry large air-to-surface standoff weapons in a stealth configuration.
Development originally started under the "Advanced Technology Bomber" (ATB) project during the Carter administration, and its performance was one of his reasons for the cancellation of the supersonic B-1A bomber. ATB continued during the Reagan administration, but worries about delays in its introduction led to the reinstatement of the B-1 program as well. Program costs rose throughout development. Designed and manufactured by Northrop Grumman, the cost of each aircraft averaged US$737 million (in 1997 dollars). Total procurement costs averaged $929 million per aircraft, which includes spare parts, equipment, retrofitting, and software support. The total program cost including development, engineering and testing, averaged $2.1 billion per aircraft in 1997.
Because of its considerable capital and operating costs, the project was controversial in the U.S. Congress and among the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The winding-down of the Cold War in the latter portion of the 1980s dramatically reduced the need for the aircraft, which was designed with the intention of penetrating Soviet airspace and attacking high-value targets. During the late 1980s and 1990s, Congress slashed plans to purchase 132 bombers to 21. In 2008, a B-2 was destroyed in a crash shortly after takeoff, though the crew ejected safely. A total of 20 B-2s remain in service with the United States Air Force, which plans to operate the B-2 until 2058.
The B-2 is capable of all-altitude attack missions up to 50,000 feet (15,000 m), with a range of more than 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km) on internal fuel and over 10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km) with one midair refueling. Though originally designed primarily as a nuclear bomber, it was first used in combat dropping conventional ordnance in the Kosovo War in 1999 and saw further service in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Arches National Park is a national park in eastern Utah, United States. The park is adjacent to the Colorado River, 4 miles (6 km) north of Moab, Utah. More than 2,000 natural sandstone arches are located in the park, including the well-known Delicate Arch, as well as a variety of unique geological resources and formations. The park contains the highest density of natural arches in the world.
The park consists of 310.31 square kilometres (76,680 acres; 119.81 sq mi; 31,031 ha) of high desert located on the Colorado Plateau. The highest elevation in the park is 5,653 feet (1,723 m) at Elephant Butte, and the lowest elevation is 4,085 feet (1,245 m) at the visitor center. The park receives an average of less than 10 inches (250 mm) of rain annually.
Administered by the National Park Service, the area was originally named a national monument on April 12, 1929, and was re designated as a national park on November 12, 1971. The park received more than 1.6 million visitors in 2018.
As stated in the foundation document in U.S. National Park Service website:
The purpose of Arches National Park is to protect extraordinary examples of geologic features including arches, natural bridges, windows, spires, and balanced rocks, as well as other features of geologic, historic, and scientific interest, and to provide opportunities to experience these resources and their associated values in their majestic natural settings.
The national park lies above an underground evaporite layer or salt bed, which is the main cause of the formation of the arches, spires, balanced rocks, sandstone fins, and eroded monoliths in the area. This salt bed is thousands of feet thick in places and was deposited in the Paradox Basin of the Colorado Plateau some 300 million years ago (Mya) when a sea flowed into the region and eventually evaporated. Over millions of years, the salt bed was covered with debris eroded from the Uncompahgre Uplift to the northeast. During the Early Jurassic (about 200 Mya), desert conditions prevailed in the region and the vast Navajo Sandstone was deposited. An additional sequence of stream laid and windblown sediments, the Entrada Sandstone (about 140 Mya), was deposited on top of the Navajo. Over 5,000 feet (1,500 m) of younger sediments were deposited and have been mostly eroded. Remnants of the cover exist in the area including exposures of the Cretaceous Mancos Shale. The arches of the area are developed mostly within the Entrada formation.
The weight of this cover caused the salt bed below it to liquefy and thrust up layers of rock into salt domes. The evaporites of the area formed more unusual "salt anticlines" or linear regions of uplift. Faulting occurred and whole sections of rock subsided into the areas between the domes. In some places, they turned almost on edge. The result of one such 2,500-foot (760 m) displacement, the Moab Fault, is seen from the visitor center.
As this subsurface movement of salt shaped the landscape, erosion removed the younger rock layers from the surface. Except for isolated remnants, the major formations visible in the park today are the salmon-colored Entrada Sandstone, in which most of the arches form, and the buff-colored Navajo Sandstone. These are visible in layer-cake fashion throughout most of the park. Over time, water seeped into the surface cracks, joints, and folds of these layers. Ice formed in the fissures, expanding and putting pressure on surrounding rock, breaking off bits and pieces. Winds later cleaned out the loose particles. A series of free-standing fins remained. Wind and water attacked these fins until, in some, the cementing material gave way and chunks of rock tumbled out. Many damaged fins collapsed. Others, with the right degree of hardness and balance, survived despite their missing sections. These became the famous arches.
Although the park's terrain may appear rugged and durable, it is extremely fragile. More than 1 million visitors each year threaten the fragile high-desert ecosystem. The problem lies within the soil's crust, which is composed of cyanobacteria, algae, fungi, and lichens that grow in the dusty parts of the park. Factors that make Arches National Park sensitive to visitor damage include being a semiarid region, the scarce, unpredictable rainfall, lack of deep freezing, and lack of plant litter, which results in soils that have both a low resistance to and slow recovery from, compressional forces such as foot traffic. Methods of indicating effects on the soil are cytophobic soil crust index, measuring of water infiltration, and t-tests that are used to compare the values from the undisturbed and disturbed areas.
Geological processes that occurred over 300 million years ago caused a salt bed to be deposited, which today lies beneath the landscape of Arches National Park.[ Over time, the salt bed was covered with sediments that eventually compressed into rock layers that have since been named Entrada Standstone. Rock layers surrounding the edge of the salt bed continued to erode and shift into vertical sandstone walls called fins. Sand collected between vertical walls of the fins, then slightly acidic rain combined with carbon dioxide in the air allowed for the chemical formation of carbonic acid within the trapped sand. Over time, the carbonic acid dissolved the calcium carbonate that held the sandstone together. Many of the rock formations have weaker layers of rock on bottom that are holding stronger layers on top. The weaker layers would dissolve first, creating openings in the rock. Gravity caused pieces of the stronger rock layer to fall piece by piece into an arch shape. Arches form within rock fins at points of intense fracturing localization, or weak points in the rock's formation, caused by horizontal and vertical discontinuities. Lastly, water, wind, and time continued this erosion process and ultimately created the arches of Arches National Park. All of the arches in the park are made of Entrada Sandstone, however, there are slight differences in how each arch was developed. This allows the Entrada Sandstone to be categories into 3 groups including Slick rock members, Dewey rock members, and Moab members. Vertical arches can be developed from Slick rock members, a combination of Slick rock members and Moab members, or Slick rock members resting above Dewey rock members. Horizontal arches (also called potholes) are formed when a vertical pothole formation meets a horizontal cave, causing a union into a long arch structure. The erosion process within Arches National Park will continue as time continues to pass. Continued erosion combined with vertical and horizontal stress will eventually cause arches to collapse, but still, new arches will continue to form for thousands of years.
Humans have occupied the region since the last ice age 10,000 years ago. Fremont people and Ancestral Puebloans lived in the area until about 700 years ago. Spanish missionaries encountered Ute and Paiute tribes in the area when they first came through in 1775, but the first European-Americans to attempt settlement in the area were the Mormon Elk Mountain Mission in 1855, who soon abandoned the area. Ranchers, farmers, and prospectors later settled Moab in the neighboring Riverine Valley in the late 1870s. Word of the beauty of the surrounding rock formations spread beyond the settlement as a possible tourist destination.
The Arches area was first brought to the attention of the National Park Service by Frank A. Wadleigh, passenger traffic manager of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. Wadleigh, accompanied by railroad photographer George L. Beam, visited the area in September 1923 at the invitation of Alexander Ringhoffer, a Hungarian-born prospector living in Salt Valley. Ringhoffer had written to the railroad to interest them in the tourist potential of a scenic area he had discovered the previous year with his two sons and a son-in-law, which he called the Devils Garden (known today as the Klondike Bluffs). Wadleigh was impressed by what Ringhoffer showed him, and suggested to Park Service director Stephen T. Mather that the area be made a national monument.
The following year, additional support for the monument idea came from Laurence Gould, a University of Michigan graduate student (and future polar explorer) studying the geology of the nearby La Sal Mountains, who was shown the scenic area by local physician Dr. J. W. "Doc" Williams.
A succession of government investigators examined the area, in part due to confusion as to the precise location. In the process, the name Devils Garden was transposed to an area on the opposite side of Salt Valley that includes Landscape Arch, the longest arch in the park. Ringhoffer's original discovery was omitted, while another area nearby, known locally as the Windows, was included. Designation of the area as a national monument was supported by the Park Service in 1926 but was resisted by President Calvin Coolidge's Interior Secretary, Hubert Work. Finally, in April 1929, shortly after his inauguration, President Herbert Hoover signed a presidential proclamation creating the Arches National Monument, consisting of two comparatively small, disconnected sections. The purpose of the reservation under the 1906 Antiquities Act was to protect the arches, spires, balanced rocks, and other sandstone formations for their scientific and educational value. The name Arches was suggested by Frank Pinkely, superintendent of the Park Service's southwestern national monuments, following a visit to the Windows section in 1925.
In late 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a proclamation that enlarged the Arches to protect additional scenic features and permit the development of facilities to promote tourism. A small adjustment was made by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1960 to accommodate a new road alignment.
In early 1969, just before leaving office, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a proclamation substantially enlarging the Arches. Two years later, President Richard Nixon signed legislation enacted by Congress, which significantly reduced the total area enclosed, but changed its status. Arches National Park was formally dedicated in May 1972.
In 1980, vandals attempted to use an abrasive kitchen cleanser to deface ancient petroglyphs in the park, prompting park officials to recruit physicist John F. Asmus, who specialized in using lasers to restore works of art, to use his technology to repair the damage. Asmus "zapped the panel with intense light pulses and succeeded in removing most of the cleanser".
Climbing Balanced Rock or any named or unnamed arch in Arches National Park with an opening larger than 3 ft (0.9 m) is banned by park regulations. Climbing on other features in the park is allowed but regulated; in addition, slacklining and BASE jumping are banned parkwide.
Climbing on named arches within the park had long been banned by park regulations, but following Dean Potter's successful free climb on Delicate Arch in May 2006, the wording of the regulations was deemed unenforceable by the park attorney. In response, the park revised its regulations later that month, eventually imposing the current ban on arch climbing in 2014.
Approved recreational activities include auto touring, hiking, bicycling, camping at the Devils Garden campground, backpacking, canyoneering, and rock climbing, with permits required for the last three activities. Guided commercial tours and ranger programs are also available.
Astronomy is also popular in the park due to its dark skies, despite the increasing light pollution from towns such as Moab.
Delicate Arch is the subject of the third 2014 quarter of the U.S. Mint's America the Beautiful Quarters program commemorating national parks and historic sites. The Arches quarter had the highest production of the five 2014 national park quarters, with more than 465 million minted.
American writer Edward Abbey was a park ranger at Arches National Monument in 1956 and 1957, where he kept journals that became his book Desert Solitaire. The success of Abbey's book, as well as interest in adventure travel, has drawn many hikers, mountain bikers, and off-pavement driving enthusiasts to the area. Permitted activities within the park include camping, hiking along designated trails, backpacking, canyoneering, rock climbing, bicycling, and driving along existing roads, both paved and unpaved. The Hayduke Trail, an 812 mi (1,307 km) backpacking route named after one of Edward Abbey's characters, begins in the park.
An abundance of wildlife occurs in Arches National Park, including spadefoot toads, antelope squirrels, scrub jays, peregrine falcons, many kinds of sparrows, red foxes, desert bighorn sheep, kangaroo rats, mule deers, cougars, midget faded rattlesnakes, yucca moths, western rattlesnakes, and collared lizards.
A number of plant species are common in the park, including prickly pear cactus, Indian ricegrass, bunch grasses, cheatgrass, moss, liverworts, Utah juniper, Mormon tea, blackbrush, cliffrose, four-winged saltbrush, pinyon pine, evening primrose, sand verbena, yucca, and sacred datura.
Biological soil crust consisting of cyanobacteria, lichen, mosses, green algae, and microfungi is found throughout southeastern Utah. The fibrous growths help keep soil particles together, creating a layer that is more resistant to erosion. The living soil layer readily absorbs and stores water, allowing more complex forms of plant life to grow in places with low precipitation levels.
Among the notable features of the park are the following:
Balanced Rock – a large balancing rock, the size of three school buses
Courthouse Towers – a collection of tall stone columns
Dark Angel – a free-standing 150 ft-tall (46 m) sandstone pillar at the end of the Devils Garden Trail
Delicate Arch – a lone-standing arch that has become a symbol of Utah and the most recognized arch in the park
Devils Garden – many arches and columns scattered along a ridge
Double Arch – two arches that share a common end
Fiery Furnace – an area of maze-like narrow passages and tall rock columns (see biblical reference, Book of Daniel, chapter 3)
Landscape Arch – a very thin and long arch in the Devils Garden with a span of 290 ft (88 m) (the longest arch in the park)
Petrified Dunes – petrified remnants of dunes blown from the ancient lakes that covered the area
The Phallus – a rock spire that resembles a phallus
Wall Arch – located along the popular Devils Garden Trail; collapsed sometime on August 4/5, 2008
The Three Gossips –a mid-sized sandstone tower located in the Courthouse Towers area.
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It borders Colorado to its east, Wyoming to its northeast, Idaho to its north, Arizona to its south, and Nevada to its west. Utah also touches a corner of New Mexico in the southeast. Of the fifty U.S. states, Utah is the 13th-largest by area; with a population over three million, it is the 30th-most-populous and 11th-least-densely populated. Urban development is mostly concentrated in two areas: the Wasatch Front in the north-central part of the state, which is home to roughly two-thirds of the population and includes the capital city, Salt Lake City; and Washington County in the southwest, with more than 180,000 residents. Most of the western half of Utah lies in the Great Basin.
Utah has been inhabited for thousands of years by various indigenous groups such as the ancient Puebloans, Navajo, and Ute. The Spanish were the first Europeans to arrive in the mid-16th century, though the region's difficult geography and harsh climate made it a peripheral part of New Spain and later Mexico. Even while it was Mexican territory, many of Utah's earliest settlers were American, particularly Mormons fleeing marginalization and persecution from the United States via the Mormon Trail. Following the Mexican–American War in 1848, the region was annexed by the U.S., becoming part of the Utah Territory, which included what is now Colorado and Nevada. Disputes between the dominant Mormon community and the federal government delayed Utah's admission as a state; only after the outlawing of polygamy was it admitted in 1896 as the 45th.
People from Utah are known as Utahns. Slightly over half of all Utahns are Mormons, the vast majority of whom are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), which has its world headquarters in Salt Lake City; Utah is the only state where a majority of the population belongs to a single church. A 2023 paper challenged this perception (claiming only 42% of Utahns are Mormons) however most statistics still show a majority of Utah residents belong to the LDS church; estimates from the LDS church suggests 60.68% of Utah's population belongs to the church whilst some sources put the number as high as 68%. The paper replied that membership count done by the LDS Church is too high for several reasons. The LDS Church greatly influences Utahn culture, politics, and daily life, though since the 1990s the state has become more religiously diverse as well as secular.
Utah has a highly diversified economy, with major sectors including transportation, education, information technology and research, government services, mining, multi-level marketing, and tourism. Utah has been one of the fastest growing states since 2000, with the 2020 U.S. census confirming the fastest population growth in the nation since 2010. St. George was the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the United States from 2000 to 2005. Utah ranks among the overall best states in metrics such as healthcare, governance, education, and infrastructure. It has the 12th-highest median average income and the least income inequality of any U.S. state. Over time and influenced by climate change, droughts in Utah have been increasing in frequency and severity, putting a further strain on Utah's water security and impacting the state's economy.
The History of Utah is an examination of the human history and social activity within the state of Utah located in the western United States.
Archaeological evidence dates the earliest habitation of humans in Utah to about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. Paleolithic people lived near the Great Basin's swamps and marshes, which had an abundance of fish, birds, and small game animals. Big game, including bison, mammoths and ground sloths, also were attracted to these water sources. Over the centuries, the mega-fauna died, this population was replaced by the Desert Archaic people, who sheltered in caves near the Great Salt Lake. Relying more on gathering than the previous Utah residents, their diet was mainly composed of cattails and other salt tolerant plants such as pickleweed, burro weed and sedge. Red meat appears to have been more of a luxury, although these people used nets and the atlatl to hunt water fowl, ducks, small animals and antelope. Artifacts include nets woven with plant fibers and rabbit skin, woven sandals, gaming sticks, and animal figures made from split-twigs. About 3,500 years ago, lake levels rose and the population of Desert Archaic people appears to have dramatically decreased. The Great Basin may have been almost unoccupied for 1,000 years.
The Fremont culture, named from sites near the Fremont River in Utah, lived in what is now north and western Utah and parts of Nevada, Idaho and Colorado from approximately 600 to 1300 AD. These people lived in areas close to water sources that had been previously occupied by the Desert Archaic people, and may have had some relationship with them. However, their use of new technologies define them as a distinct people. Fremont technologies include:
use of the bow and arrow while hunting,
building pithouse shelters,
growing maize and probably beans and squash,
building above ground granaries of adobe or stone,
creating and decorating low-fired pottery ware,
producing art, including jewelry and rock art such as petroglyphs and pictographs.
The ancient Puebloan culture, also known as the Anasazi, occupied territory adjacent to the Fremont. The ancestral Puebloan culture centered on the present-day Four Corners area of the Southwest United States, including the San Juan River region of Utah. Archaeologists debate when this distinct culture emerged, but cultural development seems to date from about the common era, about 500 years before the Fremont appeared. It is generally accepted that the cultural peak of these people was around the 1200 CE. Ancient Puebloan culture is known for well constructed pithouses and more elaborate adobe and masonry dwellings. They were excellent craftsmen, producing turquoise jewelry and fine pottery. The Puebloan culture was based on agriculture, and the people created and cultivated fields of maize, beans, and squash and domesticated turkeys. They designed and produced elaborate field terracing and irrigation systems. They also built structures, some known as kivas, apparently designed solely for cultural and religious rituals.
These two later cultures were roughly contemporaneous, and appear to have established trading relationships. They also shared enough cultural traits that archaeologists believe the cultures may have common roots in the early American Southwest. However, each remained culturally distinct throughout most of their existence. These two well established cultures appear to have been severely impacted by climatic change and perhaps by the incursion of new people in about 1200 CE. Over the next two centuries, the Fremont and ancient Pueblo people may have moved into the American southwest, finding new homes and farmlands in the river drainages of Arizona, New Mexico and northern Mexico.
In about 1200, Shoshonean speaking peoples entered Utah territory from the west. They may have originated in southern California and moved into the desert environment due to population pressure along the coast. They were an upland people with a hunting and gathering lifestyle utilizing roots and seeds, including the pinyon nut. They were also skillful fishermen, created pottery and raised some crops. When they first arrived in Utah, they lived as small family groups with little tribal organization. Four main Shoshonean peoples inhabited Utah country. The Shoshone in the north and northeast, the Gosiutes in the northwest, the Utes in the central and eastern parts of the region and the Southern Paiutes in the southwest. Initially, there seems to have been very little conflict between these groups.
In the early 16th century, the San Juan River basin in Utah's southeast also saw a new people, the Díne or Navajo, part of a greater group of plains Athabaskan speakers moved into the Southwest from the Great Plains. In addition to the Navajo, this language group contained people that were later known as Apaches, including the Lipan, Jicarilla, and Mescalero Apaches.
Athabaskans were a hunting people who initially followed the bison, and were identified in 16th-century Spanish accounts as "dog nomads". The Athabaskans expanded their range throughout the 17th century, occupying areas the Pueblo peoples had abandoned during prior centuries. The Spanish first specifically mention the "Apachu de Nabajo" (Navaho) in the 1620s, referring to the people in the Chama valley region east of the San Juan River, and north west of Santa Fe. By the 1640s, the term Navaho was applied to these same people. Although the Navajo newcomers established a generally peaceful trading and cultural exchange with the some modern Pueblo peoples to the south, they experienced intermittent warfare with the Shoshonean peoples, particularly the Utes in eastern Utah and western Colorado.
At the time of European expansion, beginning with Spanish explorers traveling from Mexico, five distinct native peoples occupied territory within the Utah area: the Northern Shoshone, the Goshute, the Ute, the Paiute and the Navajo.
The Spanish explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado may have crossed into what is now southern Utah in 1540, when he was seeking the legendary Cíbola.
A group led by two Spanish Catholic priests—sometimes called the Domínguez–Escalante expedition—left Santa Fe in 1776, hoping to find a route to the California coast. The expedition traveled as far north as Utah Lake and encountered the native residents. All of what is now Utah was claimed by the Spanish Empire from the 1500s to 1821 as part of New Spain (later as the province Alta California); and subsequently claimed by Mexico from 1821 to 1848. However, Spain and Mexico had little permanent presence in, or control of, the region.
Fur trappers (also known as mountain men) including Jim Bridger, explored some regions of Utah in the early 19th century. The city of Provo was named for one such man, Étienne Provost, who visited the area in 1825. The city of Ogden, Utah is named for a brigade leader of the Hudson's Bay Company, Peter Skene Ogden who trapped in the Weber Valley. In 1846, a year before the arrival of members from the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints, the ill-fated Donner Party crossed through the Salt Lake valley late in the season, deciding not to stay the winter there but to continue forward to California, and beyond.
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as Mormon pioneers, first came to the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. At the time, the U.S. had already captured the Mexican territories of Alta California and New Mexico in the Mexican–American War and planned to keep them, but those territories, including the future state of Utah, officially became United States territory upon the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, February 2, 1848. The treaty was ratified by the United States Senate on March 10, 1848.
Upon arrival in the Salt Lake Valley, the Mormon pioneers found no permanent settlement of Indians. Other areas along the Wasatch Range were occupied at the time of settlement by the Northwestern Shoshone and adjacent areas by other bands of Shoshone such as the Gosiute. The Northwestern Shoshone lived in the valleys on the eastern shore of Great Salt Lake and in adjacent mountain valleys. Some years after arriving in the Salt Lake Valley Mormons, who went on to colonize many other areas of what is now Utah, were petitioned by Indians for recompense for land taken. The response of Heber C. Kimball, first counselor to Brigham Young, was that the land belonged to "our Father in Heaven and we expect to plow and plant it." A 1945 Supreme Court decision found that the land had been treated by the United States as public domain; no aboriginal title by the Northwestern Shoshone had been recognized by the United States or extinguished by treaty with the United States.
Upon arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, the Mormons had to make a place to live. They created irrigation systems, laid out farms, built houses, churches, and schools. Access to water was crucially important. Almost immediately, Brigham Young set out to identify and claim additional community sites. While it was difficult to find large areas in the Great Basin where water sources were dependable and growing seasons long enough to raise vitally important subsistence crops, satellite communities began to be formed.
Shortly after the first company arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, the community of Bountiful was settled to the north. In 1848, settlers moved into lands purchased from trapper Miles Goodyear in present-day Ogden. In 1849, Tooele and Provo were founded. Also that year, at the invitation of Ute chief Wakara, settlers moved into the Sanpete Valley in central Utah to establish the community of Manti. Fillmore, Utah, intended to be the capital of the new territory, was established in 1851. In 1855, missionary efforts aimed at western native cultures led to outposts in Fort Lemhi, Idaho, Las Vegas, Nevada and Elk Mountain in east-central Utah.
The experiences of returning members of the Mormon Battalion were also important in establishing new communities. On their journey west, the Mormon soldiers had identified dependable rivers and fertile river valleys in Colorado, Arizona and southern California. In addition, as the men traveled to rejoin their families in the Salt Lake Valley, they moved through southern Nevada and the eastern segments of southern Utah. Jefferson Hunt, a senior Mormon officer of the Battalion, actively searched for settlement sites, minerals, and other resources. His report encouraged 1851 settlement efforts in Iron County, near present-day Cedar City. These southern explorations eventually led to Mormon settlements in St. George, Utah, Las Vegas and San Bernardino, California, as well as communities in southern Arizona.
Prior to establishment of the Oregon and California trails and Mormon settlement, Indians native to the Salt Lake Valley and adjacent areas lived by hunting buffalo and other game, but also gathered grass seed from the bountiful grass of the area as well as roots such as those of the Indian Camas. By the time of settlement, indeed before 1840, the buffalo were gone from the valley, but hunting by settlers and grazing of cattle severely impacted the Indians in the area, and as settlement expanded into nearby river valleys and oases, indigenous tribes experienced increasing difficulty in gathering sufficient food. Brigham Young's counsel was to feed the hungry tribes, and that was done, but it was often not enough. These tensions formed the background to the Bear River massacre committed by California Militia stationed in Salt Lake City during the Civil War. The site of the massacre is just inside Preston, Idaho, but was generally thought to be within Utah at the time.
Statehood was petitioned for in 1849-50 using the name Deseret. The proposed State of Deseret would have been quite large, encompassing all of what is now Utah, and portions of Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, Arizona, Oregon, New Mexico and California. The name of Deseret was favored by the LDS leader Brigham Young as a symbol of industry and was derived from a reference in the Book of Mormon. The petition was rejected by Congress and Utah did not become a state until 1896, following the Utah Constitutional Convention of 1895.
In 1850, the Utah Territory was created with the Compromise of 1850, and Fillmore (named after President Fillmore) was designated the capital. In 1856, Salt Lake City replaced Fillmore as the territorial capital.
The first group of pioneers brought African slaves with them, making Utah the only place in the western United States to have African slavery. Three slaves, Green Flake, Hark Lay, and Oscar Crosby, came west with this first group in 1847. The settlers also began to purchase Indian slaves in the well-established Indian slave trade, as well as enslaving Indian prisoners of war. In 1850, 26 slaves were counted in Salt Lake County. Slavery didn't become officially recognized until 1852, when the Act in Relation to Service and the Act for the relief of Indian Slaves and Prisoners were passed. Slavery was repealed on June 19, 1862, when Congress prohibited slavery in all US territories.
Disputes between the Mormon inhabitants and the federal government intensified after the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' practice of polygamy became known. The polygamous practices of the Mormons, which were made public in 1854, would be one of the major reasons Utah was denied statehood until almost 50 years after the Mormons had entered the area.
After news of their polygamous practices spread, the members of the LDS Church were quickly viewed by some as un-American and rebellious. In 1857, after news of a possible rebellion spread, President James Buchanan sent troops on the Utah expedition to quell the growing unrest and to replace Brigham Young as territorial governor with Alfred Cumming. The expedition was also known as the Utah War.
As fear of invasion grew, Mormon settlers had convinced some Paiute Indians to aid in a Mormon-led attack on 120 immigrants from Arkansas under the guise of Indian aggression. The murder of these settlers became known as the Mountain Meadows massacre. The Mormon leadership had adopted a defensive posture that led to a ban on the selling of grain to outsiders in preparation for an impending war. This chafed pioneers traveling through the region, who were unable to purchase badly needed supplies. A disagreement between some of the Arkansas pioneers and the Mormons in Cedar City led to the secret planning of the massacre by a few Mormon leaders in the area. Some scholars debate the involvement of Brigham Young. Only one man, John D. Lee, was ever convicted of the murders, and he was executed at the massacre site.
Express riders had brought the news 1,000 miles from the Missouri River settlements to Salt Lake City within about two weeks of the army's beginning to march west. Fearing the worst as 2,500 troops (roughly 1/3rd of the army then) led by General Albert Sidney Johnston started west, Brigham Young ordered all residents of Salt Lake City and neighboring communities to prepare their homes for burning and evacuate southward to Utah Valley and southern Utah. Young also sent out a few units of the Nauvoo Legion (numbering roughly 8,000–10,000), to delay the army's advance. The majority he sent into the mountains to prepare defenses or south to prepare for a scorched earth retreat. Although some army wagon supply trains were captured and burned and herds of army horses and cattle run off no serious fighting occurred. Starting late and short on supplies, the United States Army camped during the bitter winter of 1857–58 near a burned out Fort Bridger in Wyoming. Through the negotiations between emissary Thomas L. Kane, Young, Cumming and Johnston, control of Utah territory was peacefully transferred to Cumming, who entered an eerily vacant Salt Lake City in the spring of 1858. By agreement with Young, Johnston established the army at Fort Floyd 40 miles away from Salt Lake City, to the southwest.
Salt Lake City was the last link of the First Transcontinental Telegraph, between Carson City, Nevada and Omaha, Nebraska completed in October 1861. Brigham Young, who had helped expedite construction, was among the first to send a message, along with Abraham Lincoln and other officials. Soon after the telegraph line was completed, the Deseret Telegraph Company built the Deseret line connecting the settlements in the territory with Salt Lake City and, by extension, the rest of the United States.
Because of the American Civil War, federal troops were pulled out of Utah Territory (and their fort auctioned off), leaving the territorial government in federal hands without army backing until General Patrick E. Connor arrived with the 3rd Regiment of California Volunteers in 1862. While in Utah, Connor and his troops soon became discontent with this assignment wanting to head to Virginia where the "real" fighting and glory was occurring. Connor established Fort Douglas just three miles (5 km) east of Salt Lake City and encouraged his bored and often idle soldiers to go out and explore for mineral deposits to bring more non-Mormons into the state. Minerals were discovered in Tooele County, and some miners began to come to the territory. Conner also solved the Shoshone Indian problem in Cache Valley Utah by luring the Shoshone into a midwinter confrontation on January 29, 1863. The armed conflict quickly turned into a rout, discipline among the soldiers broke down, and the Battle of Bear River is today usually referred to by historians as the Bear River Massacre. Between 200 and 400 Shoshone men, women and children were killed, as were 27 soldiers, with over 50 more soldiers wounded or suffering from frostbite.
Beginning in 1865, Utah's Black Hawk War developed into the deadliest conflict in the territory's history. Chief Antonga Black Hawk died in 1870, but fights continued to break out until additional federal troops were sent in to suppress the Ghost Dance of 1872. The war is unique among Indian Wars because it was a three-way conflict, with mounted Timpanogos Utes led by Antonga Black Hawk fighting federal and Utah local militia.
On May 10, 1869, the First transcontinental railroad was completed at Promontory Summit, north of the Great Salt Lake. The railroad brought increasing numbers of people into the state, and several influential businessmen made fortunes in the territory.
Main article: Latter Day Saint polygamy in the late-19th century
During the 1870s and 1880s, federal laws were passed and federal marshals assigned to enforce the laws against polygamy. In the 1890 Manifesto, the LDS Church leadership dropped its approval of polygamy citing divine revelation. When Utah applied for statehood again in 1895, it was accepted. Statehood was officially granted on January 4, 1896.
The Mormon issue made the situation for women the topic of nationwide controversy. In 1870 the Utah Territory, controlled by Mormons, gave women the right to vote. However, in 1887, Congress disenfranchised Utah women with the Edmunds–Tucker Act. In 1867–96, eastern activists promoted women's suffrage in Utah as an experiment, and as a way to eliminate polygamy. They were Presbyterians and other Protestants convinced that Mormonism was a non-Christian cult that grossly mistreated women. The Mormons promoted woman suffrage to counter the negative image of downtrodden Mormon women. With the 1890 Manifesto clearing the way for statehood, in 1895 Utah adopted a constitution restoring the right of women's suffrage. Congress admitted Utah as a state with that constitution in 1896.
Though less numerous than other intermountain states at the time, several lynching murders for alleged misdeeds occurred in Utah territory at the hand of vigilantes. Those documented include the following, with their ethnicity or national origin noted in parentheses if it was provided in the source:
William Torrington in Carson City (then a part of Utah territory), 1859
Thomas Coleman (Black man) in Salt Lake City, 1866
3 unidentified men at Wahsatch, winter of 1868
A Black man in Uintah, 1869
Charles A. Benson in Logan, 1873
Ah Sing (Chinese man) in Corinne, 1874
Thomas Forrest in St. George, 1880
William Harvey (Black man) in Salt Lake City, 1883
John Murphy in Park City, 1883
George Segal (Japanese man) in Ogden, 1884
Joseph Fisher in Eureka, 1886
Robert Marshall (Black man) in Castle Gate, 1925
Other lynchings in Utah territory include multiple instances of mass murder of Native American children, women, and men by White settlers including the Battle Creek massacre (1849), Provo River Massacre (1850), Nephi massacre (1853), and Circleville Massacre (1866).
Beginning in the early 20th century, with the establishment of such national parks as Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park, Utah began to become known for its natural beauty. Southern Utah became a popular filming spot for arid, rugged scenes, and such natural landmarks as Delicate Arch and "the Mittens" of Monument Valley are instantly recognizable to most national residents. During the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, with the construction of the Interstate highway system, accessibility to the southern scenic areas was made easier.
Beginning in 1939, with the establishment of Alta Ski Area, Utah has become world-renowned for its skiing. The dry, powdery snow of the Wasatch Range is considered some of the best skiing in the world. Salt Lake City won the bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics in 1995, and this has served as a great boost to the economy. The ski resorts have increased in popularity, and many of the Olympic venues scattered across the Wasatch Front continue to be used for sporting events. This also spurred the development of the light-rail system in the Salt Lake Valley, known as TRAX, and the re-construction of the freeway system around the city.
During the late 20th century, the state grew quickly. In the 1970s, growth was phenomenal in the suburbs. Sandy was one of the fastest-growing cities in the country at that time, and West Valley City is the state's 2nd most populous city. Today, many areas of Utah are seeing phenomenal growth. Northern Davis, southern and western Salt Lake, Summit, eastern Tooele, Utah, Wasatch, and Washington counties are all growing very quickly. Transportation and urbanization are major issues in politics as development consumes agricultural land and wilderness areas.
In 2012, the State of Utah passed the Utah Transfer of Public Lands Act in an attempt to gain control over a substantial portion of federal land in the state from the federal government, based on language in the Utah Enabling Act of 1894. The State does not intend to use force or assert control by limiting access in an attempt to control the disputed lands, but does intend to use a multi-step process of education, negotiation, legislation, and if necessary, litigation as part of its multi-year effort to gain state or private control over the lands after 2014.
Utah families, like most Americans everywhere, did their utmost to assist in the war effort. Tires, meat, butter, sugar, fats, oils, coffee, shoes, boots, gasoline, canned fruits, vegetables, and soups were rationed on a national basis. The school day was shortened and bus routes were reduced to limit the number of resources used stateside and increase what could be sent to soldiers.
Geneva Steel was built to increase the steel production for America during World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had proposed opening a steel mill in Utah in 1936, but the idea was shelved after a couple of months. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States entered the war and the steel plant was put into progress. In April 1944, Geneva shipped its first order, which consisted of over 600 tons of steel plate. Geneva Steel also brought thousands of job opportunities to Utah. The positions were hard to fill as many of Utah's men were overseas fighting. Women began working, filling 25 percent of the jobs.
As a result of Utah's and Geneva Steels contribution during the war, several Liberty Ships were named in honor of Utah including the USS Joseph Smith, USS Brigham Young, USS Provo, and the USS Peter Skene Ogden.
One of the sectors of the beachhead of Normandy Landings was codenamed Utah Beach, and the amphibious landings at the beach were undertaken by United States Army troops.
It is estimated that 1,450 soldiers from Utah were killed in the war.
Dark.
An estimated average of 1.5 million Japanese people travel abroad every single month.
The European Union has been a favorite destination for the Japanese for quite a long time now. Trade links between Japan and Europe go hundreds of years back in time. In the entire Europe, France has always been a major pick for Japanese travelers due to its romanticism and touristic aura. Apart from France, Spain and Germany see a lot of tourists from Japan.
It is estimated that well over two million Japanese will visit Germany in 2017.
Candid street shot,
Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Canton of Schaffhausen, Switzerland (just over the border).
See more photos of this, and the Wikipedia article.
Details, quoting from Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird:
No reconnaissance aircraft in history has operated globally in more hostile airspace or with such complete impunity than the SR-71, the world's fastest jet-propelled aircraft. The Blackbird's performance and operational achievements placed it at the pinnacle of aviation technology developments during the Cold War.
This Blackbird accrued about 2,800 hours of flight time during 24 years of active service with the U.S. Air Force. On its last flight, March 6, 1990, Lt. Col. Ed Yielding and Lt. Col. Joseph Vida set a speed record by flying from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., in 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 20 seconds, averaging 3,418 kilometers (2,124 miles) per hour. At the flight's conclusion, they landed at Washington-Dulles International Airport and turned the airplane over to the Smithsonian.
Transferred from the United States Air Force.
Manufacturer:
Designer:
Date:
1964
Country of Origin:
United States of America
Dimensions:
Overall: 18ft 5 15/16in. x 55ft 7in. x 107ft 5in., 169998.5lb. (5.638m x 16.942m x 32.741m, 77110.8kg)
Other: 18ft 5 15/16in. x 107ft 5in. x 55ft 7in. (5.638m x 32.741m x 16.942m)
Materials:
Titanium
Physical Description:
Twin-engine, two-seat, supersonic strategic reconnaissance aircraft; airframe constructed largley of titanium and its alloys; vertical tail fins are constructed of a composite (laminated plastic-type material) to reduce radar cross-section; Pratt and Whitney J58 (JT11D-20B) turbojet engines feature large inlet shock cones.
Long Description:
No reconnaissance aircraft in history has operated in more hostile airspace or with such complete impunity than the SR-71 Blackbird. It is the fastest aircraft propelled by air-breathing engines. The Blackbird's performance and operational achievements placed it at the pinnacle of aviation technology developments during the Cold War. The airplane was conceived when tensions with communist Eastern Europe reached levels approaching a full-blown crisis in the mid-1950s. U.S. military commanders desperately needed accurate assessments of Soviet worldwide military deployments, particularly near the Iron Curtain. Lockheed Aircraft Corporation's subsonic U-2 (see NASM collection) reconnaissance aircraft was an able platform but the U. S. Air Force recognized that this relatively slow aircraft was already vulnerable to Soviet interceptors. They also understood that the rapid development of surface-to-air missile systems could put U-2 pilots at grave risk. The danger proved reality when a U-2 was shot down by a surface to air missile over the Soviet Union in 1960.
Lockheed's first proposal for a new high speed, high altitude, reconnaissance aircraft, to be capable of avoiding interceptors and missiles, centered on a design propelled by liquid hydrogen. This proved to be impracticable because of considerable fuel consumption. Lockheed then reconfigured the design for conventional fuels. This was feasible and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), already flying the Lockheed U-2, issued a production contract for an aircraft designated the A-12. Lockheed's clandestine 'Skunk Works' division (headed by the gifted design engineer Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson) designed the A-12 to cruise at Mach 3.2 and fly well above 18,288 m (60,000 feet). To meet these challenging requirements, Lockheed engineers overcame many daunting technical challenges. Flying more than three times the speed of sound generates 316° C (600° F) temperatures on external aircraft surfaces, which are enough to melt conventional aluminum airframes. The design team chose to make the jet's external skin of titanium alloy to which shielded the internal aluminum airframe. Two conventional, but very powerful, afterburning turbine engines propelled this remarkable aircraft. These power plants had to operate across a huge speed envelope in flight, from a takeoff speed of 334 kph (207 mph) to more than 3,540 kph (2,200 mph). To prevent supersonic shock waves from moving inside the engine intake causing flameouts, Johnson's team had to design a complex air intake and bypass system for the engines.
Skunk Works engineers also optimized the A-12 cross-section design to exhibit a low radar profile. Lockheed hoped to achieve this by carefully shaping the airframe to reflect as little transmitted radar energy (radio waves) as possible, and by application of special paint designed to absorb, rather than reflect, those waves. This treatment became one of the first applications of stealth technology, but it never completely met the design goals.
Test pilot Lou Schalk flew the single-seat A-12 on April 24, 1962, after he became airborne accidentally during high-speed taxi trials. The airplane showed great promise but it needed considerable technical refinement before the CIA could fly the first operational sortie on May 31, 1967 - a surveillance flight over North Vietnam. A-12s, flown by CIA pilots, operated as part of the Air Force's 1129th Special Activities Squadron under the "Oxcart" program. While Lockheed continued to refine the A-12, the U. S. Air Force ordered an interceptor version of the aircraft designated the YF-12A. The Skunk Works, however, proposed a "specific mission" version configured to conduct post-nuclear strike reconnaissance. This system evolved into the USAF's familiar SR-71.
Lockheed built fifteen A-12s, including a special two-seat trainer version. Two A-12s were modified to carry a special reconnaissance drone, designated D-21. The modified A-12s were redesignated M-21s. These were designed to take off with the D-21 drone, powered by a Marquart ramjet engine mounted on a pylon between the rudders. The M-21 then hauled the drone aloft and launched it at speeds high enough to ignite the drone's ramjet motor. Lockheed also built three YF-12As but this type never went into production. Two of the YF-12As crashed during testing. Only one survives and is on display at the USAF Museum in Dayton, Ohio. The aft section of one of the "written off" YF-12As which was later used along with an SR-71A static test airframe to manufacture the sole SR-71C trainer. One SR-71 was lent to NASA and designated YF-12C. Including the SR-71C and two SR-71B pilot trainers, Lockheed constructed thirty-two Blackbirds. The first SR-71 flew on December 22, 1964. Because of extreme operational costs, military strategists decided that the more capable USAF SR-71s should replace the CIA's A-12s. These were retired in 1968 after only one year of operational missions, mostly over southeast Asia. The Air Force's 1st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (part of the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing) took over the missions, flying the SR-71 beginning in the spring of 1968.
After the Air Force began to operate the SR-71, it acquired the official name Blackbird-- for the special black paint that covered the airplane. This paint was formulated to absorb radar signals, to radiate some of the tremendous airframe heat generated by air friction, and to camouflage the aircraft against the dark sky at high altitudes.
Experience gained from the A-12 program convinced the Air Force that flying the SR-71 safely required two crew members, a pilot and a Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO). The RSO operated with the wide array of monitoring and defensive systems installed on the airplane. This equipment included a sophisticated Electronic Counter Measures (ECM) system that could jam most acquisition and targeting radar. In addition to an array of advanced, high-resolution cameras, the aircraft could also carry equipment designed to record the strength, frequency, and wavelength of signals emitted by communications and sensor devices such as radar. The SR-71 was designed to fly deep into hostile territory, avoiding interception with its tremendous speed and high altitude. It could operate safely at a maximum speed of Mach 3.3 at an altitude more than sixteen miles, or 25,908 m (85,000 ft), above the earth. The crew had to wear pressure suits similar to those worn by astronauts. These suits were required to protect the crew in the event of sudden cabin pressure loss while at operating altitudes.
To climb and cruise at supersonic speeds, the Blackbird's Pratt & Whitney J-58 engines were designed to operate continuously in afterburner. While this would appear to dictate high fuel flows, the Blackbird actually achieved its best "gas mileage," in terms of air nautical miles per pound of fuel burned, during the Mach 3+ cruise. A typical Blackbird reconnaissance flight might require several aerial refueling operations from an airborne tanker. Each time the SR-71 refueled, the crew had to descend to the tanker's altitude, usually about 6,000 m to 9,000 m (20,000 to 30,000 ft), and slow the airplane to subsonic speeds. As velocity decreased, so did frictional heat. This cooling effect caused the aircraft's skin panels to shrink considerably, and those covering the fuel tanks contracted so much that fuel leaked, forming a distinctive vapor trail as the tanker topped off the Blackbird. As soon as the tanks were filled, the jet's crew disconnected from the tanker, relit the afterburners, and again climbed to high altitude.
Air Force pilots flew the SR-71 from Kadena AB, Japan, throughout its operational career but other bases hosted Blackbird operations, too. The 9th SRW occasionally deployed from Beale AFB, California, to other locations to carryout operational missions. Cuban missions were flown directly from Beale. The SR-71 did not begin to operate in Europe until 1974, and then only temporarily. In 1982, when the U.S. Air Force based two aircraft at Royal Air Force Base Mildenhall to fly monitoring mission in Eastern Europe.
When the SR-71 became operational, orbiting reconnaissance satellites had already replaced manned aircraft to gather intelligence from sites deep within Soviet territory. Satellites could not cover every geopolitical hotspot so the Blackbird remained a vital tool for global intelligence gathering. On many occasions, pilots and RSOs flying the SR-71 provided information that proved vital in formulating successful U. S. foreign policy. Blackbird crews provided important intelligence about the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and its aftermath, and pre- and post-strike imagery of the 1986 raid conducted by American air forces on Libya. In 1987, Kadena-based SR-71 crews flew a number of missions over the Persian Gulf, revealing Iranian Silkworm missile batteries that threatened commercial shipping and American escort vessels.
As the performance of space-based surveillance systems grew, along with the effectiveness of ground-based air defense networks, the Air Force started to lose enthusiasm for the expensive program and the 9th SRW ceased SR-71 operations in January 1990. Despite protests by military leaders, Congress revived the program in 1995. Continued wrangling over operating budgets, however, soon led to final termination. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration retained two SR-71As and the one SR-71B for high-speed research projects and flew these airplanes until 1999.
On March 6, 1990, the service career of one Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird ended with a record-setting flight. This special airplane bore Air Force serial number 64-17972. Lt. Col. Ed Yeilding and his RSO, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Vida, flew this aircraft from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. in 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 20 seconds, averaging a speed of 3,418 kph (2,124 mph). At the conclusion of the flight, '972 landed at Dulles International Airport and taxied into the custody of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. At that time, Lt. Col. Vida had logged 1,392.7 hours of flight time in Blackbirds, more than that of any other crewman.
This particular SR-71 was also flown by Tom Alison, a former National Air and Space Museum's Chief of Collections Management. Flying with Detachment 1 at Kadena Air Force Base, Okinawa, Alison logged more than a dozen '972 operational sorties. The aircraft spent twenty-four years in active Air Force service and accrued a total of 2,801.1 hours of flight time.
Wingspan: 55'7"
Length: 107'5"
Height: 18'6"
Weight: 170,000 Lbs
Reference and Further Reading:
Crickmore, Paul F. Lockheed SR-71: The Secret Missions Exposed. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 1996.
Francillon, Rene J. Lockheed Aircraft Since 1913. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 1987.
Johnson, Clarence L. Kelly: More Than My Share of It All. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1985.
Miller, Jay. Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works. Leicester, U.K.: Midland Counties Publishing Ltd., 1995.
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird curatorial file, Aeronautics Division, National Air and Space Museum.
DAD, 11-11-01
This Komodo dragon lives at Colchester Zoo in Essex.
The Komodo dragon is a member of the monitor lizard family Varanidae that is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang.
It is the largest species of lizard, with an average male growing in the wild to 8 ft. 6 in. (2.59 m) in length and weighing 174 to 201 lb. (79 to 91 kg), while an average female will measure 7.ft 6 in. (2.29 m) and weigh 150 to 161 lb. (68 to 73 kg). Captive specimens often weigh more.
The Komodo dragon has a tail as long as its body, as well as about 60 frequently replaced, serrated teeth that can measure up to 1 in. (25 mm) in length. It also has a long, yellow, deeply forked tongue.
Komodo dragon skin is reinforced by armoured scales, which contain tiny bones called osteoderms that function as a sort of natural chain-mail. The only areas lacking osteoderms are around the eyes, nostrils, mouth margins, and pineal eye, a light-sensing organ on the top of the head.
This lizard prefers hot and dry places and typically lives in dry, open grassland, savanna, and tropical forest at low elevations. Komodo dragons are solitary, coming together only to breed and eat. They are capable of running rapidly in brief sprints up to 12 mph (20 km/h), diving to 15 ft. (4.5 m), and climbing trees proficiently when young through use of their strong claws. To catch out of reach prey, the Komodo dragon may stand on its hind legs and use its tail as a support. As it matures, its claws are used primarily as weapons, as its great size makes climbing impractical.
For shelter, the Komodo dragon digs holes with its powerful forelimbs and claw that can measure from 3 ft. 3 in. to 9 ft. 9 in. (1 to 3 m) wide. Because of its large size and habit of sleeping in these burrows, it is able to conserve body heat throughout the night and minimise its basking period the morning after. Komodo dragons hunts in the afternoon, but stays in the shade during the hottest part of the day. These special resting places, usually located on ridges with cool sea breezes and are cleared of vegetation.
Komodo dragons are apex predators. They are carnivores, although they have been considered as eating mostly carrion. They will frequently ambush live prey with a stealthy approach. When suitable prey arrives near a dragon's ambush site, it will suddenly charge at the animal at high speeds and go for the preys underside or throat. Komodo dragons do not deliberately allow the prey to escape with fatal injuries but try to kill prey outright using a combination of lacerating damage and blood loss. They have been recorded as killing wild pigs within seconds. Komodo dragons eat by tearing large chunks of flesh and swallowing them whole while holding the carcass down with their forelegs. For smaller prey, up to the size of a goat, they swallow prey whole. After eating up to 80% of its body weight in one meal, it drags itself to a sunny location to speed digestion, as the food could rot and poison the dragon if left undigested in its stomach for too long. Because of their slow metabolism, large dragons can survive on as few as 12 meals a year.
The Komodo dragon's diet is wide ranging, and includes invertebrates, other reptiles, including smaller Komodo dragons, birds, bird eggs, small mammals, monkeys, wild boar, goats, pigs, deer, horses, and water buffalo. Young Komodo's will eat insects, eggs, geckos, and small mammals, while adults prefer to hunt large mammals. Occasionally, they attack humans. According to data from Komodo National Park from between 1974 and 2012, there were 24 reported attacks on humans, five of them fatal. Most of the victims were local villagers living around the national park. Sometimes dragons consume human corpses, digging up bodies from shallow graves. This habit of raiding graves caused the villagers of Komodo to move their graves from sandy to clay ground, and pile rocks on top of them, to deter the lizards.
Female Komodos lay their eggs from August to September and may use several types of locality. In one study, 60% laid their eggs in the nests of orange-footed scrubfowl, 20% on ground level and 20% in hilly areas. The females make many camouflage nests/holes to prevent other dragons from eating the eggs. Clutches contain an average of 20 eggs, which have an incubation period of 7 to 8 months. Hatchlings are born defenceless and are vulnerable to predation. From a single nest, 16 youngsters were on average 18.3 in.( 465 mm) long and weighed 3.7 oz. (105 g). Young Komodo dragons spend much of their first few years in trees, where they are relatively safe from predators, including cannibalistic adults, as juvenile dragons make up 10% of an adults diets.
Komodo dragons take approximately 8 to 9 years to mature, and may live for up to 30 years.
The Komodo dragon's conservation status is 'Endangered'. In 2013, the total population of wild Komodo dragons was assessed as 3,222 individuals, declining to 3,092 in 2014 and 3,014 in 2015. Volcanic activity, earthquakes, loss of habitat, fire, tourism, loss of prey due to poaching, and illegal poaching of the dragons themselves have all contributed to the vulnerable status of the Komodo dragon.
Lugo's Grill is a highly rated, cash-only Cuban eatery located at 20583 W Pennsylvania Ave, Dunnellon, FL 34431.
Menu Highlights
Cuban Sandwich: Pressed Cuban bread with slow-roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, mustard, and pickles.
Pollo Relleno: Breaded chicken breast stuffed with shrimp and Swiss cheese, topped with lemon garlic sauce.
Ropa Vieja: Shredded beef simmered with garlic, onions, peppers, and tomatoes.
Tostones Rellenos: Fried plantain cups topped with seasoned beef (picadillo), cheddar, and pico de gallo.
Desserts: Traditional flan, coconut pecan crusted flan, and guava puff pastries.
Quick Details
Vibe: Casual, cozy, family-friendly, and BYOB (Bring Your Own Beverage).
Payment: Strictly cash-only, so plan ahead before visiting.
Price: Budget-friendly, typically averaging $10–$20 per person.
Service: Dine-in and takeout options are available; they do not offer delivery.
Credit for the data above is given to the following websites:
www.google.com/search?q=lugo%27s+grill&sca_esv=3b4cc2...
www.google.com/search?q=when+was+the+building+at+20583+w+...
www.google.com/search?q=who+was+the+architect+of+20583+w+...
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Dog friendly
Eating out-of-doors is my favorite. It’s even better when I can bring my dog. Every year, I look forward to sunny days and picnics and frisbee with Jasper.
It was a beautiful Sunday for a picnic! I was brave and went, alone, to a meet up with people I didn’t know. I did bring Jasper, though. He was a hit, and, as usual, demonstrated how he is “smarter than the average bear”! (He was also more polite than the average bear and patiently waited for people to spill their food before eating it.)
Shirt, Dolce Vita (thrifted). Overalls, Duluth. Shoes, Rocket Dog. Bag, thrifted.
++++++ from wikipedia +++++++++
Biarritz (French pronunciation: [bjaʁits]; Basque: Biarritz [biarits̻] or Miarritze [miarits̻e]; Gascon Occitan: Biàrritz [ˈbjarits]) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located 35 kilometres (22 mi) from the border with Spain. It is a luxurious seaside tourist destination known for the Hôtel du Palais (originally built for the Empress Eugénie circa 1855), its casinos and its surfing culture.
Contents
1 Geography
2 Etymology
3 History
3.1 Prehistory
3.2 Middle Ages
3.3 Whaling
3.4 18th century
3.5 19th century
3.6 Belle Époque
3.7 After World War II
3.8 The arrival of surfing in Europe
4 Main sights
5 Climate
6 Politics
6.1 Mayors
7 Demography
8 Economy
9 Culture
9.1 Languages
9.2 Museums
9.3 Music and dance
9.4 Theatre
9.5 Cinema
9.6 Civil buildings
9.7 Religious buildings
9.8 Parks
9.8.1 Rocks
9.8.2 Beaches
9.8.3 Gardens
10 Infrastructures
10.1 Sport
10.2 Education
10.2.1 Schools
10.2.2 High Schools
10.3 Transport
11 Notable people and popular culture
12 International relations
12.1 Twin towns/sister cities
13 Festivities
14 References
15 External links
Geography
Biarritz is located in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. It is adjacent to Bayonne and Anglet and 35 kilometres (22 mi) from the border with Spain. It is in the traditional province of Labourd in the French Basque Country.
Etymology
In Basque, its name is Biarritz or Miarritze. Its current Occitan Gascon name is Biàrrits. The name for an inhabitant is Biarrot; Biarriztar ou Miarriztar in Basque. The suffix -itz (cp. Isturitz) is a Basque locative. The name appears as Bearriz in 1170, Bearids in 1186, and Bearritz in 1249.
Biarritz appears as Bearids and Bearriz in 1150, Beiarridz in 1165, Bearriz and Beariz in 1170, Bearidz (1186), Bearriz and Beariz (12th century), lo port de Beiarriz and Bearridz in 1261, (cartulaire de Bayonne). Other forms include Beiarid (1199), Bearritz (1249), Beiarriz and Beiarrids (1261), Bearridz (1281), Bearrits (1338), (rôles gascons), Bearritz (1498, chapitre de Bayonne38), Sanctus Martinus de Biarriz (1689, collations du diocèse de Bayonne39), mearritcen (1712), Biarrits (1863, dictionnaire topographique Béarn-Pays basque) et Biarritze et Miarritze au XIXe siècleNote 10.
History
Prehistory
Analysis of stones from the Middle Paleolithic show that the Biarritz area was inhabited at that time.
Middle Ages
The oldest mention appears in a cartulary, Baiona’s Golden book, from 1186, where it is named Bearids; some years later the name used was Beiarrids. The first urban town was to the south, at the top and at the interior, where the church of San Martin is located. This church is the oldest in Biarritz.
In 1152, Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry II of England, who became suzerain of the Duchy of Aquitaine. Prince Edward, oldest son of Henry III of England, was invested with the duchy, and betrothed to Eleanor of Castile, who brought him rights over Gascony.
Two population centers are attested in the Middle Ages. On the one hand, the église Saint-Martin was active in the neighborhoods in the territory's interior, which were:[1]
Gardague (mentioned en 1233)
Legure (lac Mouriscot)
Larrepunte and the domains of Silloete-de-Bas and Silloete-de-Haut,
Arretegui,
Chabiague,
Castera,
Suhy,
Itçar (mentioned in 1342),
Monsegur (1335),
Martin Petit,
Chohy,
Maron,
Catalina
Harausta (which would become La Négresse).
On the other hand, the château of Belay (first mentioned in 1342), also called château de Ferragus, protected the coast and the current Port-Vieux (old port), while religious life and community assemblies took place at Notre-Dame-de-Pitié (a chapel mentioned in 1498), dominating the Port-des-Pêcheurs, or fishing port.
A document dated May 26, 1342 attested to this fishing activity, authorising les Biarrots to "(…) remit to Bayonne all the fresh fish that we and succeeding inhabitantsof Biarritz can fish from the salt sea".
Construction of the château de Ferragus was decided by the English, on the foundations of a Roman work, at the summit of the promontory overlooking the sea, named Atalaye, used as a whale-observation post. This château had a double crenulated wall two meters thick, a drawbridge and four towers. Mentions of this château occur as late as 1603, in the letters patent of Henry IV. One tower remained as of 1739, when a daymark was established there, called de la Haille, then de la Humade. The tower disappeared in 1856.
Whaling
Further information: History of Basque whaling
Most of the documents, records and official agreements gathered in the archives from Biarritz mention whaling. This was the principal local industry. Consequently, the town's coat of arms features the image of a whale below a rowing boat manned by five sailors wearing berets, one of whom is preparing to throw a harpoon. This inscription is written on it: Aura, sidus, mare, adjuvant me (The air, the stars and the seas are helping me).
Biarritz has long made its living from the sea: from the 12th century onwards, it was a whaling town. In the 18th century, doctors claimed that the ocean at Biarritz had therapeutic properties, inspiring patients to make pilgrimages to the beach for alleged cures for their ailments. After the 7th century, Biarritz had many confrontations with Baiona, with the Kingdom of England – Lapurdi was under its control – and with the Bishop of Baiona. Almost all of the disputes were about whale hunting. In 1284, the town's right to hunt whales was reinstated by the authorities of Lapurdi and the Duchy of Aquitaine.
From the Middle Ages and Early modern period a watchtower has looked down over the sea at Biarritz, from “La Humade”, waiting for the sight of a whale. Whenever those keeping watch saw a whale, they would burn wet straw, to create a large amount of smoke and thus communicate the news to their fellow countrymen. Eventually, however, the tower disappeared.
In the 16th century, as a consequence of the attacks suffered in this area, or for other reasons, the whales migrated to other places. Whale hunters from Lapurdi therefore crossed the Atlantic Ocean in pursuit of them, and they spent some time in the Labrador Peninsula and in Newfoundland (island). Later, instead of hunting whales, they started cod fishing in Newfoundland. A century later, due to the ban on fishing off the coasts of America and the steely competence of English and Dutch fishermen, the number of fishing boats from Biarritz diminished and nowadays, the Biarritz fishing industry in these areas has come to an end.
Even though the population from Biarritz was originally Basque, it is hard to assert whether the main language of the village was Basque or French.
The first lighthouse of the village was built in 1650.
18th century
The Cape of Biarritz.
Biarritz was an independent municipality, until 1784, a clergyman, four sworn and the city was governed by twelve deputies. Deputies were democratically chosen: there were four neighbourhoods (Portua, Bustingorri, Hurlaga and Alto), and three deputies has to be chosen from each of them. However, deputies were chosen by the abbot and sworn. Since they had no Town House, they gathered in a ward near the church. As they did not have place for all the attending people, they made their meetings in the cemetery. That time, Biarritz was composed of around 1,700 citizens.
In the mid-18th century, the city began to change into a worldwide known bath-city.
19th century
From 1784 onwards, after the French Revolution, taking a bath at the sea was no longer a behaviour of those who were fools; sea-baths were fashionable. In 1808, Napoleon himself broke prejudices and took a bath on the Basque Country’s coastal water.
In 1840, the Town House or Municipality of Biarritz started to organize an initiative in order to promote and attract those who loved most the sea.
From the 11th century, Biarritz was a village dedicated to whale hunting, until Victor Hugo, found it in 1843. This writer made to Biarritz the following compliments on his book “Alpeak eta Pirinioak” :
« I have not met in the world any place more pleasant and perfect than Biarritz. I have never seen the old Neptune throwing joy and glory with such a force in the old Cybele. All this coast is full of humming. Gascony’s sea grinds, scratches, and stretches on the reefs its never ending whisper. Friendly population and white cheerful houses, large dunes, fine sand, great caves and proud sea, Biarritz is amazing. My only fear is Biarritz becoming fashionable. Whether this happens, the wild village, rural and still honest Biarritz, will be money-hungry. Biarritz will put poplars in the hills, railings in the dunes, kiosks in the rocks, seats in the caves, trousers worn on tourists. »
Either for good or for bad, Victor Hugo’s prophecy was fulfilled. Biarritz planted poplars, tamarinds, hydrangeas, roses and pitosforuses on the slopes and the hills, set railings on the dunes, covered moats with elegant stairs… and polluted with the speculation of the land and the money-hunger.
Humble and proud tourists praise Biarritz’s coast, from the beach at the limit of Bidarte (Plage des Basques), to the cape of San Martin. There it can be found a white lighthouse 44 metres (144 feet) tall, built in 1834 replacing the one Louis XIV ordered to build. Various hotels were made, as well as a municipal casino, the club Belleuve and the casino were opened in 1857, the thalassotherapy house, and wonderful luxury houses. Luxurious store shops from London and Paris were also set up in Biarritz, and 36 small newspapers were published in the village.
Hôtel du Palais, Biarritz, France(2).JPG
Hôtel du Palais, Biarritz, France (2)
Biarritz became more renowned in 1854 when Empress Eugenie (the wife of Napoleon III) built a palace on the beach (now the Hôtel du Palais). European royalty, including British monarchs Queen Victoria and King Edward VII (who caused a minor scandal when he called H. H. Asquith to kiss hands at Biarritz in 1908 rather than return to London for the purpose),[2] and the Spanish king Alfonso XIII, were frequent visitors.
Biarritz's casino (opened 10 August 1901) and beaches make the town a notable tourist centre for Europeans and East Coast North Americans. The city has also become a prime destination for surfers from around the world, developing a nightlife and surf-based culture.
Originally, there were two settlement sites: the neighbourhood that was around the church of San Martin, and the fishing-port defended by Belay or Ferragus Castle. The coat of arms was a whaler, which was a symbol of the town.
Opened in June 1893, Biarritz’s salt-baths were designed and built by the architect Lagarde. From the gatzagas of Beskoitz and after passing through a 20-kilometre (12 mi) pipe, water ten times saltier than the sea was used. The baths were closed in 1953 and demolished in 1968.
The presence of French Republic’s authorities and the fact of having launched the Paris-Henday train, led Biarritz to become one of the most outstanding tourist areas all over Europe. The queen of the beaches became the beach of the kings: Oskar II from Sweden, Leopoldo from Belgium, tireless traveller, the empress of Russia, Nikolas II’s mother, Elisabeth from Austria, Natalia from Serbia, and her ill son Alexandro, Jurgi V from England, Eduardo VII and England’s Queen Victoria, Alfonso XIII from Spain, aristocrats, rich people, actors, from Europe and South America… In the summer-time, high-status people gathered in Biarritz. Therefore, the number of population remarkably increased, from 5,000 to 18,000. At the end of the 19th century, 50,000 vacationers were gathering in Biarritz.
Belle Époque
Biarritz market.
The big store named Biarritz Bonheur, created in 1894, enlarged twice (in 1911 and 1926), and still operating, became the temple of luxury and fashion. At the start of the 20th century, most of its workers spoke in English.
After World War II
At the end of World War II in Europe, the U.S. Army's Information and Educational Branch was ordered to establish an overseas university campus for demobilized American service men and women in the French resort town of Biarritz. Under General Samuel L. McCroskey, the hotels and casinos of Biarritz were converted into quarters, labs, and class spaces for U.S. service personnel. The University opened 10 August 1945 and about 10,000 students attended an eight-week term. This campus was set up to provide a transition between army life and subsequent attendance at a university in the USA, so students attended for just one term. After three successful terms, the G.I. University closed in March 1946 (see G. I. American Universities).[3]
The arrival of surfing in Europe
In 1957, the American film director Peter Viertel was in Biarritz with his wife Deborah Kerr working on the film The Sun Also Rises. One of his Californian friends came for a visit, and his use of a surfboard off Biarritz is recognized as the first time surfing was practised in Europe. Biarritz eventually became one of the most popular European surfing spots.
Main sights
Sights in Biarritz include:
The Asiatica Museum houses a significant collection of Asian art primarily from India, Nepal, Tibet, and China.
The Museum of the Sea has 24 aquaria containing sharks and seals.
The annual Biarritz Surf Festival, founded in 1993 at the Côte des Basques, is one of the premier surf events in Europe and longboarding events in the world.[4]
St-Martin's Church, constructed in the 12th century, restored in the mid-16th century.
The Russian Orthodox Church, built in the 19th century for visiting Russian aristocrats, has a famous blue dome.
The Chapelle Imperiale built for Empress Eugenie has an intricately decorated roof interior and elegant wall tiling. She also built a palace on the beach which is now the Hôtel du Palais.
The Museum of Chocolate explains the history and manufacture of chocolate.
Two large casinos, the Barrière and the Bellevue, sit on the waterfront near the Grande Plage.
Cliffs and lookouts lie to the west of the main beach.
Climate
Biarritz has a temperate oceanic climate, Cfb in the Köppen climate classification.
Les baigneuses à Biarritz
Biarritz from the Pointe Saint-Martin.
La Grande Plage, the town's largest beach.
Sainte-Eugénie church.
Outdoor cafés.
Notre Dame du Rocher.
Plage Miramar
Railway poster
Climate data for Biarritz-Anglet (altitude 69 metres (226 feet), 1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 23.4
(74.1) 28.9
(84) 29.7
(85.5) 32.1
(89.8) 34.8
(94.6) 39.2
(102.6) 39.8
(103.6) 40.6
(105.1) 37.0
(98.6) 32.2
(90) 27.8
(82) 25.1
(77.2) 40.6
(105.1)
Average high °C (°F) 12.0
(53.6) 12.8
(55) 15.0
(59) 16.2
(61.2) 19.6
(67.3) 22.1
(71.8) 24.1
(75.4) 24.7
(76.5) 23.2
(73.8) 20.0
(68) 15.1
(59.2) 12.5
(54.5) 18.1
(64.6)
Average low °C (°F) 4.8
(40.6) 5.0
(41) 7.0
(44.6) 8.5
(47.3) 11.6
(52.9) 14.6
(58.3) 16.7
(62.1) 17.0
(62.6) 14.5
(58.1) 11.9
(53.4) 7.7
(45.9) 5.5
(41.9) 10.4
(50.7)
Record low °C (°F) −12.7
(9.1) −11.5
(11.3) −7.2
(19) −1.3
(29.7) 3.3
(37.9) 5.3
(41.5) 9.2
(48.6) 8.6
(47.5) 5.3
(41.5) −0.6
(30.9) −5.7
(21.7) −8.9
(16) −12.7
(9.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 128.8
(5.071) 111.5
(4.39) 103.5
(4.075) 129.7
(5.106) 113.9
(4.484) 87.8
(3.457) 69.3
(2.728) 98.4
(3.874) 119.6
(4.709) 152.1
(5.988) 185.9
(7.319) 150.4
(5.921) 1,450.9
(57.122)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) 13.4 12.0 11.9 13.6 12.9 10.4 8.8 9.6 9.7 12.5 13.0 12.6 140.5
Average snowy days 0.8 1.0 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.5 3.0
Average relative humidity (%) 77 75 73 77 78 81 80 81 80 78 79 78 78.1
Mean monthly sunshine hours 100.2 114.1 164.4 169.4 193.7 203.3 209.0 206.8 192.8 141.7 103.8 88.3 1,887.3
Source #1: Météo France[5][6]
Source #2: Infoclimat.fr (humidity and snowy days, 1961–1990)[7]
Politics
Mayors
Mandate Name
1788-1789 Pierre Moussempès
1813-1814 Pierre Moussempès
1864-1881 Pierre-Paul Jaulerry
1881-1884 Alcide Augey
1884-1888 Alexandre Larralde-Diustegi
1888-1895 Alcide Augey
1895-1904 Félix Moureu
1904-1919 Pierre Forsans
1919-1929 Joseph Petit
1929-1941 Ferdinand Hirigoien
1941-1944 Henri Cazalis
1945-1977 Guy Petit
1977-1991 Bernard Marie
1991-2008 Didier Borotra
2008-2014 Didier Borotra
2014-2020 Mixel Veunac
Demography
Date of Population
1793 1800 1806 1820 1821 1831 1836 1841 1846 1851
929 1.171 1.188 - 1.082 1.495 1.705 1.892 1.993 2.048
1856 1861 1866 1872 1876 1881 1886 1891 1896
2.110 2.771 3.652 4.659 5.507 8.527 8.444 9.177 11.869
1901 1906 1911 1921 1926 1931 1936 1946 1954
12.812 15.093 18.260 18.353 20.776 22.955 20.691 22.022 22.922
1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2004 - -
25.231 26.750 27.595 26.598 28.742 30.055 - - -
For the census of 1962 to 1999 the official population corresponds with the population without duplicates according to the INSEE.
Economy
Although Biarritz’s economy was based on fishing before, nowadays it has a modern economy due to the metropolitan location of Baiona-Anglet-Biarritz. Together with Baiona and Anglet, Biarritz takes part in the management of the BAB Airport. The most important economic activities are:
Spa tourism
Sport (golf, surf and rugby)
Thalassotherapy
Industry. The most important industries are the following:
Séguier, French publishing house
Dassault Aviation, manufacturer of fuselage for Falcon planes.
Culture
Languages
As Anglet and Baiona, since they are located in the limit of Gascony and Basque Country, it is in doubt if in the Middle Age and the Modern era was Basque or Gascon the main language of the city. According to the book Atlas Linguistique de Gascogne, Biarritz is considered a Gascon town. But in 1863, Luis Luciano Bonaparte located the frontier of Basque in Biarritz, which in some neighborhoods was without any doubt the most used language. However, in the 20th-century French was the official and main language. From the 90th decade on, the Townhall of Biarritz has taken the Basque culture and the Basque language, and also it has promoted it. Nevertheless, the Gascon has been promoted by private institution, for instance the group of Gascon culture Ací Gasconha [19]
Museums
Sea Museum. Constructed in 1993 in the rock of Atalaia, it is an Art Déco building. It has a huge collection of sea animals and birds.
Museum of Chocolate
Asiatica, museum of the Eastern art. Art from India, Tibet, Nepal and China can be found
Museum of the History of Biarritz. Located in the Angelican Church of Saint Andrew in the 1980 decade
Cité de l’Ocean et du Surf, opened in 2011.
Music and dance
The city has the Ballet of Biarritz, which is the choreography location of France. Furthermore, it has the cultural centre Atabal and the chorus Oldarra, created in 1946.
Theatre
The emperors Napoleon III and Eugene of Montijo pusieron de moda the sea-theater on the Old Port neighborhood. Nowadays, the light works made by Pierre Bideau can be seen at night in the clift.
Cinema
Two film festivals of cinema are celebrated in Biarritz:
Festival of Latinoamerican Cinema of Biarritz.
International Festival of Audio-Visual Programs (FIPA)
Civil buildings
Hôtel du Palais or Eugénie House
Building of the Hotel of England, built in 1870 by Louis Moussempés
Natasha House
Sacchino or Castel Biarritz, house of Natalia of Serbia
Plaza Hotel
Cassino of Biarritz, from Art déco style
Lighthouse, built in 1834 in San Martin cape
Villa Black or Black House. Built by Alphonse Bertrand between 1880 and 1895
Goëland House, which from 2003 on is a hotel
Françon Castle
Boulard Castle
Pavilion of England
Fishermen House, in the port
The formerly health resort in the Old Port
Miremont sweet shop
Religious buildings
Imperial Chapel
Saint Martin church
Saint Eugene church, built between 1898 and 1903
San Alexandro Nevski (fr) and God’s Mother Protection Church
Synagogue of Biarritz
Parks
Rocks
Rocks of Biarritz. Every year they have an erosion of 70 centimeters
Beaches
Biarritz has six beaches: Miramar, Big, Old Port, Coast of the Basque, Marbella and Milady
Gardens
Biarritz has 120 hectare and two lakes (Marion and Muriskot)
In the centre, in front of the Midi station, apart from the public garden, there are Lahuze and Mazon gardens can be find
Infrastructures
Sport
Surfing in Biarritz is of a world-class standard and first appeared in 1957.[8] The town has a strong surfing culture,[9] and is known worldwide for its surfing scene and the competitions it hosts yearly, including the Quiksilver/Roxy Jam tournament. In July 2011, Biarritz also hosted the Roxy Pro event, a tournament part of the ASP Women's World Tour.
The town is home to a prominent rugby union club, Biarritz Olympique.
Basque pelota is a very popular sport of the Basque country. Several local and international competitions take place in Biarritz.
The golf course near the lighthouse (Le Phare) was created in 1888 by British residents. In addition, the town has a large circular golf range area on the border with illbaritz.
Education
Schools
The city has two public schools (Villa Fal and Jean Rostand) and one private (Immaculée-Conception).
High Schools
Malraux High Schools is the only one in Biarritz. There is also a tourism high school in the border of the Western neighborhood of La Négresse.
Transport
Biarritz is easily accessible from Paris by France's high-speed train, the TGV, and more regionally from Bordeaux, by TGV or TER. Trains are also available to travel east towards Nice. Night trains regularly depart from Irun, south of Biarritz and pass through the city before heading to Paris during an overnight trip. Many tourists and regulars to the city have begun using the night train to take weekend trips to Biarritz and saving travel time by traveling at night. The Biarritz – Anglet – Bayonne Airport is located about four kilometres (2.5 miles) from the city. It is near N10 road towards Anglet and is served by airlines from France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland and Germany.
Notable people and popular culture
Fishing port, beach, and lighthouse
Biarritz was the birthplace of:
Ernest Fourneau (1872–1949), chemist
Arnaud Massy (1877–1950), professional golfer
Maurice Hankey, 1st Baron Hankey (1877–1963), British civil servant
Jean Borotra (1898–1994), tennis player
Maurice Journeau (1898–1999), composer
Jacques Bergerac (1927 - 2014), actor
Léopold Eyharts (born 1957), astronaut
Other:
Eugénie de Montijo (1826–1920), the wife of Napoléon III, built the villa Eugénie, today the Hôtel du Palais.
Aaron Bank (1902–2004), World War II Office of Strategic Services (OSS) agent and co-founder of the U.S. Army's Special Forces Group (later, Green Berets), was a lifeguard and medical (physical) therapist's aide at Biarritz before he enlisted in the army in the late 1930s.
Aimée de Heeren, born Soto-Maior de Sá[10] (1903–2006) mistress of President Getúlio Vargas, owned the villa La Roseraie, 12 rue Martias, where she spent summers for half a century, receiving kings, heads of state, and many famous guests.
Pablo de Sarasate (10 March 1844 – 20 September 1908), who was a well known Romantic Era Spanish composer born in Pamplona, Spain, died in this city.
In 1959, Cadillac Motor Car introduced an upper level trim variant of its Eldorado model, marketed as the Eldorado Biarritz, which remained in production through 1985.
International relations
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in France
Twin towns/sister cities
Biarritz is twinned with:[11]
United States Augusta, Georgia, United States, since 1992[11]
Portugal Cascais, Portugal, since 1986[11]
Belgium Ixelles, Belgium, since 1958[11]
Spain Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, since 1996[11]
Spain Zaragoza, Spain, since 1986
Argentina Mar del Plata, Argentina since 1996
Festivities
The major festivities are celebrated in November 11, for Saint Martin. That day, the new gentleman of the Confrérie de l’Operne de Biarritz are proclaimed. Barnacle is their logotype and people who work in favor of ecology are chosen Since Biarritz is a city based in tourism, there are acts during the whole summer, such as pelota festivity, equestrian competition, concerts and recitals, folklore festivals, water acrobatic ski, sea trips, performances, rugby competitions, bullfights and night parties.
References
INSEE commune file
Eugène Goyheneche (1979). Le Pays basque : Soule, Labourd, Basse-Navarre (in French). Pau: Société nouvelle d’éditions régionales et de diffusion. p. 590.
Lee, Sidney (1927). King Edward VII: A Biography. London: Macmillan. pp. 581–582.
George P. Schmidt and J. G. Umstattd. "The American Army University at Biarritz, France." Bulletin of the American Association of University Professors. Vol. 32, No. 2 (Summer, 1946): 303-316.
Encyclopaedia of Surfing. Books.google.com.au. 2005. ISBN 0156032511. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
"Données climatiques de la station de Biarritz" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
"Climat Aquitaine" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
"Normes et records 1961-1990: Biarritz-Anglet (64) - altitude 69m" (in French). Infoclimat. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
Last Updated: 5:28PM BST 13 Aug 2007 (2007-08-13). "Biarritz: summer nights – Telegraph". Telegraph. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
"News from Biarritz – France". Biarritz.fr. Archived from the original on 2008-11-19. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
Aimee de Heeren Archived 2015-01-10 at the Wayback Machine..
"Twin towns, Biarritz official website". Biarritz.fr. Archived from the original on 2013-07-29. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
The Faroe Islands are an archipelago between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic, about halfway between Norway and Iceland, 320 kilometres north-northwest of Scotland. The islands are an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark. Their area is about 1,400 square kilometres with a population of 50,030 in April 2017.
The Faroes' terrain is rugged, and the islands have a subpolar oceanic climate: windy, wet, cloudy, and cool. Despite this island group's northerly latitude, temperatures average above freezing throughout the year because of the Gulf Stream.
Between 1035 and 1814, the Faroes were part of the Hereditary Kingdom of Norway. In 1814, the Treaty of Kiel granted Denmark control over the islands, along with two other Norwegian island possessions: Greenland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands have been a self-governing country within the Kingdom of Denmark since 1948.
The Faroese have control of most domestic matters. Areas that remain the responsibility of Denmark include military defence, the police department, the justice department, currency, and foreign affairs. However, as they are not part of the same customs area as Denmark, the Faroe Islands have an independent trade policy, and can establish trade agreements with other states. The islands also have representation in the Nordic Council as members of the Danish delegation. The people of the Faroe Islands also compete as a national team in certain sports.
(Wikipedia)
-----
The Faroe Islands have been on my travel list for quite a time; lost in the cold waters of the Atlantic, seldom visited, off-the-beaten path, possessing all those lovely moods of the deep north I'm fond of...
We spent 10 days in the archipelago in total, pursuing hiking day trips or even going for overnight stays somewhere in the wild - and it was a beautiful northern experience, with moods of solitude, splendid sunshine turning into heavy rains, sometimes strong winds - all in beautiful unspoiled nature and when exploring picturesque small towns and villages.
Best viewed in lightbox - please click on the image or press L.
Z to zoom in.
© All rights reserved R.Ertug
Please do not use this image without my explicit written permission.
Spring and fall are the best times of year for sightseeing in Istanbul. The weather is pleasant, with comfortable temperatures averaging around 15°C. While spring is high season in Istanbul, crowds don’t reach their peak until late May. In the fall, the number of tourists who arrive begins to dwindle, with the crowds thinning by early October. Many feel that spring is the best time of all, and particularly April, when the entire city is in bloom for the International Tulip Festival held throughout the month. Still, autumn is the time when the city comes alive in a gamut of colors, both somber and bright, while the light rain and glorious sunsets make for an impressionist painting of sorts. When visiting in the spring, summer or fall, the most pleasant time to experience Istanbul’s top sights is early in the morning, soon after opening, or late in the day. Popular Topkapi Palace is best visited on a Monday morning when it’s usually at its quietest. In winter, you can usually arrive at any time and find no queue or crowds. Summer is just the opposite, arguably the worst time to visit due to the sweltering heat, massive amounts of people visiting the city, and the lines for attractions and other tourist sites. As the major sights in Istanbul all have their own closing days and slightly different operating hours, be sure to check with each one before planning your itinerary.
EMIRGAN PARK -
The Emirgan Park is a historical urban park located at the Emirgan neighbourhood in the Sarıyer district of Istanbul, Turkey, on the European coast of the Bosphorus. It is one of the largest public parks in Istanbul.
In the Byzantine era, the entire area, where today the park stretches, was covered with cypress trees and known as "Kyparades" or "Cypress Forest". It became known as "Feridun Bey Park", when the uninhabited land was granted in the mid-16th century to Nişancı Feridun Bey, a Lord Chancellor in rank in the Ottoman Empire.
In the 17th century, Ottoman sultan Murad IV (reigned 1623-1640) presented the estate to Emir Gûne Han, a Safavid Persian commander, who surrendered his sieged castle without any resistance, and followed him back to Istanbul. The name "Feridun Bey Park" was changed to "Emirgûne", which in time became corrupted to "Emirgan".
During the centuries, the estate's owner changed several times, and by the end of the 1860s, it was owned by Khedive Ismail Pasha (reigned 1863-1879), Ottoman governor of Egypt and Sudan. The area was used as the backyard of a large wooden yalı that he built on the shore of the Bosphorus. Further, he built within the park area three wooden pavilions, which still exist.
The heirs of the Khedive's family sold the estate in the 1930s to Satvet Lütfi Tozan, a wealthy Turkish arms dealer, who granted the park grounds, the three pavilions included, later in the 1940s to the City of Istanbul during office of Governor and Mayor Lütfi Kırdar (1938-1949).
The park today-
A pond with fountain in the Emirgan Park
The park, owned and administered today by the Metropolitan Municipality of Istanbul, covers an area of 117 acres (470,000 m2) on a hillside, and is enclosed by high walls.
Inside the park with two decorative ponds are plants of more than 120 species. The most notable rare trees of the park's flora are: Stone Pine, Turkish pine, Aleppo Pine, Blue Pine, Eastern White Pine, Maritime Pine, Japanese Cedar, Norway Spruce, Blue Spruce, Atlas Cedar, Lebanon Cedar, Himalayan cedar, Beech, Ash tree, Sapindus, Babylon Willow, Hungarian Oak, Colorado White Fir, Maidenhair tree, California incense-cedar, Coast Redwood and Camphor tree.
Many jogging tracks and picnic tables make the Emirgan Park a very popular recreation area for the local people, especially during the weekends and holidays.The three historic pavilions, called after their exterior color as the Yellow Pavilion, the Pink Pavilion and the White Pavilion were restored in time between 1979-1983 by the Touring and Automobile Club of Turkey under its CEO Çelik Gülersoy, and opened to the public as cafeteria and restaurant.
The Emirgan Park is closely associated with the tulip, the traditional flower, which gave its name to an era (1718-1730) of the Ottoman Empire. A special garden was established in Emirgan Park in the 1960s to revive the city's tradition of tulip cultivation. Since 2005, an annual international tulip festival is organized here every April making the park attractive and very colorful with these flowers.
The Yellow Pavilion - Sarı Köşk is a large wooden mansion in the form of a chalet built by Khedive Ismail Pasha between 1871-1878 as a hunting lodge and guest house.
Situated in the center of the park and overlooking the Bosphorus, the two-storey mansion with one balcony, one terrace and a basement is constructed on an area of 400 m2 (4,300 sq ft). It consists of four rooms, one hall and a kitchen in the lower floor and three rooms and one salon in the upper floor. Its layout reflects the architecture of the traditional Ottoman house with a salon encircled by many living rooms.
The ornaments at the ceilings and the walls were the work of the court architect Sarkis Balyan. The ceilings are enriched with oil painted flower figures and the facades with outstanding carvings. The high doors and windows, as well as the opulent interior decorations in bright colors reflect the glory of that era.
A pond is situated to the northeast, next to the mansion.
Used only by the owners from the very beginning, the pavilion was restored within four months in the beginning of the 1980s with due diligence, furnished with antiques and opened to the public as a cafeteria.The Yellow Pavilion, the main base of the park, is run since 1997 by Beltur, the tourism company of the Metropolitan Municipality of Istanbul. Up to 100 guests can be served at the premise in summer and winter time.
The Pink Pavilion - Pembe Köşk, one of the three mansions in the park built by Khedive Ismail Pasha, is a two-storey, typical Ottoman house. Named after its exterior's original color of cranesbill flower pink, the pavilion reflects the glory of its history with fine ornaments.
The pavilion is used as a cafeteria on weekends. Furthermore, it available for conventions and wedding ceremonies. In the summer months, the premise can accommodate up to 350 guests, for cocktails up to 500 people. In the winter time, groups of up to 150 guests can be served.
The White Pavilion - Beyaz Köşk is the third mansion within the Emirgan Park built by Khedive Ismail Pasha. It is only 150 m (490 ft) far from the Yellow Pavilion. The two-storey wooden building bears the architectural characteristics of the neo-classical style.
The mansion is used in the daytime as a cafeteria and in the evenings as a restaurant of Turkish-Ottoman cuisine.