I Take A Ride In The Tin Goose!

Yes, you're wondering what is a Tin Goose. It's an airplane, a Ford Tri-Motor to be exact. In February of 1990, a Tin Goose came to the Venice, Florida airport to give tourist rides. I'm not sure how I heard about the rides, but it wouldn't surprise me that I just happened to be driving by the airport and saw the sign.

Actually, I rode the Tin Goose twice. The first time was on February 11, 1990, but I did not have my camara. That's why I think I just happened across the airplane - had I known about it, I would have had the camera. Luckily, they would be back the next week, so on the 18th, I took a second ride, this time with the camera.

It was quite a lot of fun riding in an historic airplane. According to airliners.net, this airplane was flown by Charles Lindbergh for American Airlines, and that he gave Henry Ford his only plane ride in it.

In 1992, the plane was severly damaged by hurricane Andrew, but was repaired. As of 2007, the plane is still alive and well, according to the Sandusky Register.

Tin Goose, tail number N7584.

Inside the cabin.

Just after taking off from Venice airport.

Still climbing out, looking south along the coast.

After a left turn, looking back at the Venice airport.

Looking east over Venice.

Now facing west, with the airport in the background.

Turning to prepare to return to the airport.

Very close to landing. The bridge is Business 41.

Crossing a perpendicular runway while taxing.

A fellow passenger deplanes.

Front of the aircraft.

Colorado Vacation 1989 - Wrap Up

Well, I enjoyed going back to Denver for Thanksgiving. Not only did I get to spend some time with family, I also was able to visit some of my favorite places. I'll have to go back soon.

Denver Botanic Gardens

Whenever I visit a city, I always seem to visit the botanical and zoological gardens. On this trip, I did visit the Denver Botanic Gardens. More information can be found at the Garden's web site; there's a link in the Landmarks I've Visited section.

A view of some residential buildings from the grounds of the Botanic Gardens. I don't know why I took this, but I like the photo.

Along one of the many walkways on the grounds. Note the greenhouse in the background.

The Greenhouse.

A squirrel enjoys a meal.

Japanese garden.

Japanese garden.

Along a trail inside the greenhouse.

Also inside the greenhouse.

A grass amphitheater on the grounds.

Downtown Denver

Denver is one of my favorite cities - I grew up there. I spent one afternoon of my 1989 vacation there, waxing nostalgic. It had only been two and a half years since I had moved to Florida, so I made it a point to visit some of my favorite places.

A view of the skyline from City Park.

The Colorado National Bancshares building. I used to work in this building on the 24th floor. The building now belongs to US Bank.

The Daniel's and Fisher Tower.

Colorado National Bank of Denver. Now it's US Bank.

United Bank and Colorado National Bancshares Buildings.

Looking east from 16th and Curtis Streets.

State Capitol Building.

A view from Civic Center Park, if I remember correctly.

To and From Estes Park

One day during the vacation, my brother Al and I took a road trip up to Estes Park via Colorado Highway 7. On the way back, we took Devil's Gulch Road through Glen Haven to see the site where the cabin our grandparents once owned used to be. The cabin was destroyed in the Big Thompson Flood of August, 1976.

Longs Peak from Highway 7

Another shot of Longs Peak.

A church next to Highway 7 near Allenspark.

Another photo of the church.

The church.

Terrain across the highway from the church.

Fence and field along Devil's Gulch Road.

Fence and field along Devil's Gulch Road.

Colorado Vacation 1989

In November 1989, I took a vacation to Colorado for Thanksgiving. The following posts include some of the photos from that trip.

Afternoon and Evening at Siesta Beach

The better part of this day was spent at Siesta Beach, as were many others. The series begins near the southern part of the beach, with me working my way north and west along the beach's crescent shape.

A Hobiecat approaches the beach in late afternoon.

The Hobie has landed.

Now back at the northwest section of the beach, looking toward the southeast.

Birds love the beach too.

A Brown Pelican dives into the Gulf to catch dinner.

Another shot of the quartz sand. Looks amazingly like snow.

A high-rise condo right on the beach.

The sun sets.

The setting sun.

Another sunset shot.

The sun pokes through the clouds in one last gasp before falling below the horizon.

Trip to Cypress Knee Museum

Another day trip involved driving around Lake Okeechobee, eventually ending up at the Cypress Knee Museum, near Palmdale. Cypress trees are normally found in very wet environments, and their root systems have conical protrusions which stick up vertically. While scientisits are not certain of the purpose of the knees, it's commonly thought they help provide stability to the tree in muddy soil.

The Cypress Knee Museum showcased many Knee sculptures created by museum proprietor Tom Gaskins. Unfortunately, the museum closed in 2006, but I do have a few photos to help me remember my visit there. There are also a few web sites featuring the museum, one of which I have included in my Landmarks I've Visited section. I also bought a finished cypress knee from Tom, which to this day is featured prominently in my living room.

Open land on the road to Cypress Knee Museum.

A pond near the road. I love photos of rural landscapes, so I've included several in this post.

More of the pond in the previous photo.

Another open area, with a cypress 'stand' in the background.

A pine forest in the background.

More pines and a ranch gate.

On the grounds of the Cypress Tree Museum. The grounds included a large forested area. You can see cypress knees protruding from the earth.

A plank walkway leads visitors safely through the forest.

Meadow-like opening in the forest.

Another one of my trademark 'tree and sky' shots. Actually, there's a red bromeliad on one of the trees, but I don't think it will show up well here. The camera I used during this time period was none too advanced.

I also like to take photos of convergent objects, like the sides of a road merging together on the horizon. This was taken heading west on State Road 74 (if memory serves) on my way home from Cypress Knee Museum.