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“Pic of the Week”, January 20, 2023: Bighorn Sheep, Highwood Pass, Alberta
I came across this herd of bighorn sheep while exploring Kananaskis Country, a stretch of the Canadian Rocky Mountains south of Banff National Park. Bighorn sheep aren’t rare, but also aren’t see every time you hit the road.
The groups consisted of a bunch of ewes and their lambs who seemed to be on the road to lick salt. Traffic stopped as people got out to photograph them. Especially cute were the youngsters.
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge)
Jan 19, 2023
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.All Trips / Alaska / North America
Focusing on Hawks and Falcons, Fairbanks
While visiting Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge we attended a short talk and demonstration on hawks and falconry given by two of the local residents. They had their beautiful birds on hand. I believe the bird shown above is a red-tailed hawk, although I’m not 100% sure about that.
The birds were hooded and carried on thick leather gloves, as expected. The owner of the hawk gave us a display of how the hawk flies and tries to catch prey while in flight.
(Releasing the hawk, Fairbanks)
Once unhooded and untethered, the hawk took to the air and began soaring, elegant and graceful. A leather decoy was whipped about and the hawk repeatedly caught it.
The display ended when a bald eagle …
.All Trips / Asia / Food / India
The Meena Bazar, Delhi
Meena Bazar is located in Old Delhi close to the UNESCO World Heritage site, the Red Fort. It’s an old sprawling market that’s impossible to completely take in during one visit. It seems as though most people shopping here knew what vendors they wanted to patronize, although of course there was a lot of browsing.
The Bazar was created during the Mughal era as a place for women from the Red Fort to go shopping (for clothes, jewelry, sarees, carpets, etc.). The market has grown significantly beyond its original presence inside the Red Fort and caters to all now, not just to women. It seemed to me that just about anything you might want, you could find for …
Tagged Dehi, food, Market, Meena Bazar
.All Trips / North America / Northeastern USA / Pennsylvania
“Pic of the Week”, January 13, 2023: Liberty Bell, Independence National Historic Park, Philadelphia
I’ve only visited the Liberty Bell once but that was at a difficult time in my life and in American history. It was just a few weeks after 9-11-2001, and the Bell was under high security and partial lockdown (being only open a few hours a day as I recall). It was so unusual to see armed soldiers standing by the entrance to a National Park Site. Still, I found the sight of the Bell to be inspiring and waited in line to see it.
The Liberty Bell rang in the tower of the Pennsylvania State House (a,k.a. Independence Hall), and became associated with American Independence. The Bell probably developed its crack in the early 1840’s after nearly 90 years of …
Tagged Philadelphia
.All Trips / Europe / Spain
Cordoba’s Historic Synagogue
While rambling through the streets of Cordoba we came across this historic Synagogue in the city’s old Jewish neighborhood. It was an unexpected finding, making it all the more enjoyable to visit.
The Cordoba Synagogue is rather small but is said to be one of the best-preserved Medieval synagogues in Spain. It was built between 1314 and 1315 A.D. and was in constant use until the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492.
(Main chamber of Cordoba’s Historic Synagogue)
There is no admission fee and you get to see the main hall, a rectangular room decorated with plant motifs and Hebrew inscriptions. A separate woman’s gallery still stands but is not open to the public.
After the Jews left, the building was used as …
Tagged Cordoba, Cordoba Synagogue, Synagogue
.All Trips / Argentina / South America
The Metropolitan Cathedral in Buenos Aires
The Metropolitan Cathedral (Catedral Metropolitana de Buenos Aires) faces Plaza de Mayo, near the heart of the city, and is close to the Presidential palace, Casa Rosada. This is the church where before 2013 Pope Francis served as Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio. The church now houses the Pope Francis Museum featuring personal and religious artefacts belonging to the Pope, but we visited before this Museum had opened so I can’t comment on it.
A church was first built on this site in 1593 and it has been redesigned and updated seven times since. Construction on the current church was started in 1752 but not completed until the mid-nineteenth century, and the facade was finished in the early 20th …
“Pic of the Week”, January 6, 2023: Heather Lake, Sequoia National Park
Heather Lake is a popular day hike destination in California’s Sequoia National Park. The trail begins from the Wolverton parking area, heads north (part of the Lakes Trail) and over 4.1 miles climbs about 2,000 ft to Heather Lake (situated at 9,280 ft). It’s considered a moderately difficult hike.
There are two options to getting to Heather Lake from the Lakes Trail: 1) The Hump Trail requires more elevation gain (about 200 ft), is shadier, and doesn’t have the exposure of the Watchtower Trail. It is the safer option, even if it is slightly longer.2) The Watchtower Trail is not for those with a fear of heights as it takes you on a ledge blasted from a sheer cliff for a half mile, …
Jan 5, 2023
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.All Trips / Central Canada / Manitoba / North America
Seven Sisters Hydroelectric Dam, Manitoba
Almost all of the electricity generated in the province of Manitoba is clean hydroelectric power. Some argue that the plants are large and unsightly, but once they have been built, they churn our clean power. There are a number of such plants in Manitoba, many of them located on its eastern edge.
The Seven Sisters Generating Station is the largest hydroelectric plant on the Winnipeg River. I’d first visited this plant when I was a young boy and have been back a few times since, my last visit a few years ago.
Constructions on the Seven Sisters station started in 1929 and the plant was operational, generating power, in 1931 — 75 megawatts from three turbine-generators. An expansion of the station began …
Tagged Hydroelectric, Seven Sisters, spillway, Winnipeg River
